For years, Drake University law students gained hands-on experience with criminal cases through the university's Wrongful Convictions Clinic, but the clinic's future is uncertain following the sudden firing of its director.

Why it matters: The clinic, which started in January 2021, provides legal services to people who say they were wrongfully convicted while giving law students hands-on experience.

• It operated in partnership with the state Public Defender's Office.

This semester, Drake students were forced to find new internships, leaving clients with less help.

• "It just felt very abrupt," says Kaille Simmons, who is in her last year of law school and plans on becoming a public defender. "Everyone kind of struggled on figuring out what the next steps were."

How it started: Erica Nichols Cook helped open Drake's Wrongful Convictions Clinic and became its director following her years as a public defender in Iowa and Illinois.

• Through the clinic, students could learn about post-conviction work, meet clients and earn hours needed for their law degrees.

For students like Simmons, that work was exciting — so much so that she continued the work for three semesters, including this spring.

• But a week into the semester, she discovered she would need to drop her case and move to a different course offering.
• Drake had fired Nichols Cook, saying she improperly took a $154,000 check, intended for the university, from a former client she helped exonerate, per a statement from the university.
• Cook said it was a misunderstanding that could have been resolved had the university taken the time to speak with her.
• A police investigation did not result in criminal charges, per the Register.

What they're saying: In a statement to Axios, Drake University notes that it is working on "charting a sustainable path forward for the Wrongful Convictions Clinic" and hopes to resume operations next semester.

• Eight third-year law students in the clinic were moved into other courses in the curriculum.
• "We understand why they may be disappointed by this change. While this impact was unforeseen and unfortunate, the actions we took were necessary," per the statement.

The big picture: The loss of Drake students' help this semester has been a significant adjustment for the State Public Defender's Office, Nichols Cook tells Axios.

• Students helped screen potential clients, file motions and conduct research for cases.
• "The clients have definitely felt their absence," Nichols Cook says. "They liked working with students and feeling like they had a team."

What's next: Drake is having conversations with the office to find a "mutually beneficial solution moving forward," per a statement, though nothing has been finalized yet.

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Scarpino's pizza will return this summer at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, more than 50 years after going off the market.

Why it matters: The revival brings a rare piece of the metro's culinary history back to the public.

Catch up quick: The fairgrounds grocery store is expanding.

• Owner Mark Graziano told Axios earlier this month that a new addition was also relaunching a well-known local pizza made from scratch.

The deal wasn't finalized and Graziano couldn't reveal the pizza until this week.

Flashback: The pizza dates back to the 1960s, when the Scarpino family ran a restaurant in a former two-bedroom home at 73rd Street and University Avenue in Clive that had been expanded with multiple additions for the business.

• Ken Scarpino was widely known as the host, frequently breaking into song, marching, ringing bells and honking horns, according to newspaper archives.

Yes, but: Scarpino's Pizza House's business declined after road construction altered access to the building.

• It closed in 1970, and the building was destroyed by a fire three years later.

State of play: Marty Scarpino, Ken's son and a former longtime owner of Jesse's Embers, tells Axios that he made the family pizza and gave it away a few times during the pandemic.

• He's not looking to restart the pizza house business, but he partnered with Graziano because people responded so positively to his earlier giveaways, he said.

Dig in: The signature pizza will be made with the Scarpino family's sausage recipe and a house-made sauce.

• "There's a lot of meat on it," Marty said.

What's next: The pie's modern debut will be at the Goodguys car show on July 3-5, and again at this year's fair, Aug. 13-23.

🛍️ West Des Moines City Council approved a potential incentive of up to $110 million for the redevelopment of Valley West Mall. However, progress may be stalled due to long-term leases with existing tenants, including JCPenney, which is committed to staying. (KCCI)

💵 State Auditor Rob Sand released a reaudit report of Des Moines Public Schools, which found $46 in unsupported reimbursements to former Superintendent Ian Roberts and $2,000 in questionable disbursements.

• Roberts also hid a conflict of interest with a school vendor the district hired, according to the report. (WHO-13)

👀 Meanwhile, Roberts published a book on Monday, while awaiting his sentencing at Polk County Jail. (KCCI)

🏢 Krause Group wants to renovate the Butler Building — which previously housed Gas Lamp — into a commercial and residential building.

• The company also wants to renovate the former Jefferson Apartments into 60 residential units and turn a former Sherwin-Williams Paints store into a parking lot. (Des Moines Register)

🧑‍⚖️ A federal judge ruled he had "little choice" but to allow the deportation of a Bolivian asylum-seeker from Iowa to the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Today is International Guide Dog Day, and our very own editor, Chloe Gonzales, regularly volunteers with service dogs.

• To date, she's raised eight dogs and is a master potty trainer.

Dogs are cute, but here are tips from Guide Dogs for the Blind on how to treat a working dog:

• Don't pet or talk to a working dog without asking the handler first.
• Don't offer food, other distracting treats or toys.
• Keep your own pets leashed and at a respectful distance.

Between the lines: These are good rules if you see a pet dog, too.

Chloe's thought bubble: It's also tough to get puppies in training to focus, and trainers need all the help they can get to set them up for success.