“Music In Motion” Invitational Results

By Theresa Rose · Sunday, February 6th, 2022 at 10:29 pm CDT

-Dave Schneider

Davenport Central High School once again was named the Grand Champion of the “Music in Motion” Show Choir Invitational held Saturday at Mount Pleasant High School. Coming in second place was Cedar Rapids Prairie, followed by Naperville North, Iowa City West, Xavier and Hannibal in the finals. Davenport Central swept the Caption Awards for Outstanding Vocals, Band and Choreography.

 

In the Prep Division, Naperville North took top honors followed by Davenport Central, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Xavier, Iowa City West and Fort Madison.

 

Outstanding Female Soloist was Gia Lostumbo from Naperville North, Outstanding Male Soloist was Jack Stremlow, a junior from Davenport Central, and Cedar Rapids Prairie was recognized as having the Outstanding Crew.

 

The Middle School Division was won by Pella, with Fort Madison taking second.

 

Central Lee, the only school in their division, earned first place and had the honor of having the most fans in attendance, 106, among the 18 groups from three states that competed. There were over 1,020 performers on stage plus well over a thousand fans that came to enjoy all the music.

Area Administrator A Finalist for Burlington Position

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 4th, 2022 at 10:25 pm CDT

The Burlington School District has narrowed the field to three finalists in the process to find a new superintendent. On the short list are…Fairfield School Superintendent Dr. Laurie Noll, Clear Creek Amana Community School District Interim Superintendent Joseph Brown and Director of Athletics and Activities for Centennial High School in Ankeny Robert Scott. The three will go thru a final interview on February 16.  Current Burlington Supt.Pat Coen will retire at the end of June.

Harlan-Lincoln House to host a trip to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 4th, 2022 at 10:09 pm CDT

Mount Pleasant, IA – February 4, 2022 — The Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House at Iowa Wesleyan University are excited to present Southeast Iowa an opportunity to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum on March 22, 2022.  

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is the official library and museum of the sixteenth president of the United States. The museum offers multiple exhibits examining Abraham Lincoln’s life, beginning with his boyhood in Kentucky and his shocking assassination in Washington, DC. In addition to the exhibits, there are galleries filled with Lincoln and Civil War artifacts, theaters with Holavision, and, of course, the library where millions of archives containing the history of Abraham Lincoln are stored. 

Hosted by the Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House as part of the annual Brown Bag Lecture Series, a required $40 registration fee will cover transportation to and from Springfield, breakfast, and admission into the museum. Each registrant will be responsible for their lunch following the visit to the museum. 

Register by February 22, 2022, at harlanlincolnhouse.org to claim your spot. For questions or more information, including itinerary details, contact hlhouse@iw.edu or call 319-385-6319.

Jerry Dean McGill

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 4th, 2022 at 5:19 pm CDT

Jerry Dean McGill, 87, of Wapello passed away on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022 at Washington County Hospital with family at his side.  Funeral services will be held 1:30 p.m. on Monday, February 7, 2022 at Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral Home, 209 Franklin Street Wapello, IA. Burial will follow at the Wapello Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 6, 2022 at the funeral home.  The family kindly ask those attending the visitation and funeral service to wear a mask due to the pandemic concerns.    A memorial has been established for the Wapello Fire Department and Wapello Ambulance Service. Sympathy notes may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.

Jerry McGill, was born on January 5, 1935, in Grandview, Iowa, the son of Jesse Dickerson McGill and Faith Lillian (Stinemen) McGill.  He was a 1953 graduate of Wapello High School and attended Southwestern College in Winfield, KS.  On July 3, 1954, he was united in marriage to Frances Moore.  Jerry worked for J.I. Case Company for 32 years and retired in 1997.  In his retirement years, he and Frances traveled, played golf, enjoyed winters in Texas and time with family and friends, especially his grandchildren.  He was a member of Wapello JCs and long-time member of Indian Hills Country Club (Heritage Oaks). Jerry served his community for many years as a volunteer fireman with the Wapello Fire Department. He also coached his boys in Wapello little league and was president of Wapello Booster Club where he accomplished many facility upgrades during his tenure. In his free time, Jerry enjoyed hunting, fishing, playing golf, boating, bowling, gardening and fish fry’s with family and friends

Jerry will be deeply missed by his wife, Frances, son Jerry (Cherri) McGill of Wapello, daughter Kim (Doug) Brown of Wapello, son David (Shelly) McGill of Johnston, IA; grandchildren, Seth (Jade) McGill, Summer (Blake Friis), Chad (Lori) Brown, Bethany (Shay Moore), Cade McGill; Great-Grandchildren, Fiona McGill, Jude McGill, Pheobe McGill, Gabe Friis, Cooper Friis, Parker Friis, Ethan Brown, Zion Moore and Zephyr Moore; many nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his father, Jesse McGill; mother, Faith McGill; brother, Pete McGill, brother, Hal McGill, sister, Marian McGill, and sister, Marilyn McGill.

Daily Jail Count

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 4th, 2022 at 12:21 pm CDT

In the interest of keeping Henry County residents informed, the Henry County Sheriff’s office has requested KILJ post the daily jail count. During the jail referendum campaign it was publicized that the jail would be able to house additional inmates from surrounding counties and this would generate revenue for Henry County.

Date:   ____02-04-2022_____

 

JAIL COUNT

 

  22_    Henry County Inmates

 

  46_     Out of County Contract Inmates              

 

  68 _    TOTAL

POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING

By Theresa Rose · Friday, February 4th, 2022 at 12:19 pm CDT

The Mount Pleasant Board of Education POLICY COMMITTEE will meet at 4:10pm on Friday, February 4, 2022,

Mt. Pleasant CSD – Central Office

1010 East Washington Street – Suite 102

to review/discuss:

  1. Possible Addition of High School Clubs
    1. Chess Club
    2. Spanish Club
  2. Junior Class Fundraiser Request
  3. National Honor Society Fundraiser Request
  4. Middle School 1:1 Laptop Program Review
  5. Second Reading of School Board Policy Series 800 Buildings and Sites
    1. Board Policy 801.2 Site Specifications
    2. Board Policy 802.5 Disposition of Obsolete Equipment
  6. 2022-2023 School Calendar

 

Off Year Caucus Information

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, February 3rd, 2022 at 10:20 pm CDT

Henry County Auditor Shelly Barber reminds everyone that the off year caucuses will be held February 7. Four Henry County officials are up for re-election.  They are Treasurer Ana Lair, who has already announced she will not run for another term, Recorder Mindy Fitzgibbon, Attorney Darin Stater and Supervisor Marc Lindeen.

The 2022 Democratic caucuses will be held on Monday, February 7, at 7:00 p.m., at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Mount Pleasant.  In addition to party building, the caucuses will determine precinct leadership and elect delegates to the county convention, which is  scheduled for Saturday, March 26. This is the first step in working on the state party’s business and kicks off the process of creating a state  party platform. The Republican caucuses will also start at 7 pm and will be held at the First United Methodist Church.

The candidate filing periods for the June 7, 2022, Primary Election are:

  • State and Federal Offices: February 28 – March 18, 2022 (5:00 p.m.)
  • County Offices: March 7 – March 25, 2022 (5:00 p.m.)

Federal and State candidate lists will be available and updated throughout the filing period.

Consumer Connection: Romance Scams

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, February 3rd, 2022 at 5:00 pm CDT

By Sonya Sellmeyer, Consumer Advocacy Officer for the Iowa Insurance Division

February is the month of romance, but love and companionship may also involve a scam.  According to the FBI, romance or confidence scams were responsible for over 23,000 reported victims losing over $605 million in 2020, compared to 12,500 victims and $203 million in losses during 2015.

A romance scam is when a swindler uses a fake identity to gain a victim’s trust and affection.  The introduction of the new romantic interest or friendship may occur online, via a dating app, social media, random text message, phone call, or email.  Usually, the romantic interest never meets in person, though numerous plans for a gathering have been made and rescheduled with excuses.  The fake identity could be that of a member of the military, someone wealthy overseas, an overseas construction worker, or one of many other fake personas.

These professionals quickly gain a victim’s trust and express many commonalities with their victim.  As the relationship evolves the scammer will continue to reel their victim in with promises and gifts of love.  After trust is established, the romantic interest develops a story about a sick child, being stranded in a foreign country, legal fees, being held against their will, or other urgent situations where large amounts of money are needed quickly.  The scammer may also ask for personal information to steal the victim’s identity or assets, or ask the victim to launder money by transferring or moving money illegally for someone else, also known as a money mule.

The senior financial exploitation law recently enacted in Iowa allows brokerage institutions to temporarily freeze an account where they fear the owner may be the victim of a scam and authorizes the IID to investigate reports of suspected financial exploitation.

Avoid being a victim by following these simple rules:

  • Stop. Think. Call.  Discuss non-traditional investments or the request for money with a trusted source.
  • Double check before you invest. Ensure anyone trying to sell you an investment is properly licensed as well as the investment being sold.
  • Be cautious posting on social media or dating sites, and beware of online investment solicitations.  Don’t click on links in emails or text messages.
  • Never give out your personal banking information or send money to someone you don’t know, especially if you haven’t met in person.
  • Research the online profile and picture to see if it has been used elsewhere or on multiple online profiles.
  • Beware of someone trying to isolate you from your friends and family.
  • If an investment pulls at your heartstrings, walk away.

The Iowa Fraud Fighter program is a source of information to shield your savings from scammers.  You can also increase your financial literacy with the Iowa Insurance Division (IID) Save4Later free educational website.

Anyone can be a victim, knowing how to protect yourself is the first step in prevention.

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