MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – In a message sent to Linn-Mar staff, Superintendent Shannon Bisgard informed employees that technical difficulties will force the district to minimize visitors and staff in the building through at least August 7th. The message stated that the district began “experiencing technical difficulties affecting the operability of certain computer systems” and that they were “working diligently with third-party specialists to investigate the source of the disruption, assess its impact on our systems, and restore full functionality as soon as possible. An unidentified “cyber security incident” forced the Cedar Rapids Community School District to cease most of their operations for a week last month. Linn-Mar Superintendent Bisgard stated that select daycares, teams, and activities will be allowed to use district facilities on a case-by-case basis.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa-based youth basketball league has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by former players whose coach secretly recorded them undressing or obtained nude photos of them. Gregory Stephen is now serving a lengthy prison sentence for sexual exploitation of minors. Guy Cook, the lawyer for boys who played Barnstormers Basketball of Iowa games from 2005 to 2018, said the league has agreed to settle the case by establishing a fund of more than $1 million to compensate victims. A judge must sign off on the agreement before it’s finalized.
TIFFIN, Iowa (KCRG) – A former Clear Creek Amana softball coach is charged with having sex with a student-athlete 15 years ago, when she was just 15. James Anthony White was arrested Sunday on two counts each of third-degree sexual abuse and sexual exploitation by a school employee. According to a criminal complaint, a woman reported in March 2022 that she and White had engaged in a sexual relationship when she was a freshman on White’s softball team. The district issued a statement noting White had resigned effective this past June – he had also coached wrestling, cross country and track. He was an assistant for the Solon baseball team until the season ended last month. Solon said it was unaware of any investigation into White until news of his arrest Monday. Investigators say the victim described two specific instances when the two had sex, once while she was a freshman, the unidentified victim says White instructed her to drive out to a rural road in Johnson County where they had sex in White’s car. The other time happened in 2007 at White’s home while his wife was away at a softball tournament. The victim was 15 at the time. In the complaint, police describe White’s behavior would “indicate the defendant engaged in a pattern, practice and/or scheme of sexual misconduct”. The victim also described White as “grooming” her at the time. The Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel said it’s unclear if there are any other victims but said this arrest should encourage any victim of sexual assault to come forward, regardless of how much time has passed. White coached Clear Creek Amana from 1995 to 2012, leading the Clippers to 6 state titles, before he left for Solon in 2013. He resigned there in 2017 with his wife taking over at the time. It is unclear when he had returned to Clear-Creek Amana before resigning this past June.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing new regulations that would force food processors to reduce the amount of salmonella bacteria found in some raw chicken products or risk shutdowns. The proposed USDA rules announced Monday would declare salmonella an adulterant — a contaminant that can cause food-borne illness — in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products. That includes many frozen foods found in grocery stores that appear to be cooked through but are only heat-treated to set the batter or breading. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the salmonella bacteria sickens 1.3 million Americans each year, puts 26,000 in hospitals and causes 420 deaths.
