Robert Dean Gholson

By Theresa Rose · Wednesday, September 30th, 2020 at 9:46 pm CDT

Robert Dean Gholson, 73, of Mt. Pleasant, died Tuesday, September 29, 2020 at the University of Iowa Hospital.  He was born October 7, 1946 in Mt. Pleasant to Edmond R. “Pete” and Mary H. Ridinger Gholson.  On June 27, 1970, he married Rhonda Kay Miller in Trenton.

He was a 1965 graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School, then served in the United States Air Force from 1966 – 1969. He farmed for more than thirty years, worked at Walmart Distribution Center, subbed on a rural mail route for fifteen years, then carried full time for twenty years, retiring in 2011.

He enjoyed spending time out in his shop, gardening, fishing, his morning coffee route, and loved being with his grandchildren and family.

Besides his wife, he is survived by two children, Renee (Craig) Cumpton  of New London and Ryan (Becky) Gholson of Olds, and three grandchildren, Gage, Colin and Abigail Cumpton.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Richard, and sister Donna Gray.

The funeral service for Mr. Gholson will be held at 10:00 AM, Saturday at Elliott Chapel, New London with Rev. Jeff McPheron officiating.  Burial will follow at Trinity Cemetery, Mt. Union with military rites by the Henry County Honor Guard.  Visitation will begin at 4:00 PM Friday with the family present from 5:00 – 7:00 PM.  Please follow social distancing guidelines; masks are recommended.  Memorials have been established for Trinity Cemetery and Trenton United Methodist Church.  View the full obituary and leave online condolences at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Fiddler Annie Savage Recognized

By Theresa Rose · Wednesday, September 30th, 2020 at 3:44 pm CDT

Mount Pleasant native Annie Savage has been recognized with an International Bluegrass Music Association Award for Mentor of the Year. The IBMA Momentum Awards recognize artists and business people in the early years of their bluegrass music careers. Mentor of the Year recognizes an individual who has made a significant impact on the lives and careers of new bluegrass artists and industry professionals. Savage is a PhD. candidate in Creative Musicianship and String Education. She is a band leader, songwriter, high school orchestra director and serves as the head of the Musicians Owning Excellence mentoring program for high school and college students.  She is also a member of the Leadership Bluegrass planning committee. In her acceptance Savage dedicated the award to her mentor growing up in Mount Pleasant, Doc Nau and his family.

Notice of Early Voting & Absentee Ballot Mailing in Henry County

By Theresa Rose · Wednesday, September 30th, 2020 at 2:15 pm CDT

Early Voting begins October 5th through November 2nd Monday thru Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and Saturday October 24th & 31st in the 2nd Floor Conference Room of the Henry County Courthouse signs will be posted.  Please bring your Driver’s License or Non-Operator ID.  Masks are not required but will be available along with hand sanitizer and rubber gloves if wanted.

Absentee Ballots will be mailed out beginning October 5th thru October 24th if you have requested a ballot by mail you should vote it and return by one of the following methods:

  • Mail it back as postage is provided, must be postmarked on or before November 2nd.
  • Put in the locked drop box outside the back door of the courthouse as it is checked several times daily.
  • Bring it to the Auditor’s office.

Should you lose your ballot or never receive it in the mail or have any other questions regarding your ballot, come into the Auditors Office or call 385-0756.  As No one will be denied the right to vote.  The reason for this is, all ballots must be accounted for whether mailed out or handed out at the polls.

All regular polling locations will be open on Election Day November 3rd from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm.  Please bring a form of identification.  Masks are not required but will be provided along with rubber gloves and hand sanitizer.

Sports, Wednesday, September 30th

By Nathan Bloechl · Wednesday, September 30th, 2020 at 11:33 am CDT

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Holy Trinity Sweeps New London, Regional Wrap-up:

Holy Trinity got 15 kills from senior hitter Claire Pothitakis as the Crusaders swept New London last night in a Southeast Iowa Super Conference tilt.

Do-it-all star Kassi Randolph had an outstanding night for the Crusaders finishing with 18 assists, 12 kills, 11 digs and three assists.

Senior libero Maria Rauenbuehler led the Crusader defense with 23 digs, while Taylor Crabtree finished with 18.

New London was paced offensively by Marah Hartrick, their 2020 Homecoming Queen, who ended the night with eight kills. Sofie Reighard and Natalie Burden both had seven kills, while Keura Williams had six.

Holy Trinity won 25-21, 25-21 and 25-16 — their fourth win in a row in the series.

New London slipped to 10-5, they’ll take on Van Buren this Thursday evening.

Other area games from last night:

  • Fairfield 3, Keokuk 2
  • Central Lee 3, Burlington Notre Dame 1

Mount Pleasant Girls’ Finish 1st, Boys’ 2nd at Washington:

Junior Abby Blint ran 20:44.24 as the Mount Pleasant Panther girls’ cross country team picked up a team championship last night at the Washington Demon Invite as the Washington Golf and Country Club.

Blint was nearly :45 seconds better than second-place Malena Bloomquist of Fairfield, who clocked a time of 21:27.83.

Mount Pleasant sophomore Belle Meador placed third running 21:52.12.

Cristina Carthey, Elsie Lange and Audrey Lord were all Top-15 finishers for Lyle Murray’s group.

Washington placed second with 49 points while Fairfield finished in third with 65 points.

The meet victory is the second in a row for the girls’ program.

Meanwhile on the boys’ side of things, freshman Ben Carthey ran 18:36.66, good for 6th overall as the Panther boys’ finished in second place in the Washington Invite.

Luke Ryon and Nathan McWilliams went 8th and 9th respectively, while Logan Lee and Isaac Rynders finished back-to-back at 11th and 12th overall.

Gannon McNamee placed 15th to round out the Panthers top scorers.

Fairfield was mere points better than Mount Pleasant to capture the team crown.

Washington finished in third, followed up by Lone Tree, Highland and Keokuk.

Both teams will be off until next Monday when they travel to Hillcrest Academy.

Racing will begin at 4:30 p.m. Monday night.

IATC Announces Latest Individual Rankings:

The latest iteration of the Iowa High School Track and Cross Country rankings have been released and Danville-New London’s Ty Carr remains at No. 8 this week.

Carr is one of two Danville-New London boys’ runners ranked.

The second?

Alexander Julian, who checks in this week at No. 13.

In Girls’ 2A, Addison Parrott has surged all the way up to No. 2 this week after spending the last couple of weeks in the 6-to-10 range.

Parrott is peaking and finding her stride at the right time for a dangerous Danville-New London team.

Williamsburg junior Ruth Jennings is the new top-ranked runner in 2A.

There are no area runners ranked in either the boys’ or girls’ 1A poll.

MLB Wild Card Series Scoreboard:

The first set of Best-of-Three Wild Card Series games were played yesterday in Major League Baseball, here’s a look at how things played out yesterday:

Houston 4, Minnesota 1

Chicago White Sox 4, Oakland 1

Tampa Bay 3, Toronto 1

NY Yankees 12, Cleveland 3

NBA Finals Begin Tonight:

The 2020 NBA Finals begin tonight as Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat will battle LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the the Los Angeles Lakers.

Game one tip-time is set for 8:00 p.m. on the ESPN Family of Networks.

Mount Pleasant 7th Grade Football Wins:

The Mount Pleasant 7th Grade football team picked up an 18-0 win yesterday over Burlington.

Jaymisen Rich, Ramzy Davis and Roen Bailey all had touchdowns for the group.

The win improved them to 3-1.

Iowa Wesleyan to host Open House for Center for International Education 

By Theresa Rose · Wednesday, September 30th, 2020 at 11:05 am CDT

Iowa Wesleyan University invites the public to an open house to see the newly renovated Center for International Education on September 30, 2020. Located in a campus house on the corner of N. Broadway and W. Franklin Streets, the open house will be held from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.  Tours will be provided in groups of 10 or less & masks will be required throughout the open house. The Mount Pleasant Chamber Alliance will kick off the event with a socially distanced ribbon-cutting outside the house.  

The open house will showcase the many aspects this new space will offer our students and the community. International students will be present to share their experiences, their culture, and their food with guests. 

“We are pleased to have a new home for our Center for International Education to serve our students better,” said Dr. DeWayne Frazier, university provost. “The cultural differences can be overwhelming for our international students, so this house provides them many valuable resources as well as signals the university’s commitment to supporting their education.”

The Center for International Education at Iowa Wesleyan will provide resources on best practices within international education and coordinate programs and opportunities for learning and growth across cultures for the campus and broader community.  

Robert D. Gholson

By Theresa Rose · Wednesday, September 30th, 2020 at 11:03 am CDT

Robert D. Gholson, 73, of Mount Pleasant, died Tuesday, September 29,

2020 at the University of Iowa Hospitals, Iowa City.  Services are pending at Elliott Chapel, New London.

 

Edward L. “One Feather” Wagner

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, September 29th, 2020 at 8:42 pm CDT

Edward L. “One Feather” Wagner, 65, of Franklin, Iowa, passed away at 3:04 p.m. Monday, September 28, 2020, at home surrounded by family.

 

Ed was born on September 8, 1955, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the son of LaMar and Dorothy (Johnson) Wagner.  On February 14, 1986, he married Barbara Hoskins in Franklin, Iowa. She preceded him in death.

 

Survivors include his two sisters: Nola (John) Gram of Fort Madison, Iowa and Susie (Paul) Whitaker of Franklin, Iowa; one brother: Paul (Kristi Larson) Wagner of Burlington, Iowa and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

 

He was preceded in death by his parents; step-father: James Hoffman and wife: Barbara.

 

Ed was a 1973 graduate of Central Lee High School. He served in the United States Navy from 1973 to 1979. He was a member of St. Peter’s United Church of Christ. Ed worked at Fruehauf and Crandon’s Paper Mill in Fort Madison, he later retired from West Liberty Foods in Mt. Pleasant. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and drinking beer. Ed was a workaholic and loved spending time with his friends.

 

Friends may call after 12:00 noon Friday, October 2, 2020, at Schmitz Funeral Home in Donnellson where the family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. that evening.

 

A Funeral Service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, October 3, 2020, at Schmitz Funeral Home in Donnellson.

 

Those attending are encouraged to wear a mask and are required to social distance.

 

Burial will be at St. Peter’s Cemetery, rural Franklin, Iowa with full military rites presented by the Donnellson American Legion Gillaspey – Moodie Post #474.

 

A memorial has been established in his memory.

 

Schmitz Funeral Home of Donnellson is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.

 

Iowa Department of Public Health Adjusts Quarantine Recomendations

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, September 29th, 2020 at 4:35 pm CDT
 

 

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is making a change on quarantine recommendations for people that have been exposed to a positive case of COVID-19. This applies in non-healthcare, non-residential settings only. This includes businesses, education and child care settings.

  • Close contacts of COVID-positive cases will no longer need to quarantine for 14 days if a face covering was worn consistently and correctly by the positive case and close contacts. The positive case must isolate. The close contacts should self-monitor.
    • Self-monitoring entails close monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms over the subsequent 14 days, staying home if any symptoms develop, and speaking with a healthcare provider about COVID-19 testing in the case of any illness.
    • If people who are self-monitoring become ill but do not get tested, they should remain home until 10 days after symptom onset.
  • People currently in quarantine may be released from quarantine if a face covering was worn consistently and correctly by the positive case and close contacts during exposure.
  • If the positive case wore a face covering, but close contacts did not, those close contacts must be quarantined.
  • If the positive case did not wear a face covering, close contacts must quarantine whether or not they wore a face covering.
  • Quarantine of close contacts will still be necessary in residential and healthcare settings.

Please find an infographic depicting the new IDPH recommendations at https://idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/userfiles/61/covid19/resources/WhenToQuarantine.pdf

Masks are proven to be effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Increased mask use will reduce the number of individuals that need to quarantine. Along with wearing a face covering, we ask that everyone continue all recommended public health strategies:

  • Stay home when sick.
  • Maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet whenever possible.
  • Wash hands frequently.

This approach is based on data and focused feedback from community and school leaders over the past month indicating that transmission is not frequently occurring when both parties are wearing face coverings consistently and correctly. Additionally, we are aware of other jurisdictions, including Nebraska and Wyoming, that have made similar changes based on experiences in their states. We will continue to make recommendations based on best available information and adjust when needed.

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