From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
Former President Donald Trump is the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes. A New York jury found him guilty of all 34 felony charges, centered on a payment to a porn actor and falsifying business records.
Several Iowa Republicans called the trial a “sham” with Gov. Kim Reynolds saying the effort to convict the former President is a complete disregard for our democracy and the will of the American people. Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson says, “This has been a political prosecution from the very beginning”. And Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird says it’s “a dark day in American history.”
Democrat State Auditor Rob Sand says as seven years as an Assistant Attorney General, he found that jurors take the work seriously and tried to do right. He said, “Jurors deserve our thanks and respect.” And the liberal group Progress Iowa says the “ruling proves that in America, no one is above the law.”
Residents and businesses across Iowa are reporting problems receiving or making phone calls with a landline and are reporting downed internet services. According to Lumen, the parent company of phone and internet provider CenturyLink, a water pipe that burst in the Des Moines area is the reason behind the outages. Emergency service providers and 911 dispatch centers say you may need to use cellphones for important calls. The company says there’s no timeline when the lines will be fully functional.
The University of Iowa and former head coach for the university’s gymnastics team have reached a settlement. Larissa Libby resigned as coach earlier this month. She was put on leave during an independent investigation into the team’s culture under her leadership in March. Documents from the Iowa Board of Regents show the university signed a settlement to pay Libby nearly $450,000. It includes $330,000 in damages as part of a clause in her contract for what’s referred to as “termination by university without cause.”
The longest-serving president in the 185-year history of Loras College in Dubuque is set to retire next year. Jim Collins says he will step down when his contract expires at the end of next school year in May 2025. Collins graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Loras in 1984. He’s worked at Loras for 41 years, including 20 years as president. He was the youngest president in Loras’ history.
