DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Judicial Nominating Commission has selected three nominees to fill a vacancy on the Iowa Court of Appeals and sent the names to Gov. Terry Branstad. The commission on Tuesday named the finalists from a group of 25 applicants, who were interviewed this week.

A man from Shenandoah was sentenced Monday to more than 12-years in prison for his role in a methamphetamine operation. In addition to the 150-month sentence, U-S District Judge James Gritzner also ordered 49-year old Michael Thomas Shane to serve a five year term of supervised release, following incarceration.

On February 3rd, Shane plead guilty in a Council Bluffs Federal Court, to a charge of Conspiracy to Manufacture more than  500-grams of Methamphetamine. His actions occurred from January of 2009 to July 17, 2010, in the amount of 500 grams or more.

On July 17, 2010, Shane was found to have an active methamphetamine lab in his residence. An investigation by law enforcement found that Shane had worked over a lengthy period of time with a group of people to gather the items needed to manufacture meth. Prosecutors with the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa say Shane would then manufacture, or help others manufacture, methamphetamine at various locations in and around Page County.

The investigation into his activities was conducted by the Shenandoah Police Department, the Page County Sheriff’s Office, the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, the SWIN Task Force, the Page County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement

CARROLL, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa police chief says a man sought as a witness in the disappearance of a Carroll woman has killed himself in Kansas. Carroll Police Chief Jeff Cayler said Tuesday that James Snovell, of Rolfe, shot himself as he was being chased by Kansas officers.

Cayler says his investigators knew Snovelle had some connection to Coffee County, Kan., so they asked authorities there to watch for him. Cayler says Kansas officers found Snovelle at a rural Coffee County property on Monday evening. He took off on foot but was soon spotted crossing a stream. Cayler says Snovelle then pulled out a gun and fatally shot himself.

Cayler says Snovelle’s suicide raises more concerns, but the disappearance of 50-year-old Dawn Allen last week is still being treated as a missing person’s case.

50-year old Dawn Allen. Missing since May 4th

54-year old James Snovelle

CARROLL, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say they’ve found a 54-year-old man they wanted to question about the disappearance of a Carroll woman whose car was abandoned in a nightclub’s parking lot. Law enforcement officials said Monday that they consider James Snovelle, of Rolfe, a witness in the disappearance of 50-year-old Dawn Allen.

According to The Des Moines Register, Carroll police did not say later Monday what, if anything, investigators have learned from Snovelle.

Allen was last seen at her home on Wednesday. She did not show up for work the next day, when her vehicle was found in the Piranha Club’s parking lot, on the east side of Carroll.

The top Democrat in the Iowa Senate says he “thinks there’s a way” to ensure a Nebraska doctor who performs so-called “late-term” abortions cannot open a clinic in Council Bluffs. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal, who is from Council Bluffs, says work is underway to make changes in a bill that already cleared the Iowa House, a bill that would ban abortions in Iowa after the 20th week of a pregnancy.

“The legislation as drafted by the House I think significantly invites a very serious court challenge,” Gronstal says. “So I think we’re trying to look at some ways to fix that up in such a way that we can guarantee a new, late-term abortion clinic doesn’t open in Council Bluffs.” Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, was asked last week to examine the House-passed bill and lead the process of making changes.

“So I’ve spent part of last week and other the weekend studying the bill and working to craft some amendments that deal with what we think is the number one concern that the bill tries to address and that’s the establishment of a clinic by Dr. LeRoy Carhart in Council Bluffs,” Bolkcom says. Carhart is no longer able to perform so-called “late term” abortions at his clinic in Bellevue, Nebraska because a Nebraska law that took effect in mid-October bans abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. Other states like Oklahoma, Kansas and Idaho have recently passed similar laws and Iowa is among nearly a dozen other states with similar legislation pending, Bolkcom says there are concerns those laws are unconstitutional.

“I don’t think we should be about passing laws that we know on their face are unconstitutional,” Bolkcom says, “especially looking at the 20-week outright ban.” Bolkcom hopes to release details of the alternatives he’s exploring “within the next few days.”

“The issue we’ve heard repeatedly from people who care about this issue is the establishment of this clinic in Council Bluffs,” Bolkcom says. “And we are focused on that issue primarily.” Congressman Steve King, a Republican from Kiron, worked in 2003 to pass federal legislation that bans so-called “partial birth abortions.” King is urging state legislators in Des Moines to take the next step and pass a state law that would ban abortions after the 20th week of a pregnancy.

“I know a little bit about LeRoy Carhart and I’ve looked that man in the eye and it’s a disturbing experience, let me tell you,” King says. So far, the four other state laws that ban abortions after the 20th week of a pregnancy have not been challenged in court. Indiana’s governor last week indicated he’ll sign a similar abortion ban for his state.

(From Radio Iowa)