Henry County Heritage Trust Announces Ribbon Cutting for Iowa Wesleyan Archives Room

By Yorke Prough · Friday, April 26th, 2024 at 11:11 am CDT

Henry County Heritage Trust (HCHT) held its monthly meeting on April 24, 2024, at the museum in Mount Pleasant, with nearly all board members in attendance.

After the minutes and finance reports were approved, plans for the Friday, May 10, opening of the Iowa Wesleyan Archives Room were finalized.  The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:00 AM.  The public will then be invited to tour.  Refreshments and some giveaways will be offered. The IW Archives will be open for touring and research on Mondays, 10:00 to 2:00, through June.  The board recognized Tony Brown, who has refurbished the stuffed “Croaker” band, now housed in the archives.

In June, the Van Allen House is being offered as a tour stop for Preserve Iowa Summit registered attendees.  During the summit, the Van Allen House will be open to the general public on Thursday, June 6, 10:00-Noon.  David Van Allen will present a program on 19th Century photography, June 29.  A Tag Sale and Henry County History Book Sale will be held later in the summer.

The next scheduled HCHT board meeting will be Wednesday, May 22, 10:00 AM at the Henry County Heritage Center Museum, 403 West Madison Street.  The public is invited.

Collins Capitol Connection – Legislative Session Draws to a Close

By Yorke Prough · Friday, April 26th, 2024 at 10:35 am CDT

To the People of House District 95

 

With a motion for Sine Die, the 2024 Session of the 90th General Assembly officially adjourned on Saturday, April 20th at 4:23AM. Sine Die, Latin for “without a day”, marks the conclusion of each legislative session, or in this case, the final session of the 90th General Assembly. The 91st General Assembly will convene following this falls elections on Monday, January 13th, 2025, at 8:30AM.

 

2024 Legislative Session Top Accomplishments

While we saw many victories this year, below is a list of what I would consider our top accomplishments this legislative session:

  • Raised beginning teacher pay to the 5th highest in the nation, set the minimum standard salary for 12-year teachers to $62,000, and allocated an additional $14 million to raise pay for paraprofessionals.
  • Delivered significant income tax relief for all taxpaying Iowans by speeding up the implementation of the flat tax and lowering the rate to 3.8% in 2025.
  • Made our students and staff safer in school with investment in school safety infrastructure and by lowering emergency response times with the creation of a new permit program allowing staff to carry firearms if they meet the high standards of training laid out in code.
  • Gave Iowa law enforcement additional tools and $2 million of new money to protect Iowans from illegal immigration and related crimes such as drug crimes and human trafficking.
  • Prioritized history and civics in K-12 education, while directing the Department of Education to do a thorough review of all curriculum standards to ensure they are setting teachers and students up for success.
  • Prohibited Iowa’s regent universities from spending one dime on so-called “diversity, equity and inclusion” offices that divide students, silence conservative voices, and impose ideological conformity on campus.
  • Continued to fund financial assistance programs for health care professionals who stay in Iowa and serve the communities in need of greater access to care.
  • Incentivized businesses of all sizes to choose Iowa as their home and targeted investment in rural Iowa with the creation of a new certified sites program to spur economic development in counties with less than 50,000 people.
  • Supported law enforcement with additional investment in the Department of Public Safety and Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, and with policies such as covering costs for peace officers moving to Iowa and ensuring a person cannot receive bail for the murder of a police or corrections officer.
  • Protected Freedom of Religion by prohibiting government entities from substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion.

 

Staying in Touch

This will be my last weekly email until the start of the 91st General Assembly next January. However, you can expect my monthly email updates over the interim to start again on June 1st!

As always, you can also can shoot me an email with any questions or concerns at taylor.collins@legis.iowa.gov or you can call the Capitol Switchboard and leave me a message at (515) 281-7340.
Sincerely,

Rep. Taylor Collins

Sports, April 26th

By Slaten Swords · Friday, April 26th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Track and Field

The Central Lee girls’ team traveled to Wapello last night for a meet and finished in 5th place with 74 points, while Muscatine won the meet with 128 points. 

The Hawks got a first place finish from Allison Gruntmeier in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet. Kamryn Cox in the 400-meter hurdles and Aubrey Weber in the discus each claimed second place. 

Mt. Pleasant competed at Pella for the Tulip Time Relays and the girls’ team captured second place with 144.5 points, trailing Pella’s 185 points, while the boys’ team finished in 5th place with 47 points, Pella won the meet with 191 points. 

On the girls’ side, Alex Scott finished in first place with a time of 12.96 seconds in the 100-meter dash. The Panthers raced to first place finishes in the 4×100, 4×200, and the 4×100 meter shuttle hurdle realys. Bailey Jalas captured gold in the long jump with a leap of 16 feet and 4 inches with Kiyah Sanders taking second place. Ella Ensminger won the shot put with a heave of 37 feet and 3 inches. Lastly, Kya Goodrich and Savannah Slobodnik finished first and second in the discus, respectively, with Goodrich winning with a toss of 110 feet and 1 inch. 

On the boys’ side, Harmon Ensminger was the top finisher with a second place heave of 46 feet and 7.5 inches in the shot put. The 1600 medley relay team captured third place with a time of 4 minutes and 8 seconds. 

Mt. Pleasant will participate in the Fairfield Coed Brookhart-Crew Relays on Monday, April 29th, with West Burlington also making the trip. 

WACO hosted the Ekstrand Relays last night and the girls’ team grabbed 6th place with 76 points as Washington won the meet with 173 points. WACO’s Carlee Lunsford captured first place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes and 43 seconds. 

Winfield-Mt. Union finished in 11th place as the Wolves dominated in the hurdles with Josie Nelson running a 16.91-second 100-meter hurdles to grab the win, while Tessa Huston picked up a win in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1 minute and 13 seconds. 

On the girls’ side for Class A, Danville collected 72.5 points as their relay teams won the 800 and 1600 medleys. Alaina Gourley finished in first place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes and 26 seconds. Kenna Furanld leapt to the gold in the long jump with a distance of 16 feet and 10 inches. Lastly, Taegan Frazier won the shot put with a heave of 33 feet and 7.5 inches. 

Mediapolis finished with 65 points and got a first place finish in the 4×400 meter relay and Avery Crear won the high jump with a leap of 4 feet and 10 inches.  

On the boys’ side for Class A, Danville crushed the relays, winning the 4×100, 4×800, 800 sprint medley, and the 1600 sprint medley. 

Central Lee’s Grant Myhre had a terrific day, capturing first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 53.02 seconds and the long jump with a leap of 19 feet and 9 inches. Additionally, he finished in second in the 200-meter dash. 

Mediapolis’ top individual finisher was Nathan Schmidgall in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet and 8.25 inches, which grabbed him second place. 

For Class B, Winfield-Mt. Union won the 4×200, 4×800, 800 sprint medley, and 1600 sprint medley relays. Kohlby Newsom’s 2 minutes and 7 second time in the 800-meter run was good enough for first place. Gabriel Hemsworth won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.83 seconds. Jake Edwards lept 6 feet and 2 inches to win the high jump and Cooper Buffington’s toss of 117 feet and 9 inches won the discus. 

New London’s London Franklin won the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.54 seconds and the long jump with a leap of 19 feet and 11 inches. Brigham Porter took the 400-meter dash with a time of 55.13 seconds. 

WACO’s 4×100 meter relay team raced to a first place finish with a time of 46.09 seconds.

The WACO and Danville boys’ and girls’ teams will compete on Monday at Highland. 

The Van Buren County girls’ and boys’ teams had their meet at Cardinal get canceled for tonight.

The Central Lee and New London boys’ and girls’ teams will travel to Van Buren County for the Warriors’ senior night on Monday.

Drake Relays

High school competition began yesterday for the 114th running of the Drake Relays and here’s how our local athletes fared.

Burlington’s Kylee Hill was the only freshman to participate in the girls’ shot put and her second throw proved to be her best throw as her heave of 41 feet and 1 inch earned her the bronze.

Solomon Zaugg of Mediapolis participated in the boys’ 3200-meter run and the Bulldog finished middle-of-the-pack with a 10th place time of 9 minutes and 12 seconds. 

Lastly, the boys’ long jump saw Avin Truong of Mt. Pleasant finish in 19th place with a leap of 20 feet and 1.25 inches. Cam Buffington of Winfield-Mt. Union grabbed 14th place with a distance of 20 feet and 10.5 inches, while Burlington’s Keshawn Wyldon’s jump of 22 feet and 1.5 inches claimed him 5th place.

Competing today will be Mylee Stiefel of Bulington in the girls’ 100-meter dash and West Burlington’s Landry Habericher in the boys’ 100-meter dash. 

For Mediapolis, Logan Rosas will run the 800-meter and the distance medley team will compete. 

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team of Kiyah Sanders, Kynlee White, Alex and Andi Scott will participate in the 4×200 meter relay. Lastly, Kenna Furnald will battle it out in the long jump. 

High School Soccer

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team had their matchup against Hillcrest Academy tonight postponed. The girls’ team will face off against Pella Christian tomorrow, April 27th, at 10 am on the road. 

The Mediapolis boys’ team was able to scrape past Central Lee last night with a 1-0 win despite Hunter Gregory saving eight shots for the Hawks. The Mediapolis girls’ team won their matchup 2-0. 

Mediapolis will host Burlington Notre Dame on Monday, April 29th, with the girls’ playing first at 5 pm.

Central Lee’s match against Keokuk was canceled tonight. 

The WACO boys’ team had their match against Wapello tonight canceled. 

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team hosted Washington last night and despite scoring two goals within five minutes of the game starting, the Demons snuck out with the 3-2 win in sudden death overtime. Jonah Zimmer and Kolbien Ostby each scored a goal and tallied an assist. The Panthers will face off against Keokuk on Monday with the girls at home and the boys on the road. 

The Danville boys’ team smacked Wapello last night 10-0. Colin Pealer notched a hat trick and four assists in the win as Kadu Garcia finished with two goals. Aiden Konig, Carter Buck, Joseph Rheinschmidt, and Kaiden Kerr each tallied a goal. The Bears will face off against Highland on Tuesday, April 30th, at 5 pm at home.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team narrowly fell to Fairfield last night 5-4. Jana Isanta won her singles match 8-1, while Ellie Situmeang and Audrey Richmond picked up 8-2 wins in their singles matches. The team of Isanta and Situmeang won their doubles competition 8-3. 

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team struggled against Fairfield, losing 9-0 yesterday. The girls’ team will host Burlington on Monday, April 29th, and the boys’ team will face off against Keokuk on Tuesday, April 30th, on the road. 

High School Golf

Winfield-Mt. Union hosted Lone Tree yesterday with the boys’ team coming out with the win 174 to 220. Konner Kinneberg led the way for the Wolves, shooting a 40 (+4) for the course. Carter Loyd carded a 43. Neither girls’ team finished with a team score as Ella Kann shot a 77 for the Wolves. Winfield-Mt. Union will take on Louisa-Muscatine on Monday, April 29th, at home.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team competed in the Mohawk Classic yesterday and finished in 16th place with a team score of 347. Washington took first place with a score of 298. 

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team had their invitational canceled today. The boys’ team will travel to Fairfield on Monday for a meet.

Central Lee had their meet against WACO today canceled. 

Mediapolis had their meets against Holy Trinity Catholic tonight canceled.

Southeastern Community College

SCC baseball will host Iowa Central Community College tomorrow, April 27th, for a doubleheader.

The SCC softball team will travel to Southwestern Community College tomorrow for a doubleheader.

This Day in Sports History

1931 – Lou Gehrig hits a Home Run but is called out for passing a runner. The mistake costs him the AL home run crown as he and Babe Ruth tie for the season.

1935 – Frank Boucher is given NHL’s Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship permanently after winning it 7 times in 8 years.

1941 – A tradition begins, the Chicago Cubs are the first to play an organ at a baseball stadium.

National Weather Service Warns of Storms This Weekend

By Yorke Prough · Friday, April 26th, 2024 at 6:05 am CDT

The National Weather Service reports of possible scattered thunderstorms this evening, with a few of those storms producing large hail around quarter size and damaging winds up to 60mph.

Additional rounds of thunderstorms are expected late Saturday afternoon through Sunday. Severe weather will be possible with large hail and damaging winds the main threats. Tornadoes can’t be ruled out, but they appear to be a lower threat at this time.

The rounds of heavy rainfall could eventually lead to some flooding issues as well. The Storm Prediction Center has the entire Outlook area in a Slight risk, or level 2 out of 5 for Saturday. On Sunday, a Slight risk covers much of the area along and south of Interstate 80, with a Marginal risk to the north.

IHSAA Releases the Boys’ Tennis District and Substate Assignments

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, April 25th, 2024 at 3:49 pm CDT

Prep Tennis- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released the assignments for districts and the substate brackets for boys’ tennis. Here’s a look at where are local teams ended up.

Class 1A

Singles and doubles play will begin on May 8th for both classes as Fairfield will act as the host site for district 5. Assumption, Davis County, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Mt. Pleasant, Oskaloosa, and Xavier will all be making the trip.

Class 2A

Burlington will be traveling to Iowa City, West for their district matchup with Bettendorf, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, and Marion also attending.

District tournaments will have no impact on substate assignments or team state tournament qualification. Each class will feature 16 state singles and 16 state doubles qualifiers out of the eight districts.

They will collide on May 21-22 in Iowa City for Class 2A and Waterloo for Class 1A for the 2024 IHSAA State Individual Tennis Tournament.

Substate

The team substate meets are scheduled for Saturday, May 11th, and Wednesday, May 15th, for both classes 2A and 1A. The first and second round duals will take place on the first date at one site and the finals will take place on the second date at a new site.

Class 1A Substate 5

Albia, Davis County, Fairfield, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Mt. Pleasant, Oskaloosa, and Xavier will all be competing against one another.

Class 2A Substate 6

Burlington will compete against Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Iowa City City High, Iowa City West, Marion, and Ottumwa.

The highest remaining seeding out of each second round will host the substate final with eight qualifiers advancing in each class to the 2024 IHSAA State Team Tennis Tournament scheduled for May 30-31 in Waukee for Class 2A and Iowa City for Class 1A.

Substate brackets will be released on May 3rd.

Federal Prison the Destination for Two Burlington Women Involved in Sex Trafficking

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, April 25th, 2024 at 3:20 pm CDT

A Burlington woman was sentenced on April 22, to thirty years in federal prison for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking of a child, and sex trafficking three adult victims.

According to public court documents, Miesha Lasha Stanley, 32, in 2022, used force, fraud, and coercion to compel victims to engage in sex acts with customers in exchange for money. Stanley took some or all of the money that the victims earned. Stanley used the victims’ vulnerabilities, which included lack of stable housing, drug addiction, abusive relationships, and lack of familial support, to compel them to engage in paid sex acts. Stanley allowed the victims, most of whom were females in their late teens and early 20s, to live at her residence in Burlington. Stanley posted sex advertisements for the victims online, communicated with customers, and arranged for customers to engage in sex acts with the victims at her residence and other locations. Stanley also conspired with co-defendant Rosella Marie Taylor to sex traffic one of the victims.

After completing her term of imprisonment, Stanley will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

On April 1, 2024, Taylor, 36, was sentenced to 122 months of imprisonment for conspiring to sex traffic, attempting to sex traffic, and sex trafficking two victims. Taylor used force, fraud, and coercion, and conspired with Stanley to use force, fraud, and coercion, to compel an adult victim to engage in paid sex acts. Taylor invited the victim, who struggled with stable housing, and was unemployed, to live at Taylor’s residence in Burlington. Taylor posted sex advertisements for the victim online and drove the victim to meet customers for paid sex work. Taylor took some or all of the money the victim earned. Additionally, Taylor attempted to sex traffic a minor victim. Taylor posted sex advertisements for the victim online, arranged for a customer to engage in sex acts with the victim, and drove the victim to the customer’s residence. However, the customer did not answer the door, and the victim left with Taylor.

After completing her term of imprisonment, Stanley will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

“On behalf of the Burlington Police Department, I would like to recognize the efforts of the personnel and agencies involved in this case,” said Burlington Police Chief Adam Schaefer. “Special recognition should be given to the investigators, who began with some small pieces of information and actively pursued all leads which ultimately led to this resolution.  And of, course, I commend the victims who came forward and cooperated with law enforcement even under the most difficult circumstances. It was not an easy thing to do and their bravery and courage must be commended. This case also serves as a reminder that human trafficking is everywhere, not just large metropolitan areas. It is important for everyone to be vigilant about their surroundings both for themselves and their community.”

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa and the Burlington Police Department made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Burlington Police Department, assisted by the Des Moines County Attorney’s Office, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety. This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of youth under the age of 18 for commercial sex; the exploitation of adults for commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for compelled labor. Human trafficking does not require the transportation of individuals across state lines, or that someone is physically restrained. Signs that a person is being trafficked can include working excessively long hours, unexplained gifts, physical injury, substance abuse issues, running away from home, isolation from others, or having a person in their life controlling them or monitoring them closely. Victims particularly susceptible to being trafficked include those with criminal histories, a history of physical or sexual abuse, uncertain legal status, and dependency on controlled substances. Individuals who purchase sex from minors or from those who are otherwise exploited for commercial sex are also subject to prosecution for sex trafficking under federal law, if they knew or were in reckless disregard of the fact that they were under the age of 18, or that force, fraud, or coercion was used.

Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring, be it a minor engaging in paid sex acts, or anyone being coerced into prostitution or labor, is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

“What Direction Do We Want to Go?” Local Landlords and Rental Property Owners Concerned About Hershey Hall Redevelopment

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, April 25th, 2024 at 12:11 pm CDT

During the public forum at the City Council meeting on Wednesday evening, a group of landlords and rental property owners, all from this area, voiced their concerns with the future of the Iowa Wesleyan Campus.

Last year, Christopher Ales purchased dormitories on the east and west side of campus, as well as Hershey Hall and the Science Building. He applied for a State Tax credit in April to help fund this project.

Concerns were listed in a letter sent to the Mt. Pleasant City Council, Henry County Board of Supervisors, and Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce. Included are questions about the City and County’s involvement with this project through tax incentives, possible changes in zoning and certificates of occupancy, and the ramifications going forward.

It seems that they are asking for the city to do their due diligence and wants “complete transparency” as to what the city is prepared to “give up to make this development a reality.”

The group then met with the Henry County Supervisors on Thursday morning for further discussion.  According to the group, they were never contacted about the purchasing of these buildings, and they did not even know they were for sale. It was determined that there are multiple apartment units for rent in Mount Pleasant alone, and that they do not believe low-income apartments are the need for Mount Pleasant. Instead, they posed, “decent paying jobs” should be the first step, and single-family homes will then fill the shortage.

Whatever anyone’s thoughts, the application sent in by Hershey LLC to the State of Iowa will be approved or denied in September. If approved, it is likely that this project of low-income apartments in Hershey Hall will go through. If denied, however, the possibility of the Henry County Supervisors rescinding the TIF resolution may be on the cards.

One landlord spoke what many were thinking, “do we want or need low income housing in the center of town?”

Board Chair Greg Moeller encouraged the group of landlords to attend the Iowa Finance Authority meeting in Des Moines to make their thoughts known.

Additional information on this project…

Further Discussion on Repurposing Hershey Hall

Former Iowa Wesleyan Buildings Repurposed to 150+ Apartments

IHSAA Released Postseason Golf Sites and Assignments

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, April 25th, 2024 at 11:25 am CDT

Prep Golf- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released the postseason assignments for boys’ golf with the sectional meets set to kick off the postseason on Tuesday, May 7th, followed by districts on Monday, May 13th. Here’s where are local teams are playing.

Class 1A

New London’s Deerwood Golf Club will be hosting the sectional meet with tee off scheduled for 10 am. The other teams making the trip will be Danville, English Valleys, Holy Trinity Catholic, WACO, Wapello, and Winfield-Mt. Union.

Last year, Wapello hosted and captured first place with New London finishing as the runner-up. Due to Wapello finishing in first place and acting as the host, Winfield-Mt. Union advanced to districts after taking third place.

Columbus Community will make the trip to Springville and compete against Calamus-Wheatland, HLV, Keota, Lone Tree, and Midland.

Qualifying individuals and teams will advance to Wapello’s Heritage Oaks on May 13th with tee off at 10 am for districts.

Class 2A

Sectional 8 will be hosted by Mid-Prairie with action beginning on May 7th at 10 am. Central Lee, Mediapolis, Regina Catholic, Tipton, Van Buren County, West Branch, and West Liberty will all be jockeying for a chance to advance to Regina Catholic Pleasant Valley Golf Course on May 13th at 9 am.

Class 3A

It will be a Southeast Conference meetup in Mt. Pleasant for sectionals. Albia, Fairfield, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Mt. Vernon, Notre Dame/West Burlington, and Washington will all be traversing to Mt. Pleasant Golf and Country Club on May 8th at 10 am.

Qualifying teams and individuals will compete at districts on May 13th at 10 am at Williamsburg Stone Creek Golf Course.

State Championships

District qualifiers will advance to the 2024 IHSAA State Golf Championships scheduled for May 20-21 in Ames.