Three people were injured during two separate accidents Friday on Interstate 80 here in Cass County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, two people on a motorcycle were injured when their rear tire blew out at around 8:35-p.m. about 2.5-miles east of the Wiota exit. Officials say a 1997 Harley Davidson cycle driven by 32-year old Robert Shuttleworth, of Sterling, VA, was traveling westbound when the tire blew, causing the cycle to go out of control and end up in the median. Shuttleworth and his passenger, 32-year old Michelle Gaffey, also of Sterling, VA, were injured. Both had been wearing their helmets. They were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by Anita Rescue.

The second accident happened near the Marne exit on I-80 westbound, at around 4:50-p.m., Friday. The State Patrol says a 2012 Buick Murano driven by 33-year old Jessica Winston, of Bennington, NE, and a 2009 International semi driven by 44-year old Ceferino Oquendo-Garcia, of Omaha, were traveling west in the right hand lane of I-80, when the front of the semi hit the rear of the SUV. Both vehicles pulled-off the interstate at Exit 51. Winston, who was wearing her seat belt, complained of pain and drove herself to the Cass County Memorial Hospital to be checked out.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — This weekend’s Powerball jackpot will be worth at least $300 million, so the $2 tickets are likely to sell quickly. Saturday’s jackpot is still well below the record Powerball jackpot of $590.5 million that an 84-year-old Florida widow won in May.

But it’s big enough to attract casual players who only buy tickets when they think the payoff is big enough to be life-changing. The odds of matching all six numbers — five white balls plus the Powerball — are 1 in 175.2 million. Lottery officials expect plenty of tickets will be sold in the 43 states that offer Powerball. Tickets are also sold in Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Officials with U.S. Cellular said Friday (today), the wireless service provider has decided to bring back its “Calling All Teachers” campaign for the first time since 2010, to donate $500,000 to help teachers fund projects to enhance their students’ learning experience. The company is working with DonorsChoose.org and inviting teachers to post their projects on the site for potential funding. DonorsChoose.org is a philanthropic website that helps teachers find funds from corporate and individual donations for classroom projects.

Don Cochran, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in Iowa, said “Teachers influence children in so many positive ways, so we want to help them provide an excellent learning experience for students,” and that the “Calling All Teachers” campaign is a way for teachers to get the tools they need to advance their students’ education.”

Iowa public school teachers can register online at DonorsChoose.org, affiliate as a U.S. Cellular teacher, then post their classroom projects. When the campaign was held in 2009 and 2010, U.S. Cellular donated $2.1 million to fund more than 3,800 classroom projects, which included purchasing musical instruments, reading games, technology tools and science experiments. All projects must be submitted by Sept. 16 to be eligible for the funding.

And, starting in November, U.S. Cellular also will bring back its “Calling All Communities” campaign for the fifth year. Schools can rally community support for the chance to win a share of $500,000 to fund what their students need the most. The top 20 schools that garner the most community votes will each win $25,000 to use as they wish to improve their educational experience.

For more information, visit uscellular.com.

Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burkes, Friday, released the names of the candidate who will appear on the September 10th School Election ballot. There are three vacancies in the Red Oak School District’s Board of Education. Candidates include: Kathy M. Walker, Warren C. Hayes, and Paul M. Griffen. There are also three vacant seats up for grabs on the Stanton School Board. Candidates include: Mark Lindgren, Brian Bates and Jeff Sorensen.

Voters in the Stanton election will also have to decide on whether or not they wish to approve Proposition A, which calls for the adoption of a Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS) specifying the use of revenues from the State of Iowa to “Secure an advanced vision for education fund received by the Stanton Community School District.” The RPS specifies the use of the sales, services and use tax funds received from the State, and may be used for school infrastructure purposes (such as a new school building or buildings, new additions, the repair, expansion or improvement of district facilities, etc.).

Voters in the Villisca School District have two names on the Sept. 10th ballot to fill two vacancies on the school board. The candidates are Leland D. Shipley, and Todd Drake. And, there are candidates on the ballot for Director of Southwestern Community College district 1, as well as district 3 through 7. Candidates whose names appear on the ballot for those respective districts include Dennis Davis, Jerry Smith, Carol Saxton, Ken Rech, Zach Gunsolley and Vicki Sickels.

Their names will appear on all of the ballots in Montgomery County, as well as Public Measure B, which asks if the college’s Board of Directors (who serves 13 counties in western & southwest Iowa) should be authorized to continue to levy a tax not to exceed 20.25-cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value, for a period of 10-years, beginning with collection for the fiscal year ending June 30^th, 2017. The renewed tax would be used for infrastructure and equipment purchases as needed.

The polls will be open from Noon until 8-p.m. September 10th in Montgomery County, for the School Elections.

Earlier today (Friday) The Red Oak Police Department reports arresting 22-year old Christopher Michael Tyner of Red Oak for Domestic Abuse Assault and Obstruction of Emergency Communications. Tyner was transported to the Montgomery County Law Center and held on $300 cash bond.