Ted L. Klopfenstein

By Allison Jacobs · Tuesday, March 24th, 2026 at 5:55 am CDT

Ted L. Klopfenstein, 62, of Mt. Pleasant, died Thursday, March 12, 2026 at his residence.

Ted Lewis Klopfenstein was born June 11, 1963 in Davenport, Iowa. He was the son of Wayne Lewis and Phyllis Iva (Lane) Klopfenstein. Ted graduated from Mt. Pleasant Community High School as a member of the Class of 1981. He furthered his education at Kirkwood Community College where he received his diploma in Auto Body Restoration.

Ted was united in marriage to Vicki Headley. To this union, a daughter was born – Amanda May. The couple later divorced.

Ted began his own auto restoration service, Ted’s Auto Body. Ted was also a longtime plumber with Taft-Wiley Plumbing and Heating in Mt. Pleasant. In his retirement, Ted worked for Everett Smith Construction. Ted used his knowledge of plumbing, electrical wiring and construction to build his own house on some of the land on the family farm.

Ted was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Mt. Pleasant where he was baptized and confirmed.

Ted had a deep appreciation and love of cars, especially the cars considered “classics”. Cars were not the only mode of transportation dear to Ted, as he loved to get on his motorcycle for a ride. When not around cars or on his motorcycle, Ted could be found on or near the water. Being on his boat or on the beach always brought Ted great joy. He was an avid deer hunter and was very adept in using the meat. He loved to cook for everyone, especially in the summer. His devotion to cooking almost led Ted to open a restaurant with a friend of his. Friends were at the core of all of Ted’s hobbies. No matter which fun activity Ted was engaged in, Ted always made sure his friends were there for the fun as well.

Those thankful for sharing in Ted’s life include his daughter, Amanda May Barry and her husband Chris of Cedar Rapids; his 3 grandchildren – Lacie, Aliyana and Ottilie Barry; his brother – John Klopfenstein and his wife Lin of Mt. Pleasant; his sister – Judith Miller and her husband Jim of Carrolton, TX; and Ted’s longtime companion, Dizee Johnson of New London.

Ted’s parents and an infant brother, Phillip Wayne Klopfenstein, precede him in death.

Friend may call to sign the register from 12-7PM on Friday, March 27 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant. The family will receive friends from 10AM-12 Noon on Saturday, March 28 at the funeral home. A private family funeral service will occur Saturday afternoon.

Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the All God’s Creatures Animal Shelter of Mt. Pleasant.

2026 KILJ Bracket Challenge Standings after Two Rounds

By Slaten Swords · Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 4:21 pm CDT

Mt. Pleasant, IA- Down goes the champion and now two bitter rivals get ready to meet for the first time in postseason history with the winner moving on to the Elite 8. Now that was just the upper half of the South Region, meaning March is running on schedule and it is time to update the standings for the 2026 KILJ Bracket Challenge after two rounds.

What Happened

The prevailing prediction amongst southeast Iowa was that the #8-seeds did not have what it took to advance to the second round and that proved to be the correct assumption as the #9-seeds managed to go 4-0 this year.

Day one was much more exciting than day two of the first round with #11 VCU and #12 High Point knocking off their respective opponents. Only three brackets said High Point would defeat Wisconsin.

Additionally, #16 Siena had #1 Duke on their heels, leading for a majority of the match until the Blue Devils stormed ahead late. It would have been the ultimate bracket buster with 47 of our 60 brackets having Duke in the Final Four.

Instead, the status quo stuck around and would continue, excluding #11 Texas picking off #6 BYU, despite AJ Dybansta producing 35 points for the Cougars. The Longhorns would keep the upsets coming as they defeated #3 Gonzaga, 74-68, to advance to the Sweet 16.

#5 St. John’s head coach, Rick Pitino, avenged his loss in the second-round last year by holding on to beat #4 Kansas, 67-65. #6 Tennessee also pulled off an upset over #3 Virginia to advance to the Sweet 16.

Waiting for the Volunteers will be #2 Iowa State. Despite missing All-American Joshua Jefferson, the Cyclones scored 51 second half points to steamroll #7 Kentucky. #4 Nebraska, fresh off their first ever win in the tournament, dispatched #5 Vanderbilt, 74-72, and now sits one win away from the Elite 8.

Of course, as five of our local brackets predicted, #9 Iowa will look to continue their Cinderella story against the Cornhuskers on Thursday after Alvaro Folgueiras sank a game-winning three-pointer with less than five seconds remaining to end #1 Florida’s chances as repeat National Champions.

Of the top guessers in the first round, three brackets picked 29 of the 32 matchups, while the second round featured two brackets that were able to correctly pick 13 of the 16 contests. Overall, 21 of the 60 brackets have lost at least one Final Four team.

Meaning, five of our local brackets have now lost their champion. But, with points now doubling to eight for each correct guess in the Sweet 16, things will only start to heat up.

Standings

  1. Zach White: 106
  2. Joseph Koller: 106
  3. Alan Buckert: 104
  4. Justin Hultman: 102
  5. Georgie Alter: 102
  6. Brent Broeker: 102
  7. Khanon Koller: 102
  8. Karen Brimhall: 102
  9. Mat Wilson: 102 Down One Final Four Team
  10. Kelsey Norton, Tammy Alliman, Depot Divas, Ross Heitmeier, Jakin Bunnell, and Dan Clouer: 100

More

Stay tuned to KILJ for an update on the standings after the Elite 8.

Winfield Avenue Closed in Mount Pleasant This Week

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 2:12 pm CDT

Drivers in Mount Pleasant should be aware of a road closure this week.

Winfield Avenue will be closed from Lincoln Street to Main Street for the duration of the week. Motorists are encouraged to plan alternate routes and use caution when traveling in the area.

Nancy Anne Farquharson Conrad

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 2:08 pm CDT

Nancy Anne Farquharson Conrad, 92, of Mt. Pleasant, formerly of New London, died Friday evening, March 20, 2026 at Soldiers and Sailors Park Place, Mt. Pleasant. She was born August 5, 1933, in Albany, New York to John Edward and Adelaide “Della” (Dost) Farquharson. Her mother died immediately after giving birth to Nancy and her twin, Frank. In 1938, her father married Celeste W. Wilkin, who became a mother to the twins.

She graduated from Columbia High School in East Greenbush, New York, where she was a cheerleader and played field hockey. She continued her education and graduated from the College of St. Rose in Nursing in 1955 and worked at Sloan Kettering in New York City. She fondly remembered visits to her grandpa’s farm and trips to New York City.

On July 8, 1961, Nancy married Ernest Conrad, and they lived in Clinton Corners, New York where she worked in nursing. The family relocated to Iowa in 1976 and in 1984, she earned her master’s degree from the University of Iowa. She worked for 31 years as an associate nursing professor at Iowa Wesleyan College while continuing to work as a practicing nurse in several different medical establishments. Nancy was an active member of St. Alphonsus Church and after retiring from IWC as Associate Professor Emeritus of Nursing, she volunteered with many organizations in the community.

Nancy is survived by her children; Susan (David) Martin, Tim (Karen) Conrad, Steve (Julie) Conrad, Joe (Ros) Conrad, and Don (Kari) Conrad, grandchildren; Emma Martin LaPlant, Liv Martin, Josh Conrad, Nick Conrad, Sarah Conrad, Amelia Conrad, Elaina Conrad and several great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, stepmother, brother Frank and her grandson Ethan.

Memorials may be made to All God’s Creatures Animal Shelter in Mt. Pleasant or the Alzheimer’s Association.

According to her wishes, her body has been cremated. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Connie E. Ward

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 2:05 pm CDT

Connie E. Ward, 86, of Donnellson, Iowa, formerly of Bonaparte, passed away at 11:52 a.m. Sunday, March 22, 2026, at her home.

She was born on October 11, 1939, in Bonaparte, Iowa, the daughter of James and Faye (Watts) Randolph. On April 26, 1959, she married Donald Dean Ward. He preceded her in death on July 9, 2024.

Survivors include her children: Alan Ward of Bonaparte, Dennis Ward of Alabama, Linda Green of Bonaparte; grandchildren: Andy (Jackie) Ward, Wyatt (Wendy) Ward, Ian (Julie) Ward, Emily (Mike) Ward-Thal, Jake (Christy) Ward, Zach (Anna) Kreiss, Colby (Katie) Kreiss, Nathan (Hannah) Losey, Trae Green and fourteen great grandchildren. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband: Donald; two sisters: Lois Munford and Shirley Ridgeway.
Connie was a graduate of Bonaparte High School. She worked as a hairdresser and retired from Riverside Plastics. She was a member of the Bonaparte United Church and enjoyed watching her grandchildren and visiting with friends.
A visitation will be held with family receiving friends from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Schmitz Funeral Home in Farmington.
A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. at Thompson Cemetery in Bonaparte with Reverend Ellis Andrew officiating.
Burial will be at Thompson Cemetery, Bonaparte.
A memorial has been established in her memory for Donnellson Fire and Rescue.
Schmitz Funeral Home of Farmington is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.

Cynthia Ann “Cindy” (Kendall) Hillyer

By Kadie Johannson · Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 12:34 pm CDT

Cynthia Ann “Cindy” (Kendall) Hillyer, 64, of Mount Pleasant passed away at her home on Saturday, March 7, 2026.

Cindy was born on August 4, 1961, in Burlington, the daughter of Kenneth E. and Nina M. (Allison) Kendall. She graduated from New London High School with the class of 1979. Cindy was united in marriage to Michael Hussler, they later divorced. Cindy later married Johnnie Hillyer. Cindy was always the life of the party with her sense of humor. She loved Rock music as that was a huge part of her life for many years. Cindy had a deep love for her family, especially her nieces and nephews as she taught them to enjoy life with a sense of humor. She had a passion for cats and over the years had taken in many stray and sick cats to take care of. Cindy had a strong faith in her loving God. Cindy was employed at Collegiate Cap and Gown for many years and later at Legacy in Mount Pleasant.

Those thankful for sharing in her life include her sister, Carolyn (Mike) Byrum and her brother Wes (Linda) Kendall, both of Mount Pleasant, along with her loving nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and great great nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Johnnie, her sister, Kay Kendall and a nephew, Nathan Byrum.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the Open Bible Church in Mount Pleasant with Pastor Mike Johnson officiating. Private family burial will be in the Harrison Cemetery, rural Wapello. Memorials in her memory may be directed to All God’s Creatures Animal Shelter of Mount Pleasant.

The Murphy Funeral Home of Mount Pleasant is honored to serve the family with love, comfort and dignity as we celebrate the life of Cindy.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Henry County Primary Election Candidate List Released

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 11:55 am CDT

The official list of candidates for the upcoming primary election in Henry County has been released, giving voters a look at who will appear on the ballot this election season.

The list includes candidates running for a variety of county offices.

However, one local candidate will not appear on the primary ballot. Abbie Liechty is running for Henry County Attorney as an independent candidate and will instead appear on the general election ballot later this year.

Voters are encouraged to review the full list of candidates ahead of the primary and make a plan to participate in the upcoming election.

More information, including polling locations and voting deadlines, is available through the Henry County Auditor’s Office and on KILJ.com under the News tab.

County Attorney

  • Becky Wilson – Rep.

County Recorder

  • Lynnae Buffington – Rep.

County Supervisor

  • Joseph Buffington – Rep.
  • Graig Stauffer – Rep.
  • Reg Roth – Rep.
  • Kevin Glaha – Rep.
  • Phillip Grandinette – Rep.
  • Heidi Zenk – Rep.
  • Sam Riepe – Dem.

County Treasurer

  • Kellie Sloan – Rep.

Fort Madison Man Arrested on Felony Drug Charges

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 9:59 am CDT

On March 14, 2026, the Lee County Narcotics Task Force reports the arrest of Paul William Londrie, age 51, of Fort Madison, Iowa, on felony and misdemeanor drug charges.

These charges stem from Fort Madison Police Department officers observing Londrie walking in the area and being aware he had an active arrest warrant. When officers attempted to make contact with Londrie, he fled on foot but was apprehended after a short chase. A search incident to arrest resulted in the discovery of controlled substances and items indicative of drug trafficking.

As a result of the investigation, Londrie was charged with: Possession with Intent to Deliver Methamphetamine, a Class B Felony; Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana, a Class C Felony; Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp (Methamphetamine), a Class D Felony; Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp (Marijuana), a Class D Felony; Possession of a Controlled Substance (Alprazolam), 1st Offense, a Serious Misdemeanor; and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a Simple Misdemeanor.

The Lee County Narcotics Task Force was assisted in this investigation by the Fort Madison Police Department.

The defendant in this case is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The Lee County Narcotics Task Force is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Justice, with funds administered by the Iowa Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy.