By Yorke Prough · Monday, April 29th, 2024 at 3:53 pm CDT
Roll Call
Appointment & Oath of Office – Travis Shelman to Fill Mayor Vacancy (Chet Fort moving)
Appointment & Oath of Office – Mike Miller to Fill Council Vacancy (Travis Shelman appointed Mayor)
Public Hearing – 7:30 pm – FY23/24 Budget Amendment #2
Steve Detrick – Candidate for Henry County Board of Supervisors – (Info Only)
6. Consent Agenda
Note: These are routine items and will be enacted by one motion without separate discussion unless a Council member requests an item be removed for separate consideration.
Minutes of April 17, 2024
Bills for Payment
Report
Clerks Budgetary Report
Utility Dept. Report
Police Dept. Report
Firefighter Dept. Report
Building Permits
Citizen Forum – The Mayor and City Council welcome comments from the public for items not listed on the agenda. You are asked to state your name and address for the record and to limit your remarks in order that others may be given the opportunity to speak. The Order of Business is at the discretion of the Chair. No action will be taken.
On April 26th at approx. 1:14pm, The Mount Pleasant Police Department were dispatched to the 200 blk. Of W Madison Street for a three-vehicle collision. It was reported to officers that the driver of a 2013 dodge sedan had struck two parked motor vehicles. The driver of the dodge then fled the scene on foot, running east on Madison St. The driver was soon located and admitted to operating the dodge avenger at the time of the collisions.
Upon investigation, it was determined Charles carpenter, of Mt. Pleasant was operating the dodge avenger, owned by Raymond Parkhurst of Winfield. Charles exited the city parking lot in the 200 blk. of w. Madison St. and proceeded west on Madison St. Charles lost control of the vehicle, striking a Nissan which was unoccupied at the time of the collision.
Carpenter continued west, crossed over the center line of the roadway, striking a GMC which was also unoccupied.
Charles Carpenter was soon located. No injuries were reported at the scene.
The estimated damage between all three vehicles is approximately $11,000.
Charles Carpenter has been charged with Operating while under the influence, 1st offense, no valid driver’s license and striking an unattended vehicle. The Mt. Pleasant police department were assisted by Breuer’s towing.
Small business week began yesterday and goes on through Saturday, and Mt. Pleasant is full of great ones. This year, five great businesses have been selected as finalists for the 2024 Small Business of the Year through the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations again to From the Heart Flowers and Gifts, Othodontic Associates of Iowa, Sa3m Sao Market, Southeast Iowa Realty, Inc. and Triple Seven Trucking.
KILJ Radio will bring continuing coverage of these businesses throughout the week, culminating with a report on the winner, which is announced on Friday.
These businesses will host open houses throughout the week to further the celebration. On Tuesday, Triple Seven Trucking will open their doors at 9:00am followed by From the Heart Flowers and Gifts at 2:00pm. Wednesday will see a 3:00pm open house for Sa3m Sao Market and a 4:30pm timeframe for Orthodontic Associates of Iowa. Southeast Iowa Realty will be the lone business open house on Thursday at 2:00pm.
The 2024 Henry County Small Business of the Year will be announced on May 3rd at the Small Business Breakfast.
Darrell Eugene Bryant, 83 passed away peacefully at the University of Iowa Hospitals on April 24th, 2024. We think he did this on purpose to avoid having to make a decision in the pending presidential election.
He leaves behind five children, 9 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren, and a well known fast food restaurant that serves a mean cheeseburger and senior coke at a reasonable price.
As a child he walked to the old Morning Sun school where he exercised his free spirit freely. With great surprise to most of his teachers he was offered a chance to move to Ellsworth, Iowa and live with his former teacher Lorainne Gorder. He credits her for seeing the potential he had to attend Ellsworth Community College where he became salutatorian of his class. He was proud that he went on to attend Iowa State University where he earned a degree in Chemistry.
With his degree in Chemistry in hand he volunteered for the United States Air Force at the ripe old age of 23. As a Captain in the AirForce he was in charge of managing the logistics of nuclear weapons during the Vietnam War. He realized after extensive travel, marriage and 2 children that he didn’t much like being bossed around.
He returned to Morning Sun, Iowa where he believed it was the best place to raise children. He used his degree to work at the Ordinance Plant in Middletown, Iowa where he was a supervisor. At the same time he was fostering what would become Bryant’s Apple Orchard. With much strategy, hard work and teamwork from Barb he was able to become self employed at the apple business for over 50 years. After many years of self employment he went to manage the Laboratory and Waste Water at Tyson foods in Columbus Junction, Iowa. His retirement from Tyson was a time that he and Barb were able to take many journeys in and out of the United States.
Darrell was well renowned for his lack of patience, and ability to educate his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren on his various views of their problem at hand. His tenacity was obviously taken from his mother, Eulalie.
With that being said he was genuine to a fault, those he loved he loved and cared for deeply. Being a continuous teacher, he taught his children and grandchildren his highly extensive vocabulary of curse words. He particularly liked four letter words as much as he liked looking at all things involving nature, like his dad Max, and continuously learning. He was an accomplished cook. He spent many hours studying his extensive cookbooks to improve his abilities. Unfortunately for us he had no taste or smell. Darrell specialized in dried beans with little taste and homemade bread.
He will be sorely missed by his children: Dale E. Bryant, Kimberly (Metzger) Wenger and son in law David, Kathy(Bryant) Holtkamp and son in law Walt, Amy (Metzger) Hamilton,and Cris(Metzger) Richardson and son in law Jeff. Grandchildren: Kenna(Springsteen) Freudiger, Kala Holtkamp, Andrea(Hamilton)Horton , Jena (Holtkamp) Meinderding, Tabitha(Bryant) Fisk, Darrell J. Bryant, Maci Richardson, Bryant Holtkamp, and Emma Richardson. Great Grandchildren: Kaden Fisk, Noah Fisk, Tucker Fisk, Natalie Fisk, Raelynn Fisk, Emerald Fisk, Justin Horton, Bradley Horton, Allison Springsteen Freudiger, Kaiden Holtkamp, Ophelia Meinderding,
He is preceded in death by his loving wife Barbara, parents Max and Eulalie Bryant, Brother Dwayne, and grandson Joshua. All who loved him dearly.
Following his wishes, there will be no service. If you would like to send a card or a quick note please send them to Bryant Memorial 1669 305th St. Salem Iowa 52649. Memorials will go to St. Judes Cancer Research for Children or Hospice House of Burlington, Iowa.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued a warning to Iowans about a rise in “pig-butchering” scams.
In a pig-butchering scam, con artists build trust with their victims and “fatten them up” for a rip-off by flirting or developing a friendship over a long period of time. Often, scammers will first reach out over social media messaging apps and find common ground with their targets. The con artists then tell a story to convince the innocent victim to send money through cryptocurrency, where the money cannot be tracked or retrieved.
A recent example out of southeast Iowa serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of online scams. A 69-year-old man was befriended by a scammer posing as a young woman on Facebook. The scammer, who went by “Delia” from Illinois, talked with the man on Facebook messenger and over the phone for months to build the man’s trust. They bonded over common hobbies such as cooking. She then persuaded him to send money through Bitcoin, making him believe that the money was going to a pretend investment company. He started with just $1,500. But when the scammer sent fake screenshots of investment statements showing he had made $750,000 off of it, he continued to increase his investments. He invested a total of $164,000. The man even borrowed against the titles of his two Harley Davidson motorcycles. This scam came at a time when his wife had just lost her job, and they could have used the money more than ever.
“Pig-butchering scams are evil long-cons,” said Attorney General Bird. “Scammers prey on Iowans’ emotions to build trust over time before stealing their savings, ruining relationships, and taking advantage of people when they are at their most vulnerable. We are spreading the word to stop the scam.”
Pig-Butchering Scam Tactics:
Scammers connect with Iowans on social media or dating apps, pretending to flirt or build a friendship.
They build a relationship with their victims over time, often for weeks or months before asking for money or “investments.”
After building a trusted relationship with their victims, scammers will tell them a story to persuade them to send money through cryptocurrency.
How to Protect Yourself:
Be wary of connecting with strangers online, and do not accept friend requests from people you do not know.
Do not send money through cryptocurrency. Once that money is gone, you cannot get it back.
Seek advice and do thorough research before making an investment.
Do not send money to people you do not personally know. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If Iowans are suspicious of a scam, they should contact their friends and family or the Iowa Attorney General’s office.
There was a house fire in Mount Pleasant yesterday evening which saw multiple agencies respond. Around 8:21pm, the Mount Pleasant Fire Department was dispatched to the 600 block of N White Street. Assisting was the Henry County Health Center and New London Fire and Rescue.
*Update provided by a Mount Pleasant Firefighter*
In total, 14 Mt. Pleasant Fire Fighters were joined by an estimated 8 New London firefighters. 2 engines and a brush truck were provided by MPFD, with an additional two trucks through New London.
No one was home at the time of the incident and there were no reported injuries. The scene was cleared around 1 in the morning.
Senator Chuck Grassley stood amongst a crowded room and answered hard questions on Friday morning. No, he wasn’t in Washington D.C. with adults grilling him. In fact, adults were severely outnumbered as students with the Mt. Pleasant Community High School took the lead in talking to their senator.
One question saw a student ask about a package that was recently passed. This package is a series of four bills tied together, with the first three seeing 95 billion dollars in aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Indo-Pacific. Grassley supported this in a bipartisan vote.
Multiple personal questions were asked, with one student asking Grassley, a senator for 44 years, why he became a senator in the first place. Responding, Grassley mentioned that he wanted to either teach government or participate in it, due to his parents talking about United States history. Another student asked about the most enjoyable part of his job. He told the room that he enjoys speaking to highschoolers and showing realism.
Grassley was forced to think back over decades of experience in Congress when he was asked what the most difficult vote he has had to make was. In 1991 or 1992, he responded, he voted no to the first Gulf War, which made him one of just two republican senators that opposed it.
Since 1981, Grassley has served with 7 different U.S. presidents, and a student asked who the best one was. The best during that time was Ronald Reagan, with Grassley providing an example of how the president handled the Cold War and tensions with the Soviet Union. However, his favorite president in his time was George W. Bush as he thought that he was very personable.
Internships in his office have been offered for many years, with 25-30 positions available throughout the year. For more information on that, head to Grassley.senate.gov.
