(Radio Iowa) – A state agent who raised concerns about the investigation of Iowa State athletes accused of illegally betting on sports has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the State of Iowa. The petition filed on behalf of Mark Ludwick says he was fired from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation in late 2024, about 10 months after his testimony in a deposition was widely reported by several media outlets. Ludwick said the agency may have conducted an illegal search of I-S-U athletes using sports betting apps because the D-C-I had not obtained a search warrant for part of the investigation.

The lawsuit alleges that once Ludwick’s testimony became public, his bosses in the Iowa Department of Public Safety retaliated. The lawsuit describes Ludwick as a whistleblower and indicates he was investigated for speeding on the way to a murder scene and for trying to help a domestic violence flee from her abuser before he was fired on November 22nd of 2024. Ludwig is suing over lost wages and benefits and emotional distress.

A spokesperson for Iowa’s attorney general says state officials do not comment on pending litigation. Ludwick was assigned to work on the state’s sports wagering prob in mid-2023. His lawsuit indicates he quickly refused to participate in the investigation after learning there might be constitutional concerns related to a warrant. D-C-I agents had access to a Canadian company’s software that tracks users of major online sportsbooks.

A lawsuit filed by some of the athletes who were charged alleged while there were search warrants for their cell phones, there wasn’t a warrant for use of the software that flagged them as illegal betting suspects.

(Radio Iowa) – The American Red Cross reports a welcome boost in volunteerism, both nationwide and in Iowa, though more helpers are needed to join the ranks. Emily Holley, spokeswoman for the agency’s Iowa-Nebraska region, says the number of Red Cross volunteers has bounded by nearly 25-percent in the past three years.

We have seen a surge in younger generations volunteering, thanks to Red Cross Clubs,” Holley says. “These students are supporting blood drives, they are supporting smoke alarm installations, and then as time allows, they’re able to do more volunteering with us.” Nationwide, the agency has more than 325-thousand volunteers, while in Iowa, the figure is around 12-hundred active and dedicated souls providing meaningful care and comfort.

“What’s exciting to us is that this is spanning every generation, and volunteers across the nation make up 90% of the Red Cross workforce,” Holley says, “so we really couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers.” While some volunteers sign up to be on the front lines following tornadoes, floods and other major disasters, Holley says there are scores of other assignments where folks could offer vital help in their Iowa hometowns.

“They can volunteer with our volunteer services team and help put people in the perfect fit for volunteering,” Holley says. “They can help with blood drives. They can help with disasters. They can help set up a shelter. They don’t necessarily have to deploy. They can volunteer to help respond to home fires, which is really our most common disaster that we respond to.” She notes Gen Z is now the fastest-growing group of Red Cross volunteers.

Learn more about the opportunities at redcross.org/volunteer.

ONAWA, Iowa – March 5, 2026 – Crews will be closing the Iowa 175 bridge over Interstate 29 (Exit 112) west of Onawa on Monday, March 16, until Monday, March 30, weather permitting, so work can continue on the bridge maintenance project, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Sioux City construction office.

When the Iowa 175 bridge is closed you will follow a marked detour route as follows:

• Eastbound Iowa 175: At Exit 112 (Onawa/Iowa 175), head south on I-29 towards Council Bluffs to Exit 105 (Blencoe/Monona County Road E-60) where you will head east on Monona County Road E-60 to the northbound I-29 ramp and then head north on I-29 back to Exit 112 (Onawa/Iowa 175).
• Westbound Iowa 175: At Exit 112 (Onawa/Iowa 175), head north on I-29 towards Sioux City to Exit 120 (Whiting/Monona County Road E-24) where you will head west on Monona County Road E-24 to the southbound I-29 exit and then head south on I-29 back to Exit 112 (Onawa/Iowa 175).
  

  Additional Details

  • I-29 traffic will be in a head-to-head pattern during the duration of the maintenance project.
  • This bridge closure is a phase of the entire maintenance project. Once the bridge is opened back up to traffic, the maintenance project will continue with one lane open on the bridge.
  • The project is anticipated to be completed by Friday, May 1, weather permitting.
  • Once the bridge maintenance project is completed, the lane closure that has been in place on the bridge will no longer be in place.

  The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says Iowans who are serving in the military — and their families — need support now more than ever. “Losing four soldiers from Iowa in the course of three months is a sobering reminder that our freedom is not free,” Reynolds said. Two Iowans serving in a Des Moines-based Army Reserve unit were killed in Kuwait Sunday and two Iowa National Guard soldiers were killed in Syria December 13th. In January, Reynolds visited Iowa National Guard units deployed in the Middle East.

“I had the opportunity to see firsthand how critical they are to the mission in the Middle East and almost at every single stop they were leading those missions and I heard over and over how personally committed that they are to it. They believe in the work that they’re doing. They stepped forward and they chose to serve even in challenging and dangerous situations and it is out responsibility to stand strong in support of each and every one of them.” Twenty-year-old Sergeant Declan Coady of West Des Moines and 45-year-old Major Jeffrey O’Brien of Waukee — killed in Kuwait this weekend — served in the Army Reserve’s 103rd Sustainment Command, which is based at Fort Des Moines. Reynolds has directed the Iowa National Guard to provide support to that federal unit.

“They are providing support for family services and survivor outreach,” Reynolds said, “and the Guard stands ready to provide additional help as needed.” Reynolds has talked with Sergeant Coady’s father as well as the commander of his Army Reserve unit. She notes fewer than one percent of Americans serve in the military — and about eight out of every 100-thousand Iowans are active military personnel. “The fact that we have so many families and individuals who have stepped up to serve in that capacity says a lot about who we are as Iowans,” Reynolds says.

Congressman Zach Nunn has disclosed nine soldiers from the Des Moines-based Army Reserve unit were injured during Sunday’s attack in Kuwait and all are receiving medical care at a U-S military base in Germany.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans could not be blocked from adopting or being a foster parent if they intend to raise a child consistent with their sex at birth under a bill that’s passed the House. Republican Representative Jon Dunwell of Newton says the bill protects biological parents, too. “What this bill does is prevent the state from creating a new category of abuse,” Dunwell said, “the crime of believing that boys are boys and girls are girls.” If the bill becomes law, a parent or foster parent who does not consent to gender transitions for their minor child could not be charged with child abuse or child endangerment — and that decision could not be cited as a negative factor in child custody disputes.

“Why is this bill necessary? Because in states across the country we have already seen parents lose custody, lose foster licenses and even face criminal investigations simply simply for refusing to affirm a child’s belief that they are the opposite sex,” Dunwell said. The bill passed on a 65 to 31 vote. Representative Elinor Levin (L-ih-nor luh-VIN), a Democrat from Iowa City, says the bill will protect parents who enroll their children in conversion therapy. “This bill is necessary because acts that are abusive must redefined out of existence so that children can be forced to conform (and)…put into practices and programs that tell them who they are and take away their right to self determination,” Levin said.

Representative Aime Wichtendahl, a Democrat from Hiawatha, says the bill will not prevent child abuse. “It is designed to shield abusers,” Wichtendahl said, “and while trans girls and gender non conforming youth will be the ones to suffer on this bill, so will the men of tomorrow, boys who are told they are not masculine enough.”

The bill now goes to the Iowa Senate for consideration.

(Red Oak) — A man from Red Oak was arrested early this (Thursday) morning, on an Out-of-County warrant for 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse – a Class C felony. 61-year-old Leslie Ray Sankey, Jr., was arrested on the Butler County warrant in the 300 block of East Corning Street, in Red Oak. Sankey, Jr., was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $10,000 cash only bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Sioux City leaders are considering slashing the budget of the city library by about one million dollars, or 25 percent. City council member Rick Bertrand says the main goal is to modernize the library system. “Anytime you start messing with just public services, people get very nervous,” Bertrand says. “This is what a healthy community does to get healthy and how to utilize the resources we have and maximize out, so that more people are served, and more people can enjoy the library.” Bertrand says he favors more community-based libraries with amenities like coffee shops, but library officials say they still need a central location, and major cuts would have a negative impact.

Library director Helen Rigdon says the Sioux City Library system already has one of the smallest full-time staffs in the state for a city of its size, and the proposed cuts would reduce the number of employees from 31 to 25. “Staff morale is about zero right now,” Rigdon says. “They feel like, and I feel like the city council or some of the council members do not value what the library gives back to the city.” Rigdon says city leaders wanted suggestions on modernizing the library, but her board wanted to wait until a new director is hired. Rigdon is retiring at the end of April. “There has been a good amount of support for the library on social media, which we appreciate,” she says. “We just hope that the city council will realize what we give back to the city and everything that we have, and that we can work this out, and it will not be such a detrimental cut.”

A final budget meeting is planned for March 18th.

(Red Oak, IA) – A traffic stop at around 3:25-a.m. today (Thursday) in Montgomery County, resulted in an arrest. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports Deputies conducted a traffic stop near Main and Oak Streets in Elliott, and upon further investigation, arrested 41-year-old Cory Ross Smith, of Elliott, for driving while barred – an aggravated misdemeanor. Smith was taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Jail in Red Oak, where he was being held on a $2,000 bond.

(Osceola, IA) – A collision between a car and a semi tractor-trailer Wednesday afternoon in Clarke County, resulted in two people being transported to the hospital. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident happened on Interstate 35 southbound, at the Osceola Exit (mm 33), at around 1:10-p.m.

According to the Patrol, a Chevy Cruz driven by 20-year-old Ryleigh Ann Rawls, of Iowa City, attempted to merge into the right lane to take the exit ramp, when the vehicle came into contact with a Kenworth semi, driven by 40-year-old James Keith Lawrence, of Iowa City. Rawls’ action caused her vehicle to become pinned in between the semi and the guard rail before both vehicles came to rest.

Ryleigh Rawls and her passenger, 71-year-old Patricia Louise Swartzendruber, of Iowa City, were injured in the collision. Both women were transported to area hospitals by Clarke County EMS.