(Radio Iowa) — Smarter cars aren’t necessarily making dumber drivers, but a survey from Iowa’s largest auto insurance company finds smart cars are creating more careless motorists. Ben Buenzow, a State Farm agent in Urbandale, says the survey asked drivers about high-tech features like adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance. Buenzow says, “These adaptive features are really meant to assist the drivers, not replace the drivers.”

While the slick features were designed to make travel safer, the opposite affect may be what’s happening. He says the national survey found drivers with advanced safety tech in their vehicles are taking more risks on the roads. “It appears that the folks with these adaptive cruise controls and lane keeping assistance and the driving assistance are feeling more comfortable, which is allowing them to utilize more cell phone interaction and things along those lines, versus vehicles that don’t have these adaptive features,” Buenzow says. “The numbers are pretty alarming.”

The survey found drivers with advanced features in their cars admit to using their smart phones while driving at significantly higher rates than those without the latest tech. “Upon using video chat on a cell phone while driving, you’re looking at 39% of people that have adaptive cruise control in their vehicle, versus 19% that don’t,” Buenzow says. “So, you have a 20% differential of people that are using video chat while driving down the highways.”

It’s illegal to text and drive in Iowa and doing so is now a primary offense, meaning, a police officer can pull you over just for texting behind the wheel. Still, drivers with improved safety features admit to flaunting that law more often. “Reading or sending text messages, 62% of the respondents of the survey that have these adaptive driving features in their vehicles are utilizing and reading text messages or sending them, versus 49% that don’t have those features,” he says.

The goal of the survey, Buenzow says, is to make motorists aware of their potentially-deadly mistakes and to spark change. He says nothing should take your attention away from your number-one task — driving safely.

The Creston Police Department reports two arrests took place, Monday. 20-year old Noah Wardlow, of Corning, was arrested in Creston for Theft in the 5th Degree. He was later released on a $300 bond. And, 21-year old Ranaya Folks, of Des Moines, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Dept. of Corrections warrant issued in Union County, for Violation of Parole on an original charge of Willful Injury causing bodily injury. Folks was being held without bond on the Union County warrant in Adams County, pending an initial court appearance.

An incident Saturday afternoon northeast of Manning resulted in the arrest of a man from California. Authorities say 50-year old Ronnie Wayne Lee, of Turlock, CA., was being held in the Carroll County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Lee faces felony charges that include intimidation with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as well as habitual offender.

Lee allegedly brandished and fired a handgun during a robbery that took place at around 3:20-p.m., Saturday. 26-year old Brokk Beam, of Denison, told authorities that he was driving from Denison to Carroll in an Allegro Bay motorhome with two other individuals, 50-year old Ronnie Wayne Lee, and 38-year old Crystal Bates, of Carroll, when Lee produced a pistol and demanded Beam give him his money and cellphone.

Beam handed over $189 and the phone and then was forced to leave the vehicle. He walked to the nearest residence to report the incident. The motorhome was located about an hour later in Manilla, but it was unoccupied.

At about 6-pm Saturday, Lee and Bates were seen in a Lexus sedan with temporary Texas tags, near Highway 71 and 220th Street. A traffic stop was performed and the two were taken into custody and transported to the Carroll County Sheriff’s department.

(Radio Iowa) — The state fund which pays for road construction has a negative balance of around 80 million dollars one month into the new fiscal year. The director of the division which oversees construction planning told the state Transportation Commission Monday that will change. The D-O-T’s Stuart Anderson says they normally plan to be about 20 million dollars above the available money in case some projects run behind. “Typically in a year we’ll have a project or two where there are some development issues and it is just not going to be put out to bid as anticipated,” Anderson explains. “So, it’s always good to be a little over-programmed so you have a project ready to go in its place.”

He says the new fiscal year that started in July they had 50 million more in projects than they had funding for — and then a 30 million dollar bridge project for Highway 2 in the flooded area of southwest Iowa was added. Anderson says they normally take bids on one project each month, but had an unusual circumstance where they had several projects were let. “We had a letting for that overflow bridge at Iowa 2. We had our normal monthly letting — and then we also had another special letting for some major work happening on the 80-380 interchange west of Iowa City,” according to Anderson.

Anderson says the project bids came in higher than expected. He says they are also not yet up-to-date on the amount of new funding coming in and how that will impact the bottom line. “That number doesn’t reflect any adjustments for actual revenues — because there is a month’s lag in revenues,” Anderson says. “So, we didn’t report the actual July receipts to the Primary Road Fund. We have some preliminary numbers that show those are coming in higher than forecast, so that will offset that number.”

The receipts he’s talking about are the gas tax, license fees for cars and trucks, and fees for cars and trucks which are sold. Anderson isn’t sure why the bids for the projects are coming in higher. “I don’t know that we have come up with definitive answers on that. I think it could be a combination of just the amount of work happening in the state and in the midwest,” Anderson says. “There’s labor challenges in all sorts of areas related to transportation, whether it’s truck drivers or railroads are facing labor challenges as well. So, it’s possible the road construction industry is having some challenges as well.”

Anderson says they will know more about the actual deficit in the Road Program Fund once they get more information in. He says they will then determine if they need to move projects around in the five-year construction plan.

Iowa’s Third District Congresswoman Cindy Axne will be in Atlantic on August 28th at The Venue, sharing the stage with the three Democratic candidates for the US Senate seat–Kimberly Graham, Theresa Greenfield, and Eddie Mauro.The doors open at 5-p.m., with the candidates speaking beginning at around 6:15-p.m.

Cass County Democratic Party Chair Sherry Toelle reports they will be in Atlantic to help the Cass County Democratic Party fundraiser for the local party.

Cindy Axne

Eddie Mauro

Kimberly Graham

Theresa Greenfield

According to County Chair Sherry Toelle, “This will be a great opportunity for residents of Cass County as well as the counties surrounding us to hear from the four candidates regarding their vision for the future and, for Axne, to also tell her story about the past seven months she has spent in Washington, DC. In a presidential election year, people tend to primarily focus on the presidential candidates, forgetting all about the as-important House and Senate elections. These candidates will directly affect our lives in a way the presidential race will not.”

Axne was elected to the US House of Representatives from Iowa’s Third District in 2018 and is running for re-election. She is among the Democratic members of the House who have passed over 100 bills that are sitting on Majority Speaker Mitch McConnell’s desk in the Senate, unable to move forward or even to be voted on. She has worked to secure workforce training and education and has worked on passing legislation to increase affordable rental housing options. She has also managed to secure an extra $3 billion dollars in flood relief for the Midwestern states, while creating a bill to support rural entrepreneurs, and holding corporations accountable for shipping American jobs overseas , and working to reduce healthcare costs while maintaining protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions. She has visited every county in her district at least once a month during her time in DC., earning her recognition as the most accessible member of Congress’ freshman class in June, 2019.

Kimberly Graham is an attorney. “I never thought in a million years I’d run for office. But it’s time for a government “by the people, for the people.” Senator Joni Ernst campaigned on a promise to “make ’em squeal” in Washington D.C. and get rid of corruption, but the only people squealing are Iowans harmed by her votes. My goal is to be the best senator money *can’t* buy.”  Theresa Greenfield is a small business owner. “Now, more than ever, Iowans need more leaders: a farm kid with farm kid values whose get-it-done attitude will help get things done for working families — from investing in education, to making it easier for small businesses to thrive, to cutting healthcare costs.”

Eddie Mauro is also a small business owner,  whose website calls him a “business owner, father, coach, community volunteer and former teacher who is committed to working hard to improve the performance of our government and empower people.”  Graham, Greenfield, and Mauro are running for the nomination in order to oppose Iowa’s current junior senator, Joni Ernst. A full dinner will be provided at a cost of $25 per person. Everyone is invited to attend the event. Toelle asks that you RSVP her by August 20th. She can be reached at shtoelle@gmail.com or at 243-4861.