Early Tuesday the New London Fire Department responded to a fire in one of the Ramey Retirement Home units. Six firefighters were able to contain the fire to the apartment where it started. But the Mount Pleasant crew was paged out to standby in case the fire spread. Chief Brad Helmerson said the cause isn’t known. No one was hurt. The Chief said there was heat and smoke damage and the apartment would probably have to be completely re-done. The call came in about 6:15 and the fire department was on the scene for about 2 hours.
Iowa Crop Progress and Conditions Report
Week of April 6 – 12, 2020
DES MOINES, Iowa (April 13, 2020) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly from April through November.
“Warmer and drier conditions were seen across the state in the earlier part of last week, allowing farmers to make progress on field work,” said Secretary Naig. “After a cool and wet weekend, the forecast points to warmer temperatures later this week. This should allow for planting progress in some parts of the state.”
The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s site at nass.usda.gov/ia.
Crop Report
Fields began to dry for most of Iowa early in the week ending April 12, 2020, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. However, northwest Iowa saw accumulating snow on Sunday, April 12 with rain falling over much of the rest of the State. Statewide there were 4.1 days suitable for fieldwork during the week. Field activities for the week included applying anhydrous and dry fertilizer, spreading manure, and tilling fields. In addition to planting oats, there were reports of corn and soybeans being planted.
Topsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 2 percent short, 79 percent adequate and 19 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 1 percent short, 80 percent adequate and 19 percent surplus.
Twenty-nine percent of the expected oat crop has been planted, 5 days ahead of last year and 1 day ahead of the 5-year average. There were scattered reports of oats emerged.
Pastures and hay continue to green. Calving continues with very few health problems reported.
Preliminary Weather Summary
Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
While measurable rain fell across a majority of Iowa, drier than normal conditions prevailed throughout the state during the reporting period. Rainfall departures were generally in the 0.40 to 0.80-inch range with the driest conditions in west-central Iowa. Slightly warmer than normal conditions were also observed across much of Iowa with sections of northern Iowa reporting near-normal temperatures. The statewide average temperature was 47.7 degrees, 2.2 degrees above normal.
Unseasonable warmth greeted Iowa on Sunday (5th) afternoon with highs topping out in the upper 50s and low 60s; overnight lows into Monday (6th) remained in the mid to upper 40s. Warm conditions continued statewide with upper 60s reported in southwestern Iowa during the afternoon. Isolated showers and a few thunderstorms popped up in central and eastern Iowa but dissipated in the evening. Rainfall amounts at 7:00 am on Tuesday (7th) were light, though Lowden (Cedar County) reported a 0.64-inch total. Morning fog was reported across much of Iowa, though it burned off as clouds cleared from west to east; skies were sunny through the rest of the day as a warm front lifted north across Iowa. Temperatures soared into the upper 80s across southern Iowa with mid to upper 70s across Iowa’s northern third. The average daytime high was 77 degrees, 19 degrees above normal; over 20 stations reported record highs for the date. A cold front swept through Iowa on Wednesday (8th) bringing rain to northern Iowa. A few severe thunderstorms raced through southeastern Iowa during the late afternoon with up to golf ball sized hail reported in Lowell (Henry County). Rain totals of around a few tenths of an inch were reported in Iowa’s eastern quarter. Heavier amounts were observed in a handful of northeastern counties; Cresco (Howard County) reported 0.40 inch while Decorah (Winneshiek County) reported 0.42 inch. Northwest winds increased behind the front as temperatures fell into the upper 40s and low 50s.
Clear skies remained into Thursday (9th) morning as temperatures dipped into the low to mid 30s, up to 10 degrees below normal. Cloud cover increased throughout the day as winds picked up with light rain and a few snowflakes reported across northeastern Iowa. Daytime highs ranged from the upper 30s north to low 50s south. Cloud cover gradually cleared overnight with light and variable winds. Under these conditions, lows dropped into the 20s, with the average statewide temperature at 24 degrees, 11 degrees below normal. With a southerly wind, highs on Friday (10th) reached into the 50s, though still colder than average. Light showers pushed through western Iowa during Saturday (11th) morning and reformed into the afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms continued to pop up over portions of southern Iowa during the evening, persisting overnight into Sunday (12th) morning. Some early morning thunderstorms were severe with reports of one-inch hail in Murray (Clarke County). Rain totals varied from lighter amounts in western Iowa to near 0.50 inch in portions of eastern Iowa.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation at stations in western Iowa to 1.08 inches at Cedar Rapids No. 1 (Linn County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.21 inch while the normal is 0.69 inch. Red Oak (Montgomery County) and Shenandoah (Page County) reported the week’s high temperature of 87 degrees on the 7th, on average 26 degrees above average. Little Sioux (Harrison County) reported the week’s low temperature of 16 degrees on the 10th, 17 degrees below normal. Four-inch soil temperatures were in the low 40s north to upper 40s south as of Sunday.
Pay What You Can
Iowans can get relief from many utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Iowa Office of Consumer Advocate recommends that consumers pay what they can to avoid problems in the future, however.
The Iowa Utilities Board issued an emergency order on March 27 approving a moratorium on disconnections of electric and natural gas utility service, and investor-owned water utilities, during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The moratorium will allow customers to retain these utility services during the emergency even if they cannot pay all of their utility bills.
“Customers who are able to pay should pay their utility bills, or even just a portion. That will prevent large unpaid balances and reduce the potential for service disconnection once the public health emergency has passed,” said Consumer Advocate Jennifer Easler.
Customers experiencing financial difficulty should contact their utility service provider to explore payment options, assistance programs, and low-cost steps to conserve energy and water.
The disconnection moratorium applies to customers served by Iowa American Water Co. Easler and Attorney General Tom Miller join the Iowa Utilities Board in strongly encouraging all water utilities ― including rural, municipal, and cooperative ― to suspend disconnecting any customers until the public health emergency ends.
“Water disconnections during this pandemic are unacceptable,” Miller and Easler said. “Personal hygiene is a critical part of limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”
Customers with utility issues or questions may submit a complaint online at https://iub.iowa.gov/utility-complaints-or-inquiries, or contact the IUB Customer Service Department by telephone at 877-565-4450 or (515) 725-7321 and by email at customer@iub.iowa.gov.
Lloyd Wayne Wiley
Lloyd Wayne Wiley, 77, of Milton, Iowa died on April 11, 2020 at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. He was born November 7, 1942 near Mt. Sterling, Iowa to Frank R. and Cloris Grimes Wiley. He graduated from Fox Valley High School in Milton in 1960. Lloyd farmed, worked as a carpenter and at Bloomfield Foundry, retiring in 2005. He married Marilyn Kay Moore Everman on March 8, 1986 in Memphis, Missouri. She preceded him in death on October 19, 2017.
He is survived by a daughter, Elaine Schlick of Fort Dodge, Iowa; two sons, Raymond Wiley of Milton, Iowa, Lloyd Wayne Wiley, Jr. of Jonesburg, Missouri; two stepdaughters, Glenda Elaine Byers and Carol Ann Ross of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; a stepson, Jeffrey Dwayne Riedl of Fort Madison, Iowa; six grandchildren; three brothers; Robert of Milton, Paul of Cantril, Glen of Mt. Sterling; four sisters, Virginia Sutter of Ankeny, Vivian Williams of Atlantic, Viki Wiley and Vonnie Ash both of Cantril; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn; parents, Frank and Cloris Wiley; and three brothers, Frank Wiley Jr., Joseph Wiley, and William Wiley of Arbela, MO.
Due to state and federal guidance on gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the graveside services will be private. Burial will be at Sunnyside Cemetery in Milton, Iowa. Memorials and condolences may be made to the family and mailed to 101 East Walnut St., Milton, IA 52570. Online condolences may be directed to www.pedrickfuneralhome.com.
Edwin A. Hicklin
Edwin A. Hicklin, 97, of Wapello, Iowa, died Saturday, April 11, 2020, at his home surrounded by his family.
Born June 13, 1922 in Wapello, he was the son of Edwin R. and Irene Anderson Hicklin. On June 21, 1947, he married Carolyn “Cotty” Woods in Burlington, Iowa. She preceded him in death August 9, 1990. On November 23, 1995, he married again to Margaret Hall Weaver, and she also preceded him in death December 9, 2008.
Being a part of the “greatest generation,” he was a U. S. Army Air Corps 1st Lieutenant during WWII, serving honorably as a B-24 Bomber Pilot in the South Pacific.
Edwin was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and boating on the Mississippi River. He was a 1940 graduate of Wapello High School and a 1948 graduate of the University of Iowa Law School, retiring from practice in Wapello in 1990. Also, he was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity, Christ Episcopal Church (Burlington), Wapello VFW and Masonic Lodge as a 32nd degree Mason. In 1966 he was elected to the Iowa Legislature as representative for Louisa/Muscatine Counties.
Survivors include his daughters, Kathryn (Roger) Gerst of Wapello, Iowa; Martha (Greg) Remley of Leawood, Kansas and Dr. Elizabeth Barber of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; step-daughters Nancy (Mike) Roach of Libertyville, Illinois, and Jane Weaver-Sobel of Charlotte, North Carolina and step-son William (Erin) Weaver of Forsyth, Georgia; five grandchildren: Carolyn Gerst, E. Tucker Remley, Erin Barber MacEntee, Samuel Remley and Ann Barber Fruland, eight step-grandchildren: G. William Clarke, John Clarke, Brady Clarke, Tyler Roach, Molly Weaver Patterson, Dan Weaver, Sarah Sobel Landolfe and Rachel Sobel; and 23 great grandchildren and step-great grandchildren.
Besides his wives, he was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Martin (Carrie) of Stone Mountain, Georgia and Charles (Marian) of Mariemont, Ohio; one infant sister Portia Irene of Wapello; one granddaughter Hannah Louise Gerst, step-daughter Joan Weaver Cross of Fairfax, Virginia; two step-grandsons William Michael Weaver of Macon, Georgia and Adam Weaver Roach of Libertyville, Illinois.
In lieu of flowers, Edwin’s family requests memorial gifts to the Louisa County Foundation for the E. R. Hicklin Scholarship Fund.
Cremation has been entrusted to the care of Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Wapello. Per Edwin’s wishes, there will be no visitation and his celebration of life will be held late summer. Sympathy notes may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.
Additional COVID-19 cases in Iowa, additional deaths confirmed
Monday Apr. 13, 2020
DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been notified of 123 additional positive cases for a total of 1,710 positive cases. There have been an additional 981 negative tests for a total of 16,986 negative tests to date, which includes testing reported by the State Hygienic Lab and other labs. According to IDPH, an additional 2 deaths were also reported.
- Linn County, 1 elderly adult (81+)
- Muscatine County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
According to IDPH, the locations and age ranges of the 123 individuals include:
- Allamakee County, 2 adults (18-40 years)
- Benton County, 1 middle age adult (41-60 years), 2 older adult (61-80 years)
- Black Hawk County, 9 adults (18-40 years), 3 middle-age adults (41-60 years), 3 older adults (61-80 years)
- Bremer County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Buchanan County, 1 middle age adult (41-60 years)
- Cass County, 1 middle age adult (41-60 years)
- Cedar County, 1 adult (18-40 years)
- Clinton County, 2 adults (18-40 years), 1 middle-age adult (41-60 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Des Moines County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Fayette County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Hardin County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Henry County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Jasper County, 1 middle-age adult (41-60 years),
- Johnson County, 3 adults (18-40 years), 3 middle-age adults (41-60 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Jones County, 2 middle-age adults (41-60 years),
- Lee County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Linn County, 5 adults (18-40 years), 5 middle-age adults (41-60 years), 3 older adults (61-80 years), 2 elderly adults (81+)
- Louisa County, 1 adult (18-40 years), 1 middle-age adult (41-60 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Lyon County, 1 adult (18-40 years),
- Mahaska County, 1 middle-age adult (41-60 years),
- Marshall County, 1 adult (18-40 years), 4 middle-age adults (41-60 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Mills County, 1 middle-age adult (41-60 years)
- Muscatine County, 2 adults (18-40 years), 3 middle-age adults (41-60 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years)
- Polk County, 5 adults (18-40 years), 5 middle-age adults (41-60 years), 4 older adults (61-80 years), 1 elderly adult (81+)
- Scott County, 1 adult (18-40 years), 2 older adults (61-80 years)
- Story County, 1 adult (18-40 years)
- Tama County, 4 adults (18-40 years), 6 middle-age adults (41-60 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years), 4 elderly adults (81+)
- Van Buren County, 2 middle-age adults (41-60 years)
- Wapello County, 2 middle-age adults (41-60 years)
- Washington County, 1 adult (18-40 years), 5 middle-age adults (41-60 years), 2 older adults (61-80 years)
- Woodbury County, 1 middle-age adult (41-60 years)
Mount Pleasant Community School District School Board Meeting
To join the meeting by phone:
| +1 470-207-8506 (PIN: 477221907)
Otherwise, the meeting will be live streamed on Facebook. There is a link on the School District’s website at mtpcsd.org |
Date Monday, April 13, 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, and Financial Report
6. Reports
a. Instructional Services
i. Continuous Learning Opportunities Update – Katie Gavin, Dir. of Curriculum and Instruction
b. Superintendent’s Report
1. School Closure Related Items
a. 2019-2020 Second Semester Grades
i. Underclassmen
ii. Seniors
b. Class of 2020 Graduation
c. Prom
2. 2019 – 2020 Statewide Free and Reduced Lunch Percentages
3. 2020 – 2021 Calendar Related : Homecoming
4. April 27 Work Session
5. iJAG Presentation – May 11
6. Legislative Update
c. Board Committee Reports
i. Finance
ii. Site – No meeting
iii. Policy – No meeting
7. Other Board Communications
8. 6:15pm – Public Hearing: FY21 Budget
9. Consent Items
a. Personnel
b. Open Enrollment
10. Unfinished Business
a. FY21 Budget Adoption (Motion)
11. New Business
a. Set Public Hearing Date for FY20 Budget Amendment – May 11, 2020, 6:15pm,
Mount Pleasant HS Media Center (Motion)
b. Consideration of COVID-19 Pandemic Pay Resolution (Motion)
c. Consideration to Approve FY21 Non-Certified Personnel Compensation Packages (Motion)
d. Consideration to Approve 2020 – 2021 Student Registration Fees (Motion)
e. Consideration to Approve 2020 – 2021 Hot Lunch Prices (Motion)
f. Consideration to Approve FY21 Budget Guarantee Resolution (Motion)
g. Consideration to Approve FY21 Physical Plant and Equipment Fund Spending Plan (Motion)
h. Consideration to Approve Penny Sales and Service Tax Fund Spending Plan (Motion)
i. Consideration to Award Pickleball Court Construction Contract (Motion)
j. Consideration to Approve Driver Education Service Proposal (Motion)
k. Adjournment
To join the meeting by phone: