Author: Yorke Prough

Summer is here and hopefully that means kids are getting along together at home and spending quality time with one another. If that’s not the case, consider taking them to one of our many places in Henry County that will let them burn off all their energy for free.

Mount Pleasant is home to Cranes Pond, East Lake park, Mapleleaf, and recreational trails, if you think a long walk might be what they need. Maybe teach them a new game in pickleball, which you can do for free at the courts at the Middle School.

Wayland has a ball field, as well as an outdoor track at the high school. If you’re in Salem, check out the ball fields on East School Street. The Winfield-Mt.Union school has a disc golf course, playground, and outdoor track, while the activity park 110 N Olive St has sand volleyball, horeshoes, a gaga ball pit, and more. The city park has ADA playground equipment, a gazebo, and walking path.

Rural Henry County has multiple parks and trails, such as the Trenton City Park, Olds park, and even Geode State Park.

Get your kids out of the house this summer and teach them about the real joys in life, which they can find right here in Henry County.

Following heavy rainfall throughout Northern Iowa, the DNR encourages Iowans to stay out of streams until the waters recede. Heavy rain has inundated several areas of Iowa and led to multiple wastewater discharges, flooded waterways in northwest Iowa, and park closures across the state.

The DNR Field Office in Spencer was notified early this morning of several wastewater bypasses and animal feeding operation discharges in Lyon, Sioux, Dickinson, O’Brien, Osceola, and Clay counties. Currently, the department is unaware of impacts to municipal drinking water supplies or fish kills. DNR staff will continue to monitor these situations and assist impacted communities.

Heavy rainfall can overload wastewater collection systems and underground sewer pipes carrying sewage to a treatment plant. With sewage pipes overwhelmed, excess water has nowhere to go and can back up into basements through floor drains. Bypassing can lower the water level and alleviate pressure in the collection system, keeping sewage from backing up into basements, which could present health risks.

Due to heavy rainfall, rivers and lakes in Northern Iowa are unsafe for swimming or boating. Fast currents, floating debris, hidden obstacles, and the potential of bacteria make these areas dangerous. Boaters and paddlers should plan ahead as additional areas may become unsafe as flood waters move downstream.

Now that summer is officially here, long nights, bbqs, and pool parties are certain. What also seems to be certain is shooting off fireworks long into the night to watch them explode in a burst of beautiful colors in the sky. Mount Pleasant DOES ALLOW fireworks, but there are limits to the times that they can be used. From now until the 28^th, fireworks can only be set off between 9:00am and 10:00pm. June 29^th, 30^th, and July 4^th, brings an extra hour on the end of that for extra explosions.

Please be courteous and remember your neighbors, pets, and especially veterans.

Fireworks may not be used/exploded:

-On city property (streets, parks, sidewalks, etc.) without specific permission of the —-City Council

-On private property without permission of the owner

In a manner that deposits litter/waste on neighbor’s property or streets, sidewalks, etc.

For questions, please call the Mount Pleasant Police Department at (319) 385-1450 or City Hall at (319) 385-1470.

On 6/20/2024, at approximately 1:06 p.m., Keokuk Police Officers were dispatched to Walmart at 300 N Park Drive in reference to a theft.

Upon the arrival of a Keokuk police officer, a silver Jeep occupied by one person fled the parking lot at a high rate of speed.

The officer utilized his emergency lights and audible siren to initiate a traffic stop on the Jeep. The driver of the Jeep refused to stop, committing multiple traffic violations while leading the officer on a pursuit outside of the city limits. The pursuit reached speeds over 85 miles per hour and lasted approximately 6 minutes.

The driver would stop the vehicle on a private drive near the end of Iowa Road, fleeing on foot into a wooded area. After a short foot pursuit, the subject was taken into custody without further incident.

The on-duty Fort Madison Police Department K9 unit was requested and responded to the scene. The K9 unit alerted on the vehicle, and a probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted. Once the search was complete, the vehicle was towed from the scene.

Eric J. Reid, 48, of Keokuk, was arrested and charged with eluding, a felony, and Theft 5th Degree, a simple misdemeanor. Reid was also cited for multiple traffic infractions.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Madison Police Department also contributed to this investigation.

The Henry County Board of Supervisors recently approved a resolution declaring Henry County Emergency Medical Services (HCEMS) as an essential county service. HCEMS is owned by the Henry County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees. There is a $0.27 property tax levy which funds the service.

In May 2021, Iowa code provided county supervisors the authorization to impose a tax levy in support of EMS, due to EMS not being considered an essential service such as police and fire departments. This designation of “essential county service” is up to the voter.

The change comes from the revenue shortfalls, which will make the future sustainability of EMS impossible. Several counties have this say issue on upcoming ballots, including Henry County.

A public vote of atleast 60% majority on September 10^th, would ensure that this service will continue. In this instance, the $0.27 cent current tax levy would be removed from the hospital budget and replaced with a new $0.75 cent essential services tax.

So, what does this mean for the average tax payer? With the current tax levy, a property assessed just over $115,000, with a net taxable value of $62,853, generates a $2,466 tax bill. With a $0.48 cent tax increase, the same tax bill would be $2,496, which is approximately a $30 change for the entire year, or $2.50 extra per month.

Additional information about EMS as an essential service will be given in the following weeks.

Governor Kim Reynolds visited Mount Pleasant on Thursday afternoon where she met with leaders across the town to hear their needs. Afterwards, Reynolds was asked about the Illegal Immigration reentry law, following the news that a federal district court judge granted an injunction. Reynolds supports the Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s appeal of this matter.

In an interview, the governor stated that “it is horrible when we have a president of the United States that is not doing his constitutional duty to protect the United States citizens and most importantly the sovereignty of this country.”

Governor Reynolds also says that the state is stepping up and protecting the citizens, and Iowa is enforcing the illegal immigration laws that are already on the books. “The case that they used they had actually superseded the existing U.S. immigration laws already on the books…” she continues “we didn’t do that, Arizona in fact did, but Iowa didn’t.”

After the interview with the governor, the Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed an official appeal of the federal court’s decision to block enforcement of Iowa’s immigration law. Attorney General Bird released the following statement:

“Iowa won’t back down. Today, my office filed an appeal to defend Iowa’s immigration enforcement law that keeps Iowa families safe. We can’t afford to stand by any longer as Biden’s border crisis rolls out a welcome mat for drug cartels, human traffickers, and suspected terrorists to invade our home communities. If Biden won’t do his job to secure our borders, Iowa will.”

The Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task Force has been conducting an in-depth investigation over the past several months into a suspected drug network operating in Burlington, Iowa. This investigation culminated in the execution of a search warrant at 221 S 9th St., Burlington.

On June 20, 2024 at approximately 9:30 A.M. officers from the Task Force, with the assistance of local law enforcement agencies, carried out the search warrant at the residence located at 221 S 9th St. Crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana, were among the substances seized during the arrest of 56 year old James Griffin. He received two warrants for possession of Controlled Substance and Possession with Intent to Deliver, amongst other charges.

This operation is part of a broader effort to dismantle drug trafficking operations within the region and ensure the safety and well-being of the community.

A 21-year-old was airlifted on Wednesday after a boating accident at the Fort Madison Marina. At approximately 6:48pm, the Fort Madison Fire Department was dispatched to the Fort Madison Marina for a report of a person injured in a boating accident.

It was reported that the injured person had been struck by the propeller of a boat. The extent of the injuries was unknown. Rescue personnel requested the air ambulance be dispatched to the scene for patient transport.  The injured person was identified as Carlos Antonio Tecpanecatl, 21.

Fort Madison Fire dispatched our rescue boat to respond to the Willow Patch Access while other fire department personnel along with other agencies went to the Access. Rescue personnel were on scene within minutes and the boat bringing the injured person in was able to get under way arriving at the access.

Air Evac Life team helicopter landed at the access and the patient was transported by helicopter to the hospital in Iowa City.

Agencies assisting at the scene were Fort Madison Fire Department, Fort Madison Police Department, Lee County Sheriff Department, Lee County Ambulance, Air Evac Life team, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

There is no update on his condition at this time.