Iowa
Mason Ellens Talks About Iowa Offer
Mason Ellens always believed he could play Power Four Football. The Illinois defensive back received that chance Friday when Iowa State offered a scholarship. It was reaffirmed two days later when Iowa also offered.
“I kind of knew it was coming because there would be other schools that would come in and they would tell my head coach (Chad Hetlet) that there’s no way they could get their hands on me because they thought I’d be be a Power Four player eventually,” Ellens told HN.
Bigger schools have been recruiting him for the last year, including Iowa. The Hawkeyes have visited with him at the school multiple times. They were back at Glen Ellyn (IL) Glenbard West High on Thursday for a workout.
“I think that’s what’s really got their attention,” Ellens said.
It’s been a big spring on the track for Ellens. He’s run the 100 meters in 10.77 seconds and the 200 in 21.89. That speed has complemented an impressive junior year highlight video.
In addition to standing out on offense and defense, Ellens proves that he’s an electric returner. That’s a bonus on the recruiting trail.
“Most coaches do mention that to me. That’s been a big part for me because that shows that I can move well and shows my speed as well,” he said.
Ellens (5-11, 155) entered the week having built strong relationships with Ohio and Miami (OH). Other MAC and FCS schools also offered scholarships. While he’s open to all the schools interested in him, he said he favors Iowa and Iowa State right now.
“I’m looking to take official visits to Iowa State and Iowa. I’m also focused on track and getting better times to send out to (college) coaches,” Ellens said.
Ellens spoke with Iowa assistant Seth Wallace about officially visiting the Hawkeyes the weekend of June 21. That’s when the program welcomes a large group of its verbal commitments and top targets.
Iowa State still is working out a date for his official visit. It could happen within a week or two of the Hawkeye stop.
Ellens heads into his official visits knowing what’s most important to him.
“I think I’m going to focus mostly on how the coaches treat their players and how well and how hard they coach them. That’s kind of the big thing for me,” he said.
Ellens is undecided about a college major. He’d like to study something that keeps him involved in sports.
Rivals, On3 and 247 did not yet rank Ellens at the time this story was published. Prep Red Zone rated him as the No. 40 player overall in Illinois for ’25.
Iowa
Two Iowans sentenced to prison for creating child pornography
Child abuse: What signs to watch for if you suspect it
Child abuse includes physical, sexual, emotional and medical abuse, as well as neglect. Learn about signs, risk factors, how to get help.
Wochit, Wochit
Two Iowans will spend decades in federal prison after pleading guilty to separate child exploitation offenses.
Martin Menjivar, 59, of Iowa City, was sentenced Thursday, March 26, to 42 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and child pornography possession. It comes days after Pry’Shayn Mosley, 21, of Fort Dodge was sentenced to 25 years for exploitation and receipt of child pornography.
Iowa City man picked up children from school, abused them
Menjivar, a citizen of Honduras, was charged in May 2025. In court filings, prosecutors say Menjivar was entrusted to pick up children, some as young as 5, from their elementary school and bring them to his wife’s home for after-school babysitting. In at least two cases, Mejivar used that access to get children alone and touch them inappropriately, recording the interaction on video.
Investigators reportedly found dozens of illicit images and videos on Menjivar’s electronic devices. Menjivar also previously worked as a school photographer in Honduras, and investigators found he had hundreds of photos from his former employment that focused on children’s clothed genitals.
“Defendant’s horrific actions of creating and collecting child pornography show violence against young, vulnerable children and a severe danger to the community,” prosecutors wrote in presentence filings.
Menjivar also has been charged in Johnson County with second-degree sexual abuse against two different children, apparently in relation to the same conduct. That case remains pending, with a plea hearing scheduled in May.
Fort Dodge man gets 25 years for enticing children
Mosley, who was sentenced March 23, was charged in January 2025. Prosecutors alleged that in 2022, he enticed two minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct, photographed or recorded it, and distributed the resulting pornography to others, including additional children.
In addition, during a warrant search that located drugs, guns and electronic devices containing child pornography, Mosley tried to get a juvenile at the scene to conceal drugs from the investigators.
Mosley pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation and receiving child pornography. Additional drug, pornography and exploitation charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Menjivar was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, while Mosley’s case was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa. Attorneys for Menjivar and Mosley did not immediately return messages Thursday seeking comment.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
Iowa
Jada Williams among eight Iowa State players headed to transfer portal
Audi Crooks, Jada Williams reflect on loss to Syracuse
Iowa State’s Audi Crooks and Jada Williams discuss what went wrong in the second half for the Cyclones’ to fall to Syracuse.
Iowa State’s first-round exit from the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament has triggered a mass exodus, with a reported eight players leaving the team to enter the transfer portal.
Junior forward Addy Brown announced her decision to “move on” from Iowa State and enter the transfer portal in a social media post on Tuesday, March 24.
“This decision comes after a lot of thought about my future and goals,” Brown wrote in a post shared to social media. “While it’s never easy to move on, I believe this is the right step for me and I’m excited for what’s ahead as I continue to grow and chase my dreams.”
By Thursday, March. 26, several other players followed suit. Junior guard Jada Williams confirmed she’ll be “pursuing my dreams elsewhere” for her senior season. She added in a social media post, “Iowa State will always have a place in my heart and I’ll never forget the Iowa State way.”
Williams transferred to Iowa State for the 2025-26 season after playing for Arizona for the first two years of her career. William averaged career-highs in points (15.3), assists (7.7) and field goal percentage (41.7) in her lone season at Iowa State.
Iowa State freshman guard Reese Beaty, freshman guard Freya Jensen, sophomore guard Reagan Wilson, sophomore guard Aili Tanke, junior forward Alisa Williams and junior center Lilly Taulelei all intend to enter the transfer portal, according to On3’s Talia Goodman.
The transfer portal opens on Monday, April 6, following the NCAA Tournament championship game on Sunday, April 5.
Could Iowa State junior center Audi Crooks be next? Crooks declined to answer whether she would return next season following Iowa State’s 72-63 loss to Syracuse on Saturday, March 21. She instead said, “We’re all still processing everything and just being there for each other right now is the priority. That’s the main thing, making sure everybody is mentally OK through this tough time.”
Crooks had 37 points (17-of-25 FG) and five rebounds in the losing effort against Syracuse.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@usatoday.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Iowa
GoDaddy Security – Access Denied
If you are the site owner (or you manage this site), please whitelist your IP or if you think this block is an error please open a support ticket and make sure to include the block details (displayed in the box below), so we can assist you in troubleshooting the issue.
Block details:
| Your IP: | 65.108.124.35 |
| URL: | oskynews.org/iowa-senate-sends-health-insurer-tax-increase-to-governors-desk/ |
| Your Browser: | Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/143.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 |
| Block ID: | GEO02 |
| Block reason: | Access from your Country was disabled by the administrator. |
| Time: | 2026-03-26 09:14:06 |
| Server ID: | 21007 |
-
Detroit, MI1 week agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘Youth’ Twitter review: Ken Karunaas impresses audiences; Suraj Venjaramoodu adds charm; music wins praise | – The Times of India
-
Sports6 days agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico5 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Business1 week agoDisney’s new CEO says his focus is on storytelling and creativity
-
Technology5 days agoYouTube job scam text: How to spot it fast
-
Tennessee4 days agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Texas1 week agoHow to buy Houston vs. Texas A&M 2026 March Madness tickets