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.