A restaurant in Fairfield beat out nine other establishments, including one in Creston and another in Clarinda, in capturing the title of “Iowa’s Best Burger.” The Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Monday, announced the winner of the contest as The Cider House, in Fairfield. The restaurant use all locally raised beef in creating their nearly 6.5-ounce burger patties. They use all the meat cuts from the cattle in a grind for their hamburger, whereas other establishments may use chuck, rib, sirloin and round cuts from the beef animal.

The Cider House staff are (from left) Hopi James, Skylar Messer, Annalisa Thompson, Cole Fishback, and Clint Stephenson.

This year, Iowans submitted more than 4,000 votes nominating 286 restaurants in February and March. Those votes were used to select the Top Ten restaurants. The Top Ten were then independently visited and judged based on the hamburger’s taste, appearance, and proper serving temperature (160 degrees).

The judges found the beefy flavor at The Cider House to be the best. In fact, its hamburger is so good that it inspired one of the owners who was formerly a vegetarian to give meat another try. The Cider House exclusively features the beef from Adrian Family Farms. The cattle are raised like so many others in Iowa: pasture-grazed and corn-finished, and cared for with compassion and treated humanely.

Other restaurants that made the Top Ten with The Cider House are (alphabetically): Ankeny Diner, Ankeny; Big City Burgers & Greens, Des Moines; Down Right Delicious, Clarinda; Elm’s Club, Creston; First Street Grille, Keosauqua; Rides Bar & Grill, Fort Dodge; Saucy Focaccia, Cedar Rapids; The Ritz, Arnold’s Park; and Zombie Burger, Des Moines.

Previous winners in the contest are: 2014 – Brick City Grill, Ames; 2013—61 Chop House Grille in Mediapolis; 2012—Coon Bowl III in Coon Rapids; 2011—Rusty Duck in Dexter; and 2010—Sac County Cattle Company of Sac City.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A 22-year-old Sioux City man is accused of slamming his live-in girlfriend’s 3-year-old son into the corner of a piece of furniture. Online court records say Markus Leon is charged with child endangerment causing serious injury and is being held in Woodbury County Jail.

Authorities say Leon was baby-sitting the boy and a 1-year-old child on April 22 and became angry when the boy’s noise kept waking up Leon, who was trying to sleep. Leon told officers that he lost his temper and slammed the boy into the furniture. The child later was diagnosed with a lacerated liver, a bruised spleen and a bruised kidney.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City teenager has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a failed robbery. The Sioux City Journal reports the 17-year-old pleaded guilty in March to assault while participating in a felony and second-degree burglary. He must serve a mandatory minimum of five years in prison before he’s eligible for parole.

According to court documents, the 17-year-old and two others entered a Sioux City house. The documents say one of the suspects brandished a gun to try and steal drugs from a drug dealer, but was overpowered by the home’s occupants and held until police arrived. The 17-year-old and another other suspect fled and were arrested later. The two other people involved, both of Sioux City, were sentenced to 10 years in prison each.

Sheriff’s deputies in Fremont County arrested a man Monday night on assault and drug charges. Authorities say 24-year old Kevin Junior Booher, of Hamburg, was arrested at around 10:45-p.m. at the corner of E and Washington Streets, following an incident involving deputies.

The Sheriff’s Office says Booher was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on charges that include: 2 counts of Assault on a Peace Officer; Possession of a Controlled Substance; Interference with Official Acts, and Public Intoxication.

His bond was set at $3,600. Fremont County deputies were assisted at the scene by officers with the Tabor Police Department.

CLARINDA (KJAN) – 2 students escaped from the Clarinda Academy early this (Tuesday) morning. The Native American males are both from South Dakota. Anyone with information on their location should call 9-1-1.

COUNCIL BLUFFS (KJAN) – Two men were injured when three unidentified men invaded their Council Bluffs home late Monday night. One of the suspects fired a shotgun during the incident, but no one was hurt as a result of the blast. The suspects got away with money and other items.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Council Bluffs police charged a 39-year-old man with attempted murder after stopping his vehicle and finding him bleeding from stab wounds. Police charged David Leroy McKee, who is being treated at an Omaha hospital. After stopping McKee, he was treated and charged with attempted murder, first-degree burglary and felony domestic abuse assault.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The head of Iowa’s economic development agency says she will try to facilitate communication between labor leaders and officials overseeing construction of a $1.8 billion fertilizer plant that recently issued layoffs. Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham says she is open to hosting a meeting with labor leaders and officials involved in the construction of Iowa Fertilizer. Iowa Fertilizer recently had about 3,000 workers at its construction site near Wever in southeastern Iowa. Layoffs were issued in April to more than 1,400 employees.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Ideal weather last week enabled Iowa farmers to make progress planting their corn and soybean crops. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says as of Sunday, farmers had planted 68 percent of the state’s corn crop and 11 percent of the soybean crop. Both figures are better than the five-year average. The USDA says 84 percent of farmland had adequate topsoil moisture, with 11 percent short and 5 percent in surplus.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Officials say the bird flu virus has been found in four more locations in Iowa, bringing the total number of poultry that must be killed in the state to more than 19 million. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship says new cases were reported at an egg-laying operation in Wright County with 2.8 million chickens and at three turkey farms. Two of the turkey farms are in Buena Vista County and one is in Cherokee County. State officials didn’t release the number of birds at the turkey operations.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports two students at the Clarinda Academy jumped from a dormitory window at around 2-a.m. today (Tuesday), and are absent from custody. One of the students is identified as Kenneth “Kenny” Earnest Saunsoci from Rapid City, South Dakota. Saunsoci is a Native American Male, 5’7”, 115 lbs. with brown hair and black eyes. There is no clothing description.

The second student is Lukas Trent Barse, from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Barse is a Native American Male, 5’9”, 140 lbs. black hair, brown eyes. At this time Saunsoci and Barse’s whereabouts are unknown. It is unknown whether they are still together or have split up. If you see these individuals, you should not approach them, but contact your nearest law enforcement agency on 911.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating a home invasion that resulted in shots being fired. The incident happened at around 9:15-p.m. Monday, at 1921 Parkwild Drive, in Council Bluffs. Authorities say the victims, 21-year old Alexander Gadilla and 19-year old Emmanuel Oyet, of Council Bluffs, were at home when they heard a knock on the door.

One of three unidentified men opened the unlocked door from outside the home and began to assault the victims. A second man was in the hallway of the home and discharged a shotgun. All three men demanded money and other items from Gadilla and Oyet.

The suspects fled the scene on foot. Gadilla and Oyet suffered minor injuries resulting from the altercation. The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 712-328-4728.

Police in Red Oak report 45-year old Mark Douglas Berggren, of Red Oak, was arrested Monday afternoon. Berggren was taken into custody at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on a valid Mills County warrant for Violating a court issued No Contact Order. Berggren posted a $300 cash bond, and was released.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ideal weather last week enabled Iowa farmers to make progress planting their corn and soybean crops. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says as of Sunday, farmers had planted 68 percent of the state’s corn crop and 11 percent of the soybean crop. Both figures are better than the five-year average.

The USDA says 84 percent of farmland had adequate topsoil moisture, with 11 percent short and 5 percent in surplus. Farmers reported 82 percent of subsoil moisture was adequate. The state agriculture department says half of Iowa’s corn acreage was planted last week.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say the bird flu virus has been found in four more locations in Iowa, bringing the total number of poultry that must be killed in the state to more than 19 million. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced Monday that new cases were reported at an egg-laying operation in Wright County with 2.8 million chickens and at three turkey farms. Two of the turkey farms are in Buena Vista County and one is in Cherokee County.

State officials didn’t release the number of birds at the turkey operations. The addition of the Wright County chicken farm brings the total number of poultry that must be killed to 19.3 million birds. The birds are killed in an effort to halt the spread of the virus.