Some 315-thousand Iowans are of voting age who also have a disability. With the national political conventions starting next week, Iowans with disabilities are being urged to register to vote. Rik Shannon, project manager for the group Iowans with Disabilities in Action, says there’s a disparity between Iowans who vote and Iowans with disabilities who vote.

“In the last presidential election in 2012, that gap between the rate at which voters with and without disabilities turned out was about 5.7%,” Shannon says. “It was even a little higher in Iowa, up to about 6.3%.” According to research from Rutgers University, had people with disabilities voted in the same numbers as able-bodied people in the last presidential race, another ten-million votes would have been cast. This is National Disability Voter Registration Week and Shannon says he wants to make sure the voices of Iowans with disabilities will be heard at the polls in November.

“We’re really hoping to use this campaign to raise awareness of people with disabilities about the importance of engaging in the 2016 election,” Shannon says. “Getting them registered to vote is just the first step in becoming a voter.” Iowa does offer same-day voter registration, meaning, people can register at their polling places on Election Day, but Shannon says people should sign up now instead.

“It eliminates some of the hassles and some of the time that it takes to register on Election Day,” Shannon says. “You do have to jump through a couple of extra hoops. People may have some difficulty producing the proper identification or proof of residence. That’s a whole lot easier to do if you register early.” You can register to vote at the Iowa Secretary of State’s website: sos.iowa.gov. Iowans can also register at county auditors’ offices, driver’s license stations, D-H-S offices and other state agencies serving people with disabilities.

(Radio Iowa)

The Audubon County Fair continues through Sunday, in Audubon. Thursday evening, 2015 Fair Queen Tess Albright passed the crown on to Molly Armentrout, who was named the winner of the 2016 Audubon County Fair Queen contest. Molly is the daughter of Tim and Tracey Armentrout, of Audubon. Molly told KJAN her older sister Rebecca Grabel persuaded her to try for the crown and title.

‘Becca was the Audubon Fair Queen about eight-years ago. Molly said also she also wanted to get involved in a new way, because she hasn’t been in 4-H, so she wanted to step out of her “Comfort zone,” and learn a little bit more about agriculture that she doesn’t already know.

Molly is in the green dress. Thanks to Cassie Irlmeier for the photo.

The path to the stage and her crowning included interviews last week with the Queen candidates. Molly said she just tried to be herself during the interviews, and answer the questions as best as possible. She said she stumbled over the question “If you could have dinner with any person living or dead, who would it be?,” but in the end, it all worked out ok. Molly says she plans on attending Iowa State University after the State Fair Queen Competition. She prefers ISU because it’s closer to home, and because her sister attended the college. At ISU, she’ll study English and Secondary Education.

1^st runner-up in the Queen contest was Kaitlin Schultes, the daughter of Chris and Shandy Schultes, of Audubon. Kaitlin will be a Senior at the Audubon High School during the 2016-17 school year. She says she has plans on attending college after graduation, but she’s not sure where that will be at this time. Kaitlin said even though she didn’t think she would enjoy the process of competing for Fair Queen, it turned out to be better than expected.

And, the 2^nd runner-up honors went to Taylor Nielsen, the daughter of Robert and Christy Nielsen, of Hamlin. Like Molly Armentrout, Taylor said participating in the Fair Queen contest brought her out of her “Comfort Zone.” Taylor would like to attend college to become a Veterinarian, because she loves animals and wants to make sure they stay healthy and happy.

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

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One person was transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital by private vehicle, Thursday evening, following a collision at the intersection of W. Joy and N. Broadway Streets, in Red Oak. Authorities say 34-year old Brandon Strunk, of Red Oak, complained of ringing in his ear, possibly the result of a side airbag deployment.

Strunk was traveling south in a 2007 Honda Civic, when his car was hit on the driver’s side rear door by a 2007 Chevy Impala. The Impala was driven by 17-year old Ryan Green, of Red Oak. Green told Police he stopped at the intersection headed westbound, but due to the sun being in his eyes, didn’t see the Civic. A witness told Police Green did not properly stop at the intersection before proceeding into it.

The impact spun Strunk’s car around 180-degrees. Damage from the crash amounted to $15,000. Red Oak Police issued Green a warning.

A Union County man was arrested late Thursday night. Creston Police say 20-year old Ryan Jason Parmenter, of Creston, was arrested for Domestic Abuse/Simple Assault. Parmenter was being held at the Union County Jail on a $300 bond until he’s seen by the magistrate.

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

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OAKLAND, Iowa – July 15, 2016 – The Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 4 Office in Atlantic report, that in the next few weeks, motorists will see crews working at the intersection of U.S. 59 and U.S. 6 near the new Riverside High School. The Iowa Department of Transportation will begin installing a four-way stop at the intersection complete with stop signs, flashing beacons, rumble strips, new pavement markings and pre-warning signs. The work is scheduled to be completed July 28th, weather permitting.

The Iowa DOT has been working with the Riverside School District and the architect the last several years to improve safety at this intersection. One of the changes this group developed was moving the entrance into the school to line up with westbound U.S. 6 and installing the four-way stop. The new four-way stop is being installed prior to the beginning of the school year to allow motorists to become more familiar with the new safety feature.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

Fifteen Grundy County field workers were taken to a Marshalltown hospital Thursday after being accidentally exposed to herbicide. Officials were notified of the situation just after 4:30-p.m. Thursday, and set up a decontamination area in the hospital’s parking lot.

The workers were at an undisclosed location in Grundy County and were apparently affected by herbicide from a ground sprayer being carried by the wind to where they were working. Those affected were complaining of sore throats and itchy eyes, and after decontamination were given further treatment.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Atlantic High School are warning area businesses and residents about a phone scam. According to A-H-S Principal Heather McKay, someone identifying themselves as “Amy from AHS” is calling, asking businesses to renew their advertising, with regard to a poster.

McKay says that person is NOT from the Atlantic High School or authorized to act on behalf of the school, and the caller is trying to perpetrate a fraud.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved one of two requests for hardship payments Thursday for those impacted by the downsizing of the greyhound racing industry in the state. The commission approved 30-thousand dollars for Richard Barrett, who says he couldn’t find a job making what he lost working video equipment at the Council Bluffs greyhound track. They voted against any payment to Davyana Haverty, who said she lost her job at her parent’s kennel and the money she had counted on to pay for college. Commissioner Jeff Lamberti says they examine each case individually.

“We have to look at what was in the legislation — which wasn’t a lot with respect to hardship quite frankly — then we came up with rules,” Lamberti says. “And what we were really looking at was like the first case where somebody lost their job, had no other opportunities, skills that weren’t easily transferable to another industry. And I think that’s why we approved that hardship claim, it was directly related to it.” Lamberti says there appeared to be less of hardship in Haverty’s case.

“When I personally looked at the other situation I think there was opportunity to go out and find another job from the time it closed. She’s young, she can go get a job just like any other kid would,” according to Lamberti. “And while it is admirable to want to go to college debt free — I am not sure that’s the job of the commission or the intent of that hardship fund.” The casinos that operated the greyhound tracks in Council Bluffs and Dubuque are paying into a fund to handle the hardship cases, with the maximum payment of 100-thousand dollars.

“I think as we’ve gone through these…we tried to send the message that we are going to set a pretty high threshold in terms of that hardship. WE’ve had people who initially filed and then withdrew as they had a job opportunity and chose not to take it. Well, that’s not a hardship,” Lamberti says. He says Barrett’s case was a good example of how someone was directly impacted by the closing of the track.

“He got a job, but it was substantially lower than what he had done and it wasn’t in his field. And so he had a real hardship. We set the bar high because we probably couldn’t logistically handle 500 claims,” Lamberti says. He says each person making a claim has to fill out the proper supporting paperwork.

Lamberti says the field staff goes out and investigates each of the claims and writes up a full report for the commissioners to review. Claims had to be filed by June 30th to qualify for any payment. There were 20 claims submitted with the commissioners approving four — including Barrett’s claim — five claims have been denied, two were withdrawn and the rest are pending.

The commission has approved a 100-thousand dollar payment, a 50-thousand dollar payment, and two 30-thousand dollar payments. The agreement reached by legislators and approved by the governor closed the Council Bluffs Greyhound track and shifted the management of the Dubuque dog track away from the casino there to the Greyhound Racing Association.

(Radio Iowa)