Emergency Management Unveils New Disaster Recovery Website for Severe Weather

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, May 30th, 2024 at 8:46 am CDT

Iowa has already experienced a large amount of tornadoes this year, with emergency management departments across the state working over time in 2024. The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has now launched a disaster recovery website, which they believe will help Iowans find much-needed resources and information. This is in response to the recent severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding.

The website, disasterrecovery.iowa.gov, has multiple resources, such as; assistance for those affected by severe weather including information about the current state and federal programs available, volunteer and donation information, and links for addition assistance or information. This includes mental health resources, how to clean up, insurance questions, and more.

Iowans seeking more information can visit  disasterrecovery.iowa.gov.  Resources on the website cover a wide range of topics, including:

CenturyLink Experiencing Outage Across Iowa

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, May 30th, 2024 at 8:44 am CDT

*Lumen has announced that the majority of services have been restored*

An interruption of landline phone service has affected residents, businesses, and emergency services providers resulting in phone and/or internet issues throughout Iowa due to an issue with service provider Lumen Technologies. This interruption may affect the ability to reach 911 by landline phone.

Recommended Actions:

  • If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1 from a mobile phone.
  • Texting 911 is also an available option in all 99 Iowa counties.
  • Follow local media, and official social media pages for updates on impacted or restored services. The outages may vary by location.

There are a few things that people should be aware of in the event of an outage of 911 communications:

  • Never call 911 unless you’re in a true emergency.
  • Tune in to local media, and social media from official sources for additional information and guidance.
  • Depending on the nature of the outage there may be alternative ways to reach 911.

When 911 outages occur in our state, responsible parties will conduct a thorough investigation to understand what happened and why it happened so those involved can review if changes are needed to reduce future outages.

 

*Lumen (CenturyLink) is experiencing an outage across the entire state of Iowa which is preventing most agencies from receiving VoIP calls and in some cases 911 calls. If you are trying to reach us on the administrative numbers, you will get a busy signal most likely. If it is something that needs taken care of right away, please call 911. If it can wait, please be patient and follow updates on the outage.

 

Sports, May 30th

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, May 30th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Baseball

New London picked up their first win of the season last night against Lone Tree with a dominating 11-0 finish. The Tigers will travel to Keota tonight at 5:30 pm. 

Central Lee clobbered Highland last night 15-4. The Hawks brought the power last night with Blake Davis, Bo Herdrich, and Chase Johnson each sending a ball over the fence and collecting at least three RBIs (Johnson tallied four). Central Lee will take on Burlington Notre Dame tonight at 5:30 pm at home. 

Burlington Notre Dame pitched a shutout against Winfield-Mt. Union last night, winning 12-0. The Wolves will look for their first win against Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow, May 31st, at 5:30 pm. 

West Burlington held a 6 to 0 lead before surrendering seven runs to fall to Wapello last night 7-6. Isaac Beard led the squad with three RBIs as he smacked a double. The Falcons will travel to Danville tonight at 5:30 pm. 

Mt. Pleasant and Washington will face off against one another tonight with first pitch at 7:30 pm at Washington. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm. 

Mediapolis will travel to take on Van Buren County tonight at 5:30 pm. 

High School Softball

West Burlington and Wapello went to extra innings and the Falcons managed to stay undefeated to start the season after winning 2-0. Danville will host West Burlington tonight at 7 pm. 

New London fell to Lone Tree last night 13-1. The Tigers will host Holy Trinity Catholic tonight at 7 pm. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to WACO tonight to play at 5:30 pm. 

Mt. Pleasant will look to enact revenge tonight at Washington with first pitch at 7:30 pm. 

Mediapolis will compete against Van Buren County tonight at 7 pm on the road. 

Central Lee will face off against Danville tomorrow, May 31st, at 7 pm at home. 

High School Softball Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their newest rankings and three local teams found their way on to the top 15. 

In Class 4A, Burlington stayed put at the #11 slot with a 2-0 start to the season. The Greyhounds had their first four games canceled due to weather, so the conference wins over Keokuk by scores of 7-0 and 3-0 got the season rolling. Kylee Hill leads the team with three RBIs and two doubles, while Saydee Plummer dominated in the circle, notching 24 strikeouts in 8.2 innings of work.

For Class 3A, Washington fell back two spots to enter this week ranked 9th with a 4-1 record. Their 7-4 loss to Cardinal is their lone blemish with their offense doing most of the heavy lifting, averaging 11 runs per game. The Demons have four batters hitting 0.500 or better as Rylee Libe has a slash line of 0.833/0.857/1.000. Their pitching staff has a team ERA of just 1.56.

West Burlington is ranked #15 and the Falcons have relied on their bats to start the season with 33 runs through the first two games, while allowing 13. Logan Kelley is batting 0.750 and slugging 1.375 with a home run and nine RBIs to lead the Falcons.

High School Tennis

The girls’ state team tournament concluded yesterday and for Class 1A Pella is the champion, while the Class 2A championship belongs to Dowling Catholic. 

Pella shutout Spencer 5-0 to advance to the championship match against Xavier and it was a thriller as the Saints held a 4-3 lead before Pella won the final two sets 2-1 and 2-0. Spencer took down Dike-New Hartford 5-2 to claim 3rd place. 

Dowling Catholic dropped just one set in their two matches yesterday with a 5-1 win over Valley, giving the Maroons the hardware. Iowa City West battled back from a 3 to 0 deficit to defeat Cedar Rapids Washington 5-4 to finish in 3rd place. 

High School Soccer

The boys’ state tournament got underway yesterday and the semifinals are now set. Here’s how the action went down yesterday. 

Class 3A got the day rolling with Des Moines Hoover defeating Indianola 2-1. The Huskies will take on Norwalk tomorrow, May 31st, at 10 am after the Warriors shutout Marion 2-0, allowing only two shots on goal. 

The bottom half of the bracket saw Jacob Klein score a goal for Cedar Rapids Washington as the #6 Warriors pulled off the 2-0 upset over #3 Xavier. Dallas Center-Grimes stomped Storm Lake 8-1 to advance to the semifinal game tomorrow at 1 pm.

Class 2A was next on the schedule and the #8-seeds continued challenging the #1-seed, but Gilbert was able to eliminate Center Point-Urbana 2-1. Bishop Heelan cruised to a 5-1 win over Webster City, setting up a match against the Tigers tomorrow at 10 am. 

#6 Perry and #3 Decorah needed penalty kicks to decide their matchup and it was the Bluejays who pulled off the upset as Luis Castro saved two shots during the penalty kicks. The Bluejays will face off against #7 Assumption tomorrow at 1 pm after the Knights took down #2 Glenwood 4-0 in upset fashion. 

Class 1A experienced the biggest upset of the day with #8 Van Meter knocking off undefeated West Branch 3-1. West Liberty snuck past Western Christian 2-1. The Bulldogs and Comets will face off tomorrow at 4 pm. 

In the bottom half of the bracket, North Fayette Valley took down West Sioux 2-1 and Regina Catholic shutout Hudson 3-0. The TigerHawks and Regals will compete tomorrow night at 7 pm. 

To round out the night, Class 4A had only one upset but plenty of close games. Iowa City, City High nearly executed the upset against #1 Johnston, but came up short in double overtime 3-2. Iowa City, West downed Valley 4-2. The Dragons will take on the Trojans tomorrow at 4 pm. 

Pleasant Valley had the only upset of Class 4A with a 2-1 win over Waukee Northwest. Lastly, Dowling Catholic defeated Ankeny 3-2. The Spartans will face off against the Maroons tomorrow at 7 pm. 

The girls’ state tournament will resume today with Dike-New Hartford competing against Nevada for Class 1A to start the day. 

Prospect League

The home crowd was gifted last night with a Burlington Bees win over the Alton River Dragons 8-6. Kinnick Pusteoska clocked a home run and two RBIs in the win. The Bees will stay at home tonight against the O’Fallon Hoots at 6:30 pm. 

The Clinton LumberKings picked up a road win last night over the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 9-6. Chase Womack slugged a double as he finished with a team leading three RBIs. The two will play tonight at 6:30 pm at Clinton. 

This Day in Sports History

1894 – Boston Beaneaters baseball second baseman Bobby Lowe is the first to hit four home runs in a MLB game in a 20-11 win against the Cincinnati Reds.

1911 – The first Indianapolis 500: Ray Harroun driving a Marmon Wasp for Nordyke and Marmon Company comes out of retirement and wins the inaugural event; average speed: 74.602 mph (120.060 km/h).

1936 – Indianapolis 500: Louis Meyer becomes the first three-time winner of the race; Lawson Harris is the first two-time winning riding mechanic. The famous tradition of serving milk in victory lane commences.

Janice Crabill

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, May 29th, 2024 at 2:43 pm CDT

Janice (Jan) Elaine Oberman Crabill, 87, of Scottsdale, AZ and formerly of Mt. Union, New London, and Mt. Pleasant died on May 22, 2024 at Hospice of the Valley – Eckstein Center.

Jan was born on November 5, 1936 in Burlington, IA, the daughter of Howard and Edith (Spencer) Oberman.  She graduated from Mount Union High School and attended the University of Iowa for three years majoring in Business.

On June 1, 1957, she married James (Jim) Edward Crabill in Mt. Union; he died November 4, 2008. While Jim was in the Navy, she worked as a secretary in various Civil Service jobs.  After moving back to Iowa, she was an assistant to James D. Marshall who taught Dale Carnegie Courses; a bookkeeper for Hodson-McKim Motors; a teller at Iowa State Bank; and finally worked for Van Syoc Auction and Realty.

Jan was a member of the Mt. Union Booster Club, Henry County A.R.C., and Chapter U of T.T.T. of Mt. Union.  She looked forward to volunteering every year at Midwest Old Threshers.  She enjoyed reading and attending Bible classes.  While Jim was stationed in Naples, Italy, their love for travel began when they took trips throughout Europe.  Later in life, they traveled much of the U.S. in their motorhome and spent many winters in Arizona where they enjoyed spending time with family and friends.

Jan is survived by her daughters, Joyce Niemiec of Scottsdale, AZ and Joni (Brad) Fulton of Fort Madison, IA; three grandchildren, Michael (Ashley) Niemiec, Katelyn (Adam) Hofmann and Sara (Marshall) Niemiec; four great-grandchildren, Cruz and Holland Niemiec and Owen and Calvin Hofmann. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, infant son Jeffrey, and brothers Royce and Eldon.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may go to Hope Haven Area Development Center in Burlington, IA.

A celebration of life for Jan will be held at a later date.  Elliott Chapel, New London, is assisting the family with arrangements and online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com

Georgia Mathews

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, May 29th, 2024 at 2:41 pm CDT

Georgia Ann Mathews, 83, of Danville, died Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House, West Burlington.  She was born September 14, 1940 in Mt. Pleasant to Daniel Joseph, Sr and Mary “Mary Jo”  Schroeder Cash.  On December 27, 1958 she married Dwayne C. Mathews at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Mt. Pleasant; he died November 11, 2023.

She was a 1958 graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School.  She grew up attending St. Alphonsus Catholic Church and later served on the Parish Council for Saints Mary and Patrick Catholic Church in West Burlington.

Georgia was a rural mail carrier for New London and Danville for many years.  She was a member of the Danville Athletic Boosters and filled several roles for Danville Schools including working in the kitchen, eighteen years driving a school bus along with the pep bus and team bus, announcing softball games, and keeping score books for baseball and softball games.  She enjoyed attending her children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events.

She assisted alongside her husband as owners of Mathews Angus Farm and was a member of the Des Moines County Cattle Women’s Association and American Angus Auxiliary.  Her favorite pastimes included ceramics, macrame, jewelry making, and shopping every Saturday. She and Dwayne enjoyed taking country dance lessons and riding motorcycles with friends.

Survivors include her children, Debbie Mathews of Danville, Steve (Sandra) Mathews of Charles Town, West Virginia, and Monica Myers of Burlington; eight grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; two brothers, Daniel J. (Marge) Cash, Jr of Bernalillo, New Mexico and Bill (Judy) Cash of Mt. Pleasant; brother-in-law Dave Carrick of Mt. Pleasant; and numerous nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, sister Margaret Carrick, brother John Cash and son-in-law Jim Myers.

A funeral mass for Mrs. Mathews will be held at 11:00 am, June 24, 2024 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Mt. Pleasant, with Father Jacob Greiner officiating.  Inurnment of her cremains will follow at Jaggar Cemetery, rural Danville.  The family will greet friends at the church beginning at 10:00 until the time of the service.  A memorial has been established for Danville Athletic Booster Club.  Elliott Chapel, New London is assisting the family and online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

DMC Hwy 99 Hawkeye Creek Bridge Closure

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, May 29th, 2024 at 2:39 pm CDT

The following is a message from the Des Moines County Engineer:

The following route will be closed starting Thursday, May 30th for bridge replacement. Weather permitting, we anticipate the project to last 4 months.

DMC Hwy 99
(immediately south of Hawkeye Road intersection.)
• 250th Street intersection will remain open.
• Huron Road intersection will remain open.

We are sorry for any inconvenience that this causes and we appreciate your patience while we improve our roads in Des Moines County.

Prep Softball: Three Local Teams Populate the IGHSAU’s Newest Rankings

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, May 29th, 2024 at 1:59 pm CDT

Prep Softball- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) released their second round of rankings for the softball season and the Southeast conference currently tabs two teams in the top 15 and a member of the Southeast Iowa Super Conference made the list.

Class 5A

Only two teams kept their same position from the previous week’s rankings: #4 Muscatine and #14 Sioux City East. The biggest fall was Ankeny Centennial struggling out of the gate and going from #1 to #6 after a 1-2 start. Pleasant Valley is the new top team, while Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Waukee, and Cedar Rapids Jefferson are now ranked 10th, 11th, and 12th, respectively, after previously being unranked.

Class 4A

North Polk continued the trend of the top team losing their spot as the Comets and Norwalk flip-flopped the #1 and #2 positions. Maquoketa was the only team to fall out of the top 15 as Bondurant-Farrar, touting a 6-0 record, jumped up to #13 after previously being unranked.

Burlington stayed put at the #11 slot with a 2-0 start to the season. The Greyhounds had their first four games canceled due to weather, so the conference wins over Keokuk last night by scores of 7-0 and 3-0 got the season rolling. Kylee Hill leads the team with three RBIs and two doubles, while Saydee Plummer dominated in the circle, notching 24 strikeouts in 8.2 innings of work.

Class 3A

Dubuque Wahlert leapfrogged Williamsburg to take the crown, while Assumption’s early slump position them back to #6 after being ranked 3rd last week. Solon jumped four spots to be ranked 7th.

Washington fell back two spots to enter this week ranked 9th with a 4-1 record. Their 7-4 loss to Cardinal is their lone blemish with their offense doing most of the heavy lifting, averaging 11 runs per game. The Demons have four batters hitting 0.500 or better as Rylee Libe has a slash line of 0.833/0.857/1.000. Their pitching staff has a team ERA of just 1.56.

Chariton and West Liberty were knocked out of the top 15, with PCM and West Burlington/Notre Dame filling out the #14 and #15 spots, respectively. The Falcons have relied on their bats to start the season with 33 runs through the first two games, while allowing 13. Logan Kelley is batting 0.750 and slugging 1.375 with a home run and nine RBIs to lead the Falcons.

Class 2A

Van Meter stopped the curse of the #1-seed, but similar to Class 3A Regina Catholic also fell from #3 to #6 in the rankings. Louisa-Muscatine dropped to #13 after being ranked #11 last week. East Marshall experienced one of the biggest falls in the rankings, going from #8 to unranked. Osage was also kicked out of the rankings with Lisbon entering the top 15 at the #12 slot and Durant rounding out the list.

Class 1A

The top six remained unchanged with Martensdale-St. Marys leading the charge with a 3-0 record. Newman Catholic improved to 9th in the rankings after winning their first seven games of the season. Falling out of the top 15 was St. Ansgar and Central City. Akron-Westfield and Calamus-Wheatland entered the top 15 and round out the list at #14 and #15, respectively.

One Subject Suffers Gunshot Wound in Washington County

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, May 29th, 2024 at 11:25 am CDT

At approximately 12:45 AM on May 29th, the Washington County Communications Center received a report of a disturbance at 2705 Airport Rd., Washington.

It was determined that one subject had suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The subject was transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City by Washington County Ambulance personnel and is in stable condition.

Personnel from Washington EMS, the Washington Police Department, Washington County Conservation, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation also assisted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at the scene.

The incident is under investigation and anyone with any information concerning the incident is urged to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 319-653-2107.