Audit: Dexter librarian made improper deposits, payments

A former library director in Dexter, Iowa, oversaw thousands of dollars in improper deposits to her nonprofit and received nearly $4,000 in excess pay over eight years, according to a report from Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand.

The report found that Mary McColloch, who was the director at the Dexter Public Library in central Iowa between 2015 and 2022, deposited at least $8,300 in checks and grants meant for the library into the bank account of a separate nonprofit she oversaw.

The nonprofit, the Dexter Community Foundation, was an entity separate from the city intended to enhance quality of living in the city. According to the report, 59 of the nonprofit’s 167 expenditures went to McColloch’s husband, Michael McColloch.

Another 31 disbursements from the foundation, totaling $11,197, were issued to a bank that housed McColloch’s personal bank account, the report said.

The report also found that McColloch was paid for 253.5 excess hours, which totaled $3,950, including retirement contributions. The former children’s librarian also was paid $188 for 13.5 excess hours.

The report also found around $5,800 was not properly deposited into the city's bank account and identified $2,400 in unsupported disbursements.

Sand’s report recommended the library board and city council do a better job segregating duties between staff, examining financial records and maintaining minutes of meetings.

The audit report was filed with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Dallas County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

Bird flu hits turkey flock

A bird flu outbreak has reached Iowa birds again, hitting a commercial turkey flock in western Iowa, the Iowa Department of Agriculture announced Thursday.

It is the third confirmed detection of the virus in poultry in Iowa during the outbreak. Most attention lately has been on the virus being found in seven dairy cattle herds, all in northwest Iowa, this month.

The latest bird flu outbreak is in a commercial turkey flock in Sac County, impacting more than 46,000 birds, according to the state ag department.

A previous case of bird flu in a commercial flock in Sioux County impacted nearly 4.3 million birds, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Under health protocols, once the virus is confirmed, all birds in a flock are destroyed.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday issued a disaster proclamation for Sac County to address bird flu response efforts.

The proclamation allows access to state resources from the state agriculture and homeland security departments, among others, to assist with tracking, monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal and disinfection, the governor’s office said.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture said animal products, including poultry, eggs and pasteurized milk and dairy products, remain safe to eat and drink. The pasteurization process easily kills the bird flu virus, the department said.

Iowa jobless rate steady

Iowa’s unemployment rate in May was 2.8 percent, matching both the previous month and May 2023, according to state workforce data published Thursday.

The state’s unemployment rate remained well below the federal rate of 4 percent.

Iowa’s labor force participation rate inched down from 66.8 percent to 66.7 percent. The total number of working Iowans dropped by 2,200 to 1,644,700 in May. The number of unemployed Iowans also decreased from the previous month to 46,900 in May.

In a news release, Iowa Workforce Development Executive Director Beth Townsend said the state saw moderate decreases in hiring across many industries except health care.