Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Monday) announced a series of STEM school visits across Iowa to discuss the importance of giving students a world-class education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Reynolds is co-chair of the Governor’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Advisory Council along with Dr. Chris Nelson, president and CEO of Kemin Industries. The STEM Council’s overarching goal is to increase STEM interest and achievement and to regain Iowa’s historic legacy as a leader in education and workforce development.

The tour will begin with stops in February and will continue through April. Locally, the schedule for the tour includes:

Friday, March 18, IKM-Manning School District: 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. at the IKM-Manning High School, 209 10th St., Manning.

AMES, IOWA – Iowa’s cattle producers are asking their fellow Iowans to help find Iowa’s Best Burger in 2016. In this year’s quest, the Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) are encouraging you to nominate your favorite burger, whether it’s gourmet or down-home style.  This is the seventh year the two groups are holding the annual Iowa’s Best Burger contest, which officially kicks off February 15. All nominations must be in the IBIC office by 5 p.m. on March 9, 2016.

Katie Olthoff, Director of Communications for the ICA, says “We are in search of Iowa’s Best Burger. To qualify to be named Iowa’s Best Burger, the burger must be a 100% beef burger and served on a bun or bread product.” In order to recognize these great burgers, IBIC and ICA are asking Iowa consumers to nominate their favorite burgers for the award, and those nominations can be made by mail, text, or online.

Details about the contest rules and nomination forms are available on the Iowa Beef Industry Council’s website, www.iabeef.org. Burger lovers can also find a link to the online nomination form at the Iowa Beef Council Facebook page; or by texting BEEF to 313131. Photos of your favorite burger can be shared socially using #IABestBurger.

The nomination period ends March 9, 2016. The top 10 restaurants with the most votes are eligible for the title of Iowa’s Best Burger. The top ten finalists will be announced in March 15th. Finalists will receive a certificate and will be eligible for the secret taste-test of contest judges. The 2016 Best Burger in Iowa will be announced on May 2 and will kick-off May Beef Month.

In 2015, more than 4,000 nominations for 286 restaurants were received in the contest. The final winners in previous years are: 2015 – The Cider House, Fairfield; 2014 – Brick City Grill, Ames; 2013 – 61 Chop House Grille, Mediapolis; 2012 – Coon Bowl III, Coon Rapids; 2011 – Rusty Duck, Dexter; 2010 – Sac County Cattle Company, Sac City.

Maytag Dairy Farms is voluntarily recalling Maytag Raw Milk Blue cheese due to possible contamination with Listeria. According to a press release, the recalled product was packaged on January 6th in 4- and 8-ounce wedges, 2- and 4-pound wheels, and 5-pound crumbles. The lot included 896 pounds of cheese and was distributed to Fareway in Newton, HoQ restaurant in Des Moines, the Bear Restaurant in Ankeny, Wine Experience in West Des Moines, and Lomar Distributing, Inc. in Des Moines or was purchased directly from Maytag Dairy Farms in Newton.

Consumers should not eat the recalled cheese as Listeria can cause serious illness and death. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Dairy Products Control Bureau discovered the possible contamination during routine testing. There have been no reported cases of Listeria since the product was packaged.

(Radio Iowa)

Students, teachers, administrators, parents, and members of the Davenport school board are in Des Moines today (Monday) for their annual lobby day. The board recently gave its support to superintendent Art Tate, who wants to spend more money next year than the state funding formula allows. Despite having millions of dollars in reserve funds, the Davenport district is forced to spend much less per student than nearby districts. School board president Ralph Johanson says they have a very specific goal in mind at the lobby day.

“What we really need is a fundamental change to the funding formula,” Johanson says. “We’re looking for some legislators who have the fortitude to do what’s right and to make some of those changes, even if it takes a long time.” As they did last year, students from Davenport will wear t-shirts saying, “I’m Worth Less,” when they meet with the governor and legislators.

(Radio Iowa)

Senator Chuck Grassley uses the phrase “standard practice” to describe the scenario of leaving a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court until a new president takes office in 2017. Soon after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death was announced Saturday, the Republican leader of the U.S. Senate said Scalia’s seat on the court should not be filled by President Obama. Grassley is chairman of the committee that would hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee.

President Obama intends to nominate a replacement, but Grassley says there is a “huge divide in the country” and the senate will “defer to the American people” and wait to vote on the NEXT president’s pick for the nation’s highest court. Grassley says it’s a “standard practice” not to have this kind of a decision made in an election year.

The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in February of 1988. But President Reagan had nominated Kennedy in November of 1987 after his two other picks had failed to win senate confirmation.

(Radio Iowa)