×
×
homepage logo

McLouth schools still without power; classes could be canceled Thursday

By Shawn Linenberger - | Dec 12, 2007

McLouth schools could be out for a third consecutive day if power – knocked out by the recent winter ice storm – isn’t restored.

Superintendent Jean Rush said Wednesday afternoon that she’s not been successful in reaching “a live person” at Westar Energy. The company is tending to power outages throughout the region, including one that has crippled much of Jefferson County. McLouth is in eastern Jefferson County.

“Right now all I know, the school does not have any power, and I don’t know when it’s going to be back on,” Rush said late Wednesday afternoon.

She said she was at work at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when power initially went off. Electricity has not been on since.

Rush said she made the decision about 11 p.m. Tuesday to call off Wednesday classes because of concerns about road conditions, as well as the possibility that power would not be back on. Although road conditions have improved, school would not be held Thursday if power is not restored, Rush said.

Rush said she was in contact with Oskaloosa Superintendent Jon Pfau, who said his school was experiencing a brownout, in which electricity was restored to some rooms in the school, but not others. If more power isn’t restored there, Rush said Oskaloosa also would not have classes Thursday.