An Iowa native who’s teaching history in a Nebraska high school is starting out today (Wednesday) in eastern Nebraska, planning to walk 500 miles through Iowa and on to Chicago to call attention to modern-day slavery. His trek begins at 7-a.m. Along the way, he’ll make stops in Tabor, Hastings, Red Oak and Elliott. He’ll be at the Hitchcock House in Lewis, at around 2-p.m. Sunday. His next stops include Cumberland, Greenfield and Winterset, in the KJAN listening area.

Barry Jurgensen

According to Barry Jurgensen, “What I’d really like to do is help people become aware of this social injustice by using history of how we resisted slavery, so I’ll be following the Underground Railroad from Nebraska City to Chicago.” Jurgensen and his high school students in Arlington, Nebraska, were inspired by the story of two female slaves who escaped 158 years ago. Their path to freedom began in Nebraska City, Nebraska.

The following tentative schedule indicates where Jurgensen plans to spend each night while in southwest Iowa…. June 1: Tabor; June 2: Hastings; June 3: Red Oak; June 4: Elliott; June 5: Lewis; June 6: Cumberland; June 7: Greenfield; June 8: Winterset.

“Those two young women were just extremely inspirational to me because as I continue to research slavery, I realize that their story closely parallels the story of young boys and girls that are being enslaved today,” Jurgensen says. Jurgensen says Eliza Grayson and a woman history remembers only as Celia were slaves to a Virginia family that moved to Nebraska City, but the women were able to escape with help from people involved in the Underground Railroad. Jurgensen, who grew up in Denison, says he hopes his walk inspires people to do what they can today to help those who trapped in the sex trade or in forced labor.

“It’s difficult for young boys and girls to escape their enslavement because they’ve been almost brainwashed into depending on the people that have enslaved them,” Jurgensen says. Jurgensen calls his project “Walk Forever Free” and he’ll be joined along the way by many of his high school students. Jurgensen is hoping to raise 50-dollars for every mile he walks. He’s raised seven-thousand dollars so far. The donations will go to the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives. It’s an international non-profit that fights modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

The “Global Slavery Index” released yesterday (Tuesday) by an Australian group called the “Walk Free Foundation” concludes 46 million people around the world are living as slaves today. On Saturday, June 11th, Jurgensen will be about a third of the way through his walk and he’ll speak about his experiences during an event at the State Historical Building in Des Moines. You can follow him on Facebook at Walk Forever Free.

Traffic safety experts say we’ve entered the “100 deadliest days” for teenagers behind the wheel. Steve Gent is director of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Office of Traffic and Safety. “It’s basically between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year…that time is the most deadly time for teenage drivers,” Gent says.

The Iowa DOT shared that message with drivers this week on their interstate message boards. Gent says one reason the summer months are so dangerous for teen drivers is their cars are often full of other teens. “The research has shown that when you have other teenage passengers in the vehicle, the crash risk goes up exponentially,” Gent says. “If there’s one other teenage passenger, traffic crashes increase 44-percent. If there are two teenage passengers, the crash rate doubles. If there are three or more, it quadruples the chance of being in a crash.”

Passengers aren’t the only distraction for teen drivers. Gent says all drivers, regardless of age, should put their cell phone away when they get behind the wheel. “You know, most (teenagers) had a cell phone in their hand long before they had the keys to the car in their hand. So, for them, it’s just second nature to have the cell phone,” Gent says.

The National Safety Council reports, every year, about 1,000 people die in crashes involving teenage drivers nationwide during the  stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day. So far this year, 143 people have died in traffic crashes on Iowa roadways. That’s 35 more fatalities than the same period last year.

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Figures from a survey of supply managers in nine Midwest and Plains states have risen, suggesting economic growth ahead. A report issued Wednesday says the Mid-American Business Conditions index hit 52.1 in May, compared with 50.1 in April and 50.6 in March.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the region’s manufacturing sector is expanding. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests economic growth. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports a traffic stop early this (Wednesday) morning in Sidney, resulted in the arrest of a local woman on drug charges. 22-year old Nicole Penfield, of Sidney, was taken into custody after the Fremont County K9 unit found her to allegedly be in possession of a controlled substance and numerous pieces of drug paraphernalia.

Nicole Penfield

Penfield was being held at the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center on $1,300 bond.