DES MOINES – Des Moines Public Schools is suing the firm hired to help with the superintendent search that led to the hire of Ian Roberts, who faces accusations of living in the country illegally and federal weapons charges. KCCI-TV reports the school board voted on Friday to sue JG Consulting for failing to vet candidates properly, claiming breach of contract and negligence. The firm was selected by the Des Moines School Board in December of 2022 out of 11 others for the search. ALTOONA – An arrest has been made following fires that impacted Walmart in Altoona on Thursday night. WHO-13 reports 41-year-old Jack Cedeno has been charged with first degree arson after the Altoona Fire Department responded to smoke and fire near the rear of the store. A criminal complaint mentions that several witnesses saw Cedeno start several fires inside of the Walmart store. IOWA – The first report of fall colors from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources indicates the peak viewing season will be after the middle of the month in most corners of the state. A warm, dry fall has delayed some of the progress of the annual color change, especially without any frost reports yet in the state. Many trees have started to change, but the DNR report indicates the most color will be seen after October 15th.

DES MOINES – The former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent made his initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa on a criminal complaint charging him with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms. According to allegations in the criminal complaint, 54-year-old Ian Roberts is accused of possessing four firearms on September 26th during an arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Roberts will remain detained in federal custody pending further proceedings. DES MOINES— Governor Kim Reynolds authorized a disaster proclamation for Calhoun County, Iowa effective immediately through November 1. The USDA has confirmed a positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial turkey flock. This proclamation allows state resources from Iowa Homeland Security, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and other agencies to assist with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection. IOWA – Unseasonably warm weather with dry conditions and gusty winds will lead to increased fire danger, especially in cropland on Saturday. The National Weather Service warns that fires can spread rapidly once started. Burning is discouraged and extra caution should be taken when using farming and outdoor equipment. Temperatures will be near-record highs in northern Iowa on Saturday. Temperatures will approach 90 in the northwest and be in the upper 80s elsewhere.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds announced she has appointed Mark Campbell as director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services effective October 6. A Fort Dodge native, Campbell is a small business owner who has also served his community for more than a decade as a Webster County Supervisor from 2013 to 2024. He served as Vice Chair of the Iowa State Association of Counties Board of Directors, helping shape statewide policy and collaboration among counties. DES MOINES – Officers from three different agencies were justified in the shooting of an armed suspect in August. KCCI-TV reports an Iowa Attorney General’s Office report found officers from Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa State Patrol entered into a standoff on August 27th. Police say Michael Patrick Broyles aimed a weapon at police, and three officers opened fire, killing him. WASHINGTON D.C. – Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, along with Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, are calling on Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to relocate Agricultural Research Service projects to Ames as part of the Department of Agriculture’s ongoing reorganization plan. Ames currently has one of the largest concentrations of USDA facilities and employees outside of Washington. The lawmakers and governor wrote the move would benefit farmers, producers and families nationwide.

WEST DES MOINES – A Truro man was killed following a high-speed single vehicle crash on Monday in West Des Moines that resulted in an ejection. The Iowa State Patrol reports 25-year-old Nicholas James Henry was driving a Mini Cooper at a high rate of speed on Grand Prairie Parkway before losing control and striking a curb, rolling multiple times. First responders say Henry was ejected from the vehicle and died from his injuries. DES MOINES – Des Moines School Superintendent Ian Roberts announced his resignation on Tuesday following his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Des Moines School Board had placed Roberts on unpaid leave Monday after the State of Iowa Board of Education revoked his education license, according to the Des Moines Register. Matt Smith is serving as the interim superintendent. DES MOINES – The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the hiring practices of the Des Moines Public School system. KCCI-TV reports the release highlights the efforts of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division into possible violations of Title VII and the use of affirmative action.

UPDATE AT 12:30 P.M. – DES MOINES – Two days after placing their superintendent on paid leave, the Des Moines School Board moved to revoke the salary of Ian Roberts after the State of Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his administrative license. The Des Moines Register reports Roberts has since resigned. Roberts was arrested late last week by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement for allegedly working illegally inside of the country. MARION – U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson has called for a federal investigation into Linn-Mar High School. She claims the school news program run by students discussed informational segments related to non-monosexual identities, highlighted by the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance Club. Hinson contacted federal education leaders to investigate because the segments were broadcast without parental consent. IOWA – Dry conditions allowed 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 28, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The warm temperatures also quickly advanced crop maturity. Fieldwork included harvesting corn and soybeans. Topsoil moisture condition rated 5 percent very short, 22 percent short, 65 percent adequate and 8 percent surplus. Eighty percent of corn has matured, four days ahead of last year and the grain harvest was 15 percent complete, four days ahead of last year. BRIGHTON – A teenager was killed in a hunting accident in rural Washington County. KCRG-TV reports 17-year-old Carson Ryan was squirrel hunting on Saturday when the Washington native was mistaken for an animal by a member of his hunting party and struck in the head, according to the Iowa DNR, which is handling the incident as accidental. Ryan was selected to the homecoming court this week at Washington High School.