(Radio Iowa) – Congressman Zach Nunn says J-B-S has been able to hire replacements for workers at the company’s Ottumwa pork plant who had their visas revoked and are being deported.

Nunn, a Republican from Ankeny, represents the third congressional district, which includes Ottumwa. President Trump ended a federal program that had allowed people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the United States and work for up to two years. The move impacted over 200 J-B-S employees in Ottumwa. Nunn says after President Trump’s speech in Des Moines on July 3rd, he had an opportunity to lobby the Trump Administration about updating visa programs for foreign-born workers.

Nunn said. U-S Customs and Border Protection officials say illegal border crossings in July dropped to the lowest level ever in the 43 years the data has been reported.

Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says there is a need for a strong agriculture workforce.

Hinson represents Iowa’s second congressional district. There are no J-B-S meatpacking plants in the district.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Des Moines authorities recovered a body from the Des Moines River in downtown early Monday morning.

The body was discovered Sunday evening near the Center Street Dam under the Women of Achievement Bridge, according to Des Moines police. Officers and Des Moines fire crews responded around 9 p.m. Sunday, but couldn’t recover the body due to the rapid water flow rate, the close proximity to the dam and darkness.

“The Des Moines Fire Department was able to free the body from the dam and move to a safer position to complete the recovery” around 9 a.m. Monday, according to a DMPD news release.

Police said Sunday that they are investigating a potential connection to a report of a person in the river that officers responded to in the early morning of Aug. 10. At that time, no person was found.

Authorities say they will release an identity once it is confirmed and appropriate family notifications have been made.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks is visiting two companies in the first congressional district today (Monday) to tout the “Big Beautiful Bill” President Trump signed last month.

Miller-Meeks says the bill will boost U-S manfacturing and reduce reliance on foreign competitors. Miller-Meeks was at the Iowa State Fair last week and she describes it as a walking town hall.

As Miller-Meeks spoke with reporters, a man stood nearby criticizing changes in Medicaid that were in the legislation. Miller-Meeks faces potential rematches in both the 2026 Republican Primary and next year’s General Election.

A Davenport pastor who lost to Miller-Meeks in the 2024 G-O-P Primary by 12 points, says he’ll run again in 2026. Democrat Christina Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor who finished about 800 votes behind Miller-Meeks last November, is also running again. Taylor Wettach, a lawyer from Muscatine, is another Democrat in the race for the first congressional seat. Democrat Bob Krause of Burlington says he’ll run, too. Krause, who served in the state legislature in the 1970s and worked in the Carter Administration, ran for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat in 2010 and 2022.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Lottery C-E-O Matt Strawn says the first month of the new fiscal year is starting with a little momentum.

Strawn says scratch tickets have remained strong, including a ticket celebrating the Lottery’s 40th anniversary. Sales of national lotto tickets have not been producing large jackpots, but Strawn says Powerball is now above 500 million.

The Powerball jackpot is at an estimated 605 million dollars for tonight’s (Monday) drawing. The other big lotto game continues to struggle.

Iowa Lottery sales in the last fiscal year that ended June 30th were down 11-point-two percent from the previous record fiscal year record. The record year saw five separate lotto game jackpots that exceed one billion dollars.

DES MOINES, Iowa – An Earling, Iowa, man was sentenced on August 15, 2025, to four months in federal prison for wire fraud.

According to public court documents, from September 2021 to October 2022, Mitch William Gross, 34, defrauded his employer, Ruan Transportation Corporation, by using business-related credit cards for personal purchases, including prepaid gift cards, Pokemon cards, and gaming items. Gross submitted falsified receipts and mischaracterized fraudulent charges on his expense reports so that the purchases appeared as legitimate business expenses. His fraudulent purchases totaled over $140,000.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Gross will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Gross was also ordered to pay $146,590.15 in restitution.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Des Moines Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – Democrat J.D. Scholten is ending his U.S. Senate campaign and endorsing a candidate who entered the race last week. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

(Radio Iowa) – A protest rally was held in a Denison park on Sunday, the same park where a man was shot and killed by police on Friday night. Pattie Richie was among the demonstrators, an activist with the League of United Latin American Citizens or LULAC (LOO-lac) in Denison. Richie says the man who died was Cuban, homeless and battled mental health issues. So far, authorities aren’t releasing his name.

After the rally, more than 50 people marched to the police station, where Richie says they met with the police chief.

Richie says there are still many questions which she hopes will be answered after the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation concludes its investigation. She says there aren’t enough local services to help people who are experiencing homeless or mental health crises.

OMAHA, Neb. — The University of Nebraska-Omaha and the men’s basketball team mourn the loss of student-athlete Deng Mayar.  Mayar joined the Mavericks this past offseason after two years with North Dakota. He made 42 appearances and 15 starts for the Fighting Hawks.

Mayar also went by the last name Ador. On Saturday night, Deng Ador and 21-year-old Sa Mafutaga were swimming at Blackridge Reservoir. Just before 6:00 p.m., the Herriman Police Department was called to the reservoir to respond to two people in distress. Mafutaga was able to get out of the water but saw Ador was still struggling. The 21-year-old tried to get Ador out of the water but wasn’t able to. People in the area also attempted to help.

A team effort involving the Unified Fire Authority, South Jordan Fire Department Water Rescue Teams, and the Utah Highway Patrol Dive Team searched for Ador. After hours of searching, the Utah Highway Patrol’s submersible robot found Ador’s body at 10:40 p.m. Divers recovered him at 11:00 p.m.

“We are devastated to learn of Deng’s passing. On behalf of our university community, our love and sincere condolences are with his family during this difficult time. We also wish his friends and teammates in Omaha, North Dakota, and Salt Lake City family, peace as they process this tragic loss,” said Joanne Li, chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and Adrian Dowell, Director of Athletics.

“Our entire program is devastated to learn of Deng’s passing. After competing against him for two years, we were elated to add him to our team and he made tremendous progress this summer. Deng was a joy to be around and made our culture better. We will miss him greatly. Jodi and I, along with our entire program, send our hearts and prayers to Deng’s family, friends, and teammates,” said Chris Crutchfield, UNO men’s basketball head coach.

Mayar was 22 years old.

(Radio Iowa) – A fund drive is underway for a new, 15 MILLION dollar building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The Agricultural Education Center will focus on crop development, Iowa soils, farm equipment and jobs in agriculture. Governor Kim Reynolds says it’s important to show kids who don’t have a farm background where their food comes from. The state budget plan Reynolds signed this spring includes five MILLION dollars for the building, which will be built next to the “Little Hands on the Farm” State Fair exhibit that guides children through a garden, grain bin, tractor shed, apple orchard and livestock barns.

(Radio Iowa) – A Marshalltown woman will spend six months in prison stealing drugs while working as a nurse. Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports.