Iowa
Fired Iowa nurse aide wins jobless benefits after numerous resident-care complaints
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – An Iowa nursing home worker fired after being accused of repeatedly neglecting residents’ needs is entitled to unemployment benefits, a judge has ruled.
State records indicate certified nurse aide Abigail Kromah worked for Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center in West Des Moines from May 2024 through December 2025, when she was fired. She subsequently applied for unemployment benefits, which led to a recent hearing before an administrative law judge.
The hearing records indicate Kromah testified that when she was fired on Dec. 19, 2025, the employer informed her that the discharge was due to “numerous resident complaints” regarding the care she had been providing.
According to the judge’s findings in the case, Kromah had received multiple disciplinary warnings related to resident care. In August 2024, she allegedly received verbal and written warnings for failing to answer residents’ call-lights in a timely manner, failing to properly assist residents with their personal care, and for complaining about the residents in common areas of the workplace.
Her employer testified Kromah was also given warnings for refusing work instructions from the nursing staff, and for telling a resident who needed to be toileted to go the bathroom in their briefs.
In August 2025, it was alleged that Kromah failed to check on a resident throughout the entire night. During that shift, a nurse had neglected to unclamp a feeding tube, which caused the tube to leak. When another nurse checked on the resident at 5 a.m., the resident was “drenched in feeding solution from head to toe,” according to the judge’s findings.
‘I can’t live this way… She’s horrible.’
Days later, the home alleged, a resident of the facility entered the hallway in his wheelchair at about 6 a.m., loudly complaining, “I can’t do this anymore,” and, “I can’t live this way.” The man allegedly refused to go back to his room, explaining that Kromah was there and “she’s horrible.”
The man reportedly stated had had switched on his call-light to have his urinal emptied, but Kromah never came to assist him, which meant the urinal overflowed and spilled on him. When Kromah eventually came to the room, the man allegedly said, she changed him into dry clothing but did not clean him.
The home alleged Kromah was given additional warnings in October 2025 for reportedly failing to answer residents’ call lights and failing to complete her rounds every two hours. One resident of the home had allegedly became so frustrated by the lack of response to his call-light that he contacted the police on one occasion, according to the judge’s findings.
State inspection reports indicate Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center was cited for insufficient staff in January 2026, with one resident complaining the issue with call-lights had been a longstanding problem. According to the inspectors, the man said that on one occasion, he couldn’t get help to clear his airway and was afraid he was going to die unless he managed to clear it himself, which he did.
In ruling that Kromah was entitled to jobless benefits, Administrative Law Judge Michael Lunn noted that while she had clearly been warned about deficiencies in resident care, she appeared to have been fired for a separate issue — attendance — for which she had received no such warnings.
A discharge for misconduct cannot be based on past acts such as the resident-care issues, Lunn ruled, but must instead be based on a current act. With no current act of disqualifying misconduct, Lunn stated, Kromah was entitled to collect unemployment benefits.
Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to locate Kromah to seek comment for this article.
Copyright 2026 IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH. All rights reserved.
Following a years-long legal saga, the Iowa Supreme Court recently upheld a decision to evict Short’s Burger and Shine from its South Clinton Street building.
The May 22 decision, delivered by Chief Justice Susan Christensen, agreed with the Johnson County District Court’s decision to evict the downtown burger restaurant after finding that it did not notify the building’s owner — a trust operated by Midwest One Bank — of its intent to extend the lease.
The decision concludes one part of the Short’s legal saga. The now-closed restaurant is also in litigation for a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit Short’s owner, Kevin Perez filed in 2024 against Midwest One Bank, the trust of late building owner Haywood Belle, Belle’s widow, a bank employee, and the City of Iowa City
Iowa City’s Short’s Burgers and Shine closed in 2024
Short’s closed in early 2024 after the court determined Perez hadn’t renewed the business’s lease on time.
Short’s opened at 18 S. Clinton Street in 2008 with the goal of honoring the legacy and story of former building owner H.D. Short, who shined shoes for 50 years, beginning in 1920. The original ownership group included Perez, Dan Ouverson, and former Hawkeye and NFL player Nate Kaeding, who now runs the Gold Cap Hospitality ownership group.
Eviction proceedings started when Short’s temporarily closed in April 2022 “to fix poor building conditions” without notifying Midwest One Bank, the executor of Belle’s trust.
The closure breached a part of the lease agreement that said the restaurant would default on its lease if it “failed to engage” in normal business for more than 15 consecutive business days, the court found. The renovations also violated a provision that forbade structural changes or improvements without prior written approval.
Midwest One Bank sent notice on May 10, 2022, that Short’s would default on its lease if it did not reopen for regular business and cease renovations within 10 days, according to court documents. Shorts responded, claiming it could not reopen for business until renovations were complete because the gas could not be turned back on until repairs were finished.
Midwest One Bank “terminated” the lease and started eviction proceedings in May 2022. Shorts was allowed to continue operating and occupying the building while the case was litigated.
Midwest One Bank filed two eviction claims and delivered notice that Short’s needed to vacate the building by the end of the lease on April 30. Short’s did not vacate, and Midwest One Bank pursued a third eviction claim, accusing the owners of failing to provide notice of renewal.
Short’s argued that because they continued renovations, disputed eviction, and secured insurance, it was evidence of their intent to renew.
The restaurant owners also argued that pending eviction proceedings prevented them from renewal. The court argued that Short’s simply did not declare intent to renew for “whatever reason.”
“Mere forgetfulness does not entitle a party to equitable relief,” the decision reads.
Liam Halawith covers Johnson County local government and public safety for the Press-Citizen. Reach him by email at lhalawith@registermedia.com. Follow him on X at @liam_halawith.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – With some schools already on summer break, programs are helping make sure Iowa kids don’t go hungry.
The state’s Seamless Summer Option program provides free meals to children and teens 18 and younger during summer break.
Those meals are served at schools, parks and community centers. Children are served on first come, first served basis.
You can find a full list of those on the USDA’s Summer Meal Finder.
This year, the state has returned to the federal SUN Bucks program.
Eligible families can get up to $120 per child. That is then divided up to $40 a month to help pay for healthy food purchases.
The Des Moines Area Religious Council told KCRG after the state announced its return to the program that area businesses, as well as those in need, would benefit.
“Those dollars are going to go back into local grocery stores. It’s an investment in our community. When we look at feeding programs like SNAP, we know that it has that multiplier effect every time a dollar is spent, you’re getting more out of it,” said Blake Wiladsen, the council’s communication manager.
The state will regulate the program similarly to the state’s SNAP program. Things like candy, soda, vitamins, minerals, pre-made foods, and juice made with less than 50% fruit or vegetables cannot be purchased with Iowa SUN Bucks.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa State basketball’s TJ Otzelberger on Milan Momcilovic departure
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on the conversations leading up to Milan Momcilovic’s departure for the NBA Draft process and portal.
Former Iowa State basketball star Milan Momcilovic is not going to the NBA just yet.
Anticipation was building ahead for fans to see what the former Cyclone would do leading into the May 27 deadline, which gave players one final opportunity to decide whether or not they were continuing with the NBA Draft process or maintaining NCAA eligibility for another season of college basketball.
After plenty of debate among college basketball fans regarding whether he would or wouldn’t continue, Momcilovic officially made his decision, electing to withdraw from the NBA Draft pool and return to college basketball on Wednesday night, according to multiple reports.
He and the rest of the NBA Draft candidates with remaining eligibility had until May 27 at 10:59 p.m. CT to decide whether or not they were committing to the NBA Draft process or return to college.
The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter had simultaneously entered the transfer portal when first declaring for the NBA Draft back in April. He will be a highly sought-after player. According to ESPN’s transfer rankings, he is the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal. In the mock drafts that Momcilovic was included in, he was mostly projected to be a second-round pick.
He has reported interest from Kentucky, Louisville, St. John’s and Arizona.
Momcilovic is coming off a career-best year as a junior. The All-Big 12 second-team selection led the Cyclones with 16.9 points per game, while shooting 50.6% overall and 48.6% from deep. He led the country in 3-point shooting percentage and total 3-point makes, with 136. That mark is also an Iowa State single-season record, surpassing the previous mark set by Dedric Willoughby’s 102 3-pointers in the 1996-97 season.
He also had the fifth-highest true shooting percentage (69.3%) in the country and an effective field-goal percentage of 67.2%, which was good for 13th in the nation.
“I love Milan, he’s my guy. Obviously, I had a couple-year relationship prior to him even coming to Iowa State,” said Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger at the Cyclone Tailgate Tour opener in Des Moines on May 18. “What you want for everybody in your program is for their dreams to become a reality and obviously, with the season he had and how he’s continued to develop, he put himself in a great position for the draft. Yet, at the same time in the climate and landscape of college athletics, it’s important to keep your options open and leave that available at the end if it isn’t to go your way.
“All the conversations were great, really respect how he went through and made his decisions. I don’t think there’s anybody that’s a loser in this situation, right? We had a great experience with him for three seasons, he’s put himself in a great position to go get drafted. If that’s not able to happen for him, it’s important that he’s able to find a landing spot at college that fits what he’s looking for.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
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