(Des Moines, IA) – Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen issued an order approving a settlement with True Bullion LLC DBA Gold Silver International Exchange DBA GSI Exchange LLC (“GSI Exchange”) on October 23, 2023 that permits 14 Iowans who had bought precious metals from GSI Exchange to elect to receive refunds totaling approximately $788,000.  Clients electing to receive this refund will be required to return precious metals to GSI Exchange, which will essentially unwind their transactions.

“Today’s settlement benefits the 14 Iowa clients as it requires GSI Exchange to return money to those who elect to participate in the deal,” Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said.  “These Iowans were not provided important information when purchasing from GSI Exchange and I’m pleased there was an outcome where that is remedied and the consumers can be made whole.”

The settlement is the result of the coordinated work of state securities regulators from Alabama, Arkansas and Texas, who filed actions that generally alleged that GSI Exchange was acting as an unregistered investment adviser and not disclosing information material to the “spread,” or markup, paid by clients.

Clients residing in Iowa that purchased precious metals from GSI Exchange before July 22, 2021, will be eligible for refunds and will receive instructions and other relevant information from GSI Exchange.  The Iowa Insurance Division’s Securities Bureau is available at 515-654-6600 or securities@iid.iowa.gov to address any questions relevant to the process.

(Pottawattamie County, Iowa) – Pottawattamie County officials say the County is continuing its commitment to make communication with its residents a top priority, by hosting an upcoming town hall meeting in Oakland. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 9th, from 6:30-until 8-pm. The informational discussion will occur inside the Oakland Community Center at 614 Dr Van Zee Road, with no formal deliberation or action from the Board of Supervisors. Pottawattamie County held a similar forum in April, providing an opportunity for residents to hear from County leaders about the latest developments in the County.

County Supervisor Susan Miller says “Our weekly meetings are open to the public, but we understand some residents aren’t able to attend meetings on Tuesday mornings. We hope people stay connected with us through our website and social media platforms, but it’s important we have avenues to present information directly to our residents as well. That’s a key piece in our communication strategies.”

PowerPoint slides are expected to accompany brief presentations by leaders of several County departments during the meeting, before concluding with a question-and-answer forum with those in attendance. Miller says “We’re here to serve the more than 93,000 residents of this county. There are great things taking place in our communities and we want to ensure we continue to provide ways for people to stay informed and celebrate Pottawattamie County as a great place to work, live, and play.”

About the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors: Regularly scheduled meetings for the Board of Supervisors are held every Tuesday at 10:00am. To view live and archived meetings, visit YouTube.com/PottawattamieCountyIA. To learn more about the Board of Supervisors, visit PottCounty-ia.gov/departments/board_of_supervisors.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a man was arrested a little before 10-a.m. today (Wednesday), in the 120th block of C Avenue, near Wales (IA). Authorities say 39-year-old Cory Ross Smith, of Elliott, was arrested on a Montgomery County Bench Warrant for Violation of Probation. Smith’s bond was set at $2,000.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Nov. 1, 2023 – If you travel on U.S. 30 west of Glidden you need to be aware of a construction project that may slow down your trip. Beginning at 7 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 6, the Iowa Department of Transportation will close U.S. 30 west of Glidden in Carroll County for culvert replacement.

U.S. 30 traffic will be detoured on Carroll County roads N-38, E-26, and N-41. The detour is expected to be in place until Nov. 12, weather permitting.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop at around 9:03-a.m. today (Wednesday), in Red Oak, resulted in an arrest. According to Red Oak Police, 32-year-old Jessica Lynn Hardman, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 1200 block of N. 1st Street, on a charge of Driving Under Suspension. Hardman was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on bond amounting to $491.25.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), approved the renewal of a liquor license for the 4-H Building on the Adair County Fairgrounds, and a Right-Of-Way contract for the N24 Prussia (Township) culvert project. Adair County Engineer Nick Kauffman shared the details…

Kauffman said also, he was satisfied with a Purple Wave Auction of some of the Adair County Secondary Roads Department equipment.

Kauffman said he held interviews Monday with two people who then accepted offers for positions within the County Roads Department. Their pre-employment paperwork is in the process of being filled-out and filed.  And, he spoke with regard to project updates and other Secondary Roads Dept. activities.

Kerry Aistrope, with ISU Extension, presented a report to the Supervisors, along with an invoice for a grant reimbursement, with regard to 4-H Summer Camps.

In addition to the popular grilled cheese sandwich camp, there was a pizza challenge for the younger kids.

“All-in-All,” she said, “We did 19 total camps this year,” including an Adair Library Camp, where the younger kids read a book and work on some crafts. Next summer, she said, they hope to conduct a similar camp for the Stuart Library.  The summer 4-H interns conducted the day-camps last June and much of the summer in other areas, such as the Adair County Fair. Kerry said “They were immensely important to us.”

[UPDATED] (Radio Iowa) – A special investigation by the state auditor’s office has found a former state employee failed to deposit thousands of dollars in fees and taxes and received unauthorized gifts — including ring-side access to an event in Denver. Dawn Chamberlain was a program planner in the Iowa Athletic Commission, which oversees mixed martial arts as well as professional boxing and kickboxing and pro wrestling in Iowa. State Auditor Rob Sand says his staff has identified over 17-thousand dollars in state license fees and taxes that were either not collected or not deposited during Chamberlain’s time in the job.

“The bottom line here is that taxpayers missed out on money that was due to the State of Iowa, where this public employee was instead getting gifts and benefits on the side,” Sand says. “That looks to me to be a pretty clear quid pro quo.” On November 15th of last year, Chamberlain’s agency got a call from someone who said Chamberlain was “taking money under the table” and, after an internal investigation, Chamberlain was fired a month later. “Absolutely an extraordinary tip. We don’t see situations like this in Iowa very often,” Sand said. “This is good evidence of exactly why we ask people to report things to us. If you see something, say something.” Sand says a promoter for an event at Wells Fargo Arena wrote a 43-hundred dollar check to Chamberlain to cover pay for event officials — and Chamberlain deposited it in her own account. Sand says that’s a huge red flag.

“There shouldn’t be anyone working in the state of Iowa who thinks writing a check to a public employee for doing something related to their job is ever acceptable,” Sand says. Auditors found Chamberlain used her Venmo account to pay some event officials and Chamberlain told investigators she paid the rest of the fees in cash. The special investigation says Chamberlain attended sporting events without seeking approval from her supervisors — including a World Boxing Association event in Jefferson where she presented the winner with a championship belt.

“I think this is a clear case of someone who was getting far too into the potential personal benefits of her job and ignoring her personal obligations to be a fair and impartial employee the who was serving taxpayers,” Sand says. The report from the auditor’s office indicates Chamberlain received at least 17-hundred dollars in unauthorized gifts for trips she took to events in Colorado and Michigan.

According to the report, Chamberlain told investigators everyone else in the office accepts insane amounts of gifts. The state auditor’s report indicates officials in the agency are not aware of any other employee accepting gifts.

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Northern Iowa will work with four other schools to address climate change in Alaska over the next four years. The Cedar Falls institution is getting a near-14-million grant from the National Science Foundation to research the social and economic impacts of climate change on the Aleutian Islands’ indigenous population. Professor Andrey Petrov, director of U-N-I’s Arctic Center, says most of his team’s scientific work will go toward goals beyond the initial grant. “We think of this project not just like one big thing that happens in four years,” Petrov says. “We really think of it as a foundation for a long-term study that creates local capacity. The main problem in these local communities is they don’t have the local capacity to study what they want to study.”

Petrov says one of the goals is to bring sustainable employment and education to the area. “That would establish a network of local community research leads that would provide training and opportunities within the project,” he says, “but hopefully, other agencies will see it as a chance to develop a workforce in Alaska.”

The U-N-I group will look to recruit, train and educate research team leads from local populations as part of a workforce development initiative. The center will launch the project November 15th.

(by Grant Winterer, Iowa Public Radio)

(Omaha, NE) – Young adults aged 18-24 have been the hardest hit by scams and have reported a higher median dollar loss than any other age group for the first time since the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (BBB Institute), the International Association of Better Business Bureaus’ educational foundation, began publishing research. Targeting our youth: How scams are impacting ages 18-24 highlights scam types, tactics, and trends based on data submitted to BBB Scam Tracker between January 1, 2022, and June 24, 2023. The 18-24 demographic made up 6.1% of the overall reports during the time period, the smallest percentage of all age groups, but had a much higher median dollar loss ($200).

Riskiest scams

Employment scams continue to be the riskiest scams for ages 18-24, making up almost 30% of scams reported by this age group to BBB Scam Tracker. This scam type had the highest median dollar loss of all scam types reported by this age group ($1,819).

Riskiest scams for 18-24-year-olds:

1. Employment
2. Online purchase
3. Cryptocurrency
4. Rental
5. Investment
6. Fake check/money order
7. Phishing
8. Romance
9. Advance fee loan
10. Credit repair/debt relief

About 19% of employment scams from this age group mentioned schemes involving inspecting or reshipping packages. Online purchase scams made up 29.1 percent of all reports submitted by 18-24-year-olds, with 81.4% reporting a monetary loss.

Contact method

Ages 18-24 were more likely to report being targeted by text message or internet messaging than other age groups. The contact methods with the highest likelihood of a monetary loss (susceptibility) included website and social media. The contact methods with the highest reported median dollar loss were phone call, text message, and in person.

This group reported a higher percentage of scams targeting them on Instagram and X (Twitter) than other age groups.

Payment method

Ages 18-24 reported a higher percentage of scams via online payment system and bank account debit. The payment methods for this age group with the highest median dollar loss were wire transfer ($2,150), check ($1,500), and cryptocurrency ($1,200).

Tips to Avoid

• If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Whether it’s a great job or a really low price, take time to do your research.
• If somebody pressures you to act quickly, it’s a red flag. Extract yourself from the situation and make sure it isn’t a scam.
• Never click on links in unsolicited emails or texts. Scammers pretend to be well-known organizations you trust. Go directly to your account or their official website to ensure the inquiry is real.

For more information

To report a scam, go to BBB Scam Tracker. Read the full report here.