Firefighters with the Elk Horn Fire Department were dispatched to a house fire southwest of Elk Horn, at around 4:12-a.m. today (Monday). Officials tell KJAN News the fire started on the front porch at 2511 600th Street. The resident used a fire extinguisher to put out most of the flames prior to fire crews’ arrival. There were no injuries reported.

A central Iowa man died early this (Monday) morning, during a crash in northwest Des Moines. The Iowa State Patrol reports 31-year old Joshua Todd Peterson, of Johnston, was traveling westbound at a high rate of speed on Interstate 80 about a mile west of the Johnston exit, when his 1998 Pontiac Grand Am hit a light pole. Peterson, who was wearing a seat belt, was ejected during the crash and died at the scene. The crash happened at around 12:45-a.m.

The Creston Police Department reports 22-year old Brandon Lane Barrett, of Creston, was arrested Friday afternoon in the 500 block of W Montgomery St. Barrett was taken into custody on a Union County Warrant for Burglary 2nd Degree, plus a charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was being held at Union County Jail on a $10,000 bond, and without bond on a State of Iowa Warrant for Escape. Also arrested Friday afternoon in Creston, was 43-year old John Anthony Neely, of Creston. Neely was arrested for driving while barred. His bond was set at $2,000.

And, at around 2:45-a.m. Sunday, 26-year old Taylor Ryan Parker, of Creston, was arrested on an OWI charge. Parker was later released from the Union County Jail on Promise to Appear in court.

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.