Charles W. Sparrow

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025 at 6:02 am CDT
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Charles W. Sparrow, 85, of Columbus Junction, passed away on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at Colonial Manor in Columbus Junction.  Visitation will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the Columbus Junction United Presbyterian Church from 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.  Funeral services will immediately follow at 11:00 a.m. at the church.  Following the service, a time of food and fellowship will be held at the Columbus Junction American Legion.  Burial will be in the Columbus City Cemetery at a later time.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Hospice of Washington County, Columbus Junction United Presbyterian Church or Tunnel to Towers Foundation in memory of Charles.  Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.  The Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Columbus Junction is caring for Charles’ family and arrangements.

Charles William Sparrow was born on January 30, 1940, in Hancock County, Illinois the son of Dwight William and Magarita “Fern” (Heberer) Sparrow.  Charles served in the National Guard based out of Burlington.  He was united in marriage to Judith Oetken on September 20, 1959 in Burlington, Iowa and later divorced.  On August 19, 1983, Charles was united in marriage to Nancy Cutkomp in Des Moines, Iowa.  Charles owned and operated Compu-tek Computers in Muscatine, Columbus Junction, Washington and Iowa City.  He was also a past area manager for Vigortone Ag Products in Cedar Rapids, former State Adult Ministries Director for the Free Methodist Church, past Treasurer and Sunday School Superintendent of the Columbus Free Methodist Church and past Elder of the Columbus Junction United Presbyterian Church.

Charles will be deeply missed by his wife, Nancy of Columbus Junction; his children, Carlyle (Kim) Sparrow of Lancaster, Ohio and Lucinda (Mike) Hiebert of McPherson, Kansas; daughter-in-law, Bonnie (Sherman) Waters of Cornelius, North Carolina; step-children, Kimberly (Brett) Hafner of Columbus Junction, Deborah (Victor) Haan of Cedar Rapids and Jennifer (Rick) Coleman of Cedar Rapids; 16 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren and sibling, Irene (David) Hulett of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents; two sons, Lanny and Monty and siblings, Margaret Mae (Walter) Whitson and Doris (Gilbert) Blom.

Karen Johnston

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025 at 5:39 am CDT

Karen Johnston, 79, of Wapello passed away on Sunday, April 20, 2025 at her home.   Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 25, 2025 at Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Wapello.  Memorial Service will be 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 25, 2025 at the funeral home.  Inurnment will be in the Wapello Cemetery.  A memorial has been established for the Wapello Fire Department and the Wapello Ambulance.    Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservices.com.

Karen Jane McKinney was born on July 6, 1945 in Burlington, Iowa, the daughter of Robert “Bob” and Helen Maxine (Earnest) McKinney.  Karen graduated from Wapello High School in the class of 1963 and went on to attend Burlington Business School.  In 1968, Karen was united in marriage to Tom Johnston in Wapello;  he preceded her in death in 2002.  Karen worked as the secretary for the Wapello Elementary School for 30 years.  She was a member of the Eastern Star and the Wapello Methodist Church where she sang in the choir and taught both Sunday School and Bible School.  Karen enjoyed boating-making many wonderful memories with her family and friends and attending dances at the VFW in Wapello.  She loved watching football and basketball and was especially fond of the Iowa Hawkeyes.  Above all, Karen’s greatest love was spending time with her family and getting to  watch her children and grandchildren in their many sporting events.

Karen will be deeply missed by her children, Kevin (Shelly) Johnston of Burlington and Tami (Brad) Kerr of Florida; grandchildren, Zak (Jenn) Kerr, Alex Kerr, Kyla Johnston and Tyler Johnston; great – grandchildren, Brooks, Boston and Baylor Kerr; and brother David (Joellyn) McKinney of Wapello.

Karen was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Tom; in-laws, Clem and Wilma Johnston, sister, Julie (Dave) Jacobs and nephew, Scott Keltner.

Jared Patrick Graber

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025 at 5:38 am CDT

Jared Patrick Graber, 32, a resident of Fairfield, passed away Saturday, April 19, 2025.

A Memorial Mass celebrating his life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 25, 2025 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Fairfield with Fr. Nick Adam as celebrant. Memorials may be made to the family in care of 205 W. Washington Ave. Fairfield, Iowa 52556. Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield is assisting the family.

Jared was born May 21, 1992 in Fairfield, the son of Paul and Nohema (Castillo y Castillo) Graber.

Jared enjoyed reading and spending time at the library. He loved traveling the world, visiting Mexico, and riding his bicycle on the trails. Jared had a kind and pure heart, and a gentle soul. He had a sharp sense of humor and loved spending time with his family.

Those left to honor his memory include his brother, Christian Graber of Fairfield; his sister, Nohema Marie Graber of Fairfield; and many extended relatives.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Online condolences may be made to Jared’s family by viewing his obituary at www.behnerfh.com.

Prep Boys’ Soccer: IHSAA Releases First Soccer Rankings for 2025 and Burlington Notre Dame is Waking Up the Echoes

By Slaten Swords · Monday, April 21st, 2025 at 4:45 pm CDT

Prep Soccer- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released their first boys’ soccer rankings for the 2025 season and one of our local teams cracked the top 10. Here’s a rundown of some of the top teams.

Class 4A

Valley sits atop the class as they have rattled off eight consecutive wins after dropping their first game of the season to #3 Ames 1-0. The Tigers get the nod over #2 Dowling Catholic with a 2-0 win over the Maroons back in early April.

Last year’s champion, Johnston, is ranked 5th as they currently tout a 5-1-1, as the Dragons also lost 1-0 to Ames then tied Southeast Polk 1-1 for their only blemishes. The Tigers and Dragons are slated to meet on May 9th at Johnston High School.

Class 3A

Des Moines Hoover is one of two teams in Class 3A to have not lost a game, accordingly, the Huskies hold the top spot. Their lone tie comes against #3 Urbandale, who holds a 3-2-1 record. Dallas Center-Grimes sits at #2 with a 6-2-1 record.

The other team to not have lost yet this season, North Polk, is currently placed at #10 with ties to Perry and Boone hurting their ranking strength.

Class 2A

There are some tough teams in Class 2A, but the consensus #1 has to go to undefeated Bishop Heelan, who is routinely winning games by nearly seven goals on average. Xavier and Gilbert enter at #2 and #3 without a loss on their record.

Sliding in at #4 is Burlington Notre Dame after an impressive 4-1 start to the season for the Nikes. An unsightly 3-0 loss to Assumption for their season opener is their one negative, otherwise Notre Dame has handled business, including consecutive 4-1 and 6-1 wins against bigger teams in Solon and Fort Madison, respectively.

The Nikes last went to state in 2023, falling 5-0 to Assumption. That capped off a three-year run of state tournament appearances that included a state championship run in 2021 that saw the Nikes finish the year 23-1.

Sergeant Bluff-Luton rounds out the list with a 3-0-3 record.

Class 1A

Despite losing their last contest, North Fayette Valley is the king of Class 1A with a 7-1 record, despite #2 West Liberty, #3 Regina Catholic, #4 Hudson, #5 St. Albert, and #9 West Central Valley grasping zeros in the loss column with at least five games played.

#10 Beckman Catholic is the reason that statement exists with the Trailblazers, contrary to their name, moving slow through the season having only played four games. Beckman Catholic is 2-0-2 with one of those ties occurring against #3 Regina Catholic.

More

For the complete soccer rankings list for April 21st, follow this link: 2025 1st Soccer Rankings

Kristine LaVaune Wood

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, April 21st, 2025 at 12:14 pm CDT

Kristine LaVaune Wood passed away peacefully on April 14, 2025, surrounded by the love of her friends and family.

Kris was born in Des Moines, IA, to Warner and LaVaune Wood on August 20, 1948. She grew up in Des Moines, graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1966 and went on to graduate from the University of Iowa in January 1971. She learned the Transcendental Meditation technique in March 1971 and became a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation program in 1972 in Fiuggi, Italy.

She taught TM full time in South Bend, Indiana, and in Des Moines, leaving in 1983 to become a student in the graduate program in Higher Education Administration at Maharishi International University. After she earned her MA in 1986, she worked at Maharishi International University as the Registrar, serving faculty and students with care and efficiency. In 1998, Kris became the Director of Research in Consciousness Programs, focusing on opportunities for students’ self-development. Kris was beloved by students and faculty alike for her compassion, her great devotion to service, and her wisdom. In December 2024, Kris received the Lifetime Achievement Award from MIU’s President and Trustees for her long and outstanding service to MIU.

Kris is survived by her sisters Susan (Sue) McNeil and Sandra Clark, by her brother Randall Wood and sister-in-law Bronwyn Murray, as well as by many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

A memorial will be held in early May on the MIU campus. Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield is assisting the family.

Prep Track and Field: Local Roster for the 115th Drake Relays

By Slaten Swords · Monday, April 21st, 2025 at 11:49 am CDT

Des Moines, IA- Some of the best athletes from around the world will be migrating to Drake University to compete in the 115th Drake Relays, starting on Wednesday, April 23rd, and running through Saturday, April 26th. The high school running events will start on Thursday, April 24th, and here’s some of our local athletes participating.

Mt. Pleasant

Alex Scott reset her meet record at the Denny White Relays last week, which also placed her directly on the Blue Oval Standard for 2025 at 12.43 seconds in the girls’ 100-meter dash. The junior will sprint in the first heat around 9 am on Friday.

Avin Truong broke 23 feet earlier this year in the long jump, clearing the Blue Oval Standard. The senior will be looking to add to his accolades on Thursday evening at 4 pm in the second flight.

Winfield-Mt. Union

Kohlby Newsom is looking to continue his running success in his senior campaign, competing in the boys’ 800-meter run. His best time of 1 minute and 54 seconds for the season is one second better than the Blue Oval Standard. He will be apart of the first heat on Saturday around 1:50 pm.

Danville

The Bears’ girls’ team will send Alaina Gourley to run in the first heat of the 400-meter dash slated to start at 5:28 pm on Friday night. Her personal record (58 seconds) is just a second off the Blue Oval Standard.

Columbus

The boys’ team will be sending two to run the 110-meter hurdles in Lamar Ceant and Alex Rees, as they both were placed in the third heat. Ceant’s personal record for the season (14.9 seconds) is just two-tenths of a second away from the Blue Oval Standard.

The duo will run on Friday around 10:30 am.

Fort Madison

Julian Dear will be exhibiting the speed in the boys’ 100-meter dash when he runs in the second heat on Friday morning following the girls’ 100-meter dash.

Kenden Bowie will compete in the boys’ high jump on Thursday evening at 4:30 pm.

Brylie Lorence will toss the shot put on Friday morning in the second flight.

Burlington

Kylee Hill showed out as a freshman in last year’s Class 4A throwing events, winning the shot put and finishing in 4th in the discus. She will look to express the same kind of dominance in both events as she will throw the discus at 2:30 pm in the second flight on Thursday and shot put on Friday morning at 9 am.

Washington

Greyson Hartman is following in the footsteps of other great Washington throwers as he will heave the shot put around 3 pm on Thursday and then toss the discus on Friday morning at 8:30 am.

Fairfield

Last year’s Class 3A state champion Eli Zillman will show off his skills at the high jump along with fellow Trojan Ryan Giberson on Thursday evening.

Girls’ 4×100 Meter Relay

The Southeast Conference (SEC) will be well represented on Saturday morning with five of the six squads sending a team. Burlington will run in the second heat around 9:40 am with the quartet of Kierah Wiseman, Meilah Ertz, Sophie Brown, and Mylee Stiefel.

Over in heat three, Keokuk will have the team of Layonna Stewart, Kelly Takorbisong, Alaya Carr, and Ada Wood, while Washington will participate in the seventh heat with the squad of Layla Green, Leighton Messinger, Leighton Salazar, and Jaedyn Moore.

Lastly, Mt. Pleasant’s team of Ellie Freeman, Kiyah Sanders, Taylor Williamson, and Kynlee White will run in the 12th heat.

Boys’ 4×100 Meter Relay

It’s another busy race for our local schools with a litany of SEC and Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) talent showing off their speed and cohesion. Here’s to look out for.

Columbus’ Ceant and Rees will be joined by Juan Chairez and Riley Kaalberg to run in the second heat of the 4×100 meter relay. Following in the third heat will be Fairfield’s team of Dylan Adam, Spencer McCready, Ethan Bisgard, and Dayson Workman along with Keokuk’s squad of Tramell Smith, Kurt Joy, Ryan Bair, and Drew Campbell.

Over in the seventh heat will be the team of Nathan Schmidgall, Kyler Crow, and Will and Henry Luttenegger. The ninth heat will feature Cale Westerbeck, Gavin Strawhacker, Brigham Porter, and London Franklin of New London and Washington’s Keider Gomez Valdez, Kael Williams, Jayfred Espinosa, and Nate Edmonds.

Lastly, Burlington will compete in heat ten with the quartet of Amare Stepps, Kamryn Reynolds, Darius and Laderrias Shealey.

Next Up

Stay tuned to KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, throughout the multi-day event for updates.

Henry County Supervisors Public Hearing April 22nd 6pm

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, April 21st, 2025 at 9:35 am CDT

Henry County Supervisors

100 E Washington St Ste 202

Mt Pleasant IA  52641

Fax: 319-385-3601

 

  Chad White, Vice-Chair               Marc Lindeen, Chairman               Steven Detrick, Member    

           319-385-0759                                 319-385-0760                                     319-385-0761________                        

 

AGENDA

  Board of Supervisors

Tuesday

April 22, 2025

6:00 p.m.

Courthouse 3rd Floor

Courtroom

  1. Approve Agenda
  1. Approve minutes
  1. 1st Public Hearing

Fairfield Man Arrested Following Domestic Assault Investigation

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, April 21st, 2025 at 7:24 am CDT

Fairfield, Iowa — A Fairfield man is facing multiple charges following a domestic assault investigation stemming from a 911 call made on April 18.

According to a release from the Fairfield Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 900 block of North 10th Street after receiving several open-line emergency calls. Although dispatchers could hear screaming in the background, no one communicated directly with the operators.

Upon arrival, officers located the caller, a female victim, who reported being assaulted by a male subject with whom she has a no-contact order. The victim told officers that the suspect had choked her during the altercation. Officers observed visible injuries consistent with her account.

The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Timothy Andrew Halley of Fairfield, was arrested and is currently being held at the Jefferson County Correctional Facility with no bond, pending a court appearance.

Halley faces the following charges:

  • Domestic Abuse Assault Strangulation & Bodily Injury (Class D Felony)

  • Assault Committed by a Person Against Whom a Protective Order is Issued (Class D Felony)

  • Violation of Order of Protection (Simple Misdemeanor)

The investigation is being led by Lieutenant Joel Smith of the Fairfield Police Department.

Authorities remind the public that criminal charges are accusations, and all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.