IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate has amended his annual personal financial disclosure to list four private companies that were left off his initial filing. The Associated Press reported last month that a company Pate formed before the 2016 election had recently spent about $2 million purchasing a strip mall and developing a Cedar Rapids rental storage business. Yet he didn’t name the company, PRG Group LLC, when asked to list each business in which he was engaged during 2017.

Pate’s amended filing submitted Monday names the PRG Group and three other companies that hadn’t been mentioned on his April 11 disclosure. In a statement, Pate said he doesn’t believe he was required to list all of his business ventures on the form but was doing so because “transparency is a necessary component of good government.” He had previously attacked AP’s report on his undisclosed businesses as “fake news.”

Officials with the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) and Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC), have announced the winner of the “2018 Best Burger” contest. The winner is Café Beaudelaire, in Ames. Brooke German, Director of Marketing for IBIC said today (Tuesday) “We are excited to kick off May Beef Month by awarding Café Beaudelaire with the title of the Best Burger in Iowa. The Brazilian-inspired restaurant serves a hand-pattied burger, and the judges noted that the taste and quality of the burger is outstanding and worth a drive to have it again. ”

Café B, as it is called by locals in the area, is owned by Brazilian-born Claudio Gianello and his wife, Kellie, from Carroll. The restaurant is located in the heart of Iowa State University’s campus-town and serves food with a Latin flavor to Ames’ temporary student population and permanent residents. The restaurant has been in business for 28 years, and over that time, Gianello has tried several different renditions of his now-famous burger. He settled on a simple combination of salt, pepper and oregano on a hand-made patty of Certified Angus Beef. Together with a toasted bun and a variety of toppings, the result is nothing short of amazing.

The designation as Iowa’s Best Burger comes after a two-phase competition. The first phase is all based on votes from the public. For a month, burger lovers went online and voted for their favorite Iowa burger, submitting nearly 10,000 votes representing around 700 restaurants. At the end of the month, the ten restaurants with the most votes are declared the “Top 10.” From there, anonymous judges visited each of the restaurants, focusing on the burger patties and scoring them based on taste, doneness and presentation.

Café B joins previous winners including The Smokin’ Hereford BBQ of Storm Lake, which took home the title last year. Winners in previous years are: 2016 – The Chuckwagon Restaurant Adair; 2015 – The Cider House of Fairfield; 2014 – Brick City Grill in 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.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County say Deputies were dispatched to the 14 mile marker of I-80 late Monday evening, for a report of an assault. Upon completion of the investigation 55-year old Scott Brian Badour, of Huron, SD, was arrested for Serious Assault and Harassment in the 1st Degree. His victim was a 56-year old man driving a Trailways bus. Badour was being held in the Pott. County Jail on $1,000 bond.

And, a traffic stop Monday afternoon in Pottawattamie County, resulted in the driver of the vehicle being taken into custody for Driving While Barred. 43-year old Kathleen Marie Gearhart, of Carson, was arrested at around 3-p.m. near Highway 92 and Virginia Hills Road. Gearhart was transported to the Pott. County Jail.

The Adair County Auditor’s Office reports Absentee Ballots for the June 5th Primary Election, will be available Monday, May 7th.  Absentee Voting deadlines for the June 5th Primary Election are as follows:

May 25th – Last day to request an absentee ballot by mail, to allow timely delivery and return. Request must be received by 5:00 p.m. The Auditor’s Office will be opened from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

June 4th – Last day to vote absentee in person at the Auditor’s Office; All absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than June 4th.

Absentee voters have until 5:00 p.m. to fix incomplete affidavit envelopes.

June 5th – Last day to return absentee ballots to the Auditor’s office before the polls close at 9:00 p.m.

Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees reports the Yard Waste site near the Schildberg Rec Area, will re-open today (Tuesday) at Noon. Please do NOT pile anything on or close to smoldering debris, and observe any cones that are in place.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 30-year old Michael Lawrence Mabe, of Malvern, was arrested Monday night. Mabe was taken into custody for Ignition Interlock Required and Driving Under Suspension. His bond was set at $600.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Police in Council Bluffs say an Officer-involved shooting incident happened early this (Tuesday) morning.  Just before 3:00 am, Council Bluffs police officers attempted to pull over a suspicious pickup in the 3400 block of South 11th Street, near a construction contracting company that was not open for business. The driver of the pickup fled the area, at high speeds and in a reckless manner. A pursuit of the pickup ensued, entering onto south bound Interstate 29, with the vehicles exiting at the Highway 370 interchange. The truck then drove north, on the frontage road that runs parallel to I‐29, eventually returning back to I‐29 near the 45 mile marker, by driving through the ditch that separates the roadways.

Once back on the I‐29, the driver of the pickup intentionally rammed two Council Bluffs police vehicles. The officer that had been operating the second cruiser that had been struck, discharged his service weapon, striking the driver of the pickup. The driver of the pickup, a 28 year old male, was then removed from his vehicle and taken into custody. Officers’ on‐scene rendered medical aid until the Council Bluffs Fire Department arrived. The man was transported to an Omaha area hospital by ambulance for treatment of a gunshot wound to his arm and cuts to his faces. His injuries are not considered life‐threatening at this time.

Charges are pending on the driver of the pickup. Per standard procedure, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation was called to investigate the Officer Involved Shooting, while the Council Bluffs Police Department will look into any criminal actions committed by the suspect. The lanes of south bound I‐29 were shut down for several hours as the scene was documented and processed. Two of the officers involved were treated and released from a local hospital. Authorities are not releasing the name of the suspect or the officers involved at this time. Additional details are expected later this afternoon.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two men have been charged with murder following the death of a Des Moines resident who was severely beaten when his car was stolen in 2013. Twenty-year-old Leshaun Murray and 21-year-old Terrance Cheeks Jr. have been charged with first-degree murder. The two were 15 at the time of the carjacking in which Mike Wasike was injured. Wasike died in January after years spent in care centers.
Murray and Cheeks have been in prison since their convictions for robbery. Online court records don’t list the names of attorneys who could comment for them regarding the newly filed charges.

A third person involved, Kenneth Barry, was 17 at the time. He has not been charged with murder.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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