Several dozen Canadian geese feed on the hillside overlooking the Mississippi River in Davenport.

State auditor’s report on nursing homes should be a call to action for Iowa legislators in 2025 session

by John Hale and Terri Hale, Iowa Capital Dispatch
October 7, 2024

State Auditor Rob Sand recently did what no statewide elected official in Iowa has done in a long time – he brought attention to problems in nursing homes.

A report from his office discussed the lack of timely nursing home inspections by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) and the staff shortages that impact the quality of nursing home care.

DIAL and the nursing home industry immediately dismissed the report’s data and conclusions. They want us to believe one of two things: that there are no problems with nursing home inspections or staffing, or if there are, improvements are being made. Could there be a third choice – that Sand’s report hit an exposed nerve?

We believe the third – Sand’s report provided a window into vexing concerns about Iowa nursing homes and the apparent lack of meaningful state government oversight of the money that flows to the industry, the inspection process, and the historic inability to recruit and retain sufficient nursing home staff.

No state fines for alleged abuse and ‘unsafe’ staffing levels at Iowa nursing home in Shenandoah

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
September 18, 2024

The state of Iowa has suspended $47,500 in fines against a southwest Iowa nursing home cited for inadequate staffing and the physical and verbal abuse of residents.

According to state inspectors, although the Garden View Care Center in Shenandoah has insufficient staff on hand, the home’s director of nursing recently informed them she was being pressured by management to make further cuts in staffing due to budget constraints — adding that she felt doing so was “unrealistic and unsafe.”

Garden View is owned by an out-of-state real estate investment trust that is designed to provide investors with returns tied to the profits generated by dozens of nursing homes in Iowa and other states.

Lee Enterprises digital revenue surpasses print revenue as company loses $3.7 million in 3rd quarter

Lee Enterprises, Inc. – owner of the QC Times and Daily Dispatch/Argus – says it hit a "revenue inflection point" with more digital than print revenue in its third quarter.

But despite the transition milestone in digital revenue, the company lost $3.7 million (73 cents per share) during the three-month period ended June 23. The previous year, Lee reported third quarter net income of $2.1 million (26 cents per share).

“Our investment thesis is grounded in this transformation as we replace print revenue and margin with digital revenue and margin that are growing at a rapid clip," Kevin Mowbray, Lee's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated in the company earnings news release. "Total digital revenue has grown 17 precent annually over the last three years, and we expect this strong growth to continue.”

Sen. Joni Ernst wants to hold the IRS accountable, but not in going after biggest tax cheats

Iowa Capital Dispatch
August 2, 2024

Joni Ernst calls herself the U.S. Senate’s “fiercest advocate” for government accountability.

Too bad she doesn’t appear to care about the country’s biggest tax cheats.

Over the past couple years, the Iowa senator has been fixated on the Internal Revenue Service. But rather than help the IRS try to recover the hundreds of billions of dollars in unpaid taxes each year, Ernst and her fellow Republicans are doing the opposite. They want to choke off the funding that is helping the IRS to rein in these abuses and give you better service.

IDNR fines Kraft Heinz $8,000; Muscatine plant failed to monitor wastewater pollution for years

by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch
July 26, 2024

A large eastern Iowa facility that makes ketchup and other condiments failed for more than two years to monitor contaminants in the more than 1 million gallons of untreated wastewater it discharged into a creek each day, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Kraft Heinz Foods Company recently agreed to pay an $8,000 fine for the violations at its Muscatine location. It uses municipal water to cool its equipment and discharges it along with stormwater into Mad Creek, which flows for less than a mile to the Mississippi River.

Defense Secretary Austin orders review of medals awarded in the wake of Wounded Knee Massacre

by Seth Tupper, North Dakota Monitor
July 25, 2024

The medals awarded to soldiers who participated in the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre will be subjected to a review, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Wednesday.

The department said the review’s purpose is “to ensure no awardees were recognized for conduct inconsistent with the nation’s highest military honor.”

The move comes after years of activism by Lakota people — including descendants of massacre survivors — who want the medals rescinded.

Oliver “OJ” Semans, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, has been active in the effort with his wife, Barb, and their Four Directions nonprofit. He said it’s gratifying to see some momentum after a long struggle, including failed attempts to rescind the medals through congressional legislation.

Iowa Public Information Board sued over alleged violation of state Open Meetings Law

Iowa Capital Dispatch
July 18, 2024

The state panel charged with ensuring transparency in government is being sued for allegedly violating Iowa’s Open Meetings Law.

Briana Reha of Polk County is suing the Iowa Public Information Board and its members for the manner in which they approved a pay raise for the board’s executive director, Erika Eckley.

The lawsuit alleges that on June 25, IPIB posted an agenda for its June 27 board meeting. Nine minutes into the meeting, Monica McHugh, the board chairman, proposed an increase to Eckley’s salary as a topic for board deliberation and action. After briefly discussing the matter, the board approved a 6% salary increase for Eckley by unanimous vote, bringing her total annual salary to $103,307.60.

Iowa's largest ethanol producer POET, LLC agrees to $53,000 in fines for air emission violations

Iowa's largest ethanol producer – POET, LLC – has agreed to fines totaling $53,000 for hazardous air emissions from its Shell Rock refinery over a two-year period.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) imposed a $10,000 fine – the most the department is allowed to levy without submitting the case to the Iowa Attorney General's office – and assessed a $43,000 fee – or $70 per ton for the more than 600 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) the plant released during 2021 and 2022.

Bettendorf agrees to pay $2.3 million to victims struck by car on I-74 bridge bike/pedestrian lane

The city of Bettendorf has agreed to pay a total of $2.3 million to the victims struck by a car while they were walking on the pedestrian trail adjacent to the I-74 Bridge two years ago.

Two of the victims were killed and the third seriously injured when a drunk driver mistook the bike/pedestrian trail for a vehicular lane and drove into the trio as they were crossing the bridge May 22, 2022.

In addition to the amounts to be paid by the city and its insurance carrier, the settlement agreement approved by the city council June 18 states the city of Moline will pay a total of $100,000 to two of the victims. Under terms of the settlement, the city is not admitting liability.

Federal judge blocks Iowa immigration law, Attorney General Brenna Bird vows to appeal injunction

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch
June 17, 2024

A federal judge on Monday issued a preliminary injunction for Iowa’s law on illegal immigration, blocking it before enforcement was set to begin July 1.

The U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of civil rights groups argued in court a week ago that Senate File 2340 should not be allowed to take effect.

Signed earlier this year, the measure gives law enforcement officials the power to charge undocumented immigrants with an aggravated misdemeanor for being found in Iowa after having been previously deported, denied admission or removed from the U.S., or if they have an order to leave the country.

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