WASHINGTON (AP) — The future of affirmative action in higher education is on the table as the Supreme Court wades into the admissions programs at the nation’s oldest public and private universities. The justices are hearing arguments Monday in challenges to policies at the University of North Carolina and Harvard that consider race among many factors in evaluating applications for admission. Following the overturning of the nearly 50-year precedent of Roe v. Wade in June, the cases offer another test of whether the court now dominated by conservatives will move the law to the right on another of the nation’s most contentious cultural issues.
ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment in IA Starting Tomorrow
DES MOINES — The Affordable Care Act’s annual Open Enrollment period is days away and new rules have made the program stronger than ever. Last year, a record number of people enrolled in healthcare coverage through the Marketplace. In IA, more than 9 in 10 people that got their insurance on the Marketplace were eligible for a monthly subsidy that helps them pay for the plan they selected. New rules for this year’s Open Enrollment have strengthened the program even more so that thousands of families in Iowa will likely qualify to get coverage as well. Open Enrollment begins on November 1, 2022 and will run until January 15, 2023.
Recently, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a record amount of grant funding to organizations that provide free help to consumers requiring health coverage enrollment assistance. For Iowa, First Choice Services was awarded $295,350 to continue and expand their IA Navigator program. The program provides free assistance to people finding and selecting health care options through the Marketplace, Medicaid and CHIP. They can assist with enrollment applications and help consumers apply for financial assistance through HealthCare.gov. IA Navigator can assist people over the phone and have staff that speak both English and Spanish in addition to offering translation services.
“Most people will be able to qualify for substantially lower costs this year if they get their insurance on the Marketplace,” said Jeremy Smith, program director for IA Navigator. “We are really urging people to look at the new plans and prices that are being released this year. In a lot of cases, the plans are more affordable than we have ever seen. Even if you have looked into insurance on the Marketplace in past years and were not very happy, you should definitely look into it again this year.” Smith says getting help signing up is important, as many people are overwhelmed by the options or may not realize how to shop for affordable health coverage.
Consumers who come back to the Health Insurance Marketplace this year can expect to see some very important updates and expansions. New rules will expand eligibility to those that had previously been blocked from getting the coverage because they had an unaffordable offer of insurance through an employer. This fix to the “Family Glitch” will expand eligibility to thousands of families. Additionally, the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act secured enhanced subsidies and locked in lower prices for Marketplace plans for three more years. It also kept in place that higher income earners can continue to enroll in subsidized coverage as well.
It is important to pay attention to Open Enrollment deadlines. For January 1st coverage, sign up must be completed by December 15th. Open Enrollment will completely end on January 15th. People who already have a plan and need to re-enroll are encouraged to double-check the network and prescription drug coverage for any changes, and to update their information in case they qualify for any additional cost-savings. For free assistance the IA Navigator program is available by calling 515-978-9570 or visiting www.ACANavigator.com.
Osky HS Choirs Presenting Trimester End Concert Next Week
OSKALOOSA — The Oskaloosa High School Choirs would like to invite the community to their trimester end concert. All of the information you need is listed below:
WHO – Oskaloosa High School Chamber Choir and Concert Choir
WHAT – 1st Tri Mester Concert
WHERE – The High School’s Large Gym
WHEN – Monday, November 7th at 7:30pm
COST – There is no cost to attend. There will be an opportunity to give towards a free will donation at the conclusion of the concert.
Note from director Chris Weinreich:
“Our high school musicians have been working very hard to put on the best possible performance for our community. We would be thrilled to have you in our audience and have the opportunity to perform for you.”
AP sources: Musk in control of Twitter, ousts top executives
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (AP) — Two people familiar with the deal say that Elon Musk is in control of Twitter and has ousted the CEO, chief financial officer and the company’s chief lawyer. The people wouldn’t say if all the paperwork for the sale, originally valued at $44 billion, had been signed or if the deal has closed. Neither person wanted to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the personnel moves. The departures come just hours before the deal was expected to be finalized on Friday, the deadline set by a Delaware judge who threatened to schedule a trial if no agreement was reached.
DOT testing brine spreaders in preparation for winter
By Dar Danielson (Radio Iowa)
Snow is not in the forecast — but several big orange DOT trucks have been out on the highway with their sprayers going.
DOT winter operations director, Craig Bargfrede says they are spraying plain water, not salt brine. “The purpose of that is to make sure that everything is calibrated, and that we’re putting out exactly the right amount of material and the right amount of liquid. Depending upon which material we’re using,” he says.
He says all of the trucks are outfitted with a GPS system that is connected to the spreader controllers. “So part of the reason why we do the calibration is to make sure our accuracy in distributing the material. And then during the winter as we go through the winter season, as the trucks around operating and doing their winter operations, that information of is fed back through the GPS modem,” Bargfrede says. “And we capture all that data so that we know exactly how much material by each truck has done has been split out on the highway.”
Bargfrede says most of the treatment they do now is a salt brine. They may sometimes put down some wet salt, but only for certain conditions. Bargfrede says they have developed a guide for the plow drivers for setting the material that is deployed.
“You know, depending on the weather conditions, and what type of precipitation we got, dependent upon the temperature, that’s a guide that gives them a range for what kind of treatment strategies that they’re going to use,” Bargfrede says.
He says they started earlier this month to get everything ready for when there’s actual winter weather. “October 15 is the magical date. According to our policy and procedures, we need to have a certain percentage of our equipment and vehicles ready to go. And typically those early season type situations are some type of frost run or something like that depends upon conditions and the weather,” Bargfrede says.
Bargfrede says there is some early indication they may be busy. “Now in talking to our weather service provider, they’re kind of looking at the forecast for the winter season as being a below normal temperatures, meaning colder, and above normal precipitation, meaning we’re going to be wetter,” he says. “Now whether that comes in the form of rain or snow, we can’t really say for sure.”
Bargfrede says they will have the equipment ready — whatever Mother Nature throws their way.
Keokuk, Appanoose Counties to Be Part of “High Five Rural Traffic Safety Project” Starting Soon
DES MOINES, Iowa – In 2021,72% of fatal crashes in Iowa occurred on secondary rural roads. Approximately 79% of Iowa’s total roadways are considered secondary in nature. Due to these alarming statistics rural safety has become a major concern.
Beginning December 1, 2022, a new initiative identified as “High Five Rural Traffic Safety Project” will be launched to focus on traffic safety on Iowa’s rural roadways. After reviewing 5 years of crash data and looking at counties with low seat belt compliance rates, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau along with a multi-disciplinary team of traffic safety professionals selected five rural counties to participate in this project.
The counties participating in the project include Appanoose, Fremont, Humboldt, Keokuk and Mitchell. The High Five project will involve a three-tier approach to include enforcement, engineering, and education with the ultimate goal to build a safer community. Through enforcement, media, and community outreach, participating agencies will work to educate drivers on the benefits of complying with traffic laws with an emphasis on Iowa’s seat belt law. From an engineering aspect, the focus will be to identify low cost safety improvements throughout the county.
In the first nine months on Iowa roadways there have been 255 fatalities. Each and every life lost is a tragedy. In addition to fatalities, it is also important to recognize the number of serious injuries sustained in traffic crashes. Law enforcement and county engineers within the High Five counties are conscientious safety advocates who understand rural roads are unique because they are shared by a variety of vehicle types from passenger vehicles to large machinery and other farm implements traveling at slower speeds. The road surface types and speeds also vary.
Enforcement efforts on roadways with higher volumes are common but with Iowa’s percentage of rural fatalities above the national average the need to have a special program focusing coordinated efforts on rural safety has become apparent.
The High Five project will begin December 1, 2022 and will conclude on September 30, 2023.
Osky PD, Mahaska Sheriff, and Mahaska Drug Teaming Up for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
By Sam Parsons
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 29) and the folks at Mahaska Drug have partnered with the Oskaloosa Police Department and the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office to participate.
According to a recent press release from the office of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, the National Take Back program provides opportunities twice a year for Iowans to properly dispose of unused medications. Since 2016, Iowans have disposed of more than 186,800 pounds – or 93 tons – of prescription medication at Take Back Day events.
On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Iowans can visit one of more than 50 Take Back Day locations hosted by local law enforcement agencies, pharmacies, and others to dispose of leftover prescription drugs, including Mahaska Drug.
“Safely disposing of unused prescription medication is a simple way to help prevent drug misuse and abuse that can lead to addiction or overdose death,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement. “I encourage Iowans to take their leftover medications to one of the many convenient locations across the state, not only on October 29th for National Prescription Day Take Back Day, but any day of the year.”
Iowans unable to participate in Take Back Day on Oct. 29 can drop off unneeded medication anytime at one of more than 400 permanent Take Back Kiosks located a pharmacies and law enforcement centers around the state. Details on year-round disposal can be found on the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy website.
USDA announces $759M for high-speed internet in rural areas
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is announcing $759 million in grants and loans to enable rural communities to access high-speed internet. It’s part of the broader $65 billion push for high-speed connectivity from last year’s infrastructure law. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and White House senior adviser Mitch Landrieu are going to North Carolina to unveil the grants. There are 49 recipients in 24 states. Thursday’s announcement and visit to North Carolina come as President Joe Biden and other top Democratic officials try to sell their achievements to voters before the Nov. 8 midterm elections. North Carolina has an open seat for the U.S. Senate.
Millions worth of beef, pork stolen from meatpackers in Iowa, 5 other states
By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)
Three men from Miami are under arrest, accused of stealing $9 million worth of frozen beef and pork from meatpacking plants in Iowa and five other states.
Terry Wagner, the sheriff in Lancaster County, Nebraska, said his department started “connecting the dots” after finding empty semi trailers that had been stolen from a Grand Island beef packer.
“It was surprising how brazen and how widespread it really was,” Wagner said during a news conference.
Investigators from the Lancaster County, Nebraska sheriff’s office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have identified 45 thefts so far.
“They’ve been targeted beef and pork packaging facilities in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin,” the sheriff told reporters.
It was “a highly sophisticated organized criminal enterprise” according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Nebraska sheriff said in many instances it appears the men drove into an area in a semi tractor and hooked it up to a trailer that had been loaded with frozen meat.
“They knew what to look for,” he said. “They knew where to look, where trailers would be staged for transport and they would just drive in, hook up to a trailer and take off.”
The sheriff told reporters in Lincoln, Nebraska that federal investigators used electronic surveillance to track three semi tractor trailers with more than half a million dollars worth of stolen meat to Florida last Thursday.
“The investigation is still continuing,” he says. “We’re still trying to identify some of the victims of these thefts and we’ll keep working on this case.”
On September 1st, $100,000 worth of pork was stolen from the J-B-S plant in Ottumwa, but there’s been no official confirmation that case is among the 45 meat thefts identified by the Nebraska sheriff.
Ottumwa Man and Woman Charged for Filing Hundreds of False Tax Returns and Fraudulently Obtaining Unemployment Insurance Benefits Payments
DES MOINES — A federal grand jury in Des Moines returned an indictment on October 18, 2022, charging an Ottumwa man and woman with sixty fraud and tax charges.
As alleged in the indictment, Thein Maung (also known as Joseph Ramarn), age 47, and his daughter, Phyo Mi (also known as Phyo Ramarn), age 20, conspired to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by preparing and filing hundreds of fraudulent tax returns. Maung and Mi provided tax-preparation services out of their family’s home in Ottumwa. Their customers primarily were immigrants who had little or no ability to read, write, or speak English.
The indictment also alleges that Maung and Mi would prepare their customers’ tax returns in exchange for a cash fee. Maung and Mi acted as “ghost preparers,” meaning that they did not sign their clients’ tax returns when they prepared and filed them. Without their customers’ knowledge or approval, Maung and Mi often included on their customers’ federal tax returns, schedules, and forms, fraudulent items, such as false claims for residential energy credits, business-expense deductions, or moving-expense deductions. The effect of Maung and Mi including fraudulent items on the tax documents was to increase the refunds their clients received and increase Maung and Mi’s customer base.
In addition, it is alleged that Maung and Mi engaged in wire fraud by directing that portions of their customers’ fraudulent refunds be deposited into financial institution accounts accessible to Maung and Mi. By doing so, Maung and Mi attempted to obtain from the IRS over $140,000 in fraudulent refunds.
Maung and Mi also allegedly committed wire fraud in relation to unemployment insurance benefits. According to court documents, Maung and Mi filed unemployment insurance benefits applications and claims with Iowa Workforce Development for some of their customers. On the materials submitted to Iowa Workforce Development, Maung and Mi directed that their customers’ unemployment payments be sent to financial institution accounts that Maung and Mi had access to. Through this fraud, Maung and Mi received over $70,000 in fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits payments from Iowa Workforce Development that should have been paid to eligible claimants.
“These types of schemes often prey on vulnerable and unsuspecting clients that were merely attempting to do the right thing, including filing and paying their taxes,” said Thomas Murdock, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s St. Louis field office. “IRS Criminal Investigation works investigations like these to keep fraudulent tax return preparers at bay and to let others know that these efforts to rob the government are illegal and will not go unchecked.
Both Maung and Mi are charged with one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and fourteen counts of Wire Fraud. Mi is also charged with ten counts of Preparing and Presenting a False Tax Return. Maung is charged with thirty counts of Preparing and Presenting a False Tax Return and five counts of Willful Failure to File Return.
The defendants made their initial court appearance on Monday, October 24, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Stephen H. Locher of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.
Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation is investigating the case with assistance from the Ottumwa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Essley is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.