(Radio Iowa) – Three of the four Iowans who serve in the U-S House are calling on a fellow Republican to resign immediately. Congressman Zach Nunn of Bondurant says a report from the House Ethics Committee shows New York Congressman George Santos has not lived up to the ideals of honesty and transparency that Americans deserve from their elected representatives.

Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion says Santos conduct was illegal and unacceptable. The ethics panel’s report found Santos blatantly stole from his campaign fund and lied about his background. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of LeClaire says if Santos doesn’t resign, the House should vote to expel him.

Nunn, Hinson and Miller-Meeks posted their statements on social media shortly after the House Ethics Committee released its report today (Thursday). Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull has not commented publicly on the report. At the beginning of the month, all four Iowans who serve in the U-S House voted against a resolution to remove Santos from office — joining the majority of House Republicans who said they were waiting on the Ethics Committee report before making a judgment.

Santos has said he will not seek reelection in 2024, but he has refused to resign.

(Radio Iowa) – A-C-T scores among Iowa high school students who took the test dropped slightly from a year ago and far fewer students are taking the test.

The average A-C-T composite score for seniors who graduated from an Iowa high school last spring was 20-point-eight. That compares to a score of 22 for the 2014 graduating class in Iowa. Nine years ago, 68 percent of high school seniors in Iowa took the A-C-T. Just under half took it this past year.

Iowa, Iowa State and U-N-I no longer require students applying for admission to take the A-C-T.

(Radio Iowa) – The trial of the Sioux City woman accused of committing election fraud in elections when her husband’s name is underway and expected to last into next week. Kim Taylor is accused of filling out ballot request forms AND absentee ballots for several Vietnamese residents in the Sioux City area.

An Iowa State University student testified that when he tried of file his absentee ballot from Ames, he discovered someone had already cast a vote in his name. His mother, who testified through an interpreter, said Taylor called her to see if she needed help voting and Taylor completed the paperwork, but Nguyen signed the ballot. She also testified Taylor told her it was o.k. to complete ballot request forms for her son and daughter, but she never would have done that if she knew it was a crime.

Kim Taylor and her husband Jeremy Taylor have denied the charges.

DES MOINES, Iowa – A federal grand jury in Des Moines returned an Indictment today charging an Ames man with fifteen counts of sex trafficking by fraud and coercion, one count of sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a child, and one count of possession of child pornography.

According to the Indictment, Carl Dale Markley used and attempted to use fraud and coercion to cause 14 victims to engage in commercial sex acts. The sex-trafficking charges allege that Markley began trafficking one victim as early as 2004, and between 2004 to April 2023, Markley trafficked or attempted to traffic each of the fourteen victims. In addition, the Indictment states that from August 2020 to October 2020, Markley sexually exploited (or attempted to sexually exploit) one 15‑year-old minor by using the minor to create child pornography, and that Markley knowingly possessed child pornography.

Markley made his initial court appearance today before a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

Markley is charged with seventeen offenses in total. Each of the sex trafficking charges carries a 15-year mandatory minimum prison term, and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Sexual exploitation of a child carries a 15‑year mandatory term of imprisonment and a maximum term of 30 years in prison. The charge for possession of child pornography carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Richard Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Ames Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating the case.

Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of youth under the age of 18 for commercial sex; the exploitation of adults for commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for compelled labor. Human trafficking does not require the transportation of individuals across state lines, or that someone is physically restrained. Signs that a person is being trafficked can include working excessively long hours, unexplained gifts, physical injury, substance abuse issues, running away from home, isolation from others, or having a person in their life controlling them or monitoring them closely. Victims particularly susceptible to being trafficked include those with criminal histories, a history of physical or sexual abuse, uncertain legal status, and dependency on controlled substances.

Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring, be it a minor engaging in paid sex acts, or anyone being coerced into prostitution or labor, is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. If anyone has information about this case, they are urged to call the Ames Police Department, FBI, or Iowa’s Division of Criminal Investigation, or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Coordinator Doug Reed, Thursday (today) said in a new release that “An open burning ban will be in effect immediately for all areas and jurisdictions in Pottawattamie County. The ban prohibits all open and controlled burning in Pottawattamie County, including all incorporated city limits within the county.”

With the lack of sufficient ground moisture and precipitation, fire departments have responded to several grass/field fires requiring the need for multiple fire departments to respond to fight these fires. The current dry conditions and dead vegetative fuels create the perfect conditions for fires to spread rapidly.

During these dry conditions, citizens are reminded to not throw cigarettes out from moving vehicles and discontinue burning yard waste, piled tree debris, and grass/agricultural ground during the ban. The ban will remain in effect until the county receives sufficient precipitation to alleviate the increased fire threat.

Violation of a burn ban can subject a person to criminal penalties as well as civil liabilities for any damages, losses, or injuries resulting from the fire.

Visit https://pcema-ia.org for more information on burn bans and the law. All residents are also encouraged to sign up for Alert Iowa at the website to receive alerts for fire danger, evacuation notices, severe weather threats, and community emergency notifications.