DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new report shows a slight drop in the number of Iowa children abused or neglected last year. The state Department of Human Services report released Monday shows more than 11,600 children were abused or neglected in 2012. That’s a 1 percent decline from 2011. Nearly 80 percent of all cases were considered neglect. It means a caretaker’s action or inaction puts a child in harm’s way. Officials say common examples are parents incapable of supervising a child because of drug or alcohol abuse.

Other cases involved physical or sexual abuse. The report says more than 8,800 of all cases involved perpetrators who were later placed on a child abuse registry. The rest were considered minor and not likely to occur again.

Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds says she is encouraging the woman who took her seat in the Iowa Senate to consider running for the U.S. Senate. “I’ve always been involved in encouraging and strengthening the bench of the Iowa Republicans Party and especially encouraging females to get involved in the political process,” Reynolds says, “and so I don’t think it would be uncharacteristic of me to reach out to Senator Ernst.”

Republican Joni Ernst of Red Oak won a special election in January, 2011 for the state senate seat Reynolds left when Reynolds became Iowa’s lieutenant governor. “I encouraged Joni to seek that position and she was successful and really it goes back further than that,” Reynolds says. “When she was deployed…through email we were connecting back and forth and I was encouraging her to run for the county auditor’s position, so our history goes way back in working together and really just encouraging qualified people to run for office, so she just hits it out of the park on both issues.”

Ernst was deployed to Kuwait 10 years ago. Ernst served as Montgomery County’s Auditor for from 2005 through 2011. Ernst said in late April that she was considering a run for the U.S. Senate, but waiting for Congressman Steve King’s decision. King announced late Friday night that he would not run for the Senate. Republican Congressman Tom Latham, State Ag Secretary Bill Northey and the lieutenant goernor herself have all decided against entering the Senate race. Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley is the only announced candidate. Senator Tom Harkin announced in late January that he would not seek reelection in 2014.

(Radio Iowa)

An Audubon man faces an OWI/1st Offense charge after he was pulled over early Sunday morning,  near Highway 44 and Ibis Avenue, in Audubon County. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Departments says 30-year old Kyle Edward Lauridsen was brought to the Audubon County Jail following his arrest at around 2:40-a.m.  He later posted bond, and was released.

Sheriff’s officials in Fremont County have released their most recent activity report. Authorities say 41-year old Jill Lynn Davalos, of Sidney, was arrested April 28th, for OWI/1st offense. That same day, 39-year old Douglas Allen Hastie, of Glenwood,was arrested for Driving Under Suspension and Speeding.

And the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a Thurman woman about a burglary and theft on April 30th. And an incident of Criminal Mischief was reported by a Hamburg man, on April 21st. There was also a two-vehicle accident which occurred on April 25th, but no injuries were reported.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests over the weekend. On Sunday, 27-year old Brett Douglas Johnson, of Griswold, was arrested on a charge of OWI 1^st Offense. Johnson was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance. And, on Saturday, 24-year old Jodi Lynn Brookshire, of Audubon, was arrested, also on a charge of OWI 1^st Offense. Brookshire was taken to the Cass County Jail where she was released later that day on her own recognizance.