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Hines mailbag: What happened to Cyclones in Iowa State football’s first loss?

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Hines mailbag: What happened to Cyclones in Iowa State football’s first loss?


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AMES – We are officially underway. 

The Iowa State football season has hit its first patch of adversity while the top-10 men’s and women’s basketball seasons, along with wrestling, have tipped off. 

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We are in the thick of it. 

We’ll know how football handles its first loss well before we know a whole lot about either the men’s team (first difficult opponent: Nov. 25 vs. No. 11 Auburn) or women’s team (Nov. 28 vs. No. 1 South Carolina), but this month of overlap keeps things humming on campus. 

While coach Matt Campbell’s bunch suffering their first loss of the season certainly put a damper on things, it’s still an incredible time for Iowa State athletics . Much of it has built on anticipation, but now is the time for the doing. 

Football needs to get back on track. Hoops needs to deliver when it’s time later this month. 

If they do, it’ll be one heck of a winter in Ames. If they don’t, well, we can worry about that in March. 

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Let’s get to your mailbag questions. 

Football: The offense last Saturday just looked off. Was it the Tech defense, the bye week, injuries, play-calling? What are your thoughts? 

I have a few. 

I think it’s likely that all those factors you mentioned played a part as well as some others. Probably. 

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But I think more generally speaking, one of two things happened against Texas Tech. 

Either Iowa State just had a bad night or the Cyclones’ improvement is starting to get incrementally smaller (or going the other way). 

I think it’s more likely it was just a bad night. 

The Cyclones have been great at winning the turnover battle. They lost it while losing their first fumble of the season. The came into the night the least-penalized team in the country. They were flagged time and again against Tech. They’ve made the big play when it mattered most all season long. Against Tech, they couldn’t get that final stop. 

That seems like a lot of out-of-character stuff coming out of a bye week. You certainly can’t just dismiss it, but the simplest answer is the Cyclones finally had a poor game. And it cost them. 

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If you’re more on the pessimistic end, I do think there’s evidence that there’s something more structurally afoot. 

The injuries could be catching up to them. The play-calling could be getting predictable from a first-time play-caller. The grind of the season – and the pressure of real expectations – might be weighing on the team. Opponents might be game-planning better with more film. 

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Even if those things are true, all of those, save one, are correctable. 

The one that can’t be fixed is injuries. In fact, I’d guess Iowa State’s injury situation gets worse before it gets better. 

None of the linebackers are expected back until December, if at all. The lingering issues aren’t going to go away during the season’s most physically demanding month.  Which is to say, I don’t know that you can count on seeing a 100 percent healthy Carson Hansen or Cael Brezina again this regular season. Or anyone else dealing with the physical stressors that come from a demanding season.

That’s the concern I have. Iowa State has to make due with what it has now – and maybe even less, given how injuries are possible on every snap. 

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Basketball: Can we get more explanation on why Milan Momcilovic isn’t starting, after he did last year? 

We got some coach-speak from T.J. Otzelberger about his lineup after Monday’s pummeling of Mississippi Valley State, but here’s my assessment. 

Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert are locks to start. If Momcilovic starts at the three, you can’t start Curtis Jones. If you start Jones at the three and Momcilovic at the four, you’re stressing both of them in defensive mismatches while also likely surrendering rebounding. 

In order to do that, you have to score enough to offset that situation. And, thus far, the evidence is not there to suggest that lineup can deliver over long stretches. In spurts? Sure, but I don’t think it’s there yet to survive over the bulk of 40 minutes. 

So that leaves you with a Jones or Momcilovic starter question, and it’s clear the staff has decided Jones is the better option. At least for the moment. 

I think the staff certainly wanted to get more out of Momcilovic at times – basically begging him to shoot more aggressively – but I think this is more of a “making the pieces fit” issue than this being used to light-a-fire type deal. 

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I imagine both Jones and Momcilovic are part of Iowa State’s core and probably closing lineup, but it may have to be staggered or without one of those two other guards on the floor for Iowa State to make it work right now. 

Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.



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Chicago Cubs’ Matt Shaw expected to begin rehab assignment with Iowa

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Chicago Cubs’ Matt Shaw expected to begin rehab assignment with Iowa


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When the Iowa Cubs return to Principal Park in Des Moines on June 2, the Triple-A team will likely be bringing back a familiar face.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsel told reporters in St. Louis, Mo., on May 29 that super utilityman Matt Shaw would likely join Iowa when the team opens a six-game series against Toledo that Tuesday.

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“Matts doing super well,” Counsell said during a pregame meeting with scribes. “The plan kind of remains intact that we think he’s going to be able to start a rehab assignment on Tuesday in Iowa. So, assuming everything progresses like it progresses, he’s going to have basically a full weekend of kind of normal pregame stuff. He should be good to go on Tuesday in Iowa.”

Shaw was placed on the injured list back on May 22 with mild back tightness, retroactive to May 20. He was replaced on the big-league roster by prized Cubs prospect Pedro Ramrirez, who tore apart opposing pitching during his first stint in Triple-A in 2026.

Shaw, 24, was hitting .242 (23-for-95) with six doubles, three home runs, three stolen bases and a .291 on base percentage to go along with a .400 slugging percentage in 42 games with Chicago this season. He’s bounced around the field this season and provided an important option off the bench for the Cubs.

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Shaw remains one of the organization’s top young players. The Cubs selected in the first round of the 2023 draft. Shaw rapidly rose through the minor leagues and made his big-league debut with Chicago in 2025. After some early-season struggles, Shaw was briefly demoted to Iowa in 2024 before eventually making a return to the big leagues.

While the hitting wasn’t great, the defense was exceptional. Shaw found a home at third base and played so well he became a Gold Glove finalist in 2025.

Iowa starts the series on Tuesday at 6:38 p.m.

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.

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Iowa Supreme court affirms eviction order for Short’s Burger & Shine

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Iowa Supreme court affirms eviction order for Short’s Burger & Shine


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

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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.

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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.

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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.   

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Fired Iowa nurse aide wins jobless benefits after numerous resident-care complaints

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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.

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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.

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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.

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