(Des Moines, Iowa) – Auditor of State Rob Sand today (Wednesday) released an Independent Auditor’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and on Compliance and Other Matters on the State of Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2022. The State of Iowa previously released its annual financial report for the year ended June 30, 2022.

AUDIT FINDINGS:
Sand reported twelve findings related to the receipt and disbursement of taxpayer funds of the State of Iowa. The findings address issues such as inaccurate financial information for the GAAP package related to Unemployment Insurance and material amounts of cash, accounts receivable, federal commodities, unearned revenues, compensated absences, revenues, expenditures and various related footnote disclosures for financial reporting. Sand provided the State with recommendations to address each of these findings.

Nine of the findings mentioned are repeated from the prior year. Each Department head has a fiduciary responsibility to provide oversight of their Department’s operations and financial transactions. Oversight is typically defined as the “watchful and responsible” care one exercises in their fiduciary capacity.

A copy of the audit report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website at Audit Reports – Auditor of State.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports 42-year-old David Junior Richman, of Creston, was arrested Tuesday evening, for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Richman was cited and released on a Promise to Appear.

And, at around 10:40-p.m., Tuesday, Creston Police arrested 42-year-old Keenan Russell Elwood, of Creston. He was charged with Theft 5th Degree. Elwood was taken to Union County Jail. Bail of $300 cash or approved surety was posted.

(Radio Iowa) – Officials in a city that’s been called the southern gateway to the Iowa Great Lakes have hired an architectural firm to study the housing market in Milford. Charlie Cowell, a lead consultant on the project, says Milford is like other lake communities in the Midwest that draw tons of visitors in the summer months and that drives up housing prices for year round residents.

According to Realtor-dot-com, 470-thousand dollars is the median listing price for homes that are for sale right now in Milford and that’s 24-and-a-half percent higher than a year ago. In late July, Milford’s City Council approved spending 18-thousand dollars on the housing research project and a final report should be ready by the end of the year.

(Radio Iowa) – A spokesman for the Polk County Sheriff’s Department says a man fired a gun at a deputy during an attempted traffic stop Tuesday, then barricaded himself inside a north Des Moines hotel. The traffic stop happened around 10:30 a-m and the man was taken into custody around 2:30 p-m without any problems.

The Saydel School district is nearby, and the district was put on lockdown as a precaution.

FORT DODGE – Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Corrections, Tuesday, said 31-year-old Devontae Raenall Mosley-Smith, a black male convicted of Robbery 2nd Degree and other charges in Webster County, failed to report back to the Fort Dodge Residential Facility as required, Monday.

Mosley-Smith is five-feet 11-inches tall, and weighs 242 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on August 1, 2023.

Persons with information on Mosley-Smith’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Mosley-Smith (IDOC photo)

(Radio Iowa) – The American Red Cross continues to need more blood donations. Red Cross Divisional Chief Medical Officer, Baia Lasky ( By-uh lass-skee), says there’s been a nearly 25 percent drop in its national blood supply since August. “The American Red Cross is currently experiencing a national blood shortage and we have an emergency need for type O blood and platelet donations of all types,” she says.

Doctor Lasky says the start of school and other fall activities have kept people busy and away from donating. “In recent weeks the number of donations has just not kept pace with hospital needs,” Lasky says. “So right now we are needing to collect about 10-thousand additional blood products blood products every week over the next month to meet hospital and patient needs.”

Lasky says natural disasters also impact donations. “When we see regions that are impacted by disasters, those regions it’s really more of a regional impact. And the American Red Cross does maintain a national inventory. So we are able to provide for impacted regions,” she says. “But that really just means it’s that much more important for regions that are not impacted for individuals to donate to be able to support the rest of the country.”

She encourages everyone to consider donating. “Anyone 16 and older can donate, we just asked people are healthy and well and if they’re interested we they can learn more about eligibility criteria,” she says.

You can find out more about donating blood at RedCross.org.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa might be quieter than usual around the holidays this year as a survey finds a large percentage of the state’s residents are planning to go, well, someplace else. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A Iowa, says Christmas is less than three months away and savvy travelers are booking early. “People are wanting to travel, especially across the state of Iowa,” Ortner says. “More than half of Iowans, 52% say they’re going to take a holiday vacation this year. The difference is, there’s about 40% of them booking travel plans right now due to higher travel prices, but people are still planning on traveling. They’re going to be taking at least one flight.”

COVID-19 is a distant, bad memory for many of us, and he says many Iowans are breaking the habits they formed in recent years by returning to taking vacations abroad. “The numbers for travel, as we’ve seen over the summer in the last couple years, are continuing to get back to pre-pandemic levels,” Ortner says, “so that’s a great sign for all of us who are ready just to get out and live again.”

Christmas falls on a Monday this year, so Ortner suggests you plan carefully to avoid a zoo at the airport. “A lot of folks travel two to four days prior to the holiday, so that means we might be seeing folks traveling on Thursday or Friday before Christmas. So those busiest days at the airport are probably going to be that Friday and Saturday,” Ortner says. “So if you can swing an extra day around Christmas to leave on Wednesday or Thursday, it might not be a bad opportunity or possibly even coming home and booking the day after Christmas, if you’re able to do that.”

According to a report from the travel app Hopper, airfares are down about nine-percent compared to last year, and they’re down ten-percent compared to 2019.

(Creston, Iowa) – No injuries were reported and no citations were issued, following an accident Tuesday morning, in Creston. Authorities say a 2010 Toyota Highlander SUV driven by 59-year-old Timothy H. Gerber, of Lenox, pulled in behind an unoccupied 2005 Chrysler Minivan at the Creston Wal-Mart service bay and attempted to stop, but the SUV hit the rear bumper of the mini-van.

Gerber told police his brakes failed. He attempted to back out, but struck the van again. The accident happened at around 8:22-a.m. Damage from the incident amounted to $3,000.

Witnesses told police the SUV’s brakes were functioning properly, in contradiction his statement. The report recommended Gerber have his driving skills re-examined because he “Showed his inability to safely keep his vehicle under control.”

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Auditor Jill Ozuna, Tuesday evening, issued a statement indicating “Per Iowa code Lots were drawn to determine Candidate Ballot Order” today (Tuesday) and that 5-p.m. was the deadline for objections and withdrawals.

Listed below are the candidate positions in ballot order, along with public measures, for the upcoming City-School Election on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. The polls will be open from 7-a.m. until 8-p.m. that day.

CITY OFFICES THAT WILL BE ON VARIOUS BALLOTS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Red Oak City Offices and Candidates Filed:

Mayor – Vote for One: Shawnna L. Silvius

Council Member Ward #1 – Vote for One: John F. Haidsiak

Council Member Ward #3 – Vote for One: Adam Hietbrink

Council Member At Large – Vote for One Sharon Bradley

Elliott City Offices and Candidates Filed:

Mayor – Vote for One: Michael Carson

Council Member At Large – Vote for Two: Leta Rush, Lisa Jamison

Grant City Offices and Candidates Filed:

Mayor – Vote for One: John J. Giefing, Emerson Hill

Council Member At Large – Vote for Five: Greg Karwal, Connie K. Giefing, Clay Amos, Chelsea Dvorak, Lyn Sliger, Jeff Brown, Nancy Taylor

Stanton City Offices and Candidates Filed:

Mayor – Vote for One: None Filed

Council Member At Large – Vote for two: Pier Osweiler, Greg Hampel

Council Member At Large – TFV- Vote for one: Justin R. Rhamy

Coburg City Offices and Candidates Filed:

Council Member At Large – Vote for Three: None Filed

Villisca City Offices and Candidates Filed:

Mayor – Vote for One: Marilyn Halda

Council Member At Large – Vote for Three: Robert Tripp Narup, Marsha S. Shepherd, Vince Abraham, Gabrielle Jackson

SCHOOL BOARDS THAT WILL BE ON VARIOUS BALLOTS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Red Oak School Board:

Director At Large – Vote for Two: Ashley York, Scott Bruce, Aaron D. Schmid

Stanton School Board:

Director At Large – Vote for Two: John McDonald, Zachary Ward

Villisca School Board:

Director At Large – Vote for Three: Richard Allen Mullen, Jason Poston, Tom A. Williams

East Mills School Board:

Director District #1 East – Vote for One: Mark Stearns

Director District #2 West – Vote for One: Trent Jones

Director District At Large – TFV – Vote for One: Suzanne Schraft, Nicole Marie Semrau, Dana Carter

Essex School Board:

Director At Large – Vote for Three: Doug Ohnmacht, Meredith K. Baker, Brian R. Johnson

Director At Large – TFV – Vote for One: Heidi Hossle

Griswold School Board:

Director At Large – Vote for One: Ryan Smith

Shenandoah School Board:

Director At Large – Vote for Two: Jeffrey A. Hiser, Glenn Owen Mason Jr, William Brent Twyman

Iowa Western Community College:

Director District #1 – Vote for One: Gilbert Thomas

Director District #2 – Vote for One: Kerry Newman

Southwestern Community College:

Director District #2 – Vote for One: Fred Shearer

Director District #3 – TFV – Vote for One: Susan Stearns

Director District #4 – Vote for One: Carol Saxton

Director District #7 – Vote for One: Amy Mobley

Director District #8 – Vote for One: John Cass

PUBLIC MEASURES THAT WILL BE ON VARIOUS BALLOTS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY

East Mills School District: Public Measure OZ:

Shall the Board of Directors of the East Mills Community School District, in the Counties of Mills and Montgomery, State of Iowa, for the purpose of purchasing and improving grounds; constructing schoolhouses or buildings and opening roads to schoolhouses or buildings; purchasing of buildings; purchase, lease or lease­ purchase of technology and equipment; paying debts contracted for the erection or construction of schoolhouses or buildings, not including interest on bonds; procuring or acquisition of libraries; repairing, remodeling, reconstructing, improving, or expanding the schoolhouses or buildings and additions to existing schoolhouses; expenditures for energy conservation; renting facilities under Iowa Code Chapter 28E; purchasing transportation equipment for transporting students; lease purchase option agreements for school buildings or equipment; purchasing equipment authorized by law; or for any purpose or purposes now or hereafter authorized by law, be authorized for a period of ten (10) years to levy and impose a voter-approved physical plant and equipment tax of not exceeding One Dollar Thirty-four Cents ($1.34) per One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) of assessed valuation of the taxable property within the school district, and be authorized annually, in combination, as determined by the board, to levy a physical plant and equipment property tax upon all the taxable property within the school district commencing with the levy of property taxes for collection in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and to impose a physical plant and equipment income surtax upon the state individual income tax of each individual income taxpayer resident in the school district on December 31 for each calendar year commencing with calendar year 2025, or each year thereafter?

Essex School District: Public Measure QV

Shall the Board of Directors of the Essex Community School District, in the Counties of Page and Montgomery, State of Iowa, for the purpose of purchasing and improving grounds; constructing schoolhouses or buildings and opening roads to schoolhouses or buildings; purchasing of buildings; purchase, lease or lease-purchase of technology and equipment; paying debts contracted for the erection or construction of schoolhouses or buildings, not including interest on bonds; procuring or acquisition of libraries; repairing, remodeling, reconstructing, improving, or expanding the schoolhouses or buildings and additions to existing schoolhouses; expenditures for energy conservation; renting facilities under Iowa Code Chapter 28E; purchasing transportation equipment for transporting students; lease purchase option agreements for school buildings or equipment; purchasing equipment authorized by law; or for any purpose or purposes now or hereafter authorized by law, be authorized for a period of ten (10) years, to levy annually, a voter-approved physical plant and equipment property tax not to exceed One Dollar Thirty-Four Cents ($1.34) per One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) of the assessed valuation of the taxable property within the school district commencing with the levy for collection in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, or each year thereafter?