ALBUQUERQUE – The Roswell horse slaughter facility is on hold. U.S. District Court Judge M. Christina Armijo granted a temporary restraining order against the Valley Meat Co., which received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to become the first processing facility for horse meat in the U.S. in seven years. “The burden is high,
Read More →DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad’s veto to pump $18.9 million into Iowa’s judicial pension system left the plan with an unfunded liability of $53 million, according to figures from the Legislative Services Agency. The pension plan, which covers judges and has 386 members, is currently funded at 69 percent.
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Posted July 29, 2013in Iowa Watchdog
DES MOINES – A former city clerk in Farmington failed to properly bill $210,000 in utilities and cost the city $36,257 in late fees, according to an audit report released this morning. Additionally, auditors found Nichole Jarvis spent more than $760 on personal purchases using a city credit card. They
Read More →DES MOINES – Senators Tom Harkin and Dick Durbin, both Democrats, will hold an immigration forum Friday to discuss the DREAM Act with Iowans. Harkin spokesoman Kate Cyrul Frischmann declined to comment as to whether the event was in response to incendiary remarks made by Iowa Rep. Steve King over
Read More →DES MOINES – A coalition of Latino advocacy groups are seeking the ouster of Iowa U.S. Rep. Steve King from an immigration and border control subcommittee after his recent inflammatory remarks against illegal immigrants, according to officials from the groups. Presente.org, CREDO, DRM Action Coalition and other unnamed organizations, all
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Posted July 26, 2013in Iowa Watchdog
Des Moines Register editors knew of possible violations of computer policies within the Des Moines School District weeks before the release of racy emails between former Superintendent Nancy Sebring and her alleged lover were made public, according to district emails obtained by Iowa Watchdog. It’s unclear, however, how they knew
Read More →DES MOINES – Iowa’s congressional delegation voted along party lines Wednesday on a high profile measure that would curtail the National Security Agency’s spy program. The amendment, pushed by U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., would have defunded the program and banned a number of its data collection practices. It ultimately
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Posted July 24, 2013in Iowa Watchdog
Always the newsmaker, U.S. Rep. Steve King is at it again. King, a Republican who represents Iowa’s Fourth District, said last week during an interview with Newsmax, “For everyone who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because
Read More →SANTA FE – A battle over the first horse meat processing plant in the United States in seven years is heating up, with a court hearing in Albuquerque fast approaching. The Roswell facility is scheduled to open in two weeks, but on Monday New Mexico Attorney General Gary King joined a lawsuit
Read More →DES MOINES – An attorney who represented defendants in Clay County legal cases has been fired after state auditors uncovered he overcharged taxpayers by tens of thousands of dollars during a special investigation, according to a report released today. Ney McDaniel, an attorney who contracted with the Iowa State Public Defender,
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