Iowa awards $147,600 for Cedar Rapids-area water quality project

The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IowaGazette

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) is awarding nearly $148,000 toward a new wetland in Cedar Rapids as part of its latest round of urban water quality projects.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig announced Wednesday that Linn County Conservation will receive $147,600 for the Stark Settlement Wetland in the Morgan Creek watershed.

The wetland will treat runoff from 112 acres of agricultural land while providing wildlife habitat and demonstrating how wetlands can reduce nonpoint source pollution. The surrounding property will be planted with native prairie. Walking trails are planned to provide recreational and educational opportunities for residents and visitors in the Cedar Rapids metro area, according to a news release.

The Linn County project is one of four announced Wednesday. The state also awarded $500,000 for a stormwater wetland in Kalona and a combined $356,478 for two projects in Des Moines — improvements to a pond at Waveland Golf Course and stormwater management and streambank stabilization at First Unitarian Church of Des Moines.

The four projects will receive just over $1 million in state cost-share funding and are expected to generate more than $2.8 million in total investment, according to IDALS.

The awards conclude the department's urban water quality funding announcements for 2026. The state has committed more than $3.63 million to 16 projects this year, leveraging nearly $6.86 million in matching funds for a total investment of about $10.49 million.

Since Iowa's urban conservation program began in 2015, the state has awarded more than $21 million to 154 projects, resulting in a combined investment of $79.4 million, according to the department.

Urban water quality projects use practices such as wetlands, bioretention cells, bioswales, permeable pavement, native plantings and stormwater ponds to capture and treat runoff, reduce nutrient loss and protect waterways.

Wisconsin man sentenced in fraud scheme

A Wisconsin man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for running a fraud scheme that drew investigations in several Iowa counties.

Stanley Pophal, 64, of Wausau, Wisconsin, was sentenced Sept. 2 to 96 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, according to the Iowa Insurance Division. Authorities said the scheme defrauded 190 investors out of $14.25 million.

From May 2019 through June 2025, Pophal solicited money from investors through Bright with Silver Inc., formerly doing business as Fromm Bros. Inc., by offering promissory notes with guaranteed returns of at least 20%, authorities said.

Pophal told investors their money would be protected by his personal wealth and invested in areas including cryptocurrency, real estate and commodities. Instead, authorities said he used millions of dollars for personal expenses, private plane rentals, mortgages and more than 600 purchases, including hundreds of snowmobiles, motorcycles and vehicles. He also used money from newer investors to make payments to earlier investors, according to authorities.

The Iowa investigation began in February 2025 after the Allamakee County Sheriff's Office received a call from a concerned resident. The Iowa Insurance Division's Fraud Bureau subsequently investigated unauthorized investment meetings in Allamakee, Winneshiek, Mitchell, Wapello, Clayton and Madison counties.

Pophal and four others were charged in Iowa in April 2025 with selling unregistered securities. State charges against Pophal were later dismissed after federal prosecutors in Wisconsin charged him with wire fraud and money laundering.

Pophal pleaded guilty in June and agreed to forfeit property purchased with investor money. Law enforcement seized more than 600 items stored in a rented warehouse, and federal authorities began auctioning the property in July to help provide restitution to victims.

Iowa AG joins push for stronger rules to combat illegal robocalls

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has joined attorneys general from across the country in urging federal regulators to strengthen requirements intended to keep illegal robocalls off U.S. phone networks.

Bird and 48 other attorneys general filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission supporting stronger “Know Your Upstream Provider” requirements. The rules govern how voice service providers vet other providers from which they receive call traffic. The coalition said the FCC’s existing requirements have given providers too much flexibility and called for mandatory baseline standards.

The attorneys general support requiring phone companies to collect and verify information about upstream providers, review their compliance with FCC rules and continually monitor their call traffic. They also support requiring providers to refuse or discontinue service to companies that fail to meet compliance requirements.

The coalition said providers should verify such information as business addresses, phone numbers, emails and the identities of company owners and leadership rather than relying solely on corporate filings.

"Iowans deal with illegal robocalls and texts every day, and it needs to stop,” Bird said in a statement. “The calls often lead to scams that cost generous Iowans thousands of dollars, sometimes even their life savings. I joined this bipartisan effort to urge the FCC to strengthen the Know Your Upstream Provider rules, so the scams calls don’t come through and Iowans are protected.”

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office said Americans received more than 29.6 billion scam robocalls and texts last year and lost nearly $2 billion to the scams.

Bird is a member of the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, which has targeted voice service providers accused of failing to prevent illegal or suspicious robocalls from moving through their networks.

High schools encouraged to join student voter registration program

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is encouraging high schools across the state to participate in the Carrie Chapman Catt Award program, an initiative aimed at registering eligible students to vote.

The program, launched in 2019 and named for Iowa-born women's suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt, recognizes schools based on the percentage of eligible students they register.

During the 2025-26 school year, 122 schools participated and 75 received recognition, according to the Secretary of State's Office. The office reported that 5,404 students registered through the program last school year and more than 25,000 have done so since its creation.

Iowa law requires high schools to offer students who are at least 17 an opportunity to register to vote at least twice each school year. Seventeen-year-olds may register in Iowa and can vote in a primary if they will turn 18 by the corresponding general election.

Schools interested in participating in the Carrie Chapman Catt Award and receiving information and resources on conducting a voter-registration drive can visit sos.iowa.gov/youth/carriechapmancattaward.html.