(Radio Iowa) — Republican Senator Chuck Grassley is asking officials in the Department of Homeland Security to explain how the man accused of murdering Mollie Tibbetts got from Mexico to Iowa — and was able to live here illegally for seven years. “We must prevent murders like this from occurring again,” Grassley says. “At a minimum, we must increase law enforcement presence at the border.”

Cristhian Rivera worked at a dairy farm near Brooklyn. Dane Lang of Yarrabee Farms says Rivera applied for work four years ago under a different name. Lang says his farming operation learned Wednesday it had NOT been using the federal E-Verify system, but rather a cross-check through Social Security to cross-check the identity of prospective employees. Senator Grassley says it’s time for congress to eliminate the potential for fraud and abuse in the E-Verify system.

“E-Verify ought to be mandatory instead of voluntary,” Grassley says, “but when you want to bring up an E-Verify mandatory policy the first stonewall you run into is the Chamber of Commerce and a lot of business groups don’t want to make it mandatory.” Grassley says migrant labor is desperately needed on ever-growing Iowa dairy farms, large-scale hog operations, meat processing facilities and in the state’s egg industry.

“If we did have these bills I’m talking about so people could have the papers to come to our country legally, go home when they want to (and) come back, that would basically solve our problem, right?” Grassley asks. But prospects for having the Senate pass any change in immigration policy are dim, according to Grassley. “If I could get a bill on the floor…without people on the right wanting to round up 11 million people and ship ’em out of the country…Now, I’m being a little facetious when I say that, but there is that feeling on the right,” Grassley says. “And then there’s a feeling on the left that we ought to, you know, legalize everybody yesterday.”

During a speech on the senate floor yesterday (Wednesday), Grassley said congress “has been dancing around the issue of securing our border and strengthening interior enforcement for far too long” and it’s time to fix the problem.

(Radio Iowa) — Homeowners, renters and businesses in four counties hit by flash flooding and severe weather in June and early July are not eligible for federal disaster aid. Governor Kim Reynolds says she is “extremely disappointed” officials in the Federal Emergency Management Agency have denied her request. She was seeking individual assistance grants from FEMA to help Iowans in Buchanan, Dickinson, Polk and Winnebago Counties repair and rebuild after storm damage.

FEMA officials sent a denial letter to the governor, saying the magnitude of damage to homes and businesses in those four counties was not severe enough to warrant federal help. Reynolds announced last (Wednesday) night she plans to appeal that decision.

On Monday, FEMA did decide it will forward federal money to help the state and local governments in 30 Iowa counties rebuild public facilities like roads and bridges that were damaged by flooding. The federal disaster grants will also cover some of the costs of debris removal and other emergency services. Among the counties now eligible to apply for Public Assistance Program funding is Adair and Dallas, in the KJAN listening area.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

BROOKLYN, Iowa (AP) — For years, his employer said the young man from Mexico presented himself as a legal U.S. resident and reliable worker at a family dairy farm in Iowa. But this week, the image of Cristhian Bahena Rivera transformed in a matter of hours. Now he’s accused of illegally living and working in the U.S. and of being a predator who kidnapped and killed a beloved young woman. Rivera appeared in court Wednesday on a first-degree murder charge in the death of 20-year-old college student Mollie Tibbetts.

ADEL, Iowa (AP) — A judge has approved a motion to move the trial of an Iowa couple charged in the starvation death of their 16-year-old adopted daughter. The Des Moines Register reports that a judge on Wednesday agreed that pretrial publicity surrounding the case necessitated moving the trial of Marc and Misty Ray out of Dallas County. The Rays have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, child endangerment resulting in death and other counts related to the May 2017 death of Sabrina Ray.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farmers and ranchers in two southeastern Iowa counties who’ve suffered losses and damages from recent drought may now be eligible for federal emergency loans. That news came Wednesday as the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that Appanoose and Van Buren counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas.

MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) — Experts say the systems offered by the U.S. government to check the legal status of workers like the Mexican man now suspected of killing an Iowa college student can be easily exploited through identity fraud and gaps in government systems. In the case of Cristhian Bahena Rivera, the 24-year-old now charged with murder in the death of Mollie Tibbetts, Rivera’s ex-employer said Wednesday said it didn’t use the federal E-Verify program, correcting information it used a day earlier.

ADEL, Iowa (AP) — A judge has approved a motion to move the trial of an Iowa couple charged in the starvation death of their 16-year-old adopted daughter.
The Des Moines Register reports that a judge on Wednesday agreed that pretrial publicity surrounding the case necessitated moving the trial of Marc and Misty Ray out of Dallas County.

The Rays have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, child endangerment resulting in death and other counts related to the May 2017 death of Sabrina Ray in her Perry home.

Authorities say the girl weighed just 56 pounds when she died. Her brother, Justin Ray, was sentenced to 10 years in prison earlier this year for drop-kicking Sabrina down basement stairs, leaving her unable to walk, talk or eat in the days before her death. The girl’s adoptive grandmother was sentenced to 20 years for failing to seek medical help for Sabrina and for abusing other children in the household.

Two people were arrested Wednesday morning on drug charges, in Mills County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 27-year old Shialea Kay Cozad, of Council Bluffs, and 29-year old Christopher Lee McDaniel, of Pacific Junction, were arrested at around 9-a.m. near 195th and Highway 34. Both were charged with Possession of Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. McDaniel was also arrested for Driving While Barred. His bond was set at $3,300. Bond for Cozad was set at $1,300.

And, at around 10:45-p.m. Tuesday, 18-year old Jonathan Jo Arrick, of Glenwood, was arrested for Criminal Trespass. His bond was set at $300.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman was injured after a two-vehicle accident on Highway 34 on Wednesday. The accident happened 1/2 mile west of Red Oak at 3:00pm. After investigation it was determined that a 2015 Chevy Silverado owned and operated by 69-year-old Lawrence W. Irwin of Clarinda was eastbound on Highway 34 when he stopped on the west side of the river bridge due to construction traffic control on the bridge. A 2007 Chevy Trailblazer owned and operated by 77-year-old Judy McFarland of Red Oak was also eastbound and failed to see the stopped truck and rear-ended it.

After the accident McFarland was flown by air ambulance to an Omaha hospital for treatment of her injuries. No further details on her condition were available.

Damage to the Silverado was estimated at $4,800 and damage to the Trailblazer was estimated at $7,000.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Red Oak Police Department and the Red Oak Fire Department.

Immigration authorities say they have no record of granting admission into the United States to the man suspected of killing an Iowa college student. A spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Wednesday that a search of the agency’s records found nothing indicating that Cristhian Bahena Rivera “has any immigration status.”

That potentially contradicts the statement of Rivera’s attorney that he “has the legal documents” to work in the United States. Rivera is accused of killing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts. His immigration status has drawn national attention, and the White House has said Tibbetts’ death has underscored the need for immigration restrictions proposed by President Donald Trump.

The manager of a dairy farm that employed the man charged with killing an Iowa college student says he has received dozens of threatening phone messages and other contacts in the last 24 hours, including death threats. Dane Lang, manager of Yarrabee Farms in Brooklyn, Iowa, says one person threatened to kill his dog and another said he would burn down his farm buildings. Lang says, “this is a really scary situation.” Lang says the farm employed Cristhian Bahena Rivera for four years but knew him by a different name, which he did not disclose.

A judge has ordered Rivera to be jailed on a $5 million cash-only bond. He had been held since Tuesday on a $1 million cash-only bond after being charged with first-degree murder in the death of Mollie Tibbetts. At a hearing Wednesday, Magistrate Judge Diane Crookham-Johnson granted a state prosecutor’s request to raise the bond amount to $5 million.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Mollie Tibbetts disappeared on July 18, 2018, while jogging in or near Brooklyn, Iowa.  After more than a month of searching, investigators located her body in a farm field in rural Poweshiek County on August 21, 2018.  An autopsy is being conducted, but results will not be available immediately. Charges were filed against Cristhian Bahena Rivera, who will appear in Poweshiek County District Court at 1:00 p.m. on August 22, 2018.

The family of Mollie Tibbetts has asked that this information be conveyed to members of the media and the public:

Our hearts are broken.

On behalf of Mollie’s entire family, we thank all of those from around the world who have sent their thoughts and prayers for our girl.  We know that many of you will join us as we continue to carry Mollie in our hearts forever.

At this time, our family asks that we be allowed the time to process our devastating loss and share our grief in private.

Again, thank you for the outpouring of love and support that has been shared in Mollie’s name.  We remain forever grateful.