DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa taxpayers are on the hook for half of a $4 million settlement in the lawsuit brought by former Iowa football players who alleged racial discrimination in coach Kirk Ferentz’s program. A State Appeal Board voted 2-1 on Monday to approve the use of $2 million for the $4.175 million settlement over the objection of State Auditor Rob Sand, a board member who said athletic director Gary Barta should be fired for a series of lawsuits ending in settlements under his watch. The school’s athletic department released a statement attributed to Barta that said it “remains committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for every student-athlete and staff member involved in our program.”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — New court documents suggest that two gang members charged in a deadly shooting at an educational program for at-risk youth in Des Moines appeared to be seeking retaliation after a rival gang member rapped dismissively about a fatal police shooting. The details disclosed in applications for search warrants connect the two Iowa shootings as well as one in Arizona for the first time. Handguns, ammunition and marijuana were uncovered when the warrants were executed last month at properties associated with Bravon Michael Tukes. Tukes and Preston Walls are charged with first degree murder and other counts in the Jan. 23 shooting at the Starts Right Here program.
SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) — Thirty-four Tyson Foods employees, former employees and family members have filed a lawsuit against the company. The say it failed to take appropriate precautions at its meat-packing plants during the early days of the COVID pandemic. The lawsuit was filed in Tyson’s home state of Arkansas. The plaintiffs say Tyson’s negligence and disregard for its workers led to emotional distress, illness and death. Several of the plaintiffs are the spouses or children of Tyson workers who died after contracting COVID. Tyson didn’t immediately comment on the filing. Meat-packing facilities were early epicenters of the COVID epidemic, with a high density of employees working closely together on the production line. The lawsuit isn’t the first to target Tyson over its COVID protocols. In late February, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition by Tyson to move a case in Iowa to federal court. Tyson argued that federal officials wanted it to keep the company’s plants running, citing an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump designating meat processing as essential infrastructure. But a federal appeals court judge ruled last year that Tyson can’t claim it was operating under the direction of the federal government. The case filed by family members of Tyson employees who died of COVID has been sent back to Iowa state court.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – At 5:36 a.m. Monday, the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a semi-rollover accident on Highway 76N near the intersection of Waterloo Creek Drive. Investigators say a 58-year-old man from Postville was driving a semi-tractor and trailer soundbound when the vehicle entered a nearby ditch and rolled onto its side. The trailer was carrying roughly 4,000 chickens at the time of the accident – many of whom were killed or severely injured during the rollover. The driver was not injured.
