Des Moines, Iowa – In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, the Iowa Insurance Division is reminding financial professionals and Iowans to be on the lookout for signs of elder financial abuse, including potential exploitation and scams. To help protect senior investors, the Iowa Insurance Division recommends investors provide the name of someone they trust as a trusted contact on their investment accounts.

“Scammers are looking to prey on unsuspecting investors and they often target older individuals. One way to help detect and even prevent financial exploitation is to create another layer of safety for investment accounts by adding a trusted contact to investment accounts,” Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said.  “The Iowa Insurance Division is actively working to combat cases of abuse and senior financial exploitation by providing tools and resources to protect investors.”

A trusted contact is a person authorized by the investor to allow financial firms, in limited circumstances, to contact them when there are concerns about activity in an account. A trusted contact may be a family member, attorney, accountant or another third-party that respects the investor’s privacy and understands how to handle the responsibility.

The Iowa Fraud Fighters and Lucha Antifraude websites offer more resources for individuals to protect themselves from fraud.  Broker-dealers and investment advisers can also report suspected senior financial exploitation to the Iowa Insurance Division for investigation.

Iowans are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division at 877-955-1212 or sfe@iid.iowa.gov with suspicions of possible senior financial exploitation.

(Adel, Iowa) – A Dallas County man is in custody, charged with two Class-B felony counts of Attempted Murder. Authorities say 65-year-old Kelly Gene Broyles, of Adel, was arrested Sunday, after he rammed his truck into a camper, while a person was inside. Court documents said Broyles was upset about his garden, and the people who were living in his house that he didn’t want there. When he decided to ram the camper, one of the alleged victims stood in front of it. Broyles stepped on the gas and struck the person, causing her to almost fall down.

Broyles then put his truck in reverse, forcing the woman to get out of the way. Broyles drove over a metal patio furniture set, which caused the truck’s tires to pop. The man continued to drive his vehicle, and struck the camper, knowing someone was inside. The whole incident was captured on a social media platform. When police arrived, they noticed three of the four tires on Broyles’ truck were flat.

The man remains in the Dallas County Jail. His preliminary hearing will take place June 22nd. He’s been ordered to have no contact with the alleged victims.

(Davenport, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Corrections, Wednesday, reported 19-year-old Mark Jayvon Jackson Jr, who was convicted of Burglary 2nd Degree and other charges in Scott County, failed to report back to the Davenport Work Release Center as required, Tuesday. Jackson, Jr., is a black male, six-feet tall. He weighs about 212 pounds. Jackson, Jr., was admitted to the work release facility on April 17, 2023.

Mark Jayvon Jackson,Jr. (IA DOC photo)

Persons with information on Jackson Jr’s whereabouts should contact local police.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – A Dubuque County man faces felony charges following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. Authorities say 31-year-old Bryce Douglas Murphy, of Peosta, was charged with: one count of Fraudulent Submissions – Application Fraud; one count Fraudulent Submissions – Misrepresentation of Material Fact, and one count Forgery. Each are Class-D felonies. He was also charged with: one count of Fraudulent Practice. and one count Identity Theft, which are Class C felonies.

The charges against Murphy stem from an investigation which began in September of 2022. According to a criminal complaint filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, Murphy submitted a loss claim to an insurance company reporting that two Rolex watches were stolen from his hotel room. Murphy submitted several documents in support of his claim including a purchase receipt for the watch which was found to be fabricated. The investigation also found that Murphy had previously submitted a claim to another insurance company for the same watches for which he received insurance benefits.

On June 11, 2023, Murphy was arrested and booked into the Scott County Jail where he later posted a $10,000 bond.

Bryce Douglas (Photo courtesy the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.

As a reminder, Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Divisions Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic FFA Adviser Eric Miller reports the Atlantic FFA Chapter placed 11th after competing in the annual Iowa FFA Agricultural Mechanics Career Development Event. The competition was held June 8th at Iowa State University, in Ames. Members of the place team included: DJ Shepperd, Alex Keiser, Wyatt Simons and Charli Goff.

FFA teams including 119 individuals from 34 chapters participated in this year’s Career Development Event designed to provide the student an opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of Agricultural Mechanics & Technology. Activities included demonstration of skills, problem solving, and knowledge application in agricultural machinery equipment, metals and welding, structures, environmental and natural resources, and electrical systems.

During the Ag Mechanics welding division the members of Atlantic placed 2nd. Individually Shepperd placed 25th, Keiser placed 40th, Simons placed 45th and Goff placed 69th. Shepperd commented “It was sad that this was one of my last experiences in FFA, but definitely one of my favorites. Yet another reason to join FFA.”

The Iowa FFA Agricultural Mechanics & Technology Career Development Event was made possible with support from Titan Machinery through the Iowa FFA Foundation. The Agricultural Mechanics & Technology Career Development Event was hosted by the Iowa State University Ag 450 Farm and was coordinated and conducted by Mr. Jon Davis and the Agricultural Education & Studies Department at Iowa State University in Ames. The Association of General Contractors of Iowa provided lunch for all participants and staff.

(Grimes, Iowa) – An official with the Iowa FFA Association says each year, the Southwest district and Iowa FFA officers plan and facilitate Chapter Officer Leadership Training (COLT) Conferences for FFA members in the Southwest district. Association Executive Director Scott Johnson, says Atlantic welcomed 169 members from 28 FFA chapters attended from all over the Southwest district on June 5th.

While in Atlantic, district and state officers lead four interactive workshops for FFA Chapter leaders, many of which are officers, for the annual COLT Conference. The workshops facilitated were local FFA Chapter program focused in the areas of advocating for the agriculture industry, connecting with stakeholders, recruiting for the local chapter, and working as a cohesive team. FFA leaders also received training relative to their specific officer duties within the local chapter. Atlantic Chapter Vice President Lola Comes said “Every activity in FFA is preparing me for the future; even a few hours at COLT training has been beneficial. Networking in agriculture is important and this opportunity helped me interact with others and grow as a leader.”

Iowa FFA President, Holly Schmitt, said “COLT conference provides a chance for FFA members to learn more about their responsibility as a local leader and is a conference for members to meet and connect with state, district and other chapter officers.”

Back row, Left-to-right: Colton Rudy, Roth DenBeste, Wyatt Simons & Lily Johnson; Front row, L-to-R: Claire Pellett, Charli Goof & Lola Comes. (Photo courtesy Scott Johnson)

COLT conference programming is designed as a two-year rotation of local leaders training. The focus areas of next year’s program include agriculture literacy, time management, professionalism, and self-confidence. The goal is to engage FFA members in learning about the tools that would allow them to be successful in anything they are part of through high school and beyond.

COLT conference is made possible with support from Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance of Iowa through the Iowa FFA Foundation

(Creston, Iowa) – Two people were arrested late Wednesday night in Creston. At around 10:30-p.m., 36-year-old Melissa Kay Stephenson, of Leon, was arrested at the Creston Wal-Mart for  5th Degree Theft 5th. Stephenson was cited and released from the scene on a Promise to Appear in court. And, at around 11:30-p.m. Wednesday, Creston Police arrested 18-year-old Keaton Michael Ballinger, of Creston.

Authorities say he was arrested at his residence for Possession Purchase of Alcohol by Person under the legal age/1st Offense. Ballinger was cited and released from the scene, on a Promise to Appear.

(Carter Lake, Iowa) – The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a house fire that occurred last week, in Carter Lake. Authorities say 84-year-old Elizabeth Clark died after the fire at her residence near 15th and Avenue P on June 5th. Carter Lake firefighters called for mutual aid from Omaha and Crescent for help to knock down the fire. It took crews about 40-minutes to bring the blaze under control.

A cause of the blaze was unknown, and the incident remained under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – The State Board of Regents approved an increase in salary or retention bonuses for the three presidents of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa Wednesday. Board President Michael Richards read the proposed increase for U-I president Barbara Wilson. “Authorize a 50-thousand dollar increase to her annual base salary effective July 1st 2023. Amend the 2021 deferred compensation plan to increase the total principal value by 25 percent,” he says.

The raise moves Wilson’s yearly salary to 700-thousand dollars. For I-S-U president Wendy Wintersteen, there will be a new deferred compensation plan starting July 1st with annual contributions of 415-thousand dollars, and her new employment agreement extends through June 30th of 2026. Her salary stays at 650-thousand dollars. U-N-I president Mark Nook also receive a raise. “Authorize a 15-thousand dollar increase to his annual base salary effective July 1st 2023,” Richards says.

This moves Nook’s salary to 372-thousand-110 dollars a year. The executive director of the Board of Regents, Mark Braun is also getting a change in his deferred compensation. “Establishing a new deferred compensation plan commencing with July 1st, 2023 and terminating on June 30th, 2025, with annual contributions of 155-thousand dollars,” Richards says.

The Regents discussed the salary issues in a closed meeting Tuesday and did not make any comments before voting to approve them Wednesday. After raising the compensation packages for the Board and university leaders, the Regents then approved a three-point-five percent tuition increase for in-state students. Iowa State University student body vice president, Jennifer Holiday spoke before the vote. “We understand the decision to increase tuition is not one taken lightly or made out of apathy, but rather out of necessity. The deficit between state allocations, and unnecessary costs must be supplemented for the sake of student success,” Holiday says.

Holiday says the increase can also inhibit students as they have to choose between eating and paying for textbooks. “As we prepare for the next meeting of the State General Assembly, Iowa State student government is ready to advocate alongside the Board and our other Regent universities to secure increased allocations from the state,” Holiday says. “Increased tuition and fees may be the short-term fix, but it is not a viable long-term solution for our students attending Iowa State University.”

University of Iowa student body vice president Carly O’Brien also discussed the burden on students. She says 30 percent of undergraduate students report using more than half of their income for housing and struggle with paying for food. “Sixty-seven percent of students in Iowa report eating less because they could not afford food. As a STEM major, I regularly learn about the importance of nutrition for daily functioning, and I’ve seen students struggle with the ultimatum to buy textbooks or food,” O’Brien says.

U-N-I student body president Micaia Krutsinger says he encourages the legislature and the Board of Regents to look at how the school is being funded. “If the core inflation is expected to be around four percent in 2023 and three percent in 2024, why is the state’s 2024 appropriations for general funding staying flat, while tuition is proposed to increase three-point-five percent?,” he says.  Krutsinger says state funding for higher education has not kept up. In fiscal year 2001, 63-point-seven percent of the three universities’ general funding came from the state, and 30-point-six percent from tuition,” Krutsinger says. “Now, for fiscal year 2023’s budget is nearly flipped with 30-point-five percent from the state and 63-point-eight percent from tuition.”

Krutsinger says the three universities combined currently have 57-point-five million dollars less in general funding from the state as compared to 2001. The Board of Regents approved the tuition increase and also an increase in mandatory fees without discussion.

(Radio Iowa)- There’s an open house in Oskaloosa later this month for the unveiling of a replica that will help tell the story of a massive animal that roamed the area 10-thousand years ago. A life-size model of a woolly mammoth is going on permanent display at the Environmental Learning Center in Oskaloosa. Chris Clingan is director of the Mahaska County Conservation Board, which operates the center.

“It gives you a real life idea of how large these creatures were and just how unique they are,” Clingan says. In 2010, after a heavy rain, a man who owned property about six miles east of Oskaloosa found the leg bone of a mammoth sticking out of a ravine. “We actually have that actual bone, that first bone that was found, on display here,” Clingan says. Bones from three different mammoths were eventually discovered in the area.

“That was significant because I think it was the first time that it actually gave scientific evidence that there was a population of mammoths in Iowa,” he says. “There was a saber toothed tiger over in southwest Iowa that was discovered just a few months ago, a skull and everything, and so there’s evidence that these creatures once roamed the lands here and that’s truly amazing.”

Clingan remembers seeing a replica of a giant sloth at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History when he was a kid and he says seeing this full-body replica of a woolly mammoth is equally awe inspiring. “At one point in time here in Iowa anywhere from 11,000 to 13,000 years ago, during end of the last Ice Age, there was a woolly elephant roaming around,” Clingan says. “It was really fascinating to me to realize the world we live in now was so much different not too long ago when you think of how long the Earth’s been around.”

The mammoth themed open house will be on June 27th, from 4 until 8 p.m. The Learning Center in Oskaloosa opened just a couple of years ago and the building was designed around getting a life sized woolly mammoth replica inside.