(Des Moines, Iowa; A report by the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Three Republican Iowa state senators called on state Auditor Rob Sand, a Democratic candidate for governor, to perform an audit of Des Moines Public Schools in the wake of the arrest of former Superintendent Ian Roberts. Sand replied Thursday that he does not have the authority to perform an audit without the district’s request. Sens. Jesse Green, R-Boone, Kerry Gruenhagen, R-Walcott and Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, sent a letter to Sand Wednesday calling for the state auditor to investigate the spending and practices of DMPS following the Sept. 26 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest of Roberts.

Since the arrest, multiple reports have found that Roberts, a citizen of Guyana according to court documents, had falsified parts of his credentials and resume in addition to not disclosing his immigration status or previous criminal charges. Roberts had been given an order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024. The letter from the three GOP senators said they were “becoming more and more alarmed” by reports of false information disseminated by Roberts about his background, and called for Sand to “take the time to do the job and help both lawmakers and Iowans as we continue to deal with the consequences of Roberts’ deceptions.”

“As senators with duties to pass budgets, implement policy, and hold government accountable, our job includes evaluating the process of retaining individuals to lead public schools and the accountability required to ensure the almost $4 billion of taxpayer funds are managed by people Iowans can trust,” the letter stated. In a statement responding to the letter, Sand said he agrees with the “descriptions of Ian Roberts’ deceptions and agree that DMPS needs to be more transparent around what happened here.” But he said lawmakers should know the auditor’s office does not have the authority to conduct an audit of DMPS outside of a request for reaudit from a DMPS employee or school board official.

Auditor of State Rob Sand speaks at a press conference on Jan. 30, 2025. (Photo courtesy of the Auditor of State’s Office)

The GOP senators also brought up Sand’s efforts to audit the state’s Education Savings Account program providing public funds for private school tuition and associated costs in the letter. While the ESA program is expected to cost the state roughly $314 million, DMPS, which employed Roberts, received $460 million in fiscal year 2025, according to the release. “You, as the state’s auditor, who claims to be the taxpayer watchdog while politicizing your office and spending more time campaigning for governor than actually focusing on your job, have a duty to that office and to Iowans to focus more of your time on your current job than trying to get the next one,” the senators wrote in the letter. “Iowa needs the state auditor to take the time to do the job and help both lawmakers and Iowans as we continue to deal with the consequences of Roberts’ deceptions.”

Sand responded that the senators “supported the vouchers law they chose to bring into this, which provides for no audits whatsoever of private schools spending public money, despite the fact that every public school district, including DMPS, is audited every year.” The auditor’s office released an independent report in February about the ESA program and Odyssey, the company the state contracts with to administer the program, which stated the Iowa departments of Education and Revenue did not provide their office requested documents about whether students receiving ESA funds met the income eligibility requirements. Gov. Kim Reynolds and state department leaders responded by saying the office had not followed the correct procedures for obtaining this information, and that Sand was launching a political attack against the ESA program.

Sand also criticized Republicans, who hold a trifecta of control at the Iowa Statehouse, for passing legislation he said could allow officials to legally hide documents during an audit. “They all have my number,” Sand said in a statement. “Had they just called me, I could have saved them the embarrassment of the public learning these lawmakers don’t know, or don’t care about, the law. I will still take their calls to save them further embarrassment.”

On Wednesday, Reynolds signed an executive order requiring state government departments use the federal E-Verify and SAVE systems to confirm immigration and citizenship status when granting occupational and professional licenses and confirming state employees’ work eligibility. The Des Moines School Board is also pursuing a lawsuit against JG Consulting, the firm contracted during the search to hire Roberts, for not disclosing information on his immigration, criminal and educational background that should have been flagged during the background check process.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A man was arrested late Thursday night in Pottawattamie County. 28-year-old Shaun Patrick McCarthy, of Avoca, was booked into the Pott. County Jail at around 11:35-p.m., on charges that include:

• Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense – Residential Household Member (A Simple Misdemeanor)
• Attempt to Commit Murder – A Class B Felony
• Reckless Use of Firearm – Resulting in bodily injury – A Class D Felony
• Going Armed with Intent – A Class D Felony
• 3 counts of Child Endangerment w/Substantial Risk – Aggravated Misdemeanors, and
• Willful Injury – Resulting in Bodily Injury – A Class D Felony

Bond on those charges amounts to $40,000. McCarthy was being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail. Additional information concerning his arrest was not immediately available.

(Radio Iowa) – For the first time in over a century, a woman is serving as a county sheriff in Iowa. The Sac County Board of Supervisors picked Katie Stange to be the new sheriff last month. The deadline for citizens to ask for a county-wide vote has ended — so the job is officially hers. “It’s really an honor to be a trailblazer in this position,” she said. “…I hope that it’s known that I didn’t get this spot just because I’m a woman. It’s because of the skills that I have as a law enforcement officer.”

Stange started with the department seven years ago and was the deputy sheriff. “I was appointed to this position not just because, ‘Oh, you know, it would be a good idea to finally put a woman in a position like this.’ It was because I’ve proven myself,” she said. Stange says one of her top priorities is persuading voters to approve building a new jail. Sac County residents will be voting a bond measure to build a new county jail in November.

Kate Stange (Sept. 2025) – Sac County S/O Facebook page photo

Last year, a 10 million dollar bond proposal to build a new Sac County Jail fell one percent short of reaching the needed 60 percent support for passage. “I can feel, like, the anxiety rising, knowing that vote is coming up here shortly,” she said. “That’s going to be a really pivotal point for this office. I hope the community decides that it’s a necessity not only for the Sac County Sheriff’s Office and the other law enforcement agencies in our county, but also for the community as a whole.” The current jail is more than 80-years old and officials say it doesn’t meet current safety standards.

Stange is the first woman to serve as sheriff since Gunda Martindale. She was appointed in Allamakee County in 1921 when her husband, who was sheriff, died in office. That was common practice at the time because sheriffs didn’t have pensions that transferred to survivors. Stange replaces Jonathan Meyer, who had been appointed Sac County Sheriff in July when the county’s long-time sheriff announced his retirement. In early September, Meyer resigned and asked to return to his position as sergeant.

Des Moines, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing upcoming changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that will impact what items are eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits. These changes will take effect on January 1, 2026, and are designed to promote healthier eating habits among Iowans receiving SNAP benefits.

“As obesity and chronic illness continue to rise, Iowa is taking bold steps upstream — focusing on prevention and early intervention,” said Iowa HHS Director Kelly Garcia. “By limiting SNAP-eligible purchases to healthier foods, this is a practical step toward encouraging better eating habits and supporting long-term health. This change is about more than just policy — it’s about building a stronger, healthier Iowa for generations to come.”

Under the new guidelines, eligible SNAP purchases are determined by the state’s non-taxable food items list, as well as some prepared foods, seeds for food-producing plants, and food-producing plants.

As part of the updated rules, certain items will no longer be eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits. These include taxable food items such as:

Soda and sugary beverages containing less than 50% fruit or vegetable juice
Candy and items coated in candy
Some in-store prepared foods

Iowa HHS is working proactively with retailers across the state on outreach and communications materials for point-of-sale locations and direct outreach to SNAP recipients.

For more information about the upcoming changes and the SNAP program, visit: hhs.iowa.gov/snap. To see what is considered taxable versus non-taxable, visit revenue.iowa.gov/taxes/tax-guidance/sales-use-excise-tax/iowa-sales-tax-food.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say a man was arrested early this (Friday) morning. 19-year-old Brandon Steve Molina Deleon, of Creston, was arrested at around 2:51-a.m.. for OWI/1st offense, andInterference with Official Acts. He posted a $1,300 cash or surety bond, and was released. And, at around 9-p.m. Thursday, Creston Police arrested 21-year-old Jayden Ronald Peavler, of Creston. He was charged with Failure To Appear. Peavler was being held in the Union County Jail without bond, pending an initial court appearance.

(New Virginia, Iowa) – A collision Thursday night in southwestern Warren County resulted in one-person being flown to a hospital in Des Moines. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened at around 8:05-p.m. on Interstate 35, near mile-maker 43, west of New Virginia.

Authorities say a pickup driven by 44-year-old Ariel Suarez Irsula, of Houston, TX, was southbound on I-35 in the right lane, pulling a flatbed trailer. A car driven by 22-year-old Juan Daniel Perez, of Osceola, was southbound in the same location, approaching the pickup/trailer at a high rate of speed. When Perez’ vehicle failed to move to the left, it struck the rear of the trailer, and traveled under the trailer.

The pickup pulled over onto the right shoulder of the road with the car stuck underneath the trailer. Perez was wearing his seat belt. He was flown by helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines.

(Muscatine County, Iowa) – A head-on crash Thursday morning in southwestern Muscatine County resulted in a fire and multiple victims, including a fatality. The Iowa State Patrol said the accident happened near Conesville, a little before 6-a.m., Thursday, when a southbound Ford SUV crossed the center line of Iowa Highway 70 and crashed into a northbound Chevy Cruz, near 277th Street.

Following the collision, the Chevy rolled over and came to rest in the west ditch and became fully engulfed in flames. The Patrol says three of the four occupants of the Chevy were able to escape the vehicle. One person died. Their name was being withheld pending notification of family.

The injured were identified as: 53-year-old Kristie L. Thompson, of Lone Tree (IA) – the driver of the SUV; 26-year-old Damelonin Lamboni, of Conesville – the driver of the Chevy Cruz; 22-year-old Delphine Pabali, and 25-year-old Koboyo Lakougnon, both of Cedar Rapids. All four were transported to the U-of-I Hospital.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Conesville Fire and Rescue Dept., Columbus Junction Ambulance/FD, Letts Ambulance, Nichols FD, Wapello & Washington Ambulances, and AirCare.

(Radio Iowa) – The six Republicans in Iowa’s congressional delegation are calling President Trump a peacemaker. Trump says Israeli hostages in Gaza will be released early next week in phase one of a ceasefire deal to stop the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Senator Joni Ernst says the living nightmare the hostages have been forced to endure will end and two American hostages who’ve died can be laid to rest. Congressman Randy Feenstra, who represents Iowa’s fourth district, says Trump is an incredible leader for our country and the free world.

“Think about this…Throughout history, I mean, this part of the world has been in conflict and to get a peace deal is truly remarkable,” Feenstra said. “I mean, just amazing.” Feenstra has made several trips to Israel, including a trip after Hamas militants swarmed through Israeli towns on October 7th and killed 12-hundred people. “I met with several families of hostages when I was there,” Feenstra said. “It’s so important to me to make sure that we stand with Israel and this ceasefire and this negotiated agreement stands.”

Senator Chuck Grassley says he supports an outcome that ensures the forever survival of Israel. Second Congresswoman Ashley Hinson calls Trump the “peacemaker in chief” and Hinson says after the unimaginable brutality unleashed by Hamas two years ago, the hostages will be reunited with their families.

Third Congressman Zach Nunn says President Trump’s peace deal is a historic win for Israel’s security, American leadership, and long-term stability in the Middle East. First district Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says Trump is the peace president who did what many thought was impossible.