Author: Yorke Prough

The Mt. Pleasant School Board election is fast approaching, with many candidates, both old and new, putting their name into the hat. 11 candidates are duking it out for just seven seats.

All seven seats are up for election due to the redistricting that occurred. Instead of two at large, there are now two seats in district 1, two seats in district two, and three at large seats.

For the At-Large 4 Year position, Mike Hampton, Angie Blint, and Dana Millard, are the options. There are only two positions available, so one candidate will miss out. Kevin Schrader and Josh Maher will face off for a two-year At-Large spot. Melinda Huisinga is running uncontested for District 1 two year, while Aaron Williamson is uncontested for the 4-year in the same district. A battle is going to ensue for a four-year District 2 seat, as Sarah Donnolly and Danny Graber will both be looking for one seat, while Kevin Sandersfeld will try to retain a position. Derek Mullin is the only candidate in the running for a two year seat in District 2.

The election is slated for Tuesday, November 7^th. KILJ will continue to bring updates to this situation.

Dana Millard announced her candidacy for the Mt. Pleasant Community School Board, running for the At-Large 4-year term position. Passionate about developing our Southeast Iowa Communities and STEM Education, Millard has spent the last 9 years working in Economic Development with an emphasis on connecting workforce and education. She served on the Governor’s STEM Council for 8 years, operating as Regional President for the past 2 years, bringing a variety of STEM programs, resources, and funding to Southeast Iowa.

“I’m an advocate for STEM and Career Education, I plan on using my connections both at a local and state level to provide more opportunities to the Mt. Pleasant School District.”

Currently a small business owner and a consultant for the Southeast Iowa Small Business Association, Dana has two kids in the Mt Pleasant School District, her stepdaughter Madelynn is a Sophomore, and her son Finley is in Kindergarten.

“With two kids in the district at very different levels, in addition to my background, I feel it’s a good time for me to get more involved and lend my expertise.”

School board elections will be held on November 7^th.

Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra has been selected to participate in the second class of the Iowa Culture Leadership Cohort program. The State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council selected 11 Iowa arts, culture, history, and humanities organizations.

This program was launched in 2022 and helps participants build leadership skills.

Participants engage in workshops where they learn from experts in their field and take part in mentorship opportunities. They also can apply for financial support to help advance their goals.

“We created the Iowa Culture Leadership Cohort a year ago to identify and support Iowa’s next generation of cultural arts and history leaders,” State Historical Society of Iowa Administrator Susan Kloewer said. “The program gives participants opportunities to sharpen their skills as their organizations look to the future.”

“This program addresses an important need that Iowans brought forward in our last strategic planning process,” Iowa Arts Council Director David Schmitz said. “Through the emphasis on capacity building and peer learning, we hope that participants are better empowered and equipped to continue strengthening the missions of their organizations.”

Tony Keefe has been named Director of LeeComm, effective September 21, 2023.  He replaces Travis Solem who took the Director position at Warren County 911 at the end of August.

Keefe is a detail-oriented public safety communications leader with 10 years of experience in emergency communications, all at LeeComm. He most recently served as the Communications Center Supervisor.

He is a graduate of Central Lee High School and the University of Dubuque.  He has a B.A. in Communications and has recently completed the Registered Public Leader course through the Association of Public Safety Communications Officers (APCO).

Keefe was appreciative of Solem’s work during his time and is ready to get started in his position. “I am humbled by the PSAP Board’s decision to trust me in this position.  Travis left a strong organization for me to lead, and I look forward to working with the great staff that we have in place.”

The Mt. Pleasant High School Panther Marching Band will kick off their competitive season at Marion, Iowa, on Saturday. The Linn-Mar Invitational is historically full of great bands from all over, and that seems to be the case this year.

22 different bands will be in competition on Saturday, with the first band performing at 9:00am. Mt. Pleasant will follow at 9:15am, an early performance, but they are hoping that their show will stick in the judges heads all day.

The Panther Marching Band is just one of 12 in the 3A classification field. These performances will span the length of the day, with the last band taking the field at 3:40pm, followed by the award ceremony. The full schedule is below.