Coralville, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 48-year-old Donald Edward Dodge, who was serving a 10-year maximum prison term for Sex Abuse in the 3rd Degree out of Pottawattamie County, died due to natural causes at around 8:44-a.m. Friday. His sentence began on June 17, 2021.

Dodge died while in hospice at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center where he had been housed due to chronic illness.

(DES MOINES, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Iowa Department of Education have received approval from the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service to issue Summer 2023 Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) for eligible school-age Iowa children for the 2022-2023 school year.

This program provides $120 per eligible child, issued on new P-EBT cards to be received by October 4. HHS estimates approximately 240,000 Iowa children are eligible for this benefit, totaling $28 million in food assistance.

Generally, school-age children who were in grades K-12 during the 2022-2023 school year and received free and reduced-price meals at school through the National School Lunch Program as of May 31, 2023 are eligible to receive this benefit.

“Access to a consistent, nutritious diet not only ensures a child’s basic needs are being met, these benefits are an investment in their health and future success, which are key focus areas for HHS,” said HHS Director Kelly Garcia. “These additional funds will support thousands of Iowa families in putting nutritious food on their table.”

Summer 2023 P-EBT cards can be used to purchase eligible food items anywhere SNAP EBT cards are accepted. Eligible food items include dairy, eggs, meat, cereal, rice, pasta, bread, fresh, frozen, canned or dried vegetables and fruit, any ingredients you use for cooking, baby formula, diabetic foods, garden seeds, plants for growing food at home, and ice. Food that is already prepared or hot food, pet food, and non-food items are not eligible for purchase with P-EBT cards. For more information, please visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items.

Families should visit the comprehensive P-EBT FAQ at https://hhs.iowa.gov/food-assistance/related-programs/P-EBT for more information about the Summer 2023 School Age P-EBT program.

If your family struggles with food insecurity check your eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at https://hhs.iowa.gov/how-to-apply; or call 211 or the food bank in your community.

Iowa’s P-EBT program is a shared initiative between HHS and the Iowa Department of Education.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis says Donald Trump’s recent statements on the abortion issue show the former president’s values are out of step with Iowa G-O-P voters. Trump said during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press that the six week abortion ban DeSantis signed into law this spring was a terrible mistake.

DeSantis suggests Trump’s remarks are a window into how Trump’s 2024 campaign promises are changing when compared to his 2016 platform.

Trump also indicated during his Meet the Press interview that he’d negotiate a deal on abortion that’s acceptable to both sides. DeSantis says that’s “the danger” of returning Trump to the White House for a second term.

DeSantis says. “I think if he’s going into this saying he’s going to make the Democrats happy with respect to right to life, I think all pro-lifers should know that he’s preparing to sell you out.” DeSantis made his comments this (Monday) afternoon during an interview with Radio Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – Vandals spray-painted obscenities on a Webster City sculpture and swung on the piece, causing more damage. The abstract metal sculpture was placed in Brewer Creek Park to honor Kent Harfst, a longtime city Park and Recreation director, who died in 2019. Janet Adams, of the “Arts R Alive” group in Webster City, was saddened by the vandalism.

The sculpture was created with help from 12-thousand dollars raised by residents.

Webster City sculpture before the vandalism. (KQWC photo)

Adams says they’ll work to clean up and repair the sculpture and they’ll keep a closer eye on it going forward.

Adams says the Arts R Alive group is looking for donations to defray the costs to repair the damage.

(Press Release: 11-a.m., Sept. 18, 2023) – The following is an update from the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, with regard to our earlier posts about 73-year old Judy Krueger, from Glenwood, who was reported missing after having last been seen at around 1:30-p.m. Saturday, when she left her residence on foot. Judy Krueger is 5-feet three-inches tall, she weighs about 130-pound, has reddish gray hair, and suffers from Dementia. She was last known to be wearing jeans, and 2-to-3 layered t-shirts. She also has a bracelet with her husband’s contact information on it.