DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services is announcing upcoming changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. These changes will take effect on January 1st. Under the new guidelines, eligible SNAP purchases are determined by the state’s non-taxable food items list, as well as some prepared foods, seeds for food-producing plants, and food-producing plants. As part of the updated rules, certain items will no longer be eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits, including soda and sugary beverages containing less than 50% fruit or vegetable juice, candy and items coated in candy, and some in-store prepared foods.

HUMBOLDT – The Humboldt Community School District faces a lawsuit from parents the allege a cover-up related to sexual abuse committed by a middle school teacher. KCCI-TV reports parents claim the school district knew about the abusive actions of Samantha Meyer-Davis, who pled guilty to sexual exploitation for incidents in 2022 and 2023. Meyer-Davis was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison.

DES MOINES – Members of the Des Moines School Board have not shared any details about what they knew about former Superintendent Ian Roberts’s qualifications before his hire. The Des Moines Register reports that Roberts claimed he had a doctorate, but the firm the district hired for background checks found that he did not obtain a degree from a school he attended for five years. The board voted unanimously to hire Roberts after he fixed a resume following discovery of the omission. The report did not detail whether or not the board members knew about the change.