Month: August 2024

Firefighters in Fairfield responded to a fire late Wednesday which saw one person deceased. At approximately 11:27pm, units from the Fairfield Fire Department, Fairfield PD, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and Jefferson County Ambulance were dispatched to 51 S 12^th St in Fairfield for a structure fire.

Upon entry, the remains of one deceased individual was located. The identity of the individual is currently being withheld pending notification of family. The remains were sent to the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy to determine cause of death. The cause of the dire remains under investigation, however, an intentional fire is not suspected at this time.

KILJ received an update on the historic K-Line Flag Stop formerly located in Butch’s restaurant in Oakland Mills. Lynn Conrad and his crew started prepping the structure for the move Tuesday morning, little did they know at the time it would take an hour and a half to move the building from it’s previous home next to the Skunk River in Oakland Mills to its new home at the entrance to the disc golf course with the last 20 feet taking even longer at about 6 hours. With this progress the Flag Stop now sits on a platform ready to be dismantled and reassembled to stand in it’s former glory.

Several area law enforcement agencies partook in a campaign to combat human trafficking across the United States. Dubbed “Coast to Coast” with a grassroots effort involving 12 states with the common goals of identifying trafficking victims, offering these victims much-needed services, arresting traffickers, and making communities safer.

The Burlington Police Department, Ottumwa PD, and Wapello County Sheriff’s Office all took part in this operation on August 22^nd. Seventeen adults were contacted and offered food, lodging, medical services, drug rehabilitation, counseling/therapy, and childcare. Seven adults were contacted, detained, or identified during this operation.

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, and we celebrate with barbecues and road trips. But be aware as you hit the highways that the Labor Day holiday weekend is one of the deadliest times of the year in terms of drunk-driving fatalities.

It is imperative that we all do our part to end drunk and drugged driving.  Remember that it is never okay to drink/drug and drive.  Even if you plan to have only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or use a ride serve to get home safely.  If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement.  Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive?  Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.  These are small tasks that can make a BIG difference to save lives.

Expect increased law enforcement presence on the roads this Labor Day weekend, as they do their part in keeping our roads safe by removing impaired drivers. Remember, drive sober or get pulled over.

Despite the Old Threshers Reunion, the Henry County Board of Supervisors met on Thursday morning.

The county engineer, Jake Hotchkiss, provided an update on the state of our county’s roads. Franklin Avenue (W-55) is closed from 275^th St north to 260^th St. Iowa Bridge and Culvert is closing Nebraska Avenue today and will be moving equipment in today and start removal soon. This is south of 220^th St. The project is slated for completion before winter sets in, dependent on weather.

The board then discussed reissuing a check from 2022 for the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility. The original check was sent two years ago but was not cashed at that time. On July 6^th, 2023, the board resolved to void this check. Recently, they were asked to reissue the check, but according to Iowa code, they are not legally obligated to do so.

The Henry County Sheriff, Rich McNamee, spoke about the good relationship the county has with the correctional facility. Currently, the facility provides meals to the inmates, and looking elsewhere for this service would likely cost substantially more. For reference, the previous meal provider was close to 50% more for their food service. The board ended up motioning to reissue the check in the amount of $17,822.50.

Kelli Sloan, Treasurer, asked the board to consider hiring a new employee for the treasurer’s office. She believes that the office of 6 needs one more person to run effectively. Currently, there is a two week wait for a driver’s license appointment. Marc Lindeen, a supervisor, mentioned personnel cuts as a result of HF718, and chairman Moeller worried about hiring a new employee that may have to be let go in 3 years. The decision to approve an additional hire for the treasurer’s office will be put on next week’s meeting agenda.

Sarah Berndt, coordinator of Disability Services and a member of the Mt. Pleasant evening Rotary, asked the board about a diaper drive in September. The club is participating in a diaper drive with Family Connection and would like to place a box at the courthouse. This was allowed by the board.

During the public comments section, a citizen voiced his concern with Christopher Ales and his redevelopment project with old Iowa Wesleyan buildings. Ales is suing the board of review due to assessed valuation, which is costing the county money. According to the assessor, the total bill is probably around $20,000. The citizen believes the board should not deal anymore with Ales until he gives up the lawsuit. Other citizens asked about a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, which is yet to be given a date. One citizen asked for the notice of the rules at that meeting, and if public comment will be allowed.

Supervisor White attended the ISAC meeting in Des Moines on August 21^st and 22^nd. There, he recertified as a certified county supervisor and participated in discussions with other county supervisors over “hot topics” including HF718, EMS levies, and alternative energy.

The Keokuk High School was presented with a $15,000 grant for the new Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter, which boasts 82 student members.

The FFA chapter is a part of the brand-new Agriculture program that started this fall, which is a pathway for students as part of Career and Technical Education (CTE) at KHS.

Brady Martin, the former Mt. Pleasant High School FFA advisor and new at Keokuk, commented.

“The FFA program is a huge opportunity for students of different backgrounds to participate in many different ways,” Brady Martin, Agriculture Program director and FFA advisor at KHS, said. This grant, “helps eliminate barriers right off the bat because most of chapter funding comes from fundraisers in the fall and spring.”