(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports the arrest Tuesday evening, of 53-year-old David Wayne Kemp, of Creston. Kemp was arrested at his apartment and charged with Sex Offender Registration Violation 1^st Offense, and 2 counts of Sex Offender Verification 1^st Offense. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $6,000 cash or approved surety bond. 

HENDERSON Co., Ill. (KWQC) – Two workers with a Burlington, Iowa construction company died Tuesday morning, after they were struck while on a bridge worksite, in Illinois. According to the Illinois State Patrol Troopers responded to the scene at around 8 a.m. on the Great River Bridge. The workers, identified as 20-year-old Pearson J. Franklin and 35-year-old Andrew Whitcomb, both from Burlington, were walking behind their stationary pickup truck and trailer, with the yellow construction lights activated, while setting construction barrels for a work zone on the Great River Bridge of U.S Route 34 westbound.

A 2016 Mazda CX5, driven by 21-year-old Emily Johnson, was westbound on the bridge hit a barrel, and then hit the two workers causing fatal injuries. The driver and both construction workers were transported to an area hospital, according to troopers. Both of the construction workers were pronounced dead. Johnson was cited for Scott’s Law – improper passing of a stationary emergency vehicle, improper use of an electronic communication device and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

(Radio Iowa) – Early voting begins today (Wednesday) in Iowa for this year’s General Election. Iowans may vote in-person at their county auditor’s office or the election office in their county. This is also the first day county auditors can mail an absentee ballot to a voter who requested one. In order to be counted, your county auditor must RECEIVE that ballot by 8 p.m. on November 8th. Secretary of State Paul Pate says don’t depend on overnight delivery by the U.S. Postal Service.

“Allow for at least five days, conservatively, and you’ve got well over a million homeowners mailboxes and we’ve got another 4000 ‘blue’ (USPS) boxes to utilize,” Pate says. “County auditors usually have a dropbox as well.” Dropboxes must be inside or directly outside the county auditor’s office. Iowans can track the progress of their absentee ballot online. The address is voter-ready-dot-Iowa-dot-gov (www.voterready.Iowa.gov).

“I highly encourage that for anybody who’s voting through the mail, the absentee process. I think it gives you a better feeling of security that, ‘Yep, it got there,’ and so you can also check to find out where your ballot is at,” Pate says. “If you’re requesting one and wonder why you haven’t gotten it yet, you can see if they got your request. It’s, I think, a very good tool for folks to look at and use.” The most common mistake voters make on a mail-in ballot is they forget to sign and date the envelope.

Next Monday, October 24th, is the last day you may ask your county auditor to mail an absentee ballot to a voter. “If they have questions, we always encourage them to go to www.voterready.iowa.gov, or to call their county auditor,” Pate says, “just to make sure they’re successful.” Early voting has been underway in the neighboring states of Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota and more than a dozen other states. By Tuesday morning, 153-thousand Iowans had submitted a request for an absentee ballot and Pate is repeating that reminder about a new deadline for absentee ballots.

“We want to make sure you know it needs to be in the possession of the county auditor on November 8th,” Pate says. Voters do not have to mail absentee ballots. They may be hand-delivered to their county auditor’s office. A voter’s relatives or guardian may assist in returning an absentee ballot. Under a new state law, anyone else could be charged with a crime if they collect or deliver an absentee ballot from a voter with whom they have no legal or family relationship.

(Radio Iowa) – The Cherokee Community School Board has voted to let select staff members carry firearms on school grounds. The school board’s president says the policy is a response to active shooter situations around the country. Superintendent Kim Lingenfelter spoke with K-T-I-V television:

“We were approached by staff that wanted to carry, that carry a gun competently wherever they go except for school and that’s how our conversation began and they asked that we bring it to the board,” she said. “Then conversation began with law enforcement officials — the chief of police, our school resource officer.”

Those approved to carry a weapon in Cherokee schools will have to undergo training and the Cherokee Police Department will determine which staff members qualify. The Spirit Lake school district passed a similar measure in August. Its plan involves ten anonymous staff members who carry concealed guns on school grounds, but none of them are teachers.