DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – With just weeks left in a tight Senate race that he started with an advantage, Democrat Bruce Braley is trying to raise concerns among women voters about his Republican opponent, Joni Ernst, and take some of the sheen off the farm-raised, military veteran who rose from relative obscurity to GOP stardom during the campaign.

The four-term congressman and Democratic supporters are running ads and holding events questioning Ernst’s position on abortion rights. He is also attacking Ernst on the minimum wage, another issue the campaign thinks resonates with female voters.

Iowa has never elected a woman to Congress or as governor. Ernst has stressed her background as a mother and female veteran as she has made her case to Iowa voters.

A special investigation from the State Auditor found the former Monona County Auditor misused the county credit card. The investigation began after former auditor Brooke Kuhlmann was arrested on July 29, 2013 for possessing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Deputy State Auditor, Tami Kusian, says Kuhlman routinely did not report to work after her arrest and other employees took over her duties and found some issues and asked for the audit.

“We identified over eight-thousand dollars of improper credit card charges and late fees associated with that credit card,” Kusian says. She says Kuhlmann use the card to buy things for her personal use. “There were a lot of convenience store purchases, retail vendors, there were some purchases at the Winnavegas Casino, Apple i-Tunes, those kinds of things,” Kusian says. Other purchases on the county credit card 100 dollar debit cards from Wal-Mart. There also late fees totaling near 11-hundred dollars. Kusian says the county had guidelines that were to limit how the card was used.

“There were minimal approved usages of it. And in this case it was mainly for gas-type charges, and in fact the county did not use it for meals and those types things — some of those things we did find on the credit,” according to Kusian. The audit also found that a personal check was sent to the credit card company. “The former county auditor’s family did pay a large portion of the improper items. They did make a payment to the credit card company of over eight-thousand dollars,” Kusian says.

Petitions were submitted to the county board of supervisors for Kuhlman’s removal from office, but were withdrawn after she resigned on December 11th of 2013. The audit shows Kuhlman entered a written plea of guilty to possession of a controlled substance on December 30th and she was sentenced to two days in jail and fined 315 dollars. Kusian says the audit recommends the county ensure the monthly credit card statements are delivered to and reviewed by a staff member who does not have access to a county credit card to prevent future abuse.

Copies of the report have been filed with the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Monona County Attorney’s Office, and the Attorney General’s Office.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Five employees at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown were fired earlier this year after a sexual harassment investigation. A spokesman for Gov. Terry Branstad confirmed the terminations Thursday but declined to offer details, calling it a personnel matter. The firings were first reported by the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The investigation became public because several fired workers had hearings related to their eligibility for unemployment benefits. Decisions in those cases were made public.

Documents say the investigation was into a complaint of sexual harassment made against a food service worker.  A call to the home’s Commandant Jodi Tymeson was not immediately returned. Branstad expressed support for Tymeson’s leadership on Thursday.

More than 600 veterans and their spouses live in nursing home and assisted living facilities at the Iowa Veterans Home.

A Creston woman reported to the Creston P-D Wednesday, that someone had used her credit card without her knowledge or authorization. The card was used in Detroit, MI, on several dates. The loss was estimated at just over $90.  The incident remains under investigation.

The Audubon Police Department today (Thursday) released a report on their most recent arrests. On Sept. 28th, 21-year old Luke John Irlbeck, of Audubon, was arrested for Harassment in the 3rd degree. Irlbeck appeared before a magistrate, and pled guilty to the charge.

And, on Sept. 21st, officers with the Audubon Police Department arrested 40-year old Tiffany Michelle Kidd, of Audubon, for Violation of Probation. She was transported to the Audubon County Jail where she is being held.

A man from eastern Iowa was charged with Public Intoxication early this (Thursday) morning, in Audubon County. Sheriff’s officials say 20-year old Marcus Glen Hoegh, of Cedar Rapids, was arrested at around 1:30-a.m., following an investigation into an incident in Kimballton.

Hoegh was brought to the Audubon County Jail and held on $300 bond.

Four teens from Audubon County were transported to the Audubon County Memorial Hospital Wednesday afternoon, following a rollover accident northwest of Audubon. The sheriff’s department reports a 2001 PT Cruiser driven by 15-year old Jordan David Fliflet, of Audubon, was traveling south on Goldfinch Avenue at a high rate of speed, when the teen came upon a northbound tractor pulling harvest equipment.

Fliflit attempted to pull to the right in order to avoid a collision, but lost control of the vehicle. The car entered the west ditch and rolled three times, coming to rest on its top. Fliflet and his passengers, 13-year old’s Nicholas Alan Wilson, of Audubon, and old Rebbeca Dawn Anderson, of Exira, along with 15-year old Ashley Kay Bechtold, of Audubon, were all transported to the hospital.

Damage from the crash, which happened at around 3:30-p.m., Wednesday, amounted to $10,000. Fliflet was charged with Failure to Maintain Control, and Violation of a Minor School License.