Iowa
Iowa student’s passport seizure in Dominican Republic raises red flags for Americans traveling: What to know
The seizing of an Iowa college student’s passport while under investigation in the Dominican Republic is a cautionary tale for Americans traveling abroad, who an expert said should be vigilant about protecting their travel documents.
Last month, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe’s passport and cellphone were confiscated as investigators tried to piece together missing spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki’s final moments. Hotel surveillance footage revealed Riibe was among the last people to see Konanki alive before the University of Pittsburgh student disappeared on a Punta Cana beach after a night of drinking with friends.
After Konanki’s disappearance, Riibe, who authorities said was never a suspect, was holed up inside the Riu Republica Hotel under the watch of local authorities.
Riibe, a student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, remained in the Dominican Republic, unable to travel back to America, for approximately two weeks before he was able to head home.
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Joshua Riibe arrives at a Dominican Republic courthouse on March 18, 2025. (Fox News Digital)
The high-profile debacle came to a head inside a Dominican courtroom, as Riibe sat alongside his father and a translator while lawyers argued over the conditions of Riibe’s hotel room detainment. The issue surrounding the return of Riibe’s passport was scheduled for a later date, potentially forcing Riibe to remain in the country for a second court appearance.
“Ever since my passport was taken, it’s very rare I’m alone,” Riibe testified before a Dominican judge. He later added, “I can’t go anywhere. I really want to be home. Hug my family and friends.”
While Riibe’s lawyers had said his passport was confiscated, prosecutors argued that he lost it.
Following the initial court proceedings, Riibe was able to obtain a provisional passport from the U.S. Consulate in the Dominican Republic.
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Sudiksha Konanki went missing from a Punta Cana beach in the early hours of March 6. (Fox News Digital/Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office)
On March 19, Riibe boarded a JetBlue flight from Santo Domingo to San Juan, Puerto Rico, marking the end of his nightmare abroad. However, Riibe’s escape hit a brief snag when he was held in Puerto Rico over the new passport not being properly stamped, NotiCentro reported.
Last week, a Dominican judge ruled to officially close Riibe’s case, granting the habeas corpus motion filed on behalf of the key witness.
“On March 18th, following the conclusion of the habeas corpus hearing that ordered the release of our client, Joshua Riibe, the Prosecutor’s Office of La Altagracia informed him of their readiness to return his passport,” Riibe’s attorneys said. “While Joshua appreciated this decision, he chose, for privacy reasons, to apply for a new passport at the U.S. Consulate, which was promptly issued.”
Although Riibe was able to obtain a replacement passport and subsequently return home, his experience serves as a warning for Americans who may be asked to hand over their passport for a multitude of reasons while in another country.
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Local authorities search for missing U.S. student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
Travelers could be asked to forfeit their passport or other identifying documents by foreign law enforcement or as collateral while enjoying an excursion, according to Kate Gladdin, an expert in international travel safety.
“The reality is there are some bad fruits out there that see tourists and can very quickly get [them] in a vulnerable position because they don’t have their government,” Gladdin told Fox News Digital.
“One thing I can say, flat out, is to never hand your passport over as a form of deposit, ever,” Gladdin said. “There are stories where they’re like, ‘Oh, you want to hire this jet ski? OK, we can take your passport just as a deposit that you’ll come back.’ Do not [do it]. Put it in your safe and leave it there until [the end of your trip].”
The risk of forfeiting identifying documents is an issue that hits close to home for Gladdin.
In 2012, Gladdin’s sister, Nicole Fitzsimons, was killed in a motorbike accident while vacationing in Thailand with her boyfriend, Jamie Keith.
Fitzsimons, 24, was riding on the back of the bike when a driver riding on the wrong side of the road careened into the couple’s vehicle.
“She [was rushed] into surgery,” Gladdin told Fox News Digital. “We had all our hearts and toes and fingers crossed that she was going to be OK, but unfortunately we did lose her in that surgery.”
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Nicole Fitzsimons and Jamie Keith pose for a photo while visiting Thailand in 2012. (Courtesy of Kate Gladdin)
But Fitzsimons’ death wasn’t the end of the nightmare for the grieving family.
Keith’s Australian passport was seized by Thai authorities, ultimately barring him from leaving as the investigation remained ongoing.
“Unfortunately, the police tried to see it differently and put us in a really uncomfortable, hard and challenging situation where they took Jamie’s passport,” Gladdin said. “There was no justice in Nicole’s death.”
Gladdin also suggests vacationers carry copies of their identification documents, in the event their belongings are lost or stolen.
“Every country is different,” Gladdin said. “You have to take your safety into your own hands, because the rules might not always be there. But without those rules, we are without protection.”
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Nicole Fitzsimons and Kate Gladdin pose for a photo at their brother’s wedding in 2011. (Courtesy of Kate Gladdin)
The family’s fight to bring Keith home, while also grappling with the death of Fitzsimons, led Gladdin down a path of teaching parents how to instill travel safety habits in their families.
“Travel is one of the most eye-opening things we can do,” Gladdin said. “But help them make educated choices. I’m not against travel, but I’m for educated travel.”
Gladdin also points parents toward federal resources aimed at keeping Americans safe while traveling abroad. The State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program provides vacationers with the opportunity to register their trips with the government, in the event something goes wrong.
“[Officials] can quickly update and get in contact with you regarding any safety or security information – whether it’s like an impending cyclone or a terrorist threat – that they need to get you out of a country quickly, if they know you’re there,” Gladdin said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment.
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Gladdin’s passion for travel safety and educating parents was born from tragedy, but she insists it does not have to be that way for other families.
“Lying on the floor of my sister’s closet, choosing out her funeral dress rather than helping to choose her wedding dress – there are no positives in that,” Gladdin told Fox News Digital. “I think finding purpose in what you’re going through, [by] leaning towards problems that are surrounding you and [finding] what you can do to help solve them. My family created a purpose in Nicole’s death by looking at the problem of travel safety and doing whatever we could to solve it.”
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Nevada’s Parker Rodgers talks individual spring golf state title
WATCH: Nevada sophomore Parker Rodgers discusses individual spring golf state title
The 2025 Iowa high school golf season is in the books following the conclusion of the state co-ed golf tournament on June 10.
In Class 2A, the duo of Molly Ratchford and Anthony Galvin from Cedar Falls took home the state title at the Cedar Pointe Golf Course in Boone. The pair shot a combined 68, claiming the crown by two strokes over the team from Cedar Rapids Washington, Jane Petersen and Preston Haefner.
The third-place team in 2A was Natalie Henson and Ty Faltys from Marshalltown, who shot a 74.
In Class 1A, the duo of Leah Larson and Judd Jirovsky from Grundy Center won the state co-ed crown with a score of 75 at the American Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown. Another Grundy Center duo, Avery Knutsen and Preston Martens, claimed second place. They finished just two strokes behind Larson and Jirovsky with a 77.
Finishing in third place was Woodward-Granger’s team of Mallory Polito and Max Behrens, who also shot a 77.
In a scant 11 weeks your Iowa Hawkeyes will make the 136-mile trek west on I-80 to retrieve the Cy-Hawk series trophy after its year-long vacation captivity somewhere deep in the bowels of Iowa State’s football facility. For Iowa fans last year’s edition of El Assico definitely lived up to its name, as Iowa pissed one down it’s leg and allowed Matt Campbell’s squad to carry the trophy off our field, onto their bus, and drive it back to their little cow-town out west. It was a bad day, and an absolute harbinger for the 2024 season, as the loss all but ended any hopes for a CFP birth (which were pretty remote to begin with).
But that was last year, it’s a whole new world in Iowa City with a new QB (4 new QBs to be precise), another offseason under Tim Lester’s belt and a new optimism for a season that, we hope, will lead to resurgence of Iowa Football under Kirk 4.5(???). Let’s take a look at what Little Brother has in store for us this year.
Series History
El Assico is my least favorite game every season for a variety of reasons. Sure, Iowa owns the all-time series (47-23) and generally owns little brother (especially when they wear one of their horrific alternate uniform combos – seriously, what’s the deal with the black and whites?), but it never feels good, even when we win. It’s a game that, generally, Iowa is expected to win, so when they do it means nothing and if they don’t it means everything, it’s a lose lose proposition for the Hawks. This time around Iowa State is coming off the best season in their history (finally getting over the 10-win hump) and they’re not looking to fall off. Matt Campbell has the Cyclones feeling good and has stolen 2 of his last 4 tilts against the Hawkeyes (though the Clones can’t seem to figure out how to beat us in their building), so I don’t expect that this year’s edition will feel good either, even when we win. The only real difference this year is that, right now, I don’t think many people would pick Iowa to win this game.
2024 Results
Overall: 11-3
Conference: 7-2
The Cyclones enjoyed a historic 2024 season, finishing 11-3 (achieving the schools first-ever 10+ win regular season), culminating with Iowa State earning a spot in their first ever conference title game. They finished the season ranked #15 in the final AP poll, and capped everything off with a bowl win over Miami that earned them the privilege of consuming an anthropomorphized Pop-Tart.
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Matt Campbell (10th season at Iowa State)
Offensive Coordinator: Taylor Mouser (promoted from Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach, 1st season as OC)
Defensive Coordinator: Jon Heacock (9th season at Iowa State)
Matt Campbell arrived in Ames 10 years ago (which is hard to believe) and recently agreed to a Ferentz-like eight-year contract that will keep him in Ames through the 2032 season (provided that he doesn’t get poached by a P4 team, with a lot more money, between now and then). Taylor Mouser was promoted to offensive coordinator after Nate Scheelhaase left for the pros, though he’s no stranger to Ames, having been with Campbell since his arrival. Jon Heacock is Campbell’s Phil Parker and he isn’t going anywhere or getting any worse at putting a solid, though not always exceptional, unit on the field.
Key Departures
WR Jayden Higgins (Selected 34th overall by the Texans) – Higgins notched one of the best seasons an ISU receiver has ever had last year with 87 catches (second all-time), 1,183 yards (third all-time) and 9 touchdowns (tied for second all-time)
CB Darien Porter (Selected 68th overall by the Raiders) – Porter didn’t put up crazy numbers: 51 (18) tackles, 3 INT, 2 PDs, but he was a solid corner and a big body that could cover pretty much every team’s #1 WR.
WR Jaylin Noel (Selected 79th overall by the Texans. Noel may not have had the season that Higgins had, but he caught seven passes of 50+ yards (including a 75 yarder that sucked all the wind out of my sails in Iowa City last year).
OT Jalen Travis (Selected 127th overall by the Colts) – Travis was the first Cyclone OL drafted since the 49’ers took Carter Bykowski with the 246th pick in the 2013 draft.
Transfer Loss:
DT Tyler Onyedim (Sr.) – transferred to Texas A&M – 75 tackles and ten tackles for loss over the last two years.
Key Returners
QB Rocco Becht (Jr.) – Rocco has come a long way since he was thrust into the starting role after Hunter Dekkers ousting over gambling two years ago, throwing for over 3,000 yards each of the last two seasons and recording 48 passing touchdowns (sidenote – Iowa QB’s have thrown 19, no that is not a typo, in that same timeframe).
RB Carson Hansen (Jr.) – With 750 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground as a sophomore, Hansen proved that he wasn’t playing second fiddle to anyone. He may not have Abu Sama’s flash, but this kid has a nose for the endzone.
RB Abu Sama III (Jr.) – Sama may not have been able to repeat the success of his Freshman campaign, but he’s a legitimate threat with the ball in his hands. Combined with Hansen, this is a dangerous backfield.
S Jeremiah Cooper (Sr.) – 48 total tackles, two interceptions, and eight pass deflections in 2024
CB Jontez Williams (Jr.) – Williams tied for 5th on the team in tackles last season with 46, had 4 picks and 5 PDs, he’s taking over for Cooper and will be heavily relied on to lock down his side of the field.
New Additions
WR Chase Sowell (Sr.) – A big pickup for Campbell, Sowell started out his career at Colorado, left after Deion Sanders came in, and grabbed 81 catches for 1,300 yards and four scores in two years at East Carolina. He’s a shoe-in for the #1 at WR.
EDGE Vontroy Malone (Jr.) – Malone had 49 tackles with 3.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons in Tulsa, they’re hoping Malone can help beef up the pass rush (which managed just 16 sacks last season)
2025 Expectations
Wins: 7.5
Big 12 Championship Game: +1200
The Big 12 isn’t the conference it used to be (it’s not even the Big 8 anymore tbh) and there’s not a single game on the Clones’ schedule that they can’t win, but EVERY game is a toss-up, even the “easy” matchups. The Big 12 is expected to be stronger in 2025 with most predicting that Oklahoma State and Arizona will return to form. The road schedule (KSU in Dublin, Cincinnati, Colorado, TCU, and OKST) isn’t exactly murderer’s row, but there’s not an easy win in the bunch.
The Cyclones might be even better this year, but the Big 12 is stronger than it was in 2024. While they avoid Texas Tech, Utah, and Baylor, they are also missing games against teams in rebuild mode (UCF, WVU). The season opener against Kansas State in Dublin, will be crucial (and not just because they’ve decided to export Farmageddon to the Emerald Isle), as a loss in Week Zero could bring a hangover that carries into their date at South Dakota (predicted to go 12-0 and challenge for the FCS National Championship) and, fingers crossed, the Hawkeye’s visit to Ames.
Game Details
Date: September 6, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM CT
Location: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa
TV Network: FOX
Fun Fact: Every year I manage to burn the caloric equivalent of walking ~10 miles while sitting on my couch watching this stupid game.
Only 11 weeks until kickoff!
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