WOODBURY COUNTY – A western Iowa county has now been sued as the federal government refuses to release immigration detainees in jail. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the lawsuits claim that immigration officials are keeping individuals with no criminal record behind bars despite judges approving their release upon payment of bond. Woodbury County had two suits filed against it in response to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy drafted in July.

AMES – Iowa State University has fired an financial aid professional for a social media post made following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. WHO-13 identified Caitlyn Spencer for a comment made in response to Kirk’s death, with the notice of termination coming from Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen. The claim is that Spencer violated ethical provisions and those as part of the Board of Regents Freedom of Expression policy. The state’s board has required its three universities suspend and investigate employees who posted remarks about Kirk’s death.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds has been making a push for Iowa to receive a first-in-the-nation block grant from the federal government for education. The Des Moines Register reports that the state’s top education officials have submitted a waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education to spend $156 million directly on students as part of the state’s unified allocation plan. The fund s would be used to recruit and develop teachers, improve literacy and math instruction, and expand postsecondary opportunities for students beyond college.