Secretary Pate is urging voters to respond to ‘No Activity’ notices

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is encouraging Iowans who receive a ‘No Activity’ notice from his office in the mail to respond to it quickly. Registered voters who did not participate in the 2022 general election have been made inactive and will receive a notice in the mail to confirm their residential address. Those who do not respond will remain as an ‘inactive’ status.

Registered voters made inactive through the list maintenance process can return themselves to active status by requesting an absentee ballot, voting in an election, submitting a new registration, or updating their voter registration prior to the end of 2026 general election cycle.

During the first quarter of each year, the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office conducts voter list maintenance as required by state and federal law. The ‘No Activity’ mailing occurs during each odd-numbered year.

“This mailing is just one part of the process to ensure Iowa’s voter rolls remain up-to-date and as accurate as possible,” Secretary Pate said. “It’s a crucial component to ensure clean, accurate and fair elections across the state.”

Iowans who receive the mailing should check the appropriate box, sign their name, and return the postcard in the mail. Postage is pre-paid, so there’s no need to attach a stamp. If the voter no longer lives at the address, the current resident may discard the mailing.

To check your voter registration status, visit VoterReady.Iowa.gov.

Prep Boys Tennis: Mt. Pleasant Starts the Season with a Win

Mt. Pleasant, IA- The Mt. Pleasant boys’ tennis season got underway last night in a match against Davis County and walked away with the win after almost sweeping Mustangs, 8-1.

Owen Vansickel took on Dean Bragg and took him down 8 sets to 2. Jake Ensminger and Phoenix Watson also defeated their opponents by the same margin 8-2. Elliot Cook was in the closest matchup of the day against Luke Farley, but walked away with the win a high contested 8-6 win. Tim Cam and Gavin Ross also earned wins over their Mustang opponents.

The Panthers would go 2-1 in doubles with Ensminger and Cook and Vansickel and Cam sweeping their matchup, 8-0. Davis County took a very competitive 8-6 doubles matchup against Watson and Ross.

The Panthers are now 1-0 on the season with their next matchup on April 3rd against Keokuk.

Sports, March 31st

High School Track and Field

Mt. Pleasant will be competing at Williamsburg’s Co-Ed Invitational on Tuesday, April 4th.

New London will be competing at the WACO relays on April 4th.

Danville and Winfield-Mt. Union will be competing at the Dave Aamodt Relays on April 4th.

The Central Lee girls track and field team will be competing at the Fairfield Track Meet on April 4th and the boys will be competing on April 6th at the Pekin Invitational.

High School Soccer

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ and boys’ soccer teams had their game with Central Lee tonight postponed to April 21st due to the inclement weather.

WACO’s boy soccer team held their own in the first half but ultimately fell to Fairfield 3-0. The Warriors next game will be April 3rd against Washington.

The Central Lee boys’ soccer team moves to 0-2 on the season after falling to Sigourney 3-0 last night.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls were swept by Davis County in their first match of the season. Victoria Smith and Bethany Drury each won 3 sets in their respective games. Their next meet will be against Keokuk on April 3rd at home.

Youth Basketball

The next event will be the Easter Weekend 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament held at Iowa Wesleyan University for 3rd graders through adults. For a registration form, contact Coach Ronnie Ashton at 319-931-2896 or Iowa Wesleyan’s Men’s Head Coach Jordan Ashton at 319-461-9023. Registration due by April 4th. It starts at 9am on April 8th.

Amateur Boxing

This weekend, over 60 Iowa amateur boxers will be competing in the first Golden Gloves Tournament since 2019. The event will take place in Iowa City with the first match scheduled for 6 pm.

Iowa Wesleyan Athletics

The Tiger softball team dropped both of their games to Culver-Stockton yesterday on the road. In game one, Ivy Geerdes knocked in the lone run of the day on a single in the fourth that scored Julia Hill. Aspyn Harrison had a solid outing in the circle as she went 6 innings allowing only 3 hits, striking out 7, and only 1 of the 2 runs were earned. Kara Krieger had the lone extra base hit for the Tigers with a double. Game two was called after 5 innings as the Wildcats had a big fourth inning and put up 7 runs to walk away with the 10-1 win. Geerdes again had the lone RBI on a 3rd inning single, scoring Harrison. Harrison also notched a double in the losing effort. The Tigers next game will be at home on April 4th against Clarke University. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 1:45 pm.

The Tiger baseball team will take on Culver-Stockton College on April 4th.

The Tiger golf teams will be competing at the Wildcat Classic on April 2nd at 9 am. Brevin Wilson joined us on Tiger Nation yesterday and he talked about how important Iowa Wesleyan is to him.

The outdoor track and field teams will compete at the Mustang Open tomorrow at 11:30 am.

This Day in Sports History

1923 – First dance marathon in New York City; Alma Cummings sets record of 27 hours with 6 different partners.

1986 – 48th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Louisville beats Duke, 72-69; first tournament to use a shot clock (initially set at 45 seconds).

1991 – 10th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Virginia, 70-67; first overtime win in the NCAA’s 10-year history.

Olsons Named Citizens of the Year

Since 1972, the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce has presented the Citizen of the Year award to a nominee living and/or working in the Mount Pleasant area who has made a significant impact on the community. This year the Chamber Board of Directors selected Tim and Sally Olson for this honor. Mount Pleasant Chamber Alliance Executive Vice President Rachel Lindeen made the announcement at the Chamber’s Annual Banquet held Thursday evening.T.T.T., PEO, Kiwanis, Old Threshers, Festival of Lights and more. Lindeen also announced that the Chamber selected Bob Griffith as its’ Volunteer of the Year.  Each year Chamber staff members select the individual who by their tireless effort and commitment has had a significant impact on the Chamber and the Community. And last but not least, Tom and Marilyn Young were named Ambassadors of the Year. This couple takes the job of Ambassador very seriously and always does so with a smile.  Not to mention they can always be counted on. Retiring Chamber Board directors Lori White, Jennifer Moutrie and David George were recognized and Board President Elect Alicia Yocum gave the Toast to the Future.

 

James Kent “Jim” Moline

James Kent “Jim” Moline, 81, of Farmington, Iowa, passed away at 5:10 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at his home in Farmington.

He was born on January 7, 1942, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the son of Donald and Katharyn Irene (Schau) Moline. In 1972, he married Kathy Woods, together they had three children: Carla, Kelly and Donnie.

Survivors include his three children: Carla (Jeff) Wilson of Waukee, Iowa, Kelly (Kristopher) Schmidt of Clive, Iowa and Donnie (Jennifer) Moline of Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. Also surviving are his eight grandchildren: Emma, Olivia, Jacob, Maggie, Chloe, Brynn, Grayson and Lily.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Jim was a member of Embury United Methodist Church, the Donnellson Saddle Club, honorary life member of the Central Lee FFA Alumni, past board member of Lee County Cattlemen’s Association and a member of the Lee County Sheep Producers. He farmed, worked at Donnellson Tire, hauled livestock throughout Southeast Iowa and drove a school bus for the Central Lee School District until his retirement. Jim was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan. He also enjoyed camping, giving wagon rides with his team of horses, working at the Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters at the Iowa State Fair and helping his buddy Bobby Reid at the Tri-State Rodeo. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.

A visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 3, 2023, at Schmitz Funeral Home in Donnellson.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 3, 2023, at Schmitz Funeral Home.

Burial will be at Embury Cemetery, rural Donnellson, Iowa.

Following Jim’s services, a luncheon will be held at Charleston Board of Trade in Charleston.

A memorial has been in his memory for Central Lee FFA.

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

Former National Guardsman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography Possession

Davenport, IA – A Salem man was sentenced yesterday to 100 months in prison for possession of child pornography.
According to court records, law enforcement began investigating Jason Robert Wesely, 39, a former member of the Iowa National Guard, after receiving a cybertip from a social media platform in May 2020. The tip included descriptions of Wesely’s sexual conversations with
an undercover agent, pretending to be a 14-year-old child. Further investigation revealed that Wesely belonged to a chat group where child pornography was shared among its members. Wesely admitted to belonging to the group and to viewing and sharing child pornography. Wesely
was ultimately discharged from the Iowa National Guard. Following his prison term, Wesely was ordered to serve eight years of supervised release.There is no parole in the federal system.United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the
announcement. Homeland Security Investigations and the Iowa State Patrol investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which
was started in 2006 as a nationwide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children. Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821

High School Girls Soccer: First Rankings of the 2023 Season Released

Prep Girls Soccer- With the girls soccer season officially starting earlier this week, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their first rankings for the year.

In Class 1A, last year’s champion headlines the rankings as Des Moines Christian is ranked #1. The Lions are 1-0 on the season after taking down Perry 10-0. Davenport Assumption was the runner-up last year and start out ranked 2nd this year. Dike-New Hartford comes into the rankings at #3. Two surprises in the top 15 as Gilbert comes in ranked 5th after going 7-9 in Class 2A last year. Dubuque Wahlert is another team that had a losing record last year that finds themselves ranked 12th.  A big reason for that is the Golden Eagles having their returning goal scoring leader in Emma Donovan, as she netted 12 goals last season.

Hard to argue against Dallas Center-Grimes being put at the top of the list for Class 2A after their undefeated season from last year that ended in a state championship. North Scott and North Polk follow behind in the rankings in 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Pella is ranked 9th, Clear Creek-Amana finds itself ranked 14th, and Atlantic rounds out the list.

It will be quite the battle in Ankeny as Ankeny Centennial, last year’s state champion, and Ankeny rank 1st and 2nd, respectively. Waukee Northwest finds themselves ranked 3rd. In a bit of a surprise, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, last year’s runner up, is out of the top 5 and find themselves ranked 7th. Lastly, just the third team to have a losing record last year and be ranked in the top 15, Urbandale grabs the 15th spot with a record of 8-10 from a year ago.

You Better See Her Now: Caitlin Clark Wins 2023 Naismith Player of the Year

NCAA Women’s Basketball- Only three days removed from Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking triple-double against Louisville in the Elite 8, the junior was awarded the 2023 Naismith Player of the Year. The award goes to the most outstanding player in women’s basketball and it is hard to contest that Clark does not deserve the recognition.

A run through her season statistics would make anyone double-take. Clark ranks 3rd in scoring (27.3 points per game), 1st in assists (8.6 assists per game), and she works for rebounds (6.9 rebounds per game). She leads the nation with five triple-doubles and is 2nd all-time in career triple-doubles with 11. Other notable marks: MVP in the Big Ten Championship tournament, a unanimous AP All-American selection, 1st 40-point triple-double in NCAA Tournament history for men and women, and is the first to record over 900 points and 300 assists in a single season in Division I NCAA basketball history.

Clark is just 16 points away from scoring 1,000 on the season, which would make her the 6th player to do such a thing in Division I women’s basketball history. Standing in her way is a Final Four matchup with last year’s Naismith Player of the Year, Aliyah Boston, and undefeated South Carolina tomorrow at 8:30 pm.