(Radio Iowa) Governor Kim Reynolds will interviewed the three women who’ve been nominated for an opening on the Iowa Supreme Court on Friday, July 27th. The state Judicial Nominating Commission submitted the three candidates to the governor last week, to replace a justice who is retiring in September.

“I do a personal interview with each individual and have an opportunity to get to know them and I want somebody that’s going to follow and uphold the law,” Reynolds told reporters today. “That’s what I’m looking for.” The Iowa Supreme Court is likely to decide whether the state’s new law that bans most abortions is constitutional. The governor was asked Wednesday if the issue is a consideration as she decides which woman to place on the court.

“Is the abortion issue going to be a factor?” a reporter asked. Reynolds replied: “I want somebody that will follow the law and will revere the constitution.” Reynolds did not indicate which of the three candidates she has interviewed. The three nominees are District Court Judge Susan Christensen of Harlan; Terri Combs, an attorney from West Des Moines and District Court Judge Kellyann Lekar of Waterloo. Two women have previously served on the state’s highest court, but all seven justices on the court today are men. Iowa’s is the only state supreme court in the country that’s made up entirely of men. The new justice Reynolds appoints will have her name placed on the Iowa ballot in what’s called a retention election, but unlike the federal government, the Iowa Senate has no role in confirming judges.

City officials in Greenfield, Wednesday afternoon, issued a BOIL water ORDER, which is a downgrade, and replaces the higher priority Bottled Water Advisory previously issued. Now, water used for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth must be boiled and cooled prior to consuming.

Levels of toxins were lower than expected with recent testing resulting in the reduction of the advisory. GMU says that turbidity (or cloudiness) of the water in the system was not at acceptable levels during recent testing and that is why it is still necessary to boil water before consumption to assure the removal of potential disease-causing organisms. The finish water coming out of the treatment plant has been put back in compliance for standards but officials say it will take a while for the water that was not up to standard to move through the distribution system.

GMU will inform customers when they no longer need to boil their water. They did mention that the water is considered safe for animal and livestock consumption at this time.

(A copy of the Boil Order is pictured below. Click on the image to enlarge.)

ACKLEY, Iowa (AP) — A north-central Iowa man and his girlfriend have been charged with kidnapping after police say the couple tortured the man’s 8-year-old son for months by locking him in a basement enclosure for hours every day, withholding food and having a dog bite him.

The Hardin County Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that 39-year-old Traci Lynn Tyler and 30-year-old Alex Craig Shadlow, both of Ackley, are each charged with kidnapping. An arrest affidavit says the abuse happened between July and September 2017 when the boy was locked at least 9 hours a day in an enclosed 6-foot square space under the basement stairs, where he had to sleep on concrete with no bedding and had no access to a bathroom.

Police say Tyler also beat the boy with a fly swatter handle and urged her dog to bite and attack the boy, leaving permanent scarring on his back and limbs. Authorities were alerted to the abuse by the boy’s school.

WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds is defending a harassment investigation that ended with a state trooper being fired after a 10-month paid leave and examined whether a powerful captain responded appropriately to concerns.

Reynolds said Wednesday that the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Administrative Services followed appropriate procedures and ultimately terminated trooper Wade Karp on July 3. Reynolds declined to reveal what the investigation found related to Iowa State Patrol Capt. Mark Logsdon, who oversees the governor’s security detail.

A state employee had accused Logsdon of failing to act after she informed him she was afraid of Karp after receiving unsettling Facebook messages from him seeking a relationship. Karp was placed on paid leave last September when the woman then complained to others.

The state has refused to release the findings of its investigation, calling them confidential personnel information.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Law enforcement officials near Omaha have seized about 20 pounds of marijuana, cocaine and hash from a car heading to Iowa. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says deputies discovered the drugs in a car they tried to pull over early Wednesday morning on Interstate 80 in Omaha. Deputies say the car left the interstate and stopped in a parking lot in eastern Omaha.

The deputies searched the car after detecting the smell of marijuana coming from it. Officials say they found 14 pounds of marijuana in numerous heat-sealed bags inside a black trash bag, nearly five pounds of cocaine and 23 containers of hash.

The driver and a passenger, both of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were arrested. Officials say they were driving from Colorado to Iowa.

Residents of the southwest Iowa town of Greenfield have been without clean drinking water this week because of a blue-green algae bloom. Scott Tonderum (TUND-rum), general manager of Greenfield Municipal Utilities, says it’s a first for the city. The algae infested the lake that feeds the town’s water supply.

It’s unclear what caused the problem, first discovered Monday afternoon.

Residents of the Adair County town are under a “bottled water advisory,” meaning only bottled water should be used for drinking, infant feeding, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and preparing food. Tonderum says boiling the tap water will only concentrate the algae more, but the water is safe for showering, washing hands, and laundry. Test results returned this (Wednesday) morning show the city’s water is within what’s considered a safe toxin level, but the advisory remains in place.

Hy-Vee, Casey’s, and Fareway stores have all offered free bottled water to Greenfield residents. Tonderum hopes tap water will be safe for drinking again soon.

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The Atlantic City Council is set to meet this evening at 5:30pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall. On their agenda is a presentation from Atlantic Police Lieutenant Devin Hogue on the 2018 Family Night Out Event that is scheduled for Sunday, August 26th at the Atlantic City Park from 4:00pm-7:00pm.

Next the Council will discuss the closure of streets for AtlanticFest on August 11th from 5:00am-6:00pm. The council is also set to discuss a street closure for Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church’s 125th Anniversary and Dedication Event.

A request to modify pledge money to the YMCA Aquatics Facility Refresh Program will be considered. The Nishna Valley YMCA did not receive grant funds applied for from the Iowa West Foundation but would like to continue with improvements anyway. The Council had previously approved a $10,000 pledge to the effort as part of the grant application.

The council will also complete the first reading of an Ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances and Zoning Regulations. A number of changes are being made to allow for more flexibility for property owners to upgrade their properties without the costly and time consuming process of applying for variance that is unnecessary.

The council will also complete the first reading of an Ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances regarding the number of days the City holds an animal before it is eligible for adoption. The City currently holds animals for 7 days before being put up for adoption, which is more than the 3 days that State Code requires. Animal Control Officer Kris Erickson recommends that the City roll their time held policy back to meet the State Code at three days to cut down on the time animals have to spend in the confined space of the shelter.

A number of other regular reports will be heard by the Council along with a declaration making September Drug-Free Pain Management Month. Mayor Dave Jones and Police Chief Dave Erickson are working with a task-force to eliminate drug misuse and abuse in the area.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Creston man on an Arson charge. On Thursday at 11:30am 26-year-old William Gene Hatfield of Creston was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center for Arson in the 2nd Degree. He was booked in to the Union County Jail on $10,000 bond.