Gazette Daily News Briefing, August 3
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for Thursday, August 3.
According to the National Weather Service there will be areas of fog before 10 a.m. in the Cedar Rapids area. Otherwise, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 90 degrees. On Thursday night it will be partly cloudy, with a low of around 69 degrees.
More was revealed Wednesday about a sports gambling investigation that now involves both Iowa State and University of Iowa athletes.
Three months after the UI and ISU confirmed some of their student-athletes were being investigated for betting on sports in violation of NCAA rules, charges have been filed against seven current and former athletes at the schools.
The seven were charged with tampering with records as part of the state’s “ongoing” investigation, which could still result in more charges.
The three current Iowa State athletes facing charges are quarterback Hunter Dekkers, wrestler Paniro Johnson and offensive lineman Dodge Sauser. Former Iowa State defensive lineman Enyi Uwazurike, who was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, also faces the tampering charge.
Current Iowa kicker Aaron Blom, former Iowa men’s basketball guard Ahron Ulis and former Iowa baseball catcher Gehrig Christensen face the same charge, which is an aggravated misdemeanor.
Court documents allege the athletes made sports wagers in accounts under others’ names.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which has been leading the investigation, said in a statement Wednesday its investigation into Iowa and Iowa State athletes “is ongoing and may result in the filing of additional charges.”
Iowa indicated 26 current athletes were involved in the sports gambling probe, and Iowa State had “approximately 15” current athletes involved.
Not every player known to be involved in the NCAA’s sports wagering investigation has been charged in law enforcement’s sports gambling investigation.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said she will use federal COVID-19 relief dollars to cover all expenses for the deployment of Iowa National Guard soldiers and state law enforcement officers to Texas to assist with security along the southern border.
Reynolds announced 109 soldiers from the Iowa National Guard on Wednesday deployed to Texas in support of Operation Lone Star, with the mission of “deterring illegal border crossings and preventing the trafficking of illegal substances by cartels through Texas.” The deployment will last until Sept. 1, the governor’s office said.
Iowa State Patrol officers will deploy Aug. 31 for a separate 30-day stint to support Texas state troopers with criminal interdiction, crime prevention, traffic enforcement and law enforcement assistance. An investigative team also will support Texas investigations of narcotics, weapons and human trafficking along the border, according to a news release from the governor’s office. That deployment will end Oct. 2.
