Mary Lou Stewart

By Theresa Rose · Wednesday, August 12th, 2020 at 12:18 pm CDT

Mary Lou Stewart, 78, of Salem, Iowa, passed away Tuesday, August 11, 2020, at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City.

Born, August 17, 1941, Mary Lou was the daughter of Glenn and Lucille (Hudson) Elmore. She was a graduate of Salem High School.  She married Willie E. Stewart on April 22, 1961 in Davenport Iowa. She lived in Salem all her life. She worked at Champion Spark Plugs in Burlington Iowa for 30 plus years.

Mary was a member of Salem Congregational Church.  She loved spending time with and spoiling her grandchildren and great-granddaughter.  She enjoyed playing Farkle and card games.

Along with her husband, Willie, she is survived by one son, Randy (Linda) Stewart of Salem, IA; one daughter Tami (Jerry) Westman of Battle Lake, MN; three grandchildren, Alex Westman, Brandy (Nate) Albert, and Austin Stewart; one great-granddaughter, Effie Albert; two brothers, Wayne Elmore of Omaha, NE and Larry Elmore of NC; and two sisters, Marian Frances of Burlington, IA, and Margaret Triska of Salem, IA.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters, Beverly Lyle and Patsy Watson-Smith.

Visitation will be Thursday, August 13, 2020, at Olson Powell Memorial Chapel from 4:00 to 7:00 PM.  A Graveside Service will be held at 10:30 AM Friday, August 14, 2020, at Salem East Cemetery with Pastor Aaron Helterbran officiating.  Gifts of love and friendship may be given to Salem Congregational Church. The Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel is caring for Mary and her family.  Messages may be sent to the family at www.powellfuneralhomes.com.

Two Monday Accidents at about 11 am

By Theresa Rose · Monday, August 10th, 2020 at 4:22 pm CDT

At about 11’oclock this morning Henry County Emergency responders and fire departments were headed north and south of Mt. Pleasant. At about 10:50 am a two vehicle accident was reported near Olds on Hwy 218 involving a semi and a D.O.T. truck. There was also a report that one of the vehicles caught fire.  Fire Departments and rescue units from Olds and Wayland were called along with HCHC EMS. Medforce air transport was put on standby. And then just after 11 am crews from HCHC, Salem and Hillsboro  responded to a report of a vehicle in the ditch on its’ top at Ash Avenue and Hwy 16. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s deputy who arrived on the scene couldn’t tell if anyone was in the vehicle but did report the jaws of life would probably be needed to access the vehicle.

Dale Waters

By Theresa Rose · Monday, August 10th, 2020 at 1:42 pm CDT

Dale S. Waters, 90, of Mt. Pleasant passed away on Saturday, August 8, 2020, at the farm he called home for most of his life.

Funeral arrangements are pending at the Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant.

Mt. Pleasant School Board Meeting Agenda

By Theresa Rose · Monday, August 10th, 2020 at 1:40 pm CDT
Mount Pleasant Community School District School Board Meeting
Date  Monday, August 10, 2020   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.   Citizen Comments
5.   Approval of Minutes, Claims, Financials
6.    Reports
       a.      Instructional Report – Update on beginning of school year preparations – Katie Gavin, Dir. of Instruction
b.      Superintendent’s Report
1.      New Teacher Orientation – Friday, August 14 @ 8am, HS Media Center
2.      First Day for all Teachers – Monday, August 17
3.      Instructional Support Levy Renewal Information
4.      Work Session August 24 @ 6pm: Review Student Learning Goals and Assessment Data
5.      Iowa Association of School Board Convention: Nov. 18 and 19, Virtual
6.      School Board Annual and Organizational Meeting Policies
c.       Board Committee Reports
                            i.      Finance
ii.      Site
iii.      Policy
7.    Other Board Communications
8.    Consent Items
a.   Personnel
b.   Open Enrollment
9.    Unfinished Business
10.  New Business
       a.      Approve IASB Legislative Priorities for 2021 Legislative Session     (Motion)
b.      First Reading with Recommendation to Post Notice of Intended Action,
New Board Policy 105 Discrimination and Harassment Based on Sex Prohibited (Title IX) (Motion)
c.       Consideration to Approve Return to Learn Plan     (Motion)
d.      Adjournment

Henry County Supervisors Meeting Agenda

By Theresa Rose · Monday, August 10th, 2020 at 12:54 pm CDT

AGENDA

 

August 11, 2020

 

Approve Agenda

 

Approve Minutes

 

9:00 Jake Hotchkiss, Engineer Weekly Update

 

9:30 Approve Resolution for Funds from CARES for County

 

Other County Business as time allows

 

Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates

Effie Pearl Miller

By Theresa Rose · Sunday, August 9th, 2020 at 3:36 pm CDT

Effie Pearl Miller, 90 of the Trenton Community passed away on Friday, August 7, 2020, at Sunny Brook Assisted Living Center in Mt. Pleasant.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. at the Trenton United Methodist Church in Trenton with Rev. Jeffrey McPheron officiating.  Private family burial will be held in the White Oak Cemetery north of Rome.  Friends may call after 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Monday at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant.  The family will not be present.  Memorials may be directed to the White Oak Cemetery or to the Trenton United Methodist Church in her memory.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at wwwmurphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant is caring for her arrangements.

Grandparent Scam With A New Twist

By Theresa Rose · Saturday, August 8th, 2020 at 9:03 am CDT

The Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Office of the Attorney General of Iowa are warning Iowans to be aware of a “grandparent scam.” Several Iowa communities throughout the state have recently reported efforts by criminal groups to swindle predominately elderly Iowans through the use of this particular scam.

This scam is not new – the Attorney General’s Office has been warning Iowans about the grandparent scam since at least 2008. However, it is presenting a new twist.

The scam involves a phone call to the victim from someone posing as a grandchild. The imposter tells the victim they have been in an accident, hospitalized, jailed, or are even in a foreign country, and they need their grandparent to send money to help them. Local law enforcement authorities have reported a new scam strategy involving couriers who are being sent to the grandparent’s residence to retrieve the money.

Other tricks these scammers employ often involve the use of factual details about the victim’s grandchild obtained from social media accounts. The scammer might also team up with another scammer who pretends to be an attorney, doctor or police officer, backing up the scammer’s claims.

This scam highlights the dangers of sharing personal information, wiring money, providing prepaid money card numbers or bank account information to strangers by telephone. These transactions, which generally transfer funds abroad, are often nearly impossible to trace.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Office of the Attorney General of Iowa and the Federal Trade Commission recommend these tips when someone calls or sends a message claiming to be a grandchild desperate for money:

1.    Verify the person’s identity. Ask questions that a stranger couldn’t possibly answer.
2.    Resist the urge to act quickly or secretly. In a situation where someone is asking for money right now using fear, excitement, or sympathy, it’s probably a scam.
3.    Contact a trusted family member. Call a genuine phone number for your grandchild, or another family member or friend to check out the story even if you’ve been told to keep it a secret.
4.    Report the scam to local law enforcement authorities. Scammers attack several residents and communities, so get assistance for yourself and help others avoid scam efforts.
5.    Don’t answer the door unless you know and trust the visitor.
6.    Don’t send money. Don’t give out personal information, cash, wire money or send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier.
7.    File a complaint. In additional to notifying local law enforcement authorities, scam calls can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission, as well as the Office of the Attorney General of Iowa.
8.    Learn more about family emergency scams. For more information, read the FTC’s Family Emergency Scams or visit the Attorney General’s Office of Iowa website: www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-consumers/general-consumer-information/phone-scams/grandparent-scam

See the resources below to file a complaint:

Office of the Attorney General of Iowa
Consumer Protection Division
Hoover State Office Building
1305 E. Walnut Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0106
Email: consumer@ag.iowa.gov
Phones: 515-281-5926 or 888-777-4590 (outside of the Des Moines metro area)
Fax: 515-281-6771
Website: www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov

Federal Trade Commission
Email: ftc.gov/complaint
Phone: 1-877-FTC-HELP
Website: www.consumer.ftc.gov/

 

Governor Reynolds’ Open Letter to Iowans on COVID19

By Theresa Rose · Friday, August 7th, 2020 at 8:27 pm CDT

DES MOINES – Friday, Governor Kim Reynolds released the following open letter to the state of Iowa:

Tomorrow marks five months since we learned of the first positive cases of COVID-19 in Iowa. Since then, our lives have been disrupted in ways we couldn’t have imagined. Schools and businesses closed. A record number of Iowans were suddenly out of work. And our normal daily routines were turned upside down as we prioritized doing things differently to mitigate the spread of the virus.

From the start, we’ve each had a role to play to protect our own health, and that of our families, friends and fellow Iowans. 

Early on, as cases were on the rise, Iowans dug deep and did their part. And it made a difference. Positive cases trended down, hospital capacity remained stable, businesses began to reopen and life started to feel a bit more normal.

But normal during a pandemic isn’t the same normal as before. COVID-19 is still a reality, and circumstances still demand we do everything within our control to contain and manage it.  

Over the last several weeks, we’ve seen case counts ebb and flow, just as many other states across the nation have. And while we know that the majority of them are driven by young adults gathering socially, it’s the unintended consequences of those activities that are cause for concern. Especially the potential impact to vulnerable Iowans. 

Now is not the time to let our guard down.

Iowa has a lot to gain by working together to keep our communities healthy. Especially now, as we’re preparing to safely return to school.

Our individual actions will either keep us moving forward, or put the progress we’ve made at risk. 

Preventive health measures are still the best defense against COVID-19. Wash your hands often and disinfect frequently used items. When you’re in public, maintain social distance and wear a face mask if you’re able. Stay home if you’re sick. And please… carefully consider whether certain social or recreational activities are worth the risk.

Just as importantly, if you or someone you were in close contact with tests positive for COVID-19 and you’re told to quarantine, take it seriously. You have the ability to effectively stop the spread of the virus by isolating yourself from others during the full 14-day incubation period. 

These sacrifices seem small when compared to what’s been asked of other generations of Iowans and Americans over the decades, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

COVID-19 has tested each of us, and it will continue to. But we can’t let it deter or divide us.

When emotions are high and opinions are strong, it’s important to take a step back and realize that we’re all working toward the same goal. 

And even though we may not always agree on which path to take to get there, we are united in our desire to get back to the way of life we value as Iowans. 

We’re all in this together.

-Governor Kim Reynolds