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Story summary
- Ottumwa City Council opened its meeting with a Satanic prayer invocation.
- The council’s January 2026 policy allows any faith or philosophy for meeting openings.
- Former council member Matt Dalbey, a Satanic Temple of Iowa member, delivered the invocation.
- Mayor Benjamin Foote ordered a 30-second silence after the prayer.
- Administrator Philip Rath warned the policy’s broad language could invite legal challenges.