Ankeny, IA – From cheese curds to chip dust, burgers as big as dinner plates to multiple patty burgers, fresh veggies to cheeses, and sauces to spreads, this year’s Top 10 Iowa’s Best Burger restaurants had it all. The Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC), today (Wednesday), announced the winner of the title of “Iowa’s Best Burger in 2024,” is JJ’s Tavern + Grill in Ankeny, Iowa.

The IBIC’s Director of Marketing & Communications, Kylie Peterson, said owners Rick and Lilia Romero and Michael Roberts, also the general manager, and Liberty Van Genderen, say JJ’s Tavern + Grill is about family. They have worked diligently to build this for their employees, but also want their customers to recognize the family vibe. Michael even went as far as to say they’d like it to have the television show Cheers, “everyone knows your name” feel. The intimate atmosphere and upscale smaller space naturally lend themselves to that feel.

The Best Burger Contest’s timing is intentional and celebrates the kickoff of Iowa’s May Beef Month. JJ’s has several beef options. The menu currently features eight smash burger selections. All look delicious, but Rick and Michael highlighted the JJ’s Smash Burger, the Brock Curdy Burger, and the Jalapeno Cheddar. Each smash burger can be a single patty or double, but for that robust beef taste.

JJ’s Smash Burger

JJ’s Smash Burger is a classic, with tavern sauce, gooey American cheese, and notably fresh lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickle. The Brock Curdy Burger is named for San Francisco 49ers quarterback and former Iowa State player, Brock Purdy. The burger is loaded, with BBQ sauce, ranch, American cheese, cheese curds, pulled pork, and bacon.

The Jalapeno Cheddar Burger is topped with tavern sauce, cheddar, bacon, and of course, jalapenos.

The competition and being named as a Top 10 contestant in Iowa’s Best Burger competition has already had a significant impact on their business. Since being named a Top 10 contestant on March 12, they went from selling 13 burgers a day to over 36 burgers a day.

JJ’s recently opened in late November 2023. They have recently added a patio for an outdoor dining experience and additional seating. Rick shared that thanks to the contest they may consider moving up plans for a second location.

This was the 15th year for the annual Iowa’s Best Burger Contest and had the added excitement of allowing previous winners the chance to be nominated again. There were three previous winners in the list of Top 10 contestants. The Best Burger Contest is sponsored by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association to showcase the valued partnership between Iowa’s cattlemen and food service providers through delicious burgers crafted by Iowa’s talented chefs and restaurateurs.

(Radio Iowa) – Veterans from across Iowa are in Washington D-C today (Wednesday) as part of the 50th Eastern Iowa Honor Flight. The trip honors 99-year-old World War Two Veteran Mike Wilson. Wilson tells K-C-R-G T-V that he and his late wife Esther were happy to donate to events like the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight.   “She also believed in sharing, and we always got a lot of gratitude out of the people that we shared with,” Wilson said.

Together, they donated five to six million dollars to organizations across Cedar Rapids. Wilson was drafted into the navy in August 1944. He says he wants all veterans to get the attention they deserve, especially those who served in Vietnam who didn’t get a warm welcome home. “The public kind of turned on it and made it really tough for the veterans,” Wilson said. “They didn’t have a real good welcoming cap coming home, and yet what they did was just as honorable as what anybody did in World War Two.”

Photo from https://eihonorflight.org/

Eighty-eight veterans are on the Honor Flight. Friends and family will greet them as they return to the Eastern Iowa airport around 7 p-m. for the welcoming party.

The next Honor Flight is May 28th, the day after Memorial Day. The waiting list for the Honor Flight is roughly two and a half years, with around 700 veterans currently signed up. Veterans can learn more or apply by clicking here to visit the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight’s website. The trip is free for Veterans, but guardians will have to pay to tag along.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday (today), approved a request from Auditor Mandy Berg, for 6-month pay increases for the Courthouse Custodian and Auditor Clerk. Supervisor Jodie Hoadley said she’s “heard nothing but good things” about the two County employees. The Board also passed a Resolution to issue General Obligation Bonds, not to exceed $5-million. Auditor Mandy Berg…

On a related note, the Supervisors in Adair County passed a resolution to take additional action on the bonds, along with a resolution directing the advertising for sale of, and electronic bidding, and an Official Statement. In other business, representatives of Main Street Greenfield requested from the Board a courtyard use permit for the July 23^rd RAGBRAI® event. Main Street Greenfield Executive Director Stacie Eshelman laid-out the tentative arrival plan.

Some of the support vehicles for the riders will be arriving in town the night before.

Vendors for the event will be located on the square in Greenfield, and at the park. Local vendors have dibs on where they will locate their items. The Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a permit issuance. The Adair County Supervisors held a public hearing to vacate a portion of 292^nd Avenue/Lane, south of Bridgewater. Rich Hall, of Massena, who owns property in the area, asked the Board not to close the road.

Hall previously told Supervisor Jodie Hoadly, according to Hoadley, that it would decrease the value of his property, and make it harder for someone who wants to build a new home, access to the property. It’s unclear what the road is classified as. It is maintained by the County, as if it were a Level B road, even though it is not posted as such. After considerable discussion, the Board voted three-to-one to pass a resolution vacating the road, as proposed. Supervisor Hoadley was the lone no vote.

In other action, the Adair County Supervisors approved a Hungry Canyons Project agreement, contract and performance bonds. County Engineer Nick Kauffman reported on the effects of the heavy rains and hail received in the County, Tuesday evening.

Kauffman said some roads were closed overnight due to water flowing across the them.

(Radio Iowa) – A spokesman for Governor Reynolds says just over 10 percent of state government job classifications require a bachelor’s degree. Kollin Crompton, the governor’s spokesman, is responding to State Auditor Rob Sand’s announcement that he’d collaborated with a non-profit and found 28 job classifications in state government where a four year college degree was not necessary.

Crompton says two years ago Governor Reynolds directed the state’s human resources agency to review the more than 800 unique job classifications within state government. The goal was to allow alternative requirements for employment wherever possible.

Today, just 10-point-two percent of job classifications require a bachelor’s degree. Crompton says the Reynolds Administration will continue to look for opportunities to update job requirements, making state government employment as accessible as possible to Iowans.

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Chuck Grassley says congress must move carefully as it considers legislation to crack down on Chinese money laundering organizations. “Now is the time to make it harder for criminals to move dirty money and buy assets in the United States, not making easier,” Grassley says. “This complex money-laundering problem requires well thought-out solutions.”

Experts say underground Chinese networks are helping transfer money from Mexican drug cartels and international gangs. Just last month, five Chinese nationals were charged with money laundering after depositing money from drug deals in banks in Charlottee, North Carolina. Grassley cites a mass shooting at a medical marijuana farm in Oklahoma where workers were all Chinese nationals.

“According to Oklahoma law enforcement, 2,000 of the 3,000 licensed marijuana farms flagged for suspicious activity over the last year had a Chinese connection providing funding, labor, or both,” Grassley says. Grassley says legislation under consideration in the Senate would not adequately address money laundering by Chinese nationals and drug cartels because it assumes state and local regulations are preventing organized crime from infiltrating the U-S marijuana industry.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports a woman from Montgomery County was arrested on an OWI charge Tuesday. Authorities say 50-year-old Amy Batten, of Red Oak, was charged with OWI/1st offense. She posted a $1,000 bond and was released.

TINGLEY, Iowa — [KCCI] – The tornado sirens in the Ringgold County town of Tingley did not sound off Friday night before a powerful tornado swept through the town of about 130 people. Ringgold County Emergency Management coordinator Melissia Stark tells KCCI the town lost power just before 7 p.m. that day. She said the sirens were triggered three separate times. But they never sounded off. Stark said the sirens were working when they were tested just last month.

Power has been restored in the town, but the siren had not been fixed as of Tuesday afternoon. Mayor Larry Jarred said he hopes to have it up and running again, soon. Jarred said the town is also going to build a concrete storm shelter. Tingley currently doesn’t have one. People in town said they were surprised they didn’t hear the sirens. One resident said he is excited about the potential of having a storm shelter. (Photos from the TingleyIowa Facebook page)

Tingley Community Bldg.

Tingley Presbyterian Church

Ringgold County Emergency Management says it’s important to have multiple ways to receive weather alerts. They recommend people sign up for Alert Iowa and pay attention to updates from the National Weather Service.

Council Bluffs, Iowa [KETV] — Pottawattamie County officials took new action Tuesday to help people affected by the deadly tornado outbreak. KETV reports the county board of supervisors put its emergency disaster proclamation into writing, authorizing the continued use of county resources to help disaster areas. It will be active for 30 days or until extended. Supervisor’s Board Chair Susan Miller said she’d made a verbal approval Friday but it needed to be formalized. Board members also voted to waive fees for building permits for tornado damage. Different agencies like Pottawattamie County Emergency Management also gave updates on clean up efforts.

Efforts have focused in Minden since the town received the majority of the damage. Emergency Management Director Doug Reed said “Just about the entire east side, east half of Minden is impacted with the significant majority of them completely destroyed.” He said they’ve made progress restoring power to some homes and are now working to restore gas where they can.

Volunteers also helped people clear their homes in Crescent, Tuesday, and supplies have been set up for those who need it at its fire station. Reed said they’re also working to set up multi-agency services for people impacted by the tornados and go to each town impacted.

Neola resident Joe Munch said the response has been great but he wants to see more collaboration to get the word about resources out for people impacted. He and other community members gathered supplies at the Neola Area Community Center. “Part of the disappointment, he said, “is the organizational effort of it, that we did have this resource available for folks and they didn’t know.”

He said piles of supplies are sitting in the gym waiting for people who need them. Susan Miller said county leaders are working to identify needs and provide resources. She said they’ll also work to get information about grants available for people affected.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO-TV)— Nearly every one of Iowa’s 99 counties has an unsolved homicide or missing persons case. But now, there’s a new push to solve them. The criteria to categorize a case as ‘cold’ can be different depending on who you talk to, but by definition, it is when detectives run out of fresh leads. Often, that means it loses priority over newer cases that might be more solvable. That’s one of the reasons Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is using her position as one of the state’s most powerful people to create a statewide cold case unit.

Iowa currently doesn’t have investigators at the state level who are looking into unresolved cases. A federally-funded unit within the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation shut down in 2011 when the funds ran out after three years. Bird has pleaded with state lawmakers, requesting $523,464 as a ‘critical budget need’ to help cut down on the hundreds of cold cases the state has. It’s a dollar amount that Bird said she feels will make an impact — to start.

If approved, Bird said the funding would go toward creating positions for three full-time investigators and one prosecutor who would comprise the new cold case unit within the state’s Department of Justice. The hiring process could get underway by the summer. The unit would then work at the request of smaller, local agencies to collaborate on an old case and review tips, re-evaluate evidence and, hopefully, bring cases to justice.

The criteria might be different depending on who you talk to, but by definition, a case is categorized as ‘cold’ when detectives run out of leads. And most of the time that means it loses priority over newer cases that might be more solvable. The 2011 high-profile murder of West Des Moines realtor Ashley Okland is one example. According to Jody Ewing, the woman who runs IowaColdCase.org, there are more than 750 unsolved cases in the state. Ewing said her organization is the only database tracking the numbers, and it is the catalog of crimes that Attorney General Bird pointed to when she made her budget proposal.

The Attorney General said she believes she has the support to get the state funding approved. Coupled with all of the advancements in technology in recent years, it could prove to be a big boost for unresolved investigations across the board. A tentative budget for fiscal year 2025 was approved by the legislature on April 20. It was sent to Governor Kim Reynolds’ office for review. She has line-item veto power.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s office said they won’t know how much funding they have to work with until it’s officially approved. However, the FY 2025 budget will have to be approved by July 1, 2024. A tentative budget for fiscal year 2025 was approved by the legislature on April 20. It was sent to Governor Kim Reynolds’ office for review. She has line-item veto power.

Unsolved cases can be found at iowacoldcases.org., and on Facebook at iowacoldcases.