The Henry County Historic Preservation Commission met Wednesday April 17, 2024 at the Henry County Heritage Center. Several topics were covered including the sign for the Wayland Historic Residential District being approved with a plan to have it installed by Memorial Day weekend. The Commission will be assisting the Mt. Pleasant Historic Preservation in the upcoming Preserve Iowa Summit in Mt. Pleasant the first week of June. The Commission will also be presenting a session on its 30 years of historic preservation in the county and Joel Garretson of the Commission is organizing a pre-conference social at the East Grove Farms Winery on June 5. In other business, there was a discussion of the project plan by the Daughters of the American Revolution for reconstruction of the Lowell Mills monument. Also discussed was the Oakland Mills historic wagon bridge being closed to the public for safety reasons. The next meeting will be held May 15th at the Henry County Heritage Center.
Sports, April 18th
High School Track and Field
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Washington today with Mediapolis also in attendance. The boys’ team will travel for the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Ike Ryan Relays today with Mediapolis participating.
The track meet held at Louisa-Muscatine today has been postponed.
The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ and boys’ teams will host their senior night meet today with Danville, New London, West Burlington, and WACO bringing both teams.
High School Soccer
The WACO boys’ team will host Highland tonight.
Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union versus Central Lee scheduled for tonight has been postponed. A makeup date has not been announced yet.
The Mediapolis boys’ team will take on WACO on April 23rd at 5 pm, while the girls’ team will compete against West Branch tonight at 5 pm.
Mt. Pleasant had their matchups against Fort Madison tonight postponed due to weather. The games will be made up on April 30th with the boys on the road and the girls at home.
The Danville boys’ team will travel to take on Hillcrest Academy tonight.
High School Tennis
Mt. Pleasant’s competition against Keokuk today has been postponed. The matches will be made up on April 30th with the girls’ team at home, while the boys’ team will be on the road.
High School Golf
The Wapello boys’ and girls’ teams hosted an invitational yesterday and the Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team came out on top with a team score of 348 as Hillcrest Academy took second place with a team score of 357, while Highland persevered on the girls’ side with a team score of 400 followed by Louisa-Muscatine with a team score of 423.
On the boys’ side, the Ravens touted the top golfer in Rowan Miller with an impressive 18-hole score of 75 (+3). Nevertheless, the Wolves had five golfers finish in the top eight with Carter Loyd (+11) and Justin Knipfer (+14) finishing as the second and third best golfers of the day, respectively. Danville shot a 427 as Alex Holtkamp led the way for the Bears as he shot a 95.
The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team’s score of 515 placed the Wolves in fourth place with Lily Freeman finishing with the seventh best score of the day at 105 (+32). Burlington Notre Dame did not have a complete team score, but Emersyn Hopkins had a nice round of golf with a score of 105, which placed her in fifth individually.
Winfield-Mt. Union’s meet against Louisa-Muscatine has been rescheduled to April 29th.
The WACO boys’ and girls’ teams’ meet against Columbus tonight has been canceled.
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to participate in a tournament today at Edmundson Golf Course, while the boys’ team will head to Fairfield tomorrow, April 19th, for a makeup meet.
New London and Central Lee’s meet scheduled for tonight has been postponed. A makeup date has not been announced yet.
Mediapolis will take on Holy Trinity Catholic on April 26th after their meet tonight was postponed.
Southeast Iowa Playbook
Mt. Pleasant was the school of focus for last night’s episode and our special guests were Ellie Situmeang of girls’ Tennis and Avin Truong of boys’ Track and Field. Ellie believes that the team has fallen right into place and that’s hard to argue as the Panthers tout a 5-1 record.
“The team has been really good. I think having Jana here pushing us down a level has kept us in a spot where we can actually be competitive. Last year, everyone who was the top of our team graduated and everyone who was the top of all the other teams was still there. So, it was a rough season for us, but everyone is now, I think, in the right spot and we’ve all been really determined and we’ve just gotten through.”
Avin’s motivation lies outside of just having success at the high school level, so he’s setting his aspirations high,
“Yeah, I definitely have bigger goals beyond just high school track. And so, I think that’s what keeps me motivated. Coach Striegel and I talk about it all the time like, we can’t set goals because like you only live up to that goal. We have to set like landmarks that we build to and then build past. And then we always talk about like World Championships, how they hold up a flag whenever they win and stuff like that. So like that’s, like, where I want to be.”
New episodes premiere on Wednesdays during the school year at 6 pm on KILJ 105.5 FM and kilj.com. If you missed last night’s episode follow this link to our archive: Southeast Iowa Playbook
Southeastern Community College
SCC baseball will host Des Moines Area Community College tomorrow, April 19th.
The SCC softball team had their doubleheader against Indian Hills Community College moved to tomorrow.
This Day in Sports History
1964 – LA Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax strikes out the side on 9 pitches, for a major league best third time in his career. One of three to have ever pitched an Immaculate Inning three times.
1966 – Bill Russell becomes the first African American coach in NBA history (Boston Celtics).
1987 – Gregory Robertson does 200-mph free fall to save an unconscious skydiver near Coolidge, Arizona.
Martin John Doyle
Martin John Doyle, 84, of New Boston, Iowa, passed away at 8:21 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison, Iowa.
He was born on February 26, 1940, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the son of John Francis and Catherine Margaret (Peitzmeier) Doyle. On September 8, 1962, he married Donna Kay Wilhelm at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fort Madison, Iowa. She preceded him in death on March 8, 2010.
He is survived by three daughters: Patricia (Scott) Weirather of Keokuk, Iowa, Diana (Carl) Frank of Conifer, Colorado, Dana Tripp of Niota, Illinois; two sons: Daniel (Lori) Doyle of Wyaconda, Missouri, Patrick (Jeanne) Doyle of Donnellson, Iowa; eight grandchildren: Nathan and Brian (Kelsey Weigand) Weirather, Marissa Phillips, Caleb Doyle, Zachary (Chance Morgan) and Evan Doyle, Dharma and Hoyt Tripp; three step-grandchildren: Cori, Colbi (Katie) and Quinton Seth; several great grandchildren; two brothers: Francis (Kate) Doyle of Creston, Iowa, Michael (Twila) Doyle of Argyle, Iowa; two sisters: Mary Pezley of Argyle, Iowa, Carolyn Hocker of Argyle, Iowa; sister-in-law: Judy Doyle. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife: Donna; brother: Marvin; brothers-in-law: Laverne Pezley, Bill Hocker; niece: JoAnn Kettering and nephew: Jake Pezley.
Martin was a 1960 graduate of Argyle High School. He worked as a carpenter for Doyle Hoyer Construction then started Martin Doyle Construction from which he retired. Martin was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Montrose. He served in the United States National Guard from 1951 to 1953 then served in the Reserves for several years to follow. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his family.
His body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation.
A visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Friday, April 19, 2024, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Montrose.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, April 19, 2024, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Montrose with Father Gary Beckman as celebrant. Burial will be at Argyle Memorials Gardens in rural Argyle, Iowa.
Memorials have been established in his memory for Argyle Memorial Gardens or St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Schmitz Funeral Home of Donnellson is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com
Prep Girls’ Soccer: State Championship Games Find a New Home in Ames Starting in 2025
Ames, IA- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) announced that they will be teaming up with Ames starting in 2025 to host the State Soccer Championships for three years.
The agreement covers the 2025-2027 championships with an option to extend the agreement for future years. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played at Lied and the Maple/Willow/Larch fields with the Cyclone Sports Complex housing the championship games.
This year’s championship will begin on May 28th in Des Moines.
Iowa and Iowa State Men’s Basketball Stay Busy During the Off-Season
Men’s College Basketball- Iowa and Iowa Sate’s basketball seasons have been over for a couple of weeks now, but postseason awards are starting to trickle in and other big news pertaining the basketball programs are ongoing so here’s a rundown of the recent happenings for the Hawkeyes and Cyclones.
The College Sports Communicators (CSC) released their Academic All-American teams today and Payton Sandfort for the Hawkeyes and Tamin Lipsey for the Cyclones were both named to the Second Team.
Sandfort averaged 16.4 points per game and ranked second in the Big 10 in rebounds with 6.6 per game. He is the 7th Hawkeye and 10th overall Academic All-American in program history and the first Academic All-American since 2016. The junior touts a 3.91 GPA in finance.
Lipsey became just the 8th Cyclone to be named a CSC Academic All-American and the third to do so in the same season of being named an All-American for his play on the floor (Fred Hoiberg and Melvin Ejim). He is the first to earn AP All-American and CSC Academic All-American honors in the same season. Lipsey averaged 12.4 points and 2.7 steals per game.
In other Hawkeye news, Drew Thelwell will be a Hawkeye next season after transferring from Morehead State University, so he can play out his last year of eligibility. In his four seasons with the Eagles, Thelwell averaged 7.1 points and 3 assists per game. He helped the Eagles earn two Ohio Valley Conference regular season titles and a trip to the NIT and NCAA Tournament.
Lastly, former Cyclone and current Indiana Pacer Tyrese Hailburton has been named to the 12-man roster for the 2024 USA Men’s National Team for the Paris Olympics. The two-time NBA All-Star has been on three USA Basketball rosters (FIBA World Cup, U19 World Cup, and U.S. Select Team).
They will start off their play against Serbia on July 28th, South Sudan on July 31st, and the winner of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament on August 3rd. Hailburton is one of nine Cyclones to play for USA Basketball.
Southeast Iowa Bans Together After Destructive Severe Weather
Community; a feeling of fellowship with others. After a large storm system stretching from just North of the Missouri line to North of Wayland produced numerous tornadoes, hail, and torrential rain causing destruction; our communities immediately banned together.
The City of New London updated that residents and students have one of the homes destroyed by the tornado packed and will continue to assist affected residents. If you would like to help, cases of water, snack items, totes, cookies, Gatorade, and cereal can be dropped off at the New London Library. The Tiger Food Pantry is open tomorrow, Thursday from 3:30 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. The city of New London will be picking up residents’ limbs and branches curbside tomorrow (Thursday, 4/18/2024). After this date residents can haul their branches to the city lot south of the school’s football field (on Adams St.).
Burge Cemetery West of New London needs volunteers to clear debris and repair monuments. If you would like to volunteer, show up to the Cemetery after 8 am on Thursday, April 18th as they will be working all day. If you are not able to physically volunteer, donations are being accepted for repairs. To donate send a check addressed to Burge Cemetery to PO Box 123 New London, IA 52645.
Holy Trinity Catholic will be sending Holy Trinity Catholic High School students to Houghton to aid in clean up this afternoon. Houghton Mayor Gayle Thompson suggested following the path of debris as the best way to assist in clean up efforts. Some homes in the Houghton Area are still without power. Alliant Energy originally told residents they may be without power for up to four days but has since updated they hope to have power restored by the end of today.
Clean up efforts in Salem persist. Randy Kruse is in need of volunteers to assist in repairs and cleanup at 3389 Hickory Avenue Salem, IA 52649. Kruse’s property was severely damaged in yesterday’s storm resulting in debris scattering neighboring properties.
Please refrain from driving around areas affected by yesterday’s storms as utility workers are still repairing downed power lines and clearing debris. Thank you to everyone for your quick actions, giving hearts, and limitless drive to assist.
NLCSD Offers Community Help After Devastating Storms
The New London Community School District still has school today, but due to the destruction of yesterday’s storm, administration is extending the offer for students 7th through 12th grade to help with clean up around town. New London Community School District stated, “Providing students with the opportunity to help with cleanup efforts not only supports the community but also instills a sense of empathy and responsibility in our students.”
The school district is asking parents with students wanting to participate to call or email the High School office. They plan to leave the school after the 1st period and will return for a short lunch before returning to the community to provide more assistance. If you were affected by the storm and need assistance, please message your address and name to the New London Community School District Facebook page, or call the high school at 319-367-0500.
The city of New London will be picking up residents limbs and branches curbside tomorrow (Thursday, 4/18/2024).
After this date residents can haul their branches to the city lot south of the school’s football field (on Adams St.).
Southeast Iowa Hit Hard With Severe Weather
Southeast Iowa was hit hard with severe weather yesterday afternoon. Downed power lines are still throwing a wrench in todays plans, Salem Elementary will not have school today due to loss of power but staff is to report as normal.
Lee County spotted a total of 3 tornados in the county. Overturned semis, sides of buildings gone, debris, and downed power lines. Damage at Hwy 16 and 150th avenue resulted in a closure yesterday afternoon, as of this morning the span of Hwy 16 from 150th to 130th is still closed.
Yesterday just before 4:30 in the afternoon, Mount Pleasant Fire Department reported a tornado touchdown south east of Mount Pleasant heading East. The tornado followed Highway 34 wreaking havoc on powerlines. The West side of New London saw damage to homes, downed trees, a barn obliterated, and machine sheds ripped apart.
The tornado then headed Northeast through Burge cemetery. Jesse Howard, President of Burge Cemetery said, “The impact has been significant, damaging hundreds of headstones, shredding nearly every tree, and completely destroying our historic shed built in 1921. In light of the current situation, our primary focus is to ensure that the families affected by the storm receive the necessary assistance to restore their homes to livable conditions. We understand that their needs should be prioritized, and therefore, we have decided to postpone the cleanup process until Thursday.”
North of New London on New London Road, Quaker Avenue, and 250th Street saw extensive damage. Homes were destroyed, debris littered fields, outbuildings were lifted from their foundations, and residents arrived in droves to assist those affected. Residents and first responders uncovered basement entrances, boarded up windows, and tarped no longer existing roofs.
Damage was also reported in Yarmouth, IA.
No injuries have been reported. Walt Jackson of Henry County Emergency Management has a working list of homes damaged by yesterday’s storms, if you experienced damage you can email Walt at wjackson@henrycountyiowa.us or call the office and leave a message at (319) 385-1479.
Kevin Wheeler, General Manager and CEO of Access Energy Cooperation confirmed power was restored to almost all members by midnight last night. The only member still without power is moving a manure spreader that was displaced into the lines by the storm. Wheeler thanks everyone for their patience.
As of 8:45 a.m. this morning Alliant Energy is working to restore power to 17 residences North of and around Salem with power restoration expected at 9 this morning, 796 residences around the Houghton area with power restoration expected about 10:30 this morning, and 40 residences with an estimated power restoration time of 10 am.
When yesterday’s storms passed, a double rainbow took the place of dark skies. Thank you to all of the hard working utility workers, first responders, and everyone that showed up to help their neighbors.