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Hitchcock House near Lewis opens for guided tours

News

May 4th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Reverend George B. Hitchcock House near Lewis opened Monday, for guided tours. The tours are available Wednesdays through Sundays, with the first tour each day beginning at 1:15p.m. Additional tours will start at 2:15 p.m., 3:15 p.m., and 4:15 p.m. In order to comply with CDC guidelines, a mask will be required and social distancing will be observed. A mask will be provided with the cost of admission. The charge for a tour is $5 per person over the age of 14.

George B. Hitchcock House (2018 photo)

The Hitchcock House was built in 1856, and was used to assist in the safe passage of fugitive slaves through southwestern Iowa on their way east and north to Canada during the mid-19th century. The house now serves as an interpretive center of the life of an early pioneer, and the escaping slaves who traveled the Underground Railroad to freedom. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places, and was accepted as a site on the National Park Service Network to Freedom and designated a National Historic Landmark in February of 2006.

National Historic Landmark sites embody the actual sites where significant historic events occurred or where prominent Americans worked or lived, and represent ideas that shaped our nation. National Historic Landmark designations are an official recognition by the federal government of a historic properties’ significance. Less than 3,000 historic properties in the United States are designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Backers say bill could be boost to Iowa’s breweries, distilleries and wineries

News

May 4th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The owners of Iowa wineries, distilleries and breweries would be able to get a state license to sell their products for consumption at a second location under a bill that’s headed to the governor. Under current law, state licenses for selling glasses of Iowa-made wine, beer or spirits are just for the property where the alcohol is produced.

Jane Bloomingdale

Representative Jane Bloomingdale of Northwood says a second location could send business to the first. “This is a good bill for Iowa. It allows our native manufacturers to have a presence on Main Street, which I think is very important in particular to our wineries,” Bloomingdale says. “It also allows them a little more visibility and hopefully they get more visitors out to their vineyard.”

Senator Carrie Koelker, of Dyersville, says this bill means an owner might be able to cut, copy and paste their tasting room and gift shop model to a second retail location. “This is a great tool for Iowa’s economic growth and tourism industry,” Koelker says. “Wineries, distilleries and breweries have become local staples and attract Iowans and are part of our economic engine.”

The bill passed the House in late March and it passed the Senate last Thursday.

Search for ‘middle ground’ between House and Senate Republicans

News

May 4th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Negotiations continue at the statehouse to try to end the stalemate between Senate and House Republicans over taxes. A proposed cut in property taxes along with an acceleration of income tax cuts are priorities for the Senate G-O-P, but Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver says there are a lot of other decisions to make, too. “The House has passed a lot of different bills. We’ve passed a lot of different bills and we need to just get on the same page and figure out what those joint priorities are, what we can pass to move the state forward, and end with a successful session,” Whitver says. Speaker Pat Grassley, the top Republican in the House, says there are state budget issues to resolve as well. “We’re having conversations with the Senate to try to figure out where the middle ground is on everything,” Grassley says, “whether it’s budget policy, tax policy…just policy in general that’s out there.”

Republicans hold a majority of seats in the House and Senate and therefore control the debate agenda. Democrats in the legislature continue to criticize Republicans for failing to use the state’s budget surplus to provide pandemic relief to small businesses and individuals. Jennifer Konfrst, the second-ranking Democrat in the Iowa House, says back in January, Republicans promised to address a lack of child care in Iowa. “In fact, all we’ve got is another task force that’s been announced to address child care,” Konfrst says. “Well that’s great, but the situation we have isn’t that we don’t understand where the problems are. The situation is we haven’t done anything to fix the problems.”

The Republican-led House has passed a series of tax credits designed to boost the number of child care slots in Iowa, but those have stalled in the Senate. The Senate’s Republican leader says those proposals could be added to a final compromise on tax policy.

Central Iowa man arrested in Kansas homicide case

News

May 4th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Des Moines Police assisted in the arrest on Sunday of a man suspected of having involvement in a Kansas homicide case. KCCI reports police said they learned a potential suspect was in the area on Sunday after a homicide in Prairie Village, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. They were provided with a photo of 58-year-old Michael Lavaughn Balance, of Des Moines, who authorities believed to have lived in Des Moines. An officer said he recognized the suspect, and said he’d had contact with the suspect the day prior.

The Des Moines Police Department located Balance and took him into custody. Law enforcement in Prairie Village, Kansas, obtained a warrant for Balance’s arrest. The man is in the Polk County Jail awaiting extradition.

2nd suspect arrested in dog starvation death and neglect case

News

May 4th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) announced Monday that another arrest was made in the starvation death of an Ankeny dog and the neglect of another. Todd Townsend is facing 2 charges of Animal Neglect – Death or Serious Injury. On Friday, Amber Robison of Ankeny was arrested and charged with 2 counts of Animal Neglect – Death or Serious Injury.

Todd Townsend

The ARL said a dead, emaciated dog was brought into the shelter last weekend. The ARL realized another dog was in the Ankeny home and said they were able to save him.

2 children reported missing from Children’s Square in Council Bluffs

News

May 4th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

UPDATE 9:25-a.m. from CBPD: Thank you all for your assistance in looking for these two juveniles. Both children have returned to Children’s Square USA unharmed.

The Council Bluffs Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a 10 year old male and 13 year old female who ran away from Children’s Square USA, a little before 9-p.m., Monday.

Authorities say 10-year-old Taylor DeGonia is a white male, 5’4”, brown hair, wearing black shirt and blue jeans. 13-year-old Dakota Van Beek is a white female, 5’4”, blonde hair wearing a blue T-shirt and grey sweatpants.

If these children are located please contact the Council Bluffs Police Department 712-328-4728 or call 911.

Mills County Sheriff’s report, 5/3/21

News

May 3rd, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Three people were arrested on separate charges early Saturday morning, in Mills County. At around 2:15-a.m., 33-year-old Zachary Clay Younts, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on Main Street in Malvern, on warrants for Violation of Probation, and Contempt of Court. His bond was set at $25,000.

At approximately 3:25-a.m., Saturday, 31-year-old Courtney Paige Pontow, of Malvern, was arrested following a traffic stop on I-29. She was charged with OWI/1st offense, with bond set at $1,000.

And, at around 5-a.m., Saturday, 61-year-old Thomas Oscar Anderson, of Red Oak, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bond was set at $2,000.

Midwest economy sets one-month record for growth

News

May 3rd, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The monthly Creighton University survey of business leaders shows the Midwestern economy saw its biggest-ever economic bounce during April. On the zero to 100 scale, the business conditions index hit a record 73.9 for the month, its largest in almost three decades of surveys. Creighton economist Ernie Goss says the region’s economy, which includes Iowa and eight other states, has posted growth for 11 straight months now.

Ernie Goss

“This economy is moving along but it’s constrained, if you can believe that, constrained by supply bottlenecks,” Goss says. “Four out of the ten supply managers reported they were experiencing significant bottlenecks and delays in deliveries, so that’s slowing down the growth.” Iowa’s business conditions index for April is lagging behind the region overall and rose to 67.9, up from 66.5 in March. The survey found hiring in the region sank during April, as more than one in five (22%) supply managers named finding and hiring qualified workers as the greatest 2021 challenge to their firm.

“The stimulus package that was put through by the Biden administration is having some negative impacts on the overall hiring,” Goss says, “simply because you’re paying workers more to remain unemployed rather than to get a job, and we’re going to continue seeing that be an issue going forward.” In March and April of last year, the region lost 106,000 manufacturing jobs. Since bottoming out in April of 2020, Goss says the Midwest has added 58,000 manufacturing jobs. The economic pressures of the prolonged pandemic are appearing elsewhere, too.

“We’re already seeing higher airfares, the airlines are increasing prices on tickets and that’s being reflected in family travel,” Goss says. “Business travel, still not good. We’re seeing conferences being canceled, we’re seeing conferences being held on Zoom or on remote.” Compared to pre-COVID-19 levels, Goss says Iowa manufacturing employment is down 4,300 jobs, or 1.9%, while average hourly manufacturing wages are 2.1% lower.

(UPDATE) Casino parking lot shooting investigation ends w/victim refusing to cooperate

News

May 3rd, 2021 by Ric Hanson

In an update to our earlier reports, police in Council Bluffs say a man who was shot in the parking lot of a Council Bluffs casino early Monday morning, is refusing to cooperate with investigators, so they are closing the case without any arrests. The incident took place in the parking lot of the Ameristar Casino. Authorities say at around 2-a.m., officers were dispatched to the casino at 2200 River Road, with regard to a security officer who was out with a man, who had suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Officers spoke with the unidentified victim, who told them he was walking in the parking lot, when a dark colored SUV drove up to him, and someone inside fired a shot at the man. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

At 11-a.m., Monday, detectives attempted to speak with the victim of the shooting for a second time. The unidentified 29-year-old male from Russellville, Mo., was still uncooperative, but told detectives the incident “was not a random shooting.” The man had arrived at the casino in the unknown suspect’s vehicle, and when the suspect returned to pick him up, the victim was shot once in the abdomen.

Iowa’s Best Burger Award goes to northeast Iowa bar and grill

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 3rd, 2021 by Ric Hanson

In celebration of “May Beef Month,” the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and Iowa Beef Industry Council are excited to announce the results of Iowa’s Best Burger contest. Bambino’s, in Ossian, has been awarded this year’s Iowa’s Best Burger honors. At first glance, Bambino’s appears to be a hole-in-the-wall, nestled between Decorah and West Union. Customers having visited the quaint Ossian establishment, before or after it had ranked among Iowa’s Best Burgers, would concur—there is more than meets the eye.

Ron Lienau, of Fredericksburg, IA, purchased the bar in 1982. He and his girlfriend, Sue, decided to embark on this journey together, but “for a little while; not too long.” One year later, Ron and Sue wed. Soon after, the couple started their family, having four boys in five and a half years. “We were hoping to sell when our youngest was in Kindergarten,” Sue recalls. “Thirty-nine years later, and we’re still here.”  The Lienau’s raised all four boys, while managing the bar and growing their business. Sue’s bar shift offered flexible hours, allowing her to attend the boys’ sporting events. As they grew older, all four boys worked for the family-owned business. Sue is proud of her boys, as they gained both cooking and social skills from their food service experience. She is now teaching her grandsons how to wash glasses and assist customers.

Bambino’s, which mimics Ron’s college nickname, was “truly a bar,” at first. However, Sue says “food became a bigger demand over time.” When the restaurant in town closed, it left townsfolk without a place to dine. Bambino’s, which did not feature a service kitchen at the time, found a way to open early and serve breakfast. Sue cooked at home, then brought her breakfast items to the bar to serve. Eventually, a new restaurant opened and Bambino’s stopped its breakfast service, but continued with its noontime meal. “Throughout it all, we have had a good noon meal,” Sue says. “My meals are always made from scratch.”

To date, Bambino’s has continued offering noon specials, including: hamburger steak on Monday, roast beef meal on Thursday, and chef’s pick on Friday. “We do more food business than bar business,” Sue shares. “Beef, all around, is our biggest seller. It’s in our goulash, meatloaf, and soups.” Aside from the daily lunch specials, “cheeseburgers and fries have been customers’ go-to.” Bambino’s keeps busy with burgers “all day and all night,” as farmers call in for a no hassle, utensil-free lunch, bowlers seek out a quick meal on their drive back from league night, and softball players round out a long evening. Bambino’s burgers are highly sought after, and “you can get them anytime.” Bino (Ron) will serve burgers from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., attracting customers all throughout the day. Bambino’s burgers feature fresh, never frozen, 80/20 fine ground beef. Ron and Sue patty the 7-ounce burgers as orders come in. The burgers are then cooked to 160 degrees, placed on a fresh KwikStar bun, and customized.

Bambino’s most requested burger is the “veggie burger,” which features a juicy, all-beef burger patty topped with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. Customers can customize their burgers anyway they’d like. Popular toppings include: bacon, egg, onion rings, and hash browns. Overall, Bambino’s customers “just like beef,” Sue says. “They’re beef eaters.”   Sue enjoys unleashing her creative side, when building a burger. Not only does she create flavor, but fun. Regular customers and special guests may find a creative design made out of ketchup on their burgers during special occasions, such as birthdays and holidays. In her spare time, Sue continues to chip away at her children book series, which her customers helped inspire. The Lienau’s enjoy their customers, and the hospitality shown by Sue and Ron make Bambino’s a special place to dine. “Meeting new people and welcoming new visitors” has been the highlight of their Best Burger Contest experience. Unfamiliar guests become part of the Bambino’s family well before they step foot outside. The Lienau’s know no stranger.

The flavor, creativity, and hospitality, which abounds at Bambino’s, have helped this small-town establishment secure Iowa’s 2021 Best Burger award. The designation as Iowa’s Best Burger comes after a two-phase competition, sponsored by the Iowa Beef Industry Council through the Iowa State Beef Checkoff and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. The first phase is based on votes from the public. For a month, burger lovers went online and voted for their favorite Iowa burger joint. At the end of the month, the 10 restaurants with the most votes were declared the “Top 10”. From there, three anonymous judges visited each of the restaurants, scoring the burger patties based on taste, doneness, and presentation.

Bambino’s, located at 102 N Lydia Street, Ossian, IA, 52161, is open from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Sunday. The establishment is 10 miles south of the Decorah Municipal Airport or six miles east of Calmar, right off Highway 52 on N Lydia St.