Omaha Mayor John Ewing is threatening to issue his first veto since taking office.During a town hall last night, Ewing expressed his opposition to an ordinance that would make camping on public property a misdemeanor.The Omaha City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed ordinance today.
Dozens of employees at Iowa Workforce Development are being furloughed because of the government shutdown.The agency says 67 workers were furloughed yesterday and belong to the Unemployment Insurance and Labor Market Information divisions.Despite the move, IWD doesn't expect much of an impact on operations as most of those employees work outside of the bureau.Officials added the fall is often a slow time for unemployment claims and claims should remain low for the time-being.
The former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district has been indicted by a federal grand jury after authorities say he falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen who was eligible to work. A two-count indictment returned Thursday evening by a federal grand jury in Des Moines charges Ian Roberts with one count of making a false statement for employment and one count of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Roberts, who is originally from Guyana and worked for two decades in school districts across the country, was detained last month by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in a targeted operation. His attorney says Roberts will plead not guilty and fight the charges at trial.
Democrat Jackie Norris has ended her campaign for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat. She plans to focus on her role as chair of the Des Moines public school board. This decision follows the arrest of Superintendent Ian Roberts by immigration authorities on Sept. 26. Norris says the situation demands her attention and has led to intense scrutiny. She will continue to lead the board during this transition and work on securing voter approval for a $265 million bond in November. Her departure leaves several male candidates in the Democratic primary field, with Republicans favored to retain the seat. Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is stepping down after serving two terms.
A mural has been vandalized in Grand Island.Police say it happened Saturday at Webb Plaza.Security footage shows the suspects throwing a can of paint on the mural, which depicts a cow in a field of sunflowers as well as a sailing ship.A party was set to take place to celebrate the mural just a few hours after the vandalism took place.So far three people have been arrested in connection with the incident, while cops are looking for a fourth person of interest. Officers cited 36-year-old Sapphire Utley of Grand Island and 33-year-old Charli Burk of Omaha for misdemeanor criminal mischief, and 35-year-old Mitchell Hedlund for providing false information during the investigation.