Lee Rood

Des Moines

Investigative Reporter and Watchdog Columnist at Des Moines Register

Reader's watchdog columnist.

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Articles

With his mother accused in court, Daniel Pettit appears on Zoom from parts unknown

1 week ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

Former Johnston developer Daniel Pettit, on the lam amid a firestorm of fraud accusations, has been denied the discharge of his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. The denial of discharge by Judge Lee Jackwig, which Pettit agreed to through his attorney, means Pettit remains responsible for his debts, creditors can resume collection efforts, and his federal bankruptcy case may be dismissed.
Nightmare on Meadow Street: Iowa grant for home improvement now costly debacle for couple

2 weeks ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

Lee RoodDes Moines RegisterAn Iowa couple signed up for a state grant-funded home improvement grant, but now their home is as troubled as ever. The homeowners are now in significant debt and facing legal threats from the contractor, and say state officials haven't helped them. The family is seeking legal recourse but faces challenges due to the contractor's questionable financial standing.
New lawsuit alleges retaliation, harassment of Polk County deputy administrator

3 weeks ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

Polk County Deputy Administrator Sarah Boese filed a lawsuit alleging retaliation, harassment, and a hostile work environment. The lawsuit claims Boese was unfairly passed over for the county administrator position after the ouster of her former boss, John Norris. Boese's lawsuit further alleges that county officials refused to disclose the findings of an independent investigation into Norris's removal.
Trump's federal government spending cuts force Iowa nonprofits to shift strategies

1 month ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

Part of a series. Julie Green Fugenschuh keeps a sticky note on her computer at Project IOWA with three simple words: “Merge, grow or go.”As the leader of a job-training nonprofit, it’s a reminder that she needs to try to collaborate with others to help people, grow to have the most impact or shut down altogether.
Des Moines Civic Center, Metro Opera and Varsity Cinema among those hit by NEA cuts

1 month ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

As more of the federal budget is slashed, polls begin to show most Americans disapprove Lee RoodDes Moines RegisterPart of a series. The Varsity Cinema in Des Moines and FilmScene in Iowa City are among theaters and performing arts organizations in Iowa that lost grants after the Trump administration last week cancelled 2025 funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and proposed eliminating all money for the 59-year-old federal agency in its next fiscal budget.
500-plus AmeriCorps members at 15 programs gone across Iowa after DOGE cuts this month

1 month ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

Part of a series. When the order rescinding federal funding this year for AmeriCorps dropped on April 15, 568 people doing a wide array of service work stopped for at least 15 Iowa nonprofit, faith-based and community organizations.
Head Start on chopping block despite being a top priority of Kim Reynolds, Iowa leaders

1 month ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

Advocates for the 60-year-old federal program want Iowans to take action Lee RoodDes Moines RegisterPart of a series. Reading “The Very Busy Spider” to a circle of lively 4-year-olds crouched before her on a rug, teacher Crystal Crowdis builds in a lesson that promises to help her Head Start preschool class when they graduate next year to kindergarten. Who, the veteran early childhood teacher asks, was the first character in the book the spider encountered as she was working so hard on her web?
For Iowa's many libraries, federal grant losses could be 'death by 1,000 cuts'

1 month ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

Iowa libraries face funding crises due to a state law change and potential federal cuts. The state law removed local levies for libraries, forcing cuts and closures. Federal cuts threaten statewide programs like IA Shares and Bridges, impacting access to books and resources. Lawsuits challenge the legality of the federal cuts, citing the importance of libraries for communities. Part of a series.
'It’s all existential right now': Federal grant cuts weigh on museums, cultural nonprofits

1 month ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

Federal budget cuts are impacting the Science Center of Iowa's ability to update exhibits and offer staff development. It;s just one of many nonprofits facing increased demand and competition for funding due to cuts at the federal and state level. 'It’s all existential right now,' says the head of Bravo Des Moines, which helps member nonprofits leverage public dollars to help create a more vibrant cultural environment in central IPart of a series.
'It's brutal:' Sudden grants cuts devastate Iowa museums, libraries and cultural nonprofits

1 month ago | desmoinesregister.com | Lee Rood

Iowa museums and cultural institutions face funding crisis after federal grant cuts. The National Endowment for the Humanities and Institute of Museum and Library Services have terminated numerous grants, impacting organizations statewide. Nonprofits are scrambling for alternative funding sources and expressing concern about the future. The cuts are attributed to executive orders by President Trump and spending reductions under Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

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