(Radio Iowa) — President Donald Trump has nominated William Barr to become the U-S Attorney General, leaving the future of an Iowa native who has been serving as acting Attorney General unknown. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says Matt Whitaker is a friend from Iowa and she recently talked with him about it. “Not sure where he is going to land — but when I spoke to him just the other day before President Bush’s Memorial Service — (he said) he would take it as it comes, and I am sure he will land on his feet,” Ernst says.  Whitaker was the chief of staff for Attorney General Jeff Sessions before Sessions resigned, and he immediately was in the spotlight after being named to the acting role. “Of course all of us from Iowa, we wish the absolute best for Matt Whitaker, in whatever his endeavors may be. Whether he is staying at the Department of Justice or moving on to another career,” according to Whitaker.

Ernst says she has not had a chance to meet Barr. “So, I can’t tell you about his character. I am sure he is a good person, I think just by virtue of his nomination — it speaks very well to his capability, his credibility. I look forward to the opportunity to meet him,” Ernst says. Ernst says she will get a chance to meet and talk with Barr during the Senate confirmation process.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Supreme Court has suspended the license of a western Iowa lawyer after he admitted to a sexual relationship with a client. The court has suspended the license of Michael Jacobsma for 30 days and ordered that he continue mental health counseling until he is released by his therapist. Jacobsma practices law in Sioux City and Orange city and admitted that from May to November of 2017 he had a sexual relationship with a female client. Two partners in his law firm confronted him and told him he would have to report the relationship or they would report it. The ruling on the suspension says the Iowa Supreme Court Grievance Commission found no allegations or evidence that Jacobsma deliberately preyed on his client’s vulnerable personal, mental, or financial state. Or that the relationship was uninvited, unwanted, or harassing toward the woman.
………………
The Iowa Supreme Court has ALSO suspended the license of a Marshalltown attorney after she admitted to having sex with a client.  The court suspended the license of Melissa Nine for 30 days after she admitted that she had a sexual relationship with a client while representing him in his divorce. The suspension came after Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board determined this was an isolated occurrence and nobody appeared to suffer harm from the relationship. The commission also noted Nine’s counseling to address mental health issues may have played a role in her misconduct and it said she has done “admirable” pro bono work and has a significant history of involvement in the community and within the legal profession.

A traffic stop today (Monday) at around 1:45-a.m. in Adams County, resulted in the arrest of two women on drug charges. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a vehicle was pulled over near the intersection of Quince Avenue and 240th Street. During the course of the traffic stop, K9 “Baxo” was deployed on the vehicle and gave a positive alert to the odor of narcotics. Upon further investigation, Netosha Stalder and Joleen Most, both from Corning, were placed under arrest for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

(Radio Iowa) — A Democratic state senator facing sexual misconduct allegations hasn’t been assigned to any committees for the upcoming legislative session. Last month, a woman filed an ethics complaint alleging State Senator Nate Boulton of Des Moines had harassed her, before he was elected to the senate. Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen says she will wait to make committee assignments for Boulton until the Senate Ethics Committee completes its investigation. Boulton has until today (Monday) to respond to the complaint.

Boulton dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor this spring, shortly after The Des Moines Register published allegations from three women who accused Boulton of harassment. Petersen — the top Democrat in the state senate — called on Boulton to resign from office months ago, but Boulton has said he intends to serve out his term, which runs through 2020.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:00 a.m. CST

ELDRIDGE, Iowa (AP) — A 12-year-old Iowa boy accused of unsuccessfully trying to shoot his teacher will be tried in adult court as a youthful offender. The Quad-City Times reports that a judge made that ruling Friday just before the boy made his first appearance on charges of attempted murder and weapons counts. If convicted, the boy would remain under juvenile court supervision until he’s 18. The case would then return to adult court, where a judge could dismiss it or sentence the offender to adult prison.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man convicted of killing a woman in her Cedar Rapids garage and setting it on fire has been sentenced to life in prison. Television station KCRG reports that 39-year-old Timothy Evans pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the April death of 38-year-old Gina Frederiksen. Prosecutors say Evans broke into the detached garage of a Cedar Rapids home on April 29 and violently assaulting Frederiksen. Police say he then set fire to the garage.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has reported the state’s first flu-related deaths of the current flu season. The department said Friday that two people, both over 65, have died from flu-related causes. One was from an area covered by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department and the other was from the North Central District Health Department region that includes the cities of Valentine, O’Neill and Neligh.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa says she will run for a second term in 2020. The Des Moines Register reports that Ernst told reporters Friday that she would seek re-election. The 48-year-old military veteran from Red Oak was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 after serving four years in the Iowa Senate.