What the Supreme Court did NOT do was find that we broke the law. But that’s what the GOP put into a news release, which they waved in front of the media while screaming. The media fell for it.

Twice in the past four years, the Democratic National Committee has asked my office to turn over allegations of wrongdoing by Iowa’s Republican governor, Kim Reynolds. Guess what: We didn’t give them a dang thing. 

Why? Because Iowa law requires the Auditor’s Office to “keep confidential” allegations of misconduct and information received in the course of an audit. That information is protected, regardless of whether the person requesting it wants to attack the alleged wrongdoer or the tipster letting us know where to point our flashlights.

The people who passed this law thought confidentiality was so important there’s a section in the Iowa Code that says people working in the Auditor’s Office can be fired for breaching it. Those tipsters, some of them scared to speak out against powerful interests, need to know we will protect their identity so they can offer information without fear of retribution.

So, you might understand the frustration I felt when the Auditor’s Office was sued for trying to follow our obligation not to turn over confidential records, which might make future whistleblowers think we’d sell them out. The lawsuit stemmed from an open records request, made by the same conservative who claimed when I ran in 2018 that, if elected, I must legally be impeached, period. We responded the same way we do for everyone asking for open records: We turned over what we could, and withheld records protected by the law. 

The first judge to hear the case ruled we followed the law. On appeal, the Iowa Supreme Court ordered a “re-do,” ruling it didn’t have enough evidence to make a decision, sending the case back to the lower court for more proceedings. What the Supreme Court did NOT do, was find that we broke the law. But that’s exactly what the GOP put into a news release, which they waved in front of the media while screaming. The media fell for it. We appreciate the corrections issued by two Iowa media entities, but in this day and age, complete lies can travel around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.

There’s one other aspect to the suit — whether or not we should have turned over an email sent from a private account, about entirely public information, that was already public and already in the hands of the person who filed the lawsuit. You might think that’s a silly reason to file a lawsuit — to get a copy of something already in your possession — but some lawsuits are all about politics.

So, we’ll make our case soon in another courtroom as to why we were legally required to withhold those records, both the emails from our office and the allegations about the governor. I’ll also keep fighting to protect whistleblowers. And, because truth doesn’t mind being questioned, I’ll be at a town hall in your community in the coming months. The dates, times, and locations of all 100 are already posted on our website. Come on out to compliment me, criticize me, or provide a confidential tip. If you’ve read this far, you know you can trust us to keep it confidential.

Rob Sand is Iowa’s auditor of state.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A Cedar Rapids woman is hitting the pavement to run a 4x4x48 challenge for the third year in a row, and it’s all for a good cause. Vanessa Vega is set to start the challenge, a four-mile run every four hours for 48 hours, this upcoming Friday at 8 pm.

It all started in 2022, when Vega started the challenge. It was originally to raise money to open a free school for children in Sierra Leone, Africa.

Now the goal is to continue keeping the school running.

Since the race last year, the school has grown from just 74 students to now over 200.

Vega said their goal is to raise $20,000 again this year. Enough to keep the school going for a full year.

”They are just absolutely thriving. They want to be in school, it is, it is such a joy to see the growth that has happened so far in the school,” said Vega. “We want to continue to see it grow. It just helps the sustainability for the school and it’s also a really cool, fun, hard event for people that, you know, want to want to reach a goal physically as well.”

Vega’s last 4-mile run will be June 9th at 4 pm. If you’re interested in participating, you don’t have to do the full challenge, you can sign up for just one of the 12 four-mile runs.

You can find more information by clicking here.

Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.

DES MOINES—A lot was at stake in a battle between 1-seed North Polk and 3-seed Dallas-Center Grimes in the Class 2A finals of the Iowa girls state soccer tournament. 

DCG was competing for its third straight title while North Polk was seeking its first state trophy in 2A. 

Six unanswered goals by DCG completed its three-peat in a 6-1 win over the top-seeded Comets on Saturday.

“When I asked about some of their goals and everything, it wasn’t just about winning conference, it wasn’t just making it to a state tournament. They said,’ We want to win this thing again,’” said DCG coach Dan James. “This senior bunch has been to the state finals four-straight years and (got) three of them…they made DCG a really special place here in the last four years.”

The Comets were the ones who set the tone with an opening strike at the 26:07 mark. Senior Abby Bell dribbled down the center of the field and buried a shot that gave North Polk a 1-0 advantage. 

“Being down a goal, we knew that it’s not very common for us to be cocky in that way, but we know that if we come together as a family we can overcome it and we did that when the stage was bright,” said senior Kylie Knief

About 19 minutes later though, Knief found herself attempting a penalty shot. She blocked out the noise, composed herself, and sent a shot that evened the score at 1-1 heading into halftime. 

“Everyone tries to rattle you, I just took a couple of deep breaths and I just buried it in the corner,” Knief said.

The Mustangs were aggressive to open the second half and took the lead. Senior Hannah Renz was the top assist-getter for DCG this season. Eight minutes into the second half, Renz showed that with a long ball that found junior Landry Glasgow. The third-year Mustang snuck in a header that gave the Mustangs a 2-1 lead.

“(Hannah) just had a great cross right to the box, and I happened to be right there and it was perfect,” Glasgow said.

Glasgow wasn’t done yet. About 10 minutes later, she sent a 15-yard shot into the box to extend the lead to 3-1. From then on, the Mustangs kept piling on the goals. Senior Ella Forsyth got in on the action with an assist from junior Alex Hofbauer. Sophomore Kenna Knief capped it off with a goal in the final minutes.

“From the beginning of the season, we knew it was possible and we can do it,” Kylie Knief said. “But I always use the words, ‘We’re a family’…we had an emotional speech before the game and I think as we all come together as a team, we just know what we want and we strive for it.”

DCG finishes its championship season with an 18-3 record. Kylie Knief and Renz earned a spot in the 2A all-tournament team. DCG girls soccer’s state title victory came hours after the DCG boys defeated Des Moines Hoover, 3-2, to clinch its first state title in program history.

“I texted (boys coach Collin Lane) today. I go,’ We can make something special happen today,’” James said. “It’s a big-time moment. Anytime a school gets two championships in one day, I mean, that’s very rare to happen…so it’s a pretty special experience for these kids at DCG.”

More: Dallas Center-Grimes, powered by its seniors, clinches program’s first Iowa boys state soccer title

North Polk wraps up its season with a 19-2 record. Senior Madi Nemmers and junior Addi Ollendike were selected to the all-tournament team.

Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com, and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.