MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — No criminal charges will be filed over more than $2.1 million in improper payments by the Mason City Community School District. The Cerro Gordo County attorney’s office said in a news release Wednesday that it was determined after consultations with the Iowa attorney general’s office that there was “insufficient evidence to support any criminal charges.”

A state audit that covered July 20009 through August 2017 says more than $1.3 million was salary to 66 mainly administrative employees that exceeded the authorized pay and increases. The improper payments also included other monetary benefits, such as vehicle and cellphone allowances given to some employees. The audit report released in December also said hundreds of thousands more in improper disbursements covered district contributions to retirement and annuity accounts.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne was among the supporters of a bill providing humanitarian aid to migrants crossing the U-S southern border.
The U-S House approved the four-point-five-BILLION dollar ($4.5) emergency aid bill 230-195 Tuesday. House Democrats pushed the bill in response to concern over the treatment of children separated from parents at the border as part of the detention of immigrants coming into the country illegally. Axne says the bill addresses the humanitarian crisis at the border.
“I think that we can all agree that we want families and children to be treated appropriately,” Axne says. “So, this is a lot of assistance through refugees at the state licensed shelters, to help folks expand capacities in the small and medium-scale state licensed facilities to reduce reliance and the influx of shelters for children.”

She says it also helps with legal services, and advocates, and then post-release services. It puts some money toward the Office of Inspector General, and federal field specialists and case management services. The West Des Moines Democrat says the bill included provisions for the U-S Department of Homeland Security to boost border security measures. “U.S. Customs and Border Protection got another one-point-three billion,” she says. “Immigration and Customs Enforcement, over 128 million, and federal emergency management money, as well, to assist with all of the migrants coming in, and giving them the capacity to work with that.”

Axne says funding is also included oversight and migrant safety. The congresswoman hopes Congress moves forward in protecting the border, and keeping the country safe–but in a humane way. “We don’t ever want to see children who are supervising other young children, who don’t get an opportunity for a change of diapers. Children that are denied basic things like brushing their teeth. Certainly, these things need to be addressed,” according to Axne.

Iowa Democrats Abby Finkenauer and Dave Loebsack voted for the bill — while Republican Congressman Steve King voted against the bill.

(Radio Iowa) — People in nine Iowa counties hit hardest by spring flooding have just a few days to register for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Registering with FEMA helps the agency determine if people are eligible for grants to help repair their flood-damaged homes or pay for temporary housing. FEMA’s Deanna Frazier says many Iowans who are eligible still haven’t requested help. Frazier says, “They want to make sure that there is enough funding to go around to other survivors who were more highly impacted than they were.”

More than 24-hundred Iowa households and families have registered with FEMA so far, and the agency has already approved more than 13-million dollars for Iowans. Once a homeowner registers with FEMA, the agency works to get an inspector to their home to survey the damage.  “We are receiving more registrations that are kind of trickling in rather than busting down our doors right now, however, we do believe that there are people out there that have not registered with FEMA for assistance.”

The U.S. Small Business Administration also offers low-interest loans for homeowners. The deadline to register is July 1st — Monday. Seven of the eligible counties are in western Iowa: Woodbury, Monona, Harrison, Pottawattmie, Shelby, Fremont and Mills, while the remaining two are in eastern Iowa: Scott and Louisa. For information, call 800-621-FEMA or visit disasterassistance.gov.

Police in Red Oak report the arrest at around 12:55-a.m. today (Thursday), of 32-year old Benjamin William Hrabik. The Red Oak man was taken into custody for Public Intoxication, and was being held in the Montgomery County Jail, on a $300 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A retired farmer who applied to Gov. Kim Reynolds to have his gun rights restored has instead been arrested for illegally possessing firearms. Allan Phillips had been out of trouble for 40 years when he sent in his application to get his gun rights back, saying he wanted to move past a 1978 misdemeanor. But agents conducting a background check found that he owned multiple guns despite losing his firearm rights. The case illustrates how hard it is for ex-offenders to regain their gun rights.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand is accusing insurance companies providing Medicaid services to two disabled Iowans in wheelchairs of violating their contracts with the state. Sand has notified the Iowa Department of Human Services that Amerigroup and UnitedHealthcare have each notified a Medicaid recipient that their services will be terminated.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man has been found guilty of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Federal prosecutors said in a news release that 38-year-old Jonas Ross III, of Davenport, was found guilty Wednesday in a federal court in Davenport. Investigators say the victim had traveled to Davenport from Ohio in November 2017, and checked into the Days Inn after contacting Ross to obtain heroin. He was found dead days later.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A lobbyist who advised Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on agriculture and natural resources has been named the director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Reynolds appointed Kayla Lyon to the post which has been vacant for about a year after the previous director retired. Lyon, who has represented farmers and agribusiness in previous government affairs jobs, begins July 8. She is the first woman to be named DNR director.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand says two insurance companies that provide Medicaid services to two disabled Iowans in wheelchairs are violating their contracts with the state. Sand said Wednesday he’s notified the Iowa Department of Human Services that Amerigroup and UnitedHealthcare are not abiding by contract requirements that ensure services are not disrupted for clients.

Sand says he was notified that home services are ending for two unnamed people in rural Iowa receiving in-home care who fear they may be placed in nursing homes.

As state auditor, he says he has a right under the contracts to seek information from the insurers to see if they’re following the law and contract language. Sand says the companies have not complied. A spokesman for Gov. Kim Reynolds declined to comment, and the DHS spokesman says the agency is reviewing the issues Sand is raising.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a 50-year-old registered sex offender in Minnesota faces federal charges after being accused of traveling to Iowa to have sex with minors. Federal prosecutors for Iowa say Terrance Nordwall has been charged with attempted sex trafficking of children, attempted enticement of minors and traveling for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct. He was charged in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Prosecutors say Nordwall tried to solicit and entice two people he believed were under 18 to engage in prostitution and that he traveled across a state line in April to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Nordwall was convicted in Minnesota in 2004 of three counts of child sexual conduct and one count of having child pornography. If convicted of the latest charges, Nordwall faces up to life in prison.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A lobbyist who advised Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on agriculture and natural resources has been named the director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Reynolds appointed Kayla Lyon on Wednesday to the post which has been vacant for about a year after the previous director retired.

Lyon, who has represented farmers and agribusiness in previous government affairs jobs, begins July 8. She is the first woman to be named DNR director.

The DNR carries out state and federal laws that protect air, land and water through technical assistance, permitting and compliance programs. The agency also manages fish, wildlife, forest and prairie programs and oversees state parks.

It has the challenge of managing water quality in a heavily farmed state where control of cornfield fertilizer runoff and manure from hog farms has become an increasingly difficult problem.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man has been found guilty of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Federal prosecutors said in a news release that 38-year-old Jonas Ross III, of Davenport, was found guilty Wednesday in a federal court in Davenport.

Investigators say the victim had traveled to Davenport from Ohio in November 2017, and checked into the Days Inn after contacting Ross to obtain heroin. On Dec. 2, 2017, the victim’s body was discovered in his motel room. Officials say he overdosed and died from ingesting fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.

Ross is set to be sentenced Oct. 29.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports that on Wednesday, June 26th, his deputies arrested 31-year old Austin James Haler, of Sidney, for the delivery of methamphetmine. Haler was arrested after an investigation was conducted in Sidney for narcotics delivery. Haler was transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center and held on a $10,000 bond.

Haler

On Tuesday, Fremont County deputies arrested 31-year old James Hume, of Sidney. Hume was arrested at his residence in Sidney for a valid Fremont county warrant for Animal Neglect, after his dogs were taken from his residence. Hume was transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center where he bonded out.

Hume