The Mount Pleasant Community School District has announced a special election to fill a vacant seat on the school board. Community members interested in serving on the board can pick up nomination paperwork at the district’s Central Office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. You Must Live in district 2 to run and fill the board seat.
The deadline to submit nomination paperwork is April 18 at 5 p.m. to the School Board Secretary. Despite the school being closed for Good Friday, the Central Office will remain open to accept submissions.
The special election will take place on May 13. This presents a key opportunity for residents to participate in shaping the leadership of the district. The school board plays a crucial role in setting policies, overseeing budgets, and ensuring the quality of education for students in Mount Pleasant.
For those considering candidacy, this is a chance to contribute to the future of local education and make a meaningful impact on the community.
For more information, visit the Mount Pleasant Community School District’s Central Office.
By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, April 1st, 2025 at 5:33 am CDT
The Mount Pleasant Planning and Zoning Commission will meet on April 1st, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in Mount Pleasant City Hall, 307 E Monroe St., in the large conference room.
AGENDA:
Call to order
Approve minutes from the March 4th, 2025, meeting
Make a recommendation concerning the site plan, Sonic Restaurant, 1206 N Grand Ave.
Karen Hollingsworth, 85, of Mediapolis, passed away on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in West Burlington. Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, 2025 at Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Mediapolis. Funeral Service will be 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 4, 2025 at the Mediapolis Global Methodist Church. Burial will be in Kossuth Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established for the Mediapolis Global Methodist Church and Kossuth Cemetery Association. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.
Karen Sue Wright was born on October 17, 1939 to Gay and Mildred (Springsteen) Wright. She grew up in Morning Sun, Iowa where she enjoyed the finer things of a small-town life…riding bikes, roller skating at her dad’s skating rink in town, sledding down the old grade school hill, and shooting baskets on the M.S.H.S. girl basketball team. She earned her way to the state tournament for her free throw shooting skills, winning many trophies along the way. She was also active in the Morning Sun Methodist Church and 4-H in those early years. After graduating from MSHS in 1957 she went to nursing school in downtown Burlington from 1957-1958.
Karen married Ronald G. Hollingsworth on September 5, 1958 and together they started their life in Mediapolis. Karen was active in many community activities along with starting a painting business with her sister-in-law, Joyce. She loved Jesus and was active in the Global Methodist Church, attending faithfully for 65 years. She sang in the choir, helped make greeting cards, and her church and church family held a special place in her heart.
In 1982 Karen went back to nursing school at S.C.C. and earned her R.N. Her nursing career had her at Burlington Medical Center on the surgical floor, Mediapolis Care Center, Morning Sun Care Center and at Dr. Miller’s chiropractic office in Mediapolis.
Through the years Karen was also a Girl Scout Leader, a member of Kings Daughters, loved taking family vacations and road trips with her sisters, and attended many of her kids and grandkids school and sports events. She loved sitting down at the piano to play a hymn or two and invited anyone around to sit down and play a duet of chopsticks with her. She could be seen most recently cruising up and down the main street sidewalks with her shiny red scooter!
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Karen loved her children well: Christy and Kim Robb, Randy and Joni Hollingsworth and Rhonda and Kory Klenk.
She loved her grandchildren more: Levi (Maddie), Caleb (Paige) and Noah (Gabby) Robb; Tanner (Cassie), Maddie (Casey), Samuel (Hope) and Joseph Hollingsworth; Chase (Stephanie), Bryana (Marcus Walton) and Bryce (Emma) Klenk.
But the 13 great-grandkids were her delight! Dorothy, Eloise, Theo and Silas Robb, Zander, Ansel and Luna Hollingsworth, Kavik, Tavi and Kreed Walton, Russell, Kashton and Khoen Klenk.
She is also survived by her sister, Ruth and James Oetken, her brother, Ed (Jody) Wright, a special niece, Cindy and Ken Miller, many other nieces, nephews and cousins, and many good and faithful friends.
Karen was preceded in death by her parents; husband Ron in 2009; sister, Phyllis and Warren Stineman; niece, Shannon Stineman; in-laws: J.K. “Holly” and Marcella Hollingsworth, Shirley and Vaughn McCants and Don and Joyce Hollingsworth.
Iowa City, IA- What more could Ben McCollum ask for at this point. Breaks Drake’s single season win total, leads the Bulldogs to a first-round upset over Missouri all in his first year at the Division I level, gets hired by his hometown team of Iowa, and now takes home the 2025 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year award.
The award goes to a rookie head coach in Division I college basketball. McCollum racked up 31 wins, including the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season and tournament titles and grabbed himself MVC Coach of the Year.
The Hawkeyes are hoping that the success will continue for them in the Big Ten.
The Joe B. Hall award is named in honor of longtime Kentucky head coach Joe B. Hall who was given the task of following the legendary Adolph Rupp at the school. In his first season, Hall finished 20-8, won the SEC and advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals.
Hall coached the Wildcats from 1972 to 1985. He won two-thirds of his games (297-100), received four SEC Coach of the Year honors, and won a National Championship in 1978. He also steered the program to two other Final Fours, won eight Southeastern Conference regular season championships and one Southeastern Conference tournament championship (1984).
Prep Track and Field- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) and the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) jointly released the 2025 State Track and Field Qualifying Meet Sites and most of our local teams will be heading to two locations.
Class 1A
Edgewood-Colesburg
Griswold
Lisbon
Lynnville-Sully
Madrid
North Union
Northwood-Kensett
WACO
Wayne
Woodbine
Class 2A
Clarinda
Crestwood, Cresco
Garner-Hayfield-Ventura
Grundy Center
Monticello
Ogden
PCM
Sheldon
Class 3A
Assumption, Davenport
Decorah
Glenwood
Mount Vernon
Mount Pleasant
Nevada
Sioux Center
Winterset
Class 4A
Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln
Iowa City, West
Mason City
Marshalltown
North Scott, Eldridge
Waukee, Northwest
Schedule
The state qualifying meets are set to run on Thursday, May 15th, at 4 pm with assignments scheduled to be released at a later time.
Mt. Pleasant, IA- Sorry Prince Charming, you will have to hold on to that glass slipper for another year as the Final Four is completely populated with #1 seeds. With only 10 upsets throughout the entire tournament, the carriage has turned to pumpkin before the clock even touched 11 pm.
What Happened
All right, that’s enough Cinderella analogies for now, but the sentiment stands. This was not the year to venture outside the seeding. There were more upsets in the first-round last year than this entire tournament. It is also the first time since 2008 and the second time ever that the Final Four is only made up of the top seeds.
Although, there were moments where that notion was challenged in the last two rounds. The Sweet 16 saw #3 Texas Tech overcome the third-largest deficit in Sweet 16 history—16 points, aptly—to down #10 Arkansas in overtime, 85-83.
#1 Florida was down double-digits with about five minutes to play in the second half against those same Red Raiders, but a flurry of buckets later saw the Gators flip the script and come out with the 84-79 victory to advance to the Final Four.
#1 Duke and #1 Houston never trailed in their Elite Eight matchups and #1 Auburn kept two Michigan schools at arms-length to punch their ticket to the Final Four. Overall, entertaining games, just not an entertaining storyline.
Well, at least, not on the hardwood. There is a bit of Cinderella story brewing in KILJ’s Bracket Challenge as Wanda Broeker continued her dominant ways, going 7 for 8 in the Sweet 16 and a perfect 4 for 4 in the Elite 8. This impressive pick ‘em performance kept her solely in 1st place a year after finishing in the middle of the pack.
Terry McWilliams and Alan Buckert were the only brackets to go perfect in the Sweet 16 as Buckert moved up 21 spots in the rankings, tied for the largest move after these last two rounds. Including Broeker, six brackets went perfect in the Elite 8.
This was a very successful two rounds for the bracket challenge as 18 brackets at least picked seven of the eight games correctly in the Sweet 16, leading to a tight finish with three games left to go. Only five brackets out of the 46 cannot score anymore points.
In case you’re dubious of the validity of my statement, 27 of the 46 or 59% of the brackets still have both championship teams in the running. The most popular is Florida versus Duke with 13 brackets having the two face off.
Should be a thrilling day of basketball when the Final Four showdowns tip-off on Saturday, April 5th.
Standings
Wanda Broeker: 230
Karen Brimhall: 218
Lysha Bunnell: 216
Terry McWilliams: 212
Aaron Freeman: 206
Brent Broeker: 204
Alan Buckert: 204
Janae Body: 202
Josh Moon: 202
Julie Liechty: 200
More
Stay tuned to KILJ for an update on the standings after the Final Four.
The Fort Madison City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 property tax levy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 5:00 PM.
The hearing will take place in the Council Chambers at 811 Avenue E, Fort Madison, Iowa.
Residents are encouraged to attend and provide input on the proposed levy.
This meeting offers an opportunity for the public to learn more about the city’s property tax plans and how they may impact taxpayers.
Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach is offering a valuable food safety training program for food service managers on May 15 at the Lee County Extension Office in Donnellson. This training is designed to enhance food safety knowledge and ensure compliance with industry standards.
The class is highly beneficial for foodservice managers across various sectors, including schools, restaurants, convenience stores, child care facilities, senior meal sites, and health care establishments. Participants will receive a copy of the ServSafe® Manager training manual, which provides essential food safety guidelines and best practices. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to take the ServSafe® certification exam, a widely recognized credential in the food service industry.
This certification class offers a comprehensive overview of safe food handling practices, sanitation procedures, and risk management strategies. By participating in this program, foodservice professionals can enhance their knowledge, improve workplace safety, and ensure compliance with food safety regulations.
Karen Hollingsworth, 85, of Mediapolis, passed away on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in West Burlington. Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, 2025 at Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Mediapolis. Funeral Service will be 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 4, 2025 at the Mediapolis Global Methodist Church. Burial will be in Kossuth Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established for the Mediapolis Global Methodist Church and Kossuth Cemetery Association. Online condolences may be left for the family at