DES MOINES, Iowa – Across Iowa and the nation today, people are being asked to take time to stop and think about how their words may affect others. This is “Spread the Word to End the Word” day, asking people to remove the “R-word” from their vocabulary, said Rik Shannon, public policy manager for the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council.

“The word ‘retarded’ is used so often that people often don’t realize just how cruel and offensive the term is,” said Shannon. “When we choose words like that word, whether we intend to or not, we really disparage other people.”

Shannon said nearly 50,000 Iowans who have developmental disabilities are family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. While today is focused on getting everyday people to stop using the word, Shannon said on a higher level, it’s already been replaced with the phrase “intellectual disability” in the text of laws, both locally and nationally.

“We’ve made a great deal of progress in recent years in removing the ‘R-word’ from state and federal code references,” he said. “Choosing language that’s more respectful, more inclusive is a big part of building strong communities where everyone feels like they’re welcomed and accepted.”

More information and resources can be found online at r-word.org and at IDaction.org.

(Iowa News Service)

Two men were arrested early this (Wednesday) morning, following separate traffic stops in Fremont County. The Sheriff’s Dept. says 64-year old Francis Bruce Ingerson, of Savage, MN, was arrested for Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle, No Insurance and Failure to have a valid Driver’s License. Ingerson was pulled over at around 1-a.m. on Interstate 29 near mile marker 24, because there were no license plates on his 1987 Lincoln. He was brought to the Fremont County Jail and held on $1,215 bond.

At about the same time as Ingerson was being arrested, deputies in Fremont County conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Main and A Streets in Hamburg. A 1995 Mercury Cougar with no license plates was pulled over, and its driver, 43-year old Jeffrey Wade Massey, of Hamburg, was charged with Driving Under Suspension, No Insurance, Operating a Non-Registered vehicle, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine.

Massey was being held in the Fremont County Jail on $2,608 bond.

A vehicle breakdown Tuesday morning on Interstate 80 in Omaha resulted in the death of a Pottawattamie County man. The Omaha World-Herald reports 44-year old Michael D. Holcomb, of Council Bluffs, was struck and killed by a semitrailer truck on eastbound Interstate 80 near 52nd Street. Holcomb was reportedly hit in the far left lane about 10:35 a.m.

According to Omaha police, a 2002 Jeep Cherokee with apparent mechanical problems was stopped on the shoulder. Holcomb was outside the vehicle when he stepped into traffic. An SUV with its hood up could be seen parked on the left shoulder near where emergency crews were working.

The semi driver, 54-year old James J. Bolter Jr., of Omaha, was not hurt. Officials caution that if your vehicle breaks down and is on the shoulder of the road, you should constantly be aware of your surroundings with regard to the flow of traffic, and never assume other drivers see you or your vehicle in that type of situation.