Stories

A social justice organization has taken a stand against the woman nominated to be the next U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Iowa.
Friends of Justice issued a statement Wednesday describing the nomination of Stephanie Rose for U.S. attorney as “just plain wrong.”

A 43-year-old man who worked as a poultry line supervisor at Agriprocessors during the massive May 2008 immigration raid was sentenced Tuesday on immigration-related charges.
Martin De La Rosa-Loera, of Postville, received the prison term after pleading guilty Aug. 27 to one count of aiding and abetting the harboring of undocumented aliens.

Sholom Rubashkin, former chief executive of the Agriprocessors kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, has been granted a new bail hearing, but the legal victory is bittersweet when placed in the shadow of a fourth superceding indictment containing 99 criminal charges.

The decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jon Scoles to deny former Agriprocessors chief executive Sholom M. Rubashkin bail may be a topic of consideration by the U.S. Attorney General’s Office. At least, that’s what one Jewish watchdog group is hoping.

“I see this as being a microcosm of other things that are going on in the country and the world,” said Don Fried, an accomplished Colorado-based playwright and author.

While absent the type of national headlines that were garnered by Postville, Vinton is a small town that has had its fair share of immigration crack-downs. Just last month agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided The Peony Chinese Restaurant, detaining two suspected undocumented workers. Within the past few years, two other Vinton restaurants have [...]

A 26-year-old man from Mexico who had been arrested 12 times for entering the U.S. illegally is facing prison time after being convicted today of transporting illegal aliens.

The number of Iowa students for whom English is a second language has more than doubled in the last decade, according to a new report by the Iowa Department of Education.
The report, titled “The Annual Condition of Education Report for 2008,” shows that in the 2007-2008 school year there were more than 20,000 students for [...]

Despite offering the court $3.75 million for bail, former Agriprocessors chief executive Sholom Rubashkin will remain in federal custody.

The arrest of Agriprocessors CEO Sholom Rubashkin on bank fraud charges earlier today marked the fourth time that he or his brother has been alleged to have engaged in financial deception.