Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert reports  the  landline 9-1-1 Lines in the Portsmouth and Panama areas of Shelby County are not working. If you have an emergency please use your cellphone to dial 911.

Crews are assessing the situation and we will update you with information as the nature and duration of the outage become known.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Officials say the state has taken custody of a newborn baby under Iowa’s safe haven law. The Department of Human Services announced Friday a woman who gave birth on April 15 at an Iowa hospital had immediately asked that the infant be declared a safe haven baby. Under state law, parents can give up custody of babies age 14 days and younger with no questions asked.

The agency has taken custody of the baby and a court hearing to terminate parental rights will be held within a month. It’s the 18th time the state has taken a child under the safe haven law, which was approved in 2001 after an eastern Iowa teenage mother killed her home-delivered newborn.

The state didn’t release details, including where the baby was born.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported and no citations were issued following a two-vehicle accident this (Friday) morning. The crash occurred at around 8-a.m near 1186 210th Street, southeast of Emerson.

Officials say a 1978 Ford pickup driven by Matthew Stacy, was traveling east on 210th Street and cresting a hill. At about the same time, Sarah Smith was pulling out of a driveway in her 2009 Nissan Murano onto westbound 210th.  Because of the obstruction created by the hill, Smith didn’t see Stacy’s pickup approaching, and Stacy couldn’t stop in time once he came over the hill.

The vehicles collided at the driveway entrance, with Stacy’s pickup coming to rest in the north ditch. Neither driver reported any injurues, and both refused treatment from rescue crews. Damage from the collision amounted to $9,000.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton School District will burn down its nearly century-old elementary school building to save money this weekend. District officials say Sunday’s controlled burn, which was delayed by one -week due to the previously dry and windy conditions, will save up to $60,000 in demolition costs.

The unique event will also serve as a training exercise for firefighters. About 100 of them from a dozen or so departments are expected to turn up for the burn, which will be aided by wooden pallets donated by residents. Superintendent Dean Schnoes says the district, like others, is always seeking ways to save money.

Fire training consultant Cliff McFarland says controlled burns like the one Sunday will help volunteer departments better coordinate large-scale fire scenarios.

Governor Terry Branstad today (Friday) announced his appointments to Iowa’s boards and commissions. Among the individuals in southwest Iowa whose appointments went into effect on May 1st, and are not subject to Iowa Senate confirmation, is:

Tom Ling, of Glenwood – Interoperable Communications System Board, and Jolene Caldwell, of Council Bluffs – Organic Advisory Council.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report the arrest today (Friday), of a Pottawattamie County man on theft charges. 21-year old Jimmy Joe Gappa, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Pott. County Jail at around 8-a.m., on a warrant for Theft in the 2nd degree. Gappa’s bond was set at $5,000.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Senate has adjourned for the year, officially putting an end to the 2014 legislative session, 10 days past the anticipated April 22 end date. The House ended its session on Thursday morning. Both chambers worked through the night Wednesday to complete the state budget and other policy bills.

Senate adjournment was delayed when Democrats, as their last action, proposed a resolution that would give the Government Oversight Committee power to subpoena witnesses. Republicans objected, which required a return Friday morning to pass the resolution. The committee is investigating state settlement agreements and other issues in the executive branch of government.

The resolution passed by voice vote. The final resolution declaring the 2014 session over swiftly passed, ending the year for lawmakers.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court says police officers can legally stop any vehicle that has a frame covering the county name on its license plate. The court ruled 5-2 on Friday that obscuring the county violates a law that requires motorists to “permit full view of all numerals and letters” on the plate. The decision backs undercover Davenport officers who used the issue to justify stopping a man who was under surveillance for suspected drug dealing.

Dissenting Justice Brent Appel says the ruling is a warning to thousands of motorists who have frames promoting sports teams and auto dealers. He says they need to check whether the frame covers the county name because police now “may stop the vehicle anywhere and at any time” without any sign of other criminal wrongdoing.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

A relatively new restaurant in central Iowa has been selected as this year’s winner of “Iowa’s Best Burger” contest. The Brick City Grill in Ames is owned by Jason Mikkelsen.

Best Burger 2014 – Jason Mikkelsen

“We’ve only been open for almost a year now, so to get an honor like this so soon, it’s definitely a surprise,” Mikkelsen said. “But it makes all the hard work…it makes it worth it.” Prior to opening Brick City Grill, Mikkelsen spent 18 years working in several restaurants around Ames. The 36-year-old Creston native moved to Ames in 1996 to attend Iowa State University. He says the secret to a good burger is in the beef.

“We use a flat-top grill to sear in the flavor. All we use for seasoning is just a little salt and pepper,” Mikkelsen says. “We have a really good bun, it’s brioche bun that we toast.” Mikkelsen uses a proprietary blend of Iowa beef, delivered fresh to the restaurant. Brick City Grill has eight varieties of hamburgers and they’re far and away to most popular items on the restaurant’s menu.

“Oh yeah, by far, we go through probably three times more burger than we do everything else,” Mikkelsen says.

Best Burger 2014 – Brick City Pretzel Burger

This is the fifth year for the Best Burger contest, sponsored by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and the Iowa Beef Industry Council. Iowans submitted more than 9,600 nomination votes for 456 restaurants in February and March that selected the top 10 restaurants. Those 10 restaurants were then independently visited and judged based on the hamburger’s taste, appearance, and proper serving temperature (160 degrees).

(Radio Iowa)