Author: Theresa Rose

DAVENPORT, Iowa – On Thursday, April 22, 2021, United States District Court Chief
Judge John A. Jarvey sentenced Terry Lee Douglas, III, age 34, of Burlington, to 200 months in
prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine announced Acting United States Attorney
Richard D. Westphal. Douglas was ordered to serve five years of supervised release to follow his
prison term as well as pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
In January of 2020, Douglas was caught with approximately 250 grams of ice
methamphetamine in the Burlington area. On multiple occasions between January and May of
2020, Douglas was associated with methamphetamine transactions. In May of 2020, Douglas and
others traveled together to obtain ice methamphetamine from a supplier in Galesburg, Illinois.
Upon returning to Iowa, the vehicle was stopped, and Douglas was arrested. At the time of the stop
and arrest, Douglas had two ounces of ice in his possession. On December 1, 2020, Douglas
admitted to knowingly and intentionally joining in an agreement to distribute methamphetamine
in the Burlington area.
This matter was investigated by the Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task Force and the case was
prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The pandemic made it impossible for the Mount Pleasant High School FFA to hold a banquet last year to celebrate the first year of the Chapter’s return to the High School. But Friday night they made up for that and celebrated with the presentation of awards, the change of officers”Thank You’s” and acknowledgements.  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and his wife Christie shared comments virtually and members reviewed projects and fundraising for the past two years. Marge Beckman and Mary Elgar were named Honorary Degree Recipients with honorary membership in FFA. This is the highest degree bestowed on a non-member.  Advisor Matt Jones presented several awards….Star Salesman-Brennan Bender, Star Entrepreneur-Dalton Gardner, Star Greenhand-Courtney Raub, Star Chapter Farmer-Mitchell Moothart. Jack Schimmelpfennig received the “I Believe in the Future of Agriculture” award and Grace Sheets received the Panther Blue and Gold award. 19 members receeived the Greenhand Degree.  This is the first degree FFA members can achieve.  Mount Pleasant School Board member Chuck Andrew announced the formation of Alum and Friends of MPCHS FFA. Anyone who is interested in supporting the local chapter with time, talent or funds is encouraged to contact Mr. Jones at the High School.

Date   Monday, April 26, 2021   6:00 PM

Mount Pleasant Community School District:  High School Media Center

Mount Pleasant, Iowa 52641

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Iowa Construction Advocacy Team (ICAT) Presentation
5. Shelli Blazic – Shared Social Worker with GPAEA
6. Negotiations Discussion (Exempt from Open Meetings Law)
7. Adjournment

Lucas Anthony McCoy of Libertyville, IA has been arrested and charged with Arson in the Second Degree
and Insurance Fraud relating to a fire at his Libertyville, IA property on October 22, 2020. It is alleged that Mr.
McCoy removed personal property from the residence, then created the conditions for a fire to start, and to
eventually engulf the home. The fire, located at 2437 Indigo Blvd. in Libertyville, resulted in a complete loss to
the residence. McCoy, a former volunteer firefighter, had allegedly made past statements to others describing the manner
in which he could burn his home in such a way as to create the appearance of an accidental fire. Subsequent
investigation by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office discovered items which had been claimed by McCoy on
an insurance policy as destroyed by fire, to in fact have been removed from the home prior to it burning.
A criminal charge is simply an accusation, and the accused is not guilty unless and until convicted in a
court of law.

April is Arbor Month and a new five-minute video produced by the Iowa DNR aims to help residents learn to properly plant trees and avoid very common mistakes—vital to the longevity of new plantings.

“Learning to correctly plant trees really determines the longevity of that tree’s life,” said DNR urban forestry specialist Gabbi Edwards. “What we find at tree planting events is that people are wide-eyed during the planting instructions. They say ‘Oh my, I’ve always planted trees all wrong.’ But the video can easily help them do it the right way.”

Common errors such as planting roots too deep or too shallow, or not removing encircling roots can lead to improper rooting and other issues years later. Improperly mulching—especially with mulch mounded up around the tree trunk—can lead to rot and also dramatically shorten the life of the tree.

That’s where the video comes in.

“We wanted a short and concise video that people could use as a resource,” said Edwards. She says improperly planted trees more easily succumb to wind and storms or may look otherwise healthy, but then suddenly die in just 20 years. But with a proper start at planting, that same tree may live a century or more.

With widespread tree losses across the state due to old age, pests and the derecho, Iowans are more interested than ever in restoring lost trees to add beauty, shade and habitat to their properties.

“The derecho has provided a blessing in disguise,” she says. “People are now looking at the diversity of the tree canopy in their communities and have the ability to restart and move towards planting a greater variety of tree species” which aids wildlife and reduces impacts of tree pests, she said.

To view the video go to https://www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Urban-Forestry.

Mount Pleasant, IA – April 22, 2021 — Iowa Wesleyan University held its annual Awards Day to recognize outstanding students and faculty. The University recognized students for exemplary achievement in their majors, their leadership on campus, and their involvement in the community. The awards ceremony also included the announcement of the most prestigious student award given annually, the President’s Award.

“Awards day is one of the most important days of the academic year as it is our opportunity as a campus community to celebrate the achievements of our students. The awards range from discipline-specific academic awards to student development awards,” stated Dr. DeWayne Fraizer, University Provost. “It is also our opportunity to honor our adjunct teacher of the year and the academic advisor of the year.”

The President’s Award, presented to a graduating senior, epitomizes a person who consistently demonstrates responsible and selfless use of talent and leadership throughout his or her undergraduate experience. Nominees must be high academic achievers who have modeled exemplary academic effort and engagement. The 2020-2021 President’s Award was presented to Veronica Morgan ’21 from Durand, IL. Veronica’s nominator said this about her, “Veronica is an excellent example of what it means to be a TIGER. You will never see her without a smile. Veronica is the type of person everyone hopes to have in their life.”

Lois Skubal of Ainsworth, IA, is the recipient of the Tiger Spirit Award. This award signifies what it means to be an Iowa Wesleyan Tiger by displaying a positive attitude, sportsmanship, spirit, and pride. Her nominator said, “Lois has a servant’s heart. She is always willing to step in and help out if asked.”

Student Leader of the Year award recipient is Jeremiah Carter from Washington, IA. This award is designed to recognize a student who has excelled and exemplified outstanding leadership, service, and dedication to positively impact growth, culture, and change at IW. “Jeremiah is intentionally involved on campus, meaning that when he is a part of something, he takes ownership of it! Others look up to him as he leads by example,” said his nominator.

Recognized for their unwavering support of Iowa Wesleyan’s internship program is The Rec Center. The Rec Center was recognized for its unwavering support of our internship program. The Rec Center is a dedicated internship placement facility for many Iowa Wesleyan students in many disciplines. Our students have said, “The Rec Center is a great place to gain experience as an intern, and their staff and members are truly welcoming to everyone. They take every one of their interns under their wing and set them up to be successful.” Without their dedication to IW, students would not have the exceptional mentoring and professional opportunities afforded them.

In celebration of our IW Online students, the University honored Andrew Ezekiel Hall as the Outstanding Online Undergraduate Student of the Year and Bridget Dunham, the Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year.

We also recognize instructors during our annual celebration. Earning the Adjunct Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award was Donna DeBose. Our IW Online Adjunct Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award was Dr. Celina Peerman. The Advisor of the Year honor was awarded to Erin Durflingerr.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — On Wednesday, April 21, 2021, United States District Court Judge
Stephanie M. Rose sentenced Ismael Salazar Montes, age 30, of Nogales Sonora, Mexico, to 160
months in prison for Illegal Reentry, Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances,
and Illegal Alien in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition announced Acting United States
Attorney Richard D. Westphal. Following his prison term, Salazar Montes was ordered to serve
five years of supervised release and pay $300 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
The investigation began in October 2019, when law enforcement stopped Salazar Montes’s
vehicle in Mount Pleasant. After stopping the vehicle, law enforcement had a canine conduct a sniff
of the vehicle, resulting in an alert as to the presence of narcotics. As officers searched the vehicle,
Salazar Montes admitted he had a handgun in his suitcase. Officers searched the suitcase and located
an unloaded, nine-millimeter Ruger handgun. Salazar Montes admitted he did not have a permit for
the firearm and knew he could not lawfully possess the firearm because he was not legally present
in the United States. A search of the backseat of the vehicle revealed a cooler where officers located
three bags of controlled substances—812.8 grams of methamphetamine, 958.7 grams of heroin, and
307.27 grams of fentanyl. Salazar Montes admitted he placed the controlled substances in the cooler
and was transporting them from Tucson, Arizona to Chicago, Illinois.
This matter was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and
Customs Enforcement, Drug Enforcement Agency, Mount Pleasant Police Department, and the
Henry County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office
for the Southern District of Iowa.