From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
The Iowa City School Board is set to discuss an interim superintendent search at its meeting tonight. That’s after Superintendent Matt Degner announced he will step down as superintendent at the end of the school year. But he’ll stay with the district in a different administrative role. That’s despite calls from the public for the board to fire Degner because of the district’s financial crisis.
The executive director of a charter school targeting at-risk youth is on paid administrative leave. Sarah Swayze was a driving force behind opening Empowering Excellence in 2024 as the first public charter school in Cedar Rapids. The school declined to comment further on why Swayze was placed on leave. The high school aims to give flexibility and support to students most at-risk of dropping out of school. It had an enrollment of about 200 students this year.
The federal government is asking a judge to sentence former Des Moines Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts to more than 3 years in prison. Roberts pleaded guilty earlier this year to falsely claiming citizenship and illegal possession of firearms as an illegal alien. In asking for a 3-year sentence, prosecutors say Roberts betrayed public trust and showed a pattern of knowingly hiding his citizenship status for years, including lying and falsifying documents. Sentencing for Roberts is set for Friday.
Two people died in a UTV crash in Clinton County. The Iowa State Patrol says the UTV went off a trail along the Wapsipinicon River near Calamus on Sunday and rolled onto private property, landing on its top. The driver died at the scene. A passenger was taken to the hospital but also died. Their names have not been released.
Yesterday marked the anniversary of one of the strongest tornadoes to hit Iowa. In 2008, an EF5 tornado swept through Parkersburg and left behind devastation. It was on the ground for 43 miles, claiming the lives of nine people and leaving another 70 hurt. The funnel at one point was more than a half mile wide and ripped apart hundreds of homes and roughly 20 businesses.
