(Radio Iowa) – The board of Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant has voted to close the school at the end of the academic year on May 3st. Board president, Bill Miller, spoke on a conference call and says “this is a profound decision that will be deeply felt by everyone in our community and throughout southeast Iowa.

Miller says they have been considering their options for the past several months, following an intensive analysis of Iowa Wesleyan financial operations and considerable exploration of all feasible strategic alternatives. The school still owes 26 million dollars to the U-S-D-A for a loan.

The school’s 878 students will be able to complete their studies at other schools and the school will hold graduation ceremonies for seniors. The school has about 110 full time employees, 35 of those are full time faculty, 75 full time staff members and about 74 adjunct faculty.

DES MOINES – Gov. Reynolds released the following statement in response to the announced closure of Iowa Wesleyan University:  

“Today, my thoughts are with the students, faculty, and staff who are stunned by this announcement, and the people of Mount Pleasant who have long revered the university as a pillar of their community. The state is committed to supporting them during this time of transition. I have directed the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Iowa Workforce Development to reach out to community and business leaders, and work together to keep the local economy strong. 

“It wasn’t until February 3, 2023, that my office received a request from the university for $12 million for ongoing operating costs. As I’ve said many times, we endeavor not to spend one-time federal dollars on ongoing expenses. To better understand their request and the financial health of the university, my office engaged an independent, third-party accounting firm to conduct due diligence. The firm reported that Iowa Wesleyan had a $26.1 million loan from the USDA, using their campus as collateral, that could be recalled in full as early as November 2023. Additionally, Iowa Wesleyan’s auditor cited ongoing concerns about the university’s fiscal health, stating “significant operating losses and reduced liquidity raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.” The firm also highlighted that that while enrollment at Iowa Wesleyan has grown over the past three years, their financial health has continued to deteriorate over the same period. 

“Based on this and other factors, the independent accounting firm determined that providing one-time, federal funds would not solve the systemic financial issues plaguing the university. If the state would have provided the federal funding as requested and it was used to finance debt or other impermissible uses according to US Treasury guidelines, the state and taxpayers could have been liable for potential repayment to the federal government. Moreover, the state has separately received $122 million in requests from other universities and community colleges across the state. 

“With this information, I made the difficult decision to not pursue the university’s funding request.” 

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Tuesday of 27-year-old Wyatt Lee Sargent of Council Bluffs for Driving While Suspended 14 times by the State of Iowa. Sargent was arrested at 2:27 p.m. at Highway 34 and O Avenue in Montgomery County. He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $491.25 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has appointed former State Auditor Mary Mosiman to lead the Iowa Department of Revenue. Mosiman has been the Iowa Department of Revenue’s deputy director and head of its tax division since 2019.

Mosiman is a certified public accountant and served as Story County Auditor for a decade. She was working as a deputy in the Iowa Secretary of State’s office in 2013 when Governor Terry Branstad appointed Mosiman to serve as state auditor. She won a full term as state auditor in 2014, but lost her 2018 race for reelection.

Mosiman takes over as head of the Iowa Department of Revenue tomorrow (Wednesday).

Reynolds appointed former House Speaker Kraig Paulsen to lead the tax agency in 2019, but for the past 16 months he’s also been director of the Iowa Department of Management. Paulsen will stay in that role as the governor’s top budget advisor. A news release from the governor’s office says as director of the Department of Management, Paulsen will be able to manage a state government realignment plan. The bill outlining that plan has passed the legislature, but Reynolds has not yet signed it into law.

(Radio Iowa) – A compromise between Iowa’s trucking industry and trial lawyers would create new liability protection from lawsuits filed over accidents involving commercial vehicles. The Iowa House, on a 58-42 vote, has approved a bill that would set a five million dollar cap on so-called pain and suffering damages in most lawsuits filed over wrecks involving commercial vehicles like semis and tow trucks. “It’s a fair resolution by two parties that I thought wouldn’t come together on this,” said Representative Bill Gustoff, a Republican from Des Moines.

The liability protection would limit rising insurance rates for trucking companies, according to Gustoff. “These costs get passed along and so it’s hard. It costs trucking companies. It costs farmers. It costs employees. It costs consumers,” Gustoff says, “because everything we eat, wear, use — if you have it, it came on a truck.”

Representative Jon Dunwell, a Republican from Newton, was seriously injured 22 years ago when he was hit by a commercial truck while riding a bicycle. Dunwell said increasingly high verdicts in tort liability cases, though, are a drag on the U.S. economy and he backs the bill. “I recognize the importance and value of the tort system, but I want to also make sure it has some boundaries on it because of the expense for American families,” Dunwell said.

All 58 “yes” votes came from Republicans. Democrats and a few Republicans opposed it. Republican Representative Megan Jones of Sioux Rapids cried as she talked about a great aunt who was killed decades ago when the car she was in struck a truck parked, without its lights on, in the middle of a highway at night. Her family didn’t sue, but Jones said she won’t vote to limit what other families in similar circumstances can do. “I don’t see this bill as being generous to victims. Iowans aren’t looking to get run down by semi trucks,” Jones said. “Lawyers aren’t taking risky, frivolous cases. Iowa juries aren’t awarding more than a person deserves.”

Representative Sami Sheetz, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, said the bill is fundamentally wrong. “This bill is being sold as a way to make Iowa competitive with other states,” Sheets said, “but it is critically important to note that not a single other state specifically exempts the trucking industry from liability.”

Earlier this year, most Republicans in the Iowa Senate voted for a $2 million cap on non-economic damages in lawsuits filed over trucking accidents. Governor Reynolds has previously proposed a $1 million limit, so it’s unclear if the Senate will accept the $5 million cap.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report three recent, separate arrests. On Sunday, 33-year-old Tyler Eldon Buckner, of Emerson, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation, with bond set at $10,000.

Last Saturday, 23-year-old Selena Lynn Brown, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in Mills County for Driving While Barred ($2,000 bond). And, on Friday, 45-year-old Tomas Enrique Nieves was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia (Bond $2,000).

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports two arrests. On Saturday (March 25), 42-year-old Daniel Thomas, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Probation Violation. His bond was set at $10,000.

And, on Friday, 37-year-old Michael Phillips, of Glenwood was arrested for driving under suspension, bond set at $300 cash or surety (posted bond).