DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Judicial Nominating Commission has named three nominees to the Iowa Court of Appeals. The commission selected the nominees on Tuesday from a pool of 18 applicants who were interviewed earlier in the day. They are District Judge Thomas Bower, of Cedar Falls; District Associate Judge Susan Christensen, of Harlan; and Assistant Attorney General Jeanie Vaudt, of West Des Moines. Gov. Terry Branstad has 30 days to make his selection. The vacancy on the court is being created by the retirement of Chief Judge Rosemary Sackett in January.

A ban on opening burning which had been in place in Cass County since October 7th, was lifted Tuesday afternoon. The ban was issued due to dry and windy conditions, and the danger of seemingly controlled, open burning, getting out of control.  Recent rains and a light dusting of snow last week has helped to lessen the fire danger.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon announced that at the request of area fire departments, the ban burn was lifted at 3-p.m. Tuesday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Chicago attorney says a jury verdict finding a former western Iowa woman guilty of murdering a man in 2001 is a victory for public safety. Stephen Komie on Tuesday praised Sac County Attorney Ben Smith and state investigators for securing Monday’s conviction of Tracey Richter, of Omaha, in the death of 20-year-old Dustin Wehde at her home in Early, Iowa. Komie represented Richter’s first husband, John Pitman III, in a bitter divorce and custody proceeding in the 1990s. Prosecutors say Richter tried to frame Pitman and Komie in a murder-for-hire-scheme in which she had Wehde write in a pink notebook they’d hired him to kill her and her son. Komie says he was surprised to learn last month he’d been framed and he’s “thrilled” Richter had been convicted.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A state audit has found more than $95,000 in questionable spending at the Denison Fire Department, including payments it says were made to businesses owned by the former fire chief. The report released today (Tuesday), from state Auditor David Vaudt details a review that was requested by city officials after former Fire Chief Mike McKinnon left the job in 2010.

It identifies a number of purchases that were improper or did not have proper documentation, including webcams, GPS units,  atelevision, a riding lawnmower and snowblade and clothing. The audit also found thousands paid to businesses owned by McKinnon and included invoices with addresses for post office boxes in Des Moines that did not exist.