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Sanitation contractor for Sioux City pork plant fined for using child labor

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Sanitation contractor for Sioux City pork plant fined for using child labor


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For the second time in less than a year, a sanitation contractor for Seaboard Triumph Foods LLC in Sioux City was found to employ children doing dangerous work at the pork processing plant.

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The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa approved a consent order and judgment Nov. 27 with Qvest LLC. Under terms of the agreement, Qvest must pay $171,919 in child labor civil money penalties, hire a third-party to review and implement company policies to prevent the employment of children and establish a process for reporting concerns about the illegal employment of children.

In an emailed statement, Seaboard Triumph Foods (STF) said that none of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) filings included their company. It said it has not contracted with Qvest, “who had express contractual requirements to follow all labor laws,” for more than a year.

“STF did not employ any of the alleged individuals and has no evidence that any underage individuals accessed the plant,” the statement said.

The statement, which quotes former head of DOL’s Wage and Hour Division and current Seaboard counsel Paul DeCamp, also pointed out that employers across the country are struggling with the problem of people, including minors, being able to obtain jobs through fraudulent identification documents sophisticated enough to fool even the federal government’s E-Verify system.

“Businesses are victimized by this fraud,” DeCamp said in the statement.

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“Safety, ethical practices and compliance with regulations and industry standards are of paramount importance to STF. We expect the same from our vendors and partners, and we will not tolerate any vendor’s use of underage labor within our facility, and will also take measures to prevent fraud against our company,” the statement said.

Qvest did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Federal law forbids children under age 18 from being employed in dangerous jobs common in meat and poultry slaughtering, processing, rendering and packing operations.

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A DOL investigation determined that 11 children had been employed during the night shift and were using corrosive cleaners to clean head splitters, jaw pullers, bandsaws, neck clippers and other equipment within the facility. The DOL did not provide ages of the child workers.

Earlier this year, the federal court levied nearly $650,000 in penalties against Fayette Janitorial Services of Somerville, Tennessee, after hiring 24 children, some as young as 13, to clean dangerous equipment at Seaboard Triumph.

Seaboard Triumph announced in February it was cancelling its contracts with Fayette after the DOL investigation found the children working in the plant and sought a court injunction to stop it. Fayette had taken over the sanitation duties from Qvest in September 2023 and rehired some of the children that Qvest previously employed, according to a DOL new release.

Seaboard Triumph contracted with Qvest for cleaning services from 2019 until September 2023, when it hired Fayette.

JBS USA announced in April 2023 that it would start its own sanitation service at its meatpacking facilities including Marshalltown, cutting ties with Packers Sanitation Services, Inc., (PSSI) after it admitted employing approximately 100 children at several JBS plants throughout the Midwest and was fined $1.5 million.

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PSSI admitted having workers ages 13 to 17 clean 13 slaughterhouses, although none were in Iowa.

“The U.S. Department of Labor is determined to end the illegal employment of children in our nation’s workplaces,” DOL regional solicitor Christine Z. Heri said in a news release. “We are committed to using all strategies to stop and prevent unlawful child labor and holding all employers legally responsible for their actions. Children should never be hired to perform dangerous and prohibited tasks.”

In fiscal year 2024, the DOL concluded 736 investigations uncovering child labor violations that affected 4,030 children, and assessed employers more than $15.1 million in penalties for violating federal child labor laws, an 89 percent increase since 2023.

Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com.



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Tamin Lipsey injury update, the latest on Iowa State basketball guard

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Tamin Lipsey injury update, the latest on Iowa State basketball guard


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LAS VEGAS — After getting time to further evaluate Tamin Lipsey’s status, Iowa State basketball ruled out the senior standout before the Cyclones’ 78-60 win over Creighton on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

Beyond that, though, his status remains unclear. Following Tuesday’s win over the Bluejays, head coach T.J. Otzelberger said that Lipsey remains day-to-day with a groin injury.

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“The decision was made this morning,” Otzelberger said. “Wanted to give it as much time as we could to see and Tamin certainly knows his body better, so we’ll just continue to evaluate it. It’ll stay as day-to-day, work with him and our training staff.”

It is not the same groin injury that Lipsey sustained towards the end of last season.

Lipsey’s latest injury occurred in the Cyclones’ 83-82 win over St. John’s. With 2:09 left in the game, Lipsey was hobbling while scrambling over to contest a shot. He went down to the side and did not return to the game.

Through five games this season, Lipsey is averaging 18.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game, while shooting 50.7% overall.

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The Ames native was off to an impressive start this year and appeared to be the healthiest he had been in his career after playing through the 2024-25 season while dealing with various injuries. He suffered an MCL injury that required him to miss six weeks of the preseason, but there didn’t seem to be any lingering effects once he returned for the regular-season opener.

Although an exact timetable for a return is uncertain, Otzelberger said the emphasis is on Lipsey’s health.

Iowa State improved to 6-0 overall and awaits its opponent for the third game of the Players Era Festival. The Cyclones won both of their games against St. John’s and Creighton, but they’ll need to wait out the results of the remaining games on Tuesday to see if they’ll play in the championship, third-place contest or one of the consolation games.

“We don’t want him to feel any additional pressure,” Otzelberger said. “As much as we’re competitive and want to win every game, Tamin has done so much for our program. We want him to be healthy. We want his body to feel great, and we want him to be at his best, and we’ll be disciplined until that time comes.”

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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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Iowa Supreme Court upholds $4.25 million wrongful death verdict against Manchester police

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Iowa Supreme Court upholds .25 million wrongful death verdict against Manchester police


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a $4.25 million wrongful death verdict against the city of Manchester in the death of 31-year-old Gus Mormann, who died following a police chase in December 2020.

Mormann was killed after Lt. James Wessels of the Manchester Police Department continued a high-speed chase that other agencies had discontinued. The chase ended when Wessels crashed into Mormann’s motorcycle, severely injuring him. Mormann died about a month later from his injuries.

The case was never initially investigated until Mormann’s family took matters into their own hands, according to their attorney, Dave O’Brien.

“This case, for example, was never even investigated. No one would have ever heard of it if this family hadn’t sat down and said We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” O’Brien said.

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Mormann’s mother, Sandra, described her son as someone who “had a lot of friends, everybody just loved him.” She said he was known as a character who always made people laugh and was an avid outdoorsman. Mormann lived with schizophrenia and had previous encounters with Manchester police.

On December 10, 2020, Mormann was riding his motorcycle despite having a suspended license when a police chase began. Eight law enforcement officers from the state patrol, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, and the Manchester Police were involved as Mormann travelled at 100 mph.

The State Patrol and County Sheriff’s Office discontinued the chase, but Wessels continued pursuing Mormann. O’Brien said the police officer bumped Mormann’s motorcycle twice, causing him to crash.

Initially, Mormann’s parents were only told their son had gone into a ditch and was thrown from his motorcycle.

A jury found the police were reckless and disregarded Mormann’s rights, awarding the family $4.25 million. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld that verdict last week.

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O’Brien said cases like this don’t happen often, but when they do, they set a precedent.

“We honour officers in Iowa, but if they are committing reckless, egregious, wrongful conduct, we’re going to hold them accountable,” O’Brien said.

The attorney noted this outcome would have been impossible without Mormann’s parents pushing for answers. Sandra Mormann said the family continues to grieve.

“Now we just have a broken heart, empty soul,” she said.

O’Brien said the city still has avenues to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but he believes that is unlikely to happen.

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25 burning questions we have entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season

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25 burning questions we have entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season


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The Iowa high school boys basketball season is almost here.

The Des Moines Register came up with 25 questions we’re asking about the upcoming IHSAA season, which begins on Dec. 1. Most questions focus on Des Moines-area teams, but our staff was also curious about teams and players all around the state.

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The answers to these questions will be revealed over the next few months.

25 questions entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season

  1. What does back-to-back-to-back state champion Valley look like under a new head coach and without players like Jayden McGregory, Kiki Deng, Trevin Jirak and Zay Robinson?
  2. With three of its five starters back – including Division I-bound big men Colin Rice and Landon Davis – is last season’s runner-up Waukee Northwest the favorite in Class 5A?
  3. Ames graduated most of its starting lineup from last year’s 21-win campaign. How many wins can the Little Cyclones pull off this season?
  4. Who will fill the Anthony Galvin-sized gap in Cedar Falls’ lineup?
  5. Cael LaFrentz scored 400 points as a sophomore and 701 as a junior. Can he break the 800-point mark in his final season of high school basketball?
  6. Is Des Moines Roosevelt the top team in the DMPS?
  7. Only one team across the state finished last season with an undefeated record. Can any programs do that this year?
  8. Players like Jevyn Severson (Madrid) and Pete Craig (Waukee) made an instant impact in their freshman year. Who will be the top first-year high school player in the state this season?
  9. Does Cedar Rapids Kennedy bring back enough firepower to return to the Casey’s Center for the fifth-straight season?
  10. Can Hudson Lorensen, Hudson Shull and Trey Bryte lead ADM back to the state tournament – and past the semifinals?
  11. Who will emerge as the best big man in Iowa?
  12. Will junior Lincoln Norris (Knoxville) sink over 100 3-pointers for the second-straight season?
  13. Can MOC-Floyd Valley make another surprising run in the state tournament, despite graduating three starters from last year’s championship-winning lineup?
  14. Dallas Center-Grimes graduated its leading scorer and leading assist-getter. Who will take over for Kyle Cason and Mateo Dzolota?
  15. Only one Iowa high school boys basketball player has ever scored over 1,000 points in a single season: Wapsie Valley’s Brooks McKowen in 2003. Are there any players capable of hitting that mark this year?
  16. Madrid capped an undefeated season with the Class 1A state title. After graduating three starting seniors – Brody Buck, Fabian Ortiz-Alaniz and Toryn Severson – can the Tigers make it back to the tournament?
  17. Will Des Moines Christian make it to the state tournament after coming up short last season?
  18. Jaxon Clark opted to return to Keokuk instead of playing for Montverde Academy. Will he lead the state in rebounds?
  19. Iowa City Liberty relied on a lot of young players last year. Can Jerimiah Washpun – who scored 437 points – and his teammates help the Lightning to a winning record?
  20. Dual-sport recruit Evan Jacobson opted to play his final season of high school basketball instead of graduating early. How far can he take Waukee after leading the Warriors in points and rebounds last year?
  21. Of the top 10 scorers in Class 5A from last season, seven graduated. Will Rio Aguirre (Ankeny), Washpun (Iowa City Liberty), Tevin Schultz (Dubuque Senior) or someone else emerge as the top scorer in Iowa’s largest class?
  22. What does Linn-Mar look like without Davis Kern on the court?
  23. It’s been a couple of years since Pryce Sandfort (Waukee Northwest) scored over 600 points in a single season. Will any player in Class 5A break the 600-point mark?
  24. West Lyon came up short last season, losing to Western Christian in the state title game. Can Jorden Meyer, Jared Ciesielski and Ben Meyer lead the Wildcats back to the state tournament?
  25. Which program – across all four classes – has the best shot of winning its first-ever state championship?

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.





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