MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Mason City man accused of sexually assaulting two of his caretaker clients has been sentenced to four years in prison. Cerro Gordo County District Court records say 19-year-old Wasfie Alshara was sentenced Monday. He’d pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. Prosecutors lowered the charges of felony sexual abuse in exchange for Alshara’s pleas. Alshara also must register as a sex offender.

The court records say Alshara raped one of his dependent adult clients on Nov. 21, 2017, and sexually assaulted the other in a group home on June 8, 2018.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — A report by a state toxicologist says dust from waste material used to cover Muscatine County’s gravel roads could be hurting the health of children and adults who are exposed.
The report was written by Iowa Public Health Department toxicologist Stuart Schmitz for resident who oppose the county’s use of slag. Slag is a byproduct from steel manufacturing, and the report says it contains metals at levels that are harmful to infants and toddlers but also for kids up to 18 years old.

The report also says the slag dust is dangerous for adults who are exposed to levels nearly twice what’s considered safe. The report says, however, that adults would have to work “an entire workday, most days of the year,” to be harmed.

County Supervisor Nathan Mather said at Monday’s board meeting that “this is the first time anybody in an official capacity has told us there’s a concern.”

(Radio Iowa) — State Auditor Rob Sand is planning what he describes as a more thorough review of how private companies are running the state’s Medicaid program, but he is not predicting when that review may be completed. Republican State Auditor Mary Mosiman released her staff’s review of Medicaid in late November — concluding the state will save 126 million dollars this year because of the shift to privately managed care of Medicaid patients. Sand defeated Mosiman’s bid for reelection and Sand replaced her as state auditor last week.

“The only thing that they looked at was: ‘Might we be saving money?'” Sand says. “But they didn’t look at the services getting provided or the quality of the services getting provided, much less the quantity.” Sand says Medicaid patients and Iowa taxpayers need to know more than just the price of Medicaid coverage.  “It’d be a little bit like me telling my wife: “Hey, I saved a lot of money. This truck I bought was really cheap,’ but she says: ‘How many miles are on it?’ and I say: ‘I don’t know yet ‘ And she says: ‘Does the engine work?’ And I say: ‘I don’t know about that either.’ You can’t just look at the price tag,” Sand says. “You have to look at what you’re getting in exchange and we haven’t looked at that.”

Sand and other Democrats criticized Mosiman for failing to release her review Medicaid privatization BEFORE the General Election. Sand, who took office last Wednesday, isn’t providing a target date for the release of this broader review of Iowa’s Medicaid program. “It’d be irresponsible for me at this point to speculate about that,” Sand says. Sand made his comments during a weekend appearance on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program.

(Radio Iowa) — Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation say it’s time to end the partial government shut-down, but their responses to President Trump’s Oval Office address vary, based on their political affiliation.

According to Republican Senator Joni Ernst, Democrats in congress — in her words — “are playing games with the safety and security of each and every town in America.” Ernst says a wall will not only protect the southern border, but prevent human trafficking and the transport of illegal weapons and drugs.

Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack, a Democrat from Iowa City, says the president seems obsessed with what Loebsack describes as “an expensive and ineffective wall.” Loebsack says it’s time for congress to end “the bickering” and pass a bill that includes border security measures along with reform of the country’s broken immigration system.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Officials in western Iowa say the body of a man has been found by firefighters in an apartment where they were fighting a fire. Omaha, Nebraska, television station KETV reports that the fire broke out Tuesday afternoon at an apartment in Council Bluffs. Fire Chief Justin James says crews were able to get the fire under control shortly after the blaze was reported around 3 p.m. Once inside, firefighters found the body.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Nebraska man has been charged in Iowa with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and other counts. The Iowa Insurance Division says in a news release that 34-year-old Peere Shackelford, of Omaha, was also charged with second-degree arson and conspiracy to commit a felony following an investigation by the division and the Council Bluffs Fire Department. Shackelford is accused of giving false information to his insurance carrier following a vehicle fire.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in eastern Iowa are investigating the death of a woman, whose body was found by the side of a highway near Muscatine. The Muscatine Journal reports that the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 1 a.m. Tuesday to report a woman lying on the side of Highway 38. Arriving deputies found the woman’s body. Officials had not released the woman’s name by midafternoon Tuesday. An autopsy has been ordered.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man faces felony charges after officials say he drunkenly fired a rifle from the front deck of a camper hoping to bag a deer, but instead shot a woman in her home. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the shooting happened Friday evening in Wapello County. Deputies arrested 34-year-old Lee Joseph Ryals, whom they believe fired a rifle from the camper at a deer while he was drunk.