COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Longtime Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan has no plans to seek re-election in November.  Hanafan announced his intentions today (Tuesday). He says the long hours of dealing with the Missouri River flooding in 2011 made him think about leaving his post. He also says he’s looking forward to spending more time with his family.

The 65-year-old Hanafan has been mayor since his appointment in 1985. He won his first mayoral election in 1988.

Two separate accidents Sunday, in Mills County, resulted in both drivers being sent to the hospital. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says one accident happened just after 7-a.m., when a 2003 Subaru driven by Robin Jo Patrick, of Glenwood, left 221st Street and hit an embankment before rolling over and coming to rest on the driver’s side. The accident happened about seven miles north of Glenwood. Patrick was extricated from the vehicle through a passenger side front window and transported to Mercy Hospital, by Glenwood Rescue.

The second accident happened at around 5-p.m. Sunday, about four-miles southwest of Pacific Junction. Officials say Debra Ann Wingerd, of Glenwood, was traveling east on Nims Road in a 2008 Ford,when she swerved to miss a deer. The vehicle rolled into the south ditch and came to rest on its top. Wingerd was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital by Pacific Junction Rescue.

No injuries were reported following a single-vehicle accident Sunday night, in Audubon County. The Sheriff’s Department says 54-year old Eunice Joan Mennenoh, of Audubon, was traveling north on Highway 71, at around 8:40-p.m., when she lost control of her 2004 Chrysler on the snow covered road. The car slid into a bridge guardrail and sustained $3,000 damage.

The accident happened near 180th Street. No citations were issued.

Authorities in Manning are investigating an incident involving an overturned vehicle, which occurred last Friday, March 22nd, in Audubon County. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were called to assist the Manning Police Dept. with a pursuit that began at around 11:30-p.m., Friday. The vehicle, a 2001 Chevy Silverado pickup, was traveling south on Dove Avenue, just south of 150th Street in Audubon County, when it rolled over after hitting a snow drift and came to rest on its top.

The driver, 21-year old Joel Matthew Musfeldt, of Manilla, was transported to the Carroll Hospital by Manning Ambulance. Damage to the truck was estimated at $6,000.

Authorities in Audubon County say an accident which occurred early last Thursday morning about seven-miles southeast of Exira remains under investigation, and charges are pending. The Sheriff’s Office reports 19-year old Ben Gerald Irlmeier, of Audubon, was traveling north on Quail Avenue at around 3-a.m., when he lost control of the 2005 Toyota he was driving. The vehicle entered the east ditch, through a fence and rolled several times before coming to rest on its right side.

Irlmeier, and his passengers, 21-year old Dilan Olesen, and 21-year old Molly Boylan, both of Exira, were transported by private vehicle to Audubon. Boylan was later brought to the Audubon County Memorial Hospital, also by private vehicle. The Toyota sustained $17,000 damage.

Officials with Diamond Vogel Paint and Keep Iowa Beautiful (KIB) have announced the recipients of grant awards for the 2012 “Paint Iowa Beautifiul” (PIB) program. The program provides free paint to a wide variety of public service projects throughout Iowa.

Among the 2013 award winners is: the City of Bedford, for it’s Hotel Garland balcony and lobby project; The Page County Fair Board in Clarinda, for County Fair buildings; The French Icarian Colony Foundation in Corning, for its Communal dining hall; The Guthrie Center Revitalization Corporation received an award for its homes project, and the Guthrie County Fair and Extension received a PIB award for its County Fair Arena. In addition:the Onawa Chamber of Commerce won an award for its Highway entrance sign project, and the City of Shelby won for a “Paint Shelby Beautiful” house project.

The PIB program is designed to improve the attractiveness of Iowa’s communities and countryside. Keep Iowa Beautiful is a non-profit organization affiliated with Keep America Beautiful. The program includes litter reduction, public nuisance abatement and beautification programs. Diamond Vogel is an Iowa-based company which has partnered with KIB for the past 10-years to help build pride in communities. The company has contributed over 6,500 gallons of paint for various and numerous projects.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (9.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Iowans have selected 10 restaurants across the state that are in the running for the title of “Iowa’s Best Burger.”

The Coon Bowl Burger, 2012 winner of the “Iowa’s Best Burger” contest.

The annual contest is sponsored by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and the Iowa Beef Industry Council. Cattlemen’s Association spokesperson Dal Grooms says the 10 finalists gathered the most nominations between February 15 and March 18. The top 10 restaurants are 61 Chop House Grille of Mediapolis, Ankeny Diner of Ankeny, B&B Grocery Meat and Deli of Des Moines, Elm’s Club of Creston, First Street Grille of Keosauqua, JB’s Bar and Grill of Marcus, Rosco’s of Norwalk, Sam’s Sodas and Sandwiches of Carroll, The Ritz of Arnold’s Park, and Zombie Burger of Des Moines.

This is the fourth year for the best burger contest and Grooms says it’s grown bigger each year. “This year, we got over 6,300 nominations that named 349 different Iowa restaurants,” Grooms said. “That’s an increase by about one-third over last year in terms of the nominations. The 10 restaurants will now be visited by a secret panel of judges who will evaluate the hamburgers. They’ll be scored on taste, presentation, and proper serving temperature. “We’ll get that information, put that all together, and we’ll be naming our best burger winner on May 2nd,” Grooms said.

Previous restaurants that have won the contest were The Coon Bowl in Coon Rapids (2012), The Rusty Duck in Dexter (2011), and the Sac County Cattle Company in Sac City (2010).

(Radio Iowa)

A former Fire Chief in Denison was sentenced Monday to prison following his conviction  in January on a charge of 1st degree theft. The Omaha World-Herald reports that despite offering an apology to the court and pledging to repay what was stolen, District Court Judge Jeffrey Poulson sentenced 42-year old Michael McKinnon to 10-years in prison. McKinnon served as the chief from January 1999 until January 2010. He had plead guilty to the theft charge in exchange for a charge of felonious misconduct in office being dropped.

McKinnin left the department under a cloud of questions about his spending. A state audit showed $96,000 worth of fire department funds were used for his personal use. The funds were spent between 2005 and 2010, and included about $40,000 paid to businesses McKinnon owned. The spending included invoices for post office boxes that did not exist. Other spending included a riding lawn mower and a motor for his boat.

McKinnon’s attorney, F. Montomery Brown, had requested a deferred judgment and probation for his client, especially in light of a pre-sentence investigation by the Iowa Department of Corrections, which recommend he serve no prison time and instead, probation. Brown also noted that McKinnon is the sole supporter of his family and has a special needs teenage son. He  said he plans to appeal the judge’s decision.

Rob Sand, assistant attorney general for the state of Iowa, told the World-Herald McKinnon will probably end-up being paroled long before he completes his full sentence.  McKinnon has already made restitution in the amount of $14,000. Under the sentence he received Monday, McKinnon will have to pay more restitution to the city, which, according to Sand would come to about $10,000.

The paper notes McKinnon was not the only public official in western Iowa this year to be sent to prison.  Despite a similar in-court apology in January, Tammy Gammon, a former employee of the Mills County Treasurer’s Office, was sentenced to 25 years after pleading guilty to a charge of ongoing criminal conduct, for stealing more than $36,000.