COUNCIL BLUFFS – Four Georgia men were sentenced for their role in a nationwide fraud conspiracy that impacted Iowa residents. According to public court documents, between March 2022 and April 2024, Russell Tafron Weatherspoon, Karl Andre Dieudonne, Demonte Tequis Brazil, and Gregory Lamar Scorza ran a multi-state fraud scam. The scammers led victims in Iowa to believe that an arrest warrant had been issued for them for failing to appear in court, using names of local law enforcement officers and spoofed phone numbers. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement, and several Iowa-based police departments assisted in the investigation.

OSKALOOSA – The Oskaloosa School Board moved to terminate the contract of an art teacher accused of celebrating the assassination of Conservative Influencer Charlie Kirk. The board voted Wednesday to fire Matthew Kargol for a social media post that said “one Nazi down.” WHO-13 reports it took place after a closed session during a special meeting.

DES MOINES – Iowa added 1,900 people to the labor force in August, led primarily by adults ages 20 to 24, increasing the state’s labor force participation rate to 67.5 percent. At the same time, Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.8 percent, and the U.S. unemployment rate increased to 4.3 percent. The total number of unemployed Iowans increased to 65,800 in August from 64,900 in July.