West Des Moines Businessman Fined For Racial Harassment Of Employees
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Civil Rights Commission is seeking to enforce a $14,700 judgment against a businessman accused of making racial slurs to belittle black employees.
Bruce Smith of West Des Moines and his company, AAA Allied Building Services, have been ordered to pay lost wages and damages to an employee who says he quit after enduring the harassment.
The commission has filed a case against Smith in district court to
collect the damages, a rare enforcement action for the agency.
Smith called the case “a railroad job” orchestrated by a disgruntled former employee, saying “the whole thing was a lie.”
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by David Curry of Des Moines, who worked on an overnight crew for Smith cleaning Petsmart, Best Buy and other businesses.
Curry and a co-worker testified that Smith called them slurs and made other offensive comments. An administrative law judge ruled that Smith violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
Des Moines To Build Railroad Facility
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines officials say a long-awaited $15.6 million railroad facility is set to be built soon and will aid central Iowa’s economy.
The Des Moines Register reports that an $11.2 million federal grant for the project was awarded last week to the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Local officials say the facility will create a more robust rail system and lower shipping costs.
Also known as a railport, the facility will enable materials to be
transferred from semitrailers to trains, which ship products at a lower cost.
A University of Northern Iowa study says the facility could have a $4.8 million annual economic impact and create 50 new jobs.
The transload facility will be built on the city’s southeast side next year. A facility operator will be selected in January.
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Des Moines Diocese Victim Of Scam
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines says it’s been cyberscammed out of nearly $46,000.
The diocese says in a news release that a person or a group
impersonating a diocese employee requested on Dec. 13 that the money be transferred. The diocese says it expects insurance will cover most of the loss.
Bishop Richard Pates says the transfer was “clearly a mistake, the result of a misinterpretation of our policy.” Pates also says no staff members are suspected of criminal involvement.
The diocese has 80 parishes in 23 counties in central and southwest Iowa.
Waukee School Official Resigns Amid Controversy
WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) – A school administrator accused of improper activities for the Waukee Community School District in central Iowa has resigned.
District spokeswoman Amy Varcoe said the school board accepted Eric Rose’s resignation Monday in lieu of termination from his post as chief operating officer. He’s charged with two counts of solicitation to commit a felony and one count of felonious misconduct in office. He was freed on $15,000 bond. Dallas County court records say Rose has pleaded not guilty.
A special state audit report released earlier this month said
administrators improperly used state credit cards and spent nearly $129,000 on items and services that “were not in the taxpayers’ best interest.”
Earlier this year the district agreed to pay more than $1 million to two former district employees who said they were forced out of their jobs after reporting what they said was misconduct by Rose.
Deleware County Voters To Decide On New Jail
MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) – Another request to build a Delaware County Jail replacement could go to voters next year.
Delaware County Supervisor Jeff Madlom told the Telegraph Herald the county board likely will schedule a referendum seeking funding for a new jail sometime in 2019.
A $4.9 million bond measure received support from 57 percent of voters in 2014 and another measure in 2015 received 58 percent of the votes. But both vote totals fell short of the 60 percent needed to pass.
Madlom says the current jail was built in 1967 and no longer meets the county’s needs. The county often must send prisoners to Buchanan and Clayton counties because the Delaware County Jail has room for just 12 inmates.
Madlom expects the new jail could cost around $5 million.
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