Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A police spokesman says a woman killed along with her two young children this week had come to Des Moines to work with the man charged in their deaths. A Guatemala national, 31-year-old Marvin Oswaldo Escobar-Orellana, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of 29-year-old Rossibeth Flores-Rodriguez, her 11-year-old daughter and her and 5-year-old son. Their bodies were found Tuesday night at the home they shared with Escobar-Orellana.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A spokesman for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds now says a mass email praising rapper Tupac Shakur wasn’t why Reynolds ousted an agency director. Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett was asked last week whether the agency-wide email sent by Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven was linked to the governor’s request that he resign the next work day. He said only that a “number of factors” went into the decision. On Thursday, he told the Des Moines Register that “of course” the email wasn’t one.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — More bankers surveyed in parts of 10 Plains and Western states say President Donald Trump’s trade skirmishes are having a negative effect on their local economies. The Rural Mainstreet survey released Thursday shows the survey’s overall index falling from 53.2 in June to 50.2 this month. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Pope Francis has selected a priest from the Dubuque Archdiocese to become bishop of the Des Moines Diocese. The selection of the Rev. William Joensen was announced Thursday. Joensen replaces Bishop Richard Pates, who turned 75 last year and, as required by the church, submitted his resignation. He’s held the post since 2008.

(Radio Iowa) — A prominent social conservative in Iowa has endorsed one of Congressman Steve King’s Republican challengers. Bob Vander Plaats has run for governor three times. He’s now president and C-E-O of The Family Leader and has personally endorsed state Senator Randy Feenstra’s bid against Congressman King. Vander Plaats says Feenstra “is a man of integrity who is guided by his faith and someone Iowans’ can trust to faithfully represent them in Congress.”

Feenstra reported raising 140-thousand dollars in the past three months, increasing his fundraising lead over King. King reported raising more than 90-thousand dollars, but ended the second quarter with about 18-thousand dollars left in his campaign account. Campaign finance reports indicate the two OTHER Republicans who have been raising money to run against King had more money in their campaign accounts than King did.

(Radio Iowa) — The U-S Army Corps of Engineers estimates it will be 2021 before complete repairs are made to the 52 flood-damaged levees along the Missouri River. Temporary repairs are finished on at least nine sections of levees that were damaged this spring. Bret Budd, chief of the Corps’ System Restoration Team for the Omaha District, says it could be next spring before -temporary- repairs are complete.

“Going forward, we have 30 construction contracts that we’re looking at having awarded between now and the end of this calendar year and potentially the first part of 2020,” Budd says. Last week, the Corps announced a new process for awarding contracts on levee repairs. The new process shrinks the solicitation period to 14 days using a list of pre-qualified contractors.

The previous solicitation period was 30 days, plus a 15-day pre-solicitation announcement. Until more complete repairs are made, Budd says homeowners and property near the river remain vulnerable. “Until we get to the final fix, it’s a reminder to everyone who lives behind a levee,” said Budd. “There’s a definite risk, it’s really not totally safe at this point.”

As crews continue to work on damage assessment for many sections of levee, one big hurdle remains with funding. The Corps says it will take action from Congress to secure enough money for permanent repairs. Mills County Emergency Management Director Larry Hurst says his county has a long fight ahead. “The bigger problem is what are these structures going to look like in a year, two years, three years from now and who’s going to pay for it,” Hurst says.

The latest contract awarded by the Corps was for nearly $2.8 million to further build up a levee near Percival following temporary repairs last month.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Guatemalan man believed to be in the U.S. illegally has told an Iowa judge that he shot a woman in self-defense after she killed her two children.

The Des Moines Register reports that 31-year-old Marvin Oswaldo Escobar-Orellana asked the judge during an initial court appearance in Des Moines on Thursday why he’s charged with killing 29-year-old Rossibeth Flores-Rodriguez, her 11-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son, when he only killed the mother and in self-defense.

Police, though, say an unidentified witness told investigators that Escobar-Orellana shot Flores-Rodriguez during an argument Tuesday before going inside the family’s condo and shooting the children. Police also say ballistic evidence supports the witness’ account.

Judge Becky Goettsch set Escobar-Orellana’s bond at $3 million cash and assigned the case to the public defender’s office. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement official says Escobar-Orellana was deported in 2010 and 2011, and that ICE has filed an immigration detainer and administrative arrest warrant for him.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The lower Missouri River is likely to remain high throughout the summer because of the large amount of water being released from dams upstream.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it needs to keep the releases high to clear out space in all the dams along the river. So it will continue releasing more than double the average amount of water from Gavins Point Dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border at least into August.

National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Dergan says the Missouri River isn’t likely to go down much until the releases from the dams are reduced. The significant releases may worsen flooding downstream — in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas — where many levees were damaged during severe March flooding.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — More bankers surveyed in parts of 10 Plains and Western states say President Donald Trump’s trade skirmishes are having a negative effect on their local economies.

The Rural Mainstreet survey released Thursday shows the survey’s overall index falling from 53.2 in June to 50.2 this month. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says higher agriculture commodity prices and rebuilding from recent floods helped prop up the region’s economy last month. But he added that nearly 9 of 10 bankers surveyed noted the tariffs’ negative impact on the economy. That’s up from 8 in 10 who said the same thing in September.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

DES MOINES – Senator Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, has organized a local tour on July 30 to help residents learn about one of the options for bottle redemption in Iowa.

In a statement, Schultz said “Over the last few years, one of the topics I receive the most communication on from my constituents is bottle redemption centers and the various ‘Bottle Bills’ the legislature has discussed. Droppett is one of the options that has been explored during these discussions. Droppett allows residents to drop off beverage containers in a bag at a local collection site and receive credit in an online account.

“When the creators of Droppett called and asked if I’d like to see it, I thought it was a great opportunity for constituents to see it with me. These events provide western Iowans in and around these communities with an opportunity to see this option for themselves. This tour has been organized to help educate residents on one of the bottle redemption options for our area and allow them the opportunity to learn more about it and ask questions.”

His July 30th schedule is as follows:

10 a.m. Harlan – Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry
12 p.m. Denison – Crossroads mall at the intersection of U.S. 59 and state highway 39
2 p.m. Ida Grove – Shopko parking lot

ATLANTIC- Officials with the Cass County Health System (CCHS) announced today (Thursday), that Dr. Mark A. Johnson, MD, has been selected as an Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) 2019 Hospital Hero. He will be recognized on October 9, 2019 during the IHA annual meeting in Des Moines.

Mark Johnson, M.D.

In a statement, Dr. Johnson said “It is a great honor to receive the IHA Hospital Hero Award, but this is not a singular award. It is an award that requires the assistance from the entire team that I have worked with at Cass County Health System for these past 32 years.”

An Atlantic native, Dr. Johnson graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1984. He received his medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1984. After completing his residency at the Broadlawns Family Medicine Residency Program, he returned to his hometown of Atlantic to begin his practice as a family medicine physician in 1987. After many years of working in both the rural health clinic and the emergency department, he transferred full-time to the emergency department in 2012.

CCHS CEO Brett Altman said “Dr. Johnson truly exemplifies what it means to be a hospital hero. It was never about a single moment in his career where he sprinted in to save the day, although we’re sure there have been many of those. For him, it’s been a steadfast career of service to the patients, families, and neighbors in his community. His quiet style of servant leadership is admired by his staff, and his patients praise him for the superior experience he delivers.”

The Iowa Hospital Heroes award is presented to those who have performed a heroic deed or tirelessly given of their time, talent, and expertise to improve their organization and the world around them. These leaders exemplify honesty, integrity, humility, courage and commitment. Dr. Johnson is one of only 10 people from across the state chosen as a hospital hero this year.

Two men were arrested on separate OWI charges Wednesday, in Mills County. 24-year old Logun Matthew Hughes, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 8-p.m. for OWI/2nd offense, Driving while License Revoked, Failure to Maintain Control and Operating Non-Registered Vehicle.

And, at around 4-p.m., 28-year old Troy Eugene Petersen, of Essex, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.