Month: March 2024

On March 2nd at approximately 10:14 p.m. Burlington Police Officers responded to a report of shots fired at S 8th and Division St. Evidence of a shooting was located and no injuries were reported. This investigation is ongoing.

If you have information about this incident, please call 319-601-7001 or Crimestoppers at 319-753-6835. If you call Crimestoppers and your information leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a cash reward

Sunday afternoon saw a large fire in Wapello that required multiple fire departments to fight. Just after 3:30pm, Wapello Fire and Rescue was called for multiple reports of a fire in the field next to the South End Park that was quickly spreading and heading towards a barn.

A City of Wapello employee advised the crews that the fire had reached the barn. At the time, mutual aid was requested from the Morning Sun Fire Department. Arriving on scene at 3:37pm, crews observed a dire approximately one-quarter mile in length that was rapidly spreading due to extremely high winds from the south. If this wasn’t bad enough, the smoke caused zero visibility conditions for the firefighters.

The fire spread across 123^rd Avenue, but firefighters were able to extinguish it before it spread any further. Crews extinguished the remaining fire and doused the area around the barn with additional water as a precautionary measure before returning to base. Amazingly, the barn was able to be saved.

Thirteen Wapello firefighters responded to this incident and were assisted by eight Morning Sun firefighters. Also assisting on scene was the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office. Crews remained on scene until 5:27 PM. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it originated in the City of Wapello yard waste collection site.

As a reminder to those using the yard waste site, please follow the rules posted on the signage. Do not deposit anything other than yard waste meeting the criteria on the sign. Do not deposit waste that has been burned such as waste from a recreational fire pit. Do not set fire to any debris and please don’t smoke while using the site.

Conditions are extremely dry and unless we receive significant rainfall, the windy and unseasonably warm temperatures will continue to create conditions that are favorable for wildfires. Please do what you can to minimize this risk. While most people refrain from burning debris during these conditions, few people probably think about discarded cigarettes, hot vehicle exhaust, a chain dragging on a trailer or even a spark from your barbecue grill starting a fire.

March 4^th-10^th is Vehicle Safety Recalls Week and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) mission is to keep people safe on America’s roadways. This is a good reminder to drivers to check their vehicles for open safety recalls. In 2022 alone, there were 1,050 safety recalls affecting more than 31 million vehicles and other automotive equipment in the United States.

Even with alerts and warnings emailed or mailed by manufacturers, millions of recalled vehicles go unrepaired each year. This puts drivers, passengers, and other road users at risk. For example, an urgent airbag recall, currently the largest vehicle recall in U.S. history, has resulted in 27 deaths so far in the U.S. alone. This recall is still ongoing due to unrepaired vehicles that are still on the road today.

NHTSA has multiple ways to stay informed about open safety recalls:

Drivers can use the free, user-friendly Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Look-Up Tool, located at NHTSA.gov/recalls. This web tool allows vehicle owners to check for open safety recalls on their vehicles or automotive equipment.

Drivers can sign up for Recall Alerts. If their vehicle is included in a future recall, they’ll receive an email letting them know. NHTSA’s free web recalls tool will provide details on any unrepaired recall for a vehicle during the past 15 calendar years. It will also provide details on unrepaired safety recalls from major automakers, motorcycle manufacturers, and some medium/heavy truck manufacturers.

Drivers can check for open safety recalls by downloading NHTSA’s free SaferCar app which sends notifications for all related recalls and even directs drivers to local dealerships. This ensures they can quickly make an appointment and get their vehicle fixed quickly and for free.

Checking for recalls is free and easy. All vehicle owners need is their VIN, located on the lower portion of the windshield on the driver’s side. The VIN is also located on registration cards and possibly auto insurance cards.

For more information on NHTSA’s Vehicle Recalls, visit NHTSA.gov/Recalls.

The Mt. Pleasant High School InMotion Showchoir traveled to Fort Madison on Saturday in what would be their last competition of the season. Congratulations to all the performers for winning 1^st place in 3A during the daytime. Natalie McCormick, a senior, won the best soloist award.

Earning a spot in the finals, they placed as 2^nd runner up against multiple 4A schools. Congratulations to InMotion on a great season.

You still have a chance to watch the show if you have not been able to yet. The Annual Desser Theatre will take place the weekend of April 13^th, where you will be able to see them perform, as well as the jazz bands.