Power company officials are reporting scattered outages this morning. Mid-American Energy reports 37 customers in Cass County were without power this morning. The company says a total of 87 people are without power in the Council Bluffs service area, which includes customers in Council Bluffs, Elliott, Glenwood, Mills, Montgomery and Pottawattamie Counties.

One person died and seven others were injured, during a single-vehicle accident late Sunday night in Interstate 80, in Cass County. All of the victims were from Grand Island, NE. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2004 GMC driven by 40-year old Jesus Cantero-Perez,was traveling west on I-80 at around 10:30-p.m., near the Marne Exit (mile marker 55), when the vehicle went out of control due to freezing rain/icy conditions.
The vehicle entered the ditch and rolled onto its passenger side. A passenger in the vehicle, 9-year old Joshua Tavares, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene.

Cantero-Perez, and his passengers, 35-year old Wendy Tavares, 11-year old Ashley Tavares, 12-year old Kimberly Tavares, 11-year old Yamilet Cantero, 15-year old Jonathan Tavares, and 10-year old Emanuel Cantero, were all injured in the crash. Four of the injured children were not wearing seat belts. Both adults were buckled-up.

The injured were transported by Marne and Walnut Rescue to the Cass County Memorial Hospital, in Atlantic.

Officials with the Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center School District say a tentative Superintendent contract has been offered to current Clay Central-Everly School District Superintendent/Elementary Prinicipal, Dennis McLain. Based on the feedback from the interview teams and candidates’ qualifications, McClain has been offered the shared superintendent position, which will be approved at a special board meeting, pending a formal background check.

Officials say over the past seven years, McLain brought the CC-E School District nutrition fund into the positive, built up their unspent balance through diligent spending decisions, and led CC-E by expanding their 1:1 technology from grade 9-12 to K-12. He previously served as the K-12 principal for the Stanton School District, and was a lead teacher for Clarinda Academy.

Dennis McLain earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education and health from Buena Vista College in 1995. He earned his Master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from Jones International University in 2007 and his Advanced Studies Certificate in superintendency from UNI in 2013. Dennis is currently working on his doctorate degree at UNI in educational leadership.

Dennis, and his wife Donna, have three children. He and current district superintendent Steve Smith will begin collaborating for the remainder of the school year, to ensure a smooth transition. The new superintendent will begin his duties on July 1, 2019.

(Radio Iowa) — Many of Iowa’s largest employers rank commercial air service as a top factor in expansion and relocation decisions. However, a national pilot shortage is threatening air services in some mid-sized Iowa cities. Pam Osgood, director of the Mason City Municipal Airport, says the shortage is being felt in both commercial and private sectors of aviation. “By 2021, the national system will need 5,000 pilots and without those pilots, 500 aircraft could be grounded,” Osgood says. “If the pilot shortage continues to swell, by 2026, there could be nearly 15,000 pilots needed which would ground over 1,500 aircraft.”

Experts in the industry say the shortage is due in large part to a massive number of pilots about to reach the mandatory retirement age of 65. Osgood says difficult FAA requirements on training and the cost of that training are among the other factors. “The training is prohibitively expensive and not eligible for traditional student financial aid and education loans,” Osgood says. “We need to make it more affordable for young men and women to get their pilot’s license.”

The Regional Airlines Association has warned the pilot shortage has already caused small regional airlines in the U.S. to shut down. The RAA has called on regulators to allow pilots to qualify with fewer hours in the air, replacing some of the training with a flight simulator.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say one person was hospitalized after a fire that damaged a house on the west side of Sioux City. Firefighters were dispatched a little after 1:45 p.m. Sunday. Fire officials say three people were home when the fire started near where a carport connected to the house. The injured person is expected to survive. The fire cause is being investigated.