HCHC Foundation Event Supports Important Medical Campaign

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, March 12th, 2025 at 4:19 pm CDT

Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Wednesday, March 12 – The Henry County Health Center Foundation held their Bingo Night on Friday, March 7, at the Mount Pleasant VFW. Employees, families, and community members joined for the event benefitting the Foundation’s campaign to purchase new medical beds and equipment for Henry County Health Center. The hall was full of over 200 excited attendees and lucky winners.

The next Foundation event for the campaign will be a Derby Party held on May 2 at the Airport Road Winery in Mount Pleasant. The Derby Party will be the event to officially ring in Spring! Featuring mint juleps, live and silent auctions, and an opportunity to wear your best derby hat, this event will be a fun evening for a worthy cause! For tickets, tables, or sponsorships, please contact the Foundation at (319) 385-6541 or scollins@greatriverhealth.org.

All proceeds of events and donations to the Henry County Health Center Foundation stay within Henry County communities and support the continued delivery of local, high-quality healthcare.

Great River Health Honors Keith Putnam, RN, with DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, March 12th, 2025 at 11:25 am CDT

Henry County Health Center’s Emergency Department nurse, Keith Putnam, RN, has been recognized with the prestigious DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®, a national honor celebrating nurses who provide exceptional, compassionate care to patients and their families.

Putnam was nominated by the family of a pediatric patient who experienced a traumatic emergency visit. In their nomination, the family praised Keith for his quick response, knowledge, and unwavering attentiveness. They recalled how he was the first in the room when they arrived by ambulance and the last one to leave, ensuring they were informed and comforted every step of the way.

The DAISY Award recipient is selected by a committee at Great River Health. Putnam was honored in a special ceremony attended by colleagues, members of the HCHC, Inc. Board of Directors, and visitors.

The DAISY Award, established by the DAISY Foundation, recognizes nurses nationwide for their dedication and impact on patients’ lives. Putnam’s recognition highlights the critical role of emergency nurses in providing not just medical care, but also comfort and reassurance to families in difficult times.

 

Sports, March 12th

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, March 12th, 2025 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Boys’ Postseason Basketball

Class 3A finished out their quarterfinal matchups yesterday and upsets populated the bottom half of the bracket. The day started with #7 Xavier holding #2 Knoxville to just 29% shooting from the field in a 52-37 win over the Panthers. AJ Evans collected a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds in the win for the Saints. 

#6 MOC-Floyd Valley followed the same blueprint but with a bit more dramatics, sneaking past #3 Ballard 55-51. Three of the Dutchmen’s five starters scored 48 of the team’s 55 points. Xavier and MOC-Floyd Valley will play tomorrow, March 13th, at 12:15 pm.

For the top half of the bracket in Class 3A, Clear Lake and ADM will face off tomorrow at 10:30 am.  

In Class 2A, no upsets were had as two of the four quarterfinal matchups were decided by 31 points. #1 Western Christian demolished #8 Jesup 69-38 as Karsten Moret put up 23 points in the winning effort. The Wolfpack will meet #4 Grand View Christian in the semifinals after the Thunder downed #5 Treynor 61-46. Brayden Hoben led the scoring with 26 points. The semifinal matchup will be played tomorrow at 2 pm.

On the bottom half to the bracket, #2 West Lyon ran up the score against #7 Union Community, winning 81-50. Jorden Meyer buried 25 points in the win. #3 Unity Christian won a slugfest against #6 Grundy Center 48-46 as the Knights outscored the Spartans 18 to 10 in the fourth quarter. West Lyon and Unity Christian will compete tomorrow at 3:45 pm.

Class 1A will tip-off today with #4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck looking to knock off the defending champion #5 North Linn. The winner will take on either #1 Marquette Catholic or #8 Remsen St. Mary’s. #2 Madrid will face off against #7 Boyden-Hull, while #6 Woodbine will look to pull off the upset against #3 St. Edmond.

In Class 4A, #1 Cedar Falls will play #4 Waukee Northwest and #2 Linn-Mar will take on #3 Valley tonight for their semifinal matchups. 

High School Track

The Mt. Pleasant, Columbus, and Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ teams participated in the Dickinson Relays at the UNI-Dome yesterday as the Panthers touted four competitors finishing within the top 20.

In the 60-meter dash prelims, Mt. Pleasant had Ellie Freeman take 63rd place, while Alex Scott punched her ticket to the finals with a time of 8.05 seconds. She would clock the same time in the finals for an 8th place finish.

In the 60-meter hurdles, Josie Nelson of Winfield-Mt. Union finished in 47th place with a time of 10.44 seconds and Mt. Pleasant’s Taylor Williamson and Jayden Yoder grabbed 65th and 68th place, respectively.

Southeast Iowa ran close in the 200-meter dash but it was Winfield-Mt. Union’s Kynlee Buffington that led the pack with a 51st place time of 28.52 seconds followed by Kymila Bacon of Columbus in 63rd place and Mt. Pleasant’s Freeman grabbed 68th place.

In the relays, Mt. Pleasant competed well with an 18th place time of 1 minute and 51 seconds in the 4×200 with the team of Abigail Shelangoski, Kiyah Sanders, Kynlee White, and Scott. Jenna Schwartz and Linzy Streigel joined White and Sanders in the 4×400 as the squad collected a 21st place finish with a time of 4 minutes and 28 seconds.

Columbus had the team of Iris Garza, Isabel Rendon, Gabriela Duran, and Martiza Tovar take 35th place in the 4×800 with a time of 11 minutes and 27 seconds. Winfield-Mt. Union’s Nelson, Jayda Nichols, Scotlyn Roen, and Buffington captured 60th place in the 4×200. 

In the field events, Schwartz leapt 4 feet and 10 inches to claim 19th place in the high jump for the Panthers. Izzy Sloat had an impressive freshman performance with a 15th place jump of 16 feet and 1.5 inches in the long jump. Over in the shot put, Mt. Pleasant’s Ella Ensminger broke the top 10 with a heave of 36 feet and 8.5 inches followed by her teammate Ava English with a toss of 34 feet and 6.75 inches, which was good enough for 15th place. Isabella Forbes of Columbus claimed 38th place with a throw of 32 feet and 6.75 inches. 

The IATC Indoor Championships will take place tomorrow, March 13th, for the boys’ teams and Friday, March 14th, for the girls’ teams at Iowa State University. 

High School Girls Basketball

The Iowa Girls Coaches Association announced the senior Larry Niemeyer All-Star Game rosters for the upcoming games this Saturday, March 15th, and Lily Coil of Columbus will be playing for the Gray Team in Class 2A. 

Coil led the Wildcats with 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and added 3.8 steals per game on defense as Columbus claimed their program’s first Southeast Iowa Super Conference North title after finishing the season with an 18-5 record. 

The Class 2A Gray team will play the Class 2A White team at 2:15 pm. 

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Tune in to KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, tonight at 6 pm for a new episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook. The episode will recap the basketball postseason journey for our local teams. 

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The softball team will be hosting a spring break camp from March 17th through the 20th for grades 2-5 from 8 am to 10 am and grades 6-12 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at Fun City Turf at 614 S. Broadway Street. It is $120 per student or $100 for a sibling discount as the participants should bring their bats, gloves, and sliding gear.

There are limited spaces available and a registration form to fill out attached to this article. Instructions on where to mail the form are located on the registration.

Link: Softball Registration

College Basketball

The #12 Iowa State men’s team earned the #5 seed in the Big 12 tournament and will face off against Cincinnati today at 11:30 am.

The Iowa men’s team will compete against Ohio State in the first round tonight at 5 pm. 

The Iowa State and Iowa women’s teams will have to wait until Sunday, March 16th, to see if they will get a spot in the National Championship bracket. 

March Madness

The KILJ Bracket Challenge is back for the 2025 March Madness men’s bracket with the same rules as last year. A printable bracket will be posted to KILJ’s Facebook page after Selection Saturday on March 16th. The bracket must be filled out and turned in to sports@kilj.com or our station by the end of the day on March 19th. 

For a full list of rules and prizes, follow this link: KILJ Bracket Challenge

This Day in Sports History

1881 – Andrew Watson makes his Scotland debut as the world’s first Black international football player and captain.

2020 – The 2020 NCAA men’s basketball tournament is canceled over concerns of the spread of COVID-19; first time ‘March Madness’ not held since it began in 1939; women’s tournament also canceled.

2023 – PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Scottie Scheffler becomes the third golfer, after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, to hold the Masters and Players titles at the same time.

County Assessor’s Office Approves Budget Changes, Discusses Walmart Appeal

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, March 12th, 2025 at 5:53 am CDT

At a recent county Assessors meeting, officials reviewed and approved several key budgetary changes, including adjustments to insurance funding and salary increases for employees. The board also discussed an ongoing appeal from Walmart, which seeks to significantly reduce its property valuation.

Budget Approval and Salary Adjustments

During the meeting, the board addressed concerns about the county’s health insurance, which operates under a partially self-funded model. After discussions, members agreed to lower the insurance budget from $90,000 to $81,000. Additionally, they approved a 5% salary increase for all employees, aligning with raises granted by the local school district and county supervisors.

The board also deliberated compensation for the Board of Review, which handles property tax appeals. A motion was passed to raise pay for board members by $10 per session, bringing the per diem rate to $185, with an additional $10 increase for the board clerk.

Walmart Property Tax Appeal

A significant portion of the meeting focused on Walmart’s appeal to reduce its property valuation from $11.6 million to approximately $6.2 million—nearly a 50% decrease. The county has commissioned an independent appraisal to assess the accuracy of the request.

“If the appraisal comes back higher than what we currently have, we’ll likely take the case to court,” one official noted. Walmart may also provide its own appraisal, which could lead to further disputes and legal proceedings.

Assessment Trends and Property Values

Conference Board Officials also reviewed the county’s recent skills ratio study, which showed a 10% increase in residential property values and a 20% increase for commercial properties. These rising values are expected to lead to an influx of property tax petitions and appeals. Agricultural land values also saw a slight increase, based on a five-year net income assessment model.

With these property value shifts, officials anticipate a busy season for the Board of Review, with an increase in informal reviews and potential court cases.

Looking Ahead

The meeting concluded with final discussions on budget allocations and preparations for upcoming property tax challenges. With multiple appeals, including Walmart’s case, officials are preparing for potential legal battles to ensure fair property valuations across the county.

4-H Bucket Bottle Project Meeting Set for March 25

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, March 12th, 2025 at 5:51 am CDT

4-H’ers involved in the bucket bottle project are invited to attend an informational meeting on Tuesday, March 25 in the upstairs of Dallmeyer Hall on the fairgrounds.  This department project meeting is open to all members and their families who have questions about how to get started or for those who are ready to learn more in advancing their project.

Department superintendents will discuss animal selection, health, records, and fair requirements.  Bucket Bottle calf department 4-H family mentors will be available to connect with and ask questions as well.

Record books and interviews are an important part of this project area and 4-H department superintendents will review those with samples.  Past participants, please bring old workbooks AND score sheets if you have them as samples to learn from.  Workbooks and calf ear tags will be available for purchase as well.

All members plan to attend from 6pm-7pm and the group will divide into age groups.  This same meeting content was shared at the February 6 meeting.  Youth only need to attend once.

4-H is for youth who want to learn how to properly care for the environment, their communities and each other.  For more information on 4-H or the bucket bottle calf project area, please contact the Washington County Extension Office at 319/653-4811.

Carl L. Wickham

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, March 12th, 2025 at 5:45 am CDT

Carl L. Wickham, 80, of Mt. Pleasant, died Monday, March 10, 2025 at his residence.

An open visitation will be held from 9AM to 8PM on MARCH 28, 2025 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mount Pleasant. The family WILL NOT be present.

The family WILL BE present to receive friends from 9AM to 11AM on MARCH 29, 2025 at the funeral home. The funeral service for Carl will be held at 11AM on MARCH 29 at Kimzey Funeral Home. Burial will be at later date.

Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the Henry County EMT Service , c/o of the Henry County Heath Center Foundation.

Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com

Dr. Wilbur R. Reschly

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, March 12th, 2025 at 5:42 am CDT

Whidden-McLean Funeral Home and Crematory

Dr. Wilbur R. Reschly
(December 23, 1945 – February 26, 2025)

Lakeland – Dr. Wilbur R. Reschly, M.D., age 79, passed away on Feb. 26, 2025, at Solaris Healthcare Plant City. He was born on December 23, 1945, in Olds, Iowa. As a young man, he detasseled corn on the family farm and neighboring farms during the summer to help with his college tuition. He also worked as a Union carpenter during the summer through his college years. He married Julianne Woodhouse in June 1968. He graduated from the University of Iowa with his M.D. in June of 1971. From there, he and his family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he did his internship at Hennepin County Hospital. In 1972, Dr. Reschly began a dermatology residency at Duke University in Durham, N.C. He didn’t like the cold, cloudy days so he started looking for a place to practice in sunny Florida, where he could grow citrus. He chose Lakeland, Fl. as the new home for his growing family and moved to Lakeland in 1975. In Lakeland, he had a mini farm with horses, a pony, registered French Alpine goats, chickens, ducks and later geese. Rabbits would join the gang on occasion, along with a cat.

As his practice thrived he started buying land to plant citrus. Over the years, he and his children Matthew and Maureen together prepared and planted over 60 acres. He enjoyed gardening, working in his groves, being outside and taking care of his dermatology patients. He is survived by his children, Maureen Reschly (Anthony Davanzo), Dr. Matthew Reschly (Caroline Williamson), Karen N. Reschly (Christopher Worsham), Benjamin J. Reschly (Jennifer Overcash) and Dr. William Reschly. A second marriage produced, Luke Reschly and Hollee M. Reschly. Grandchildren include Joey Reschlavanzo, Olivia R. Reschly, Henry H. Reschly, Emily C. Reschly, Charlotte C. Reschly and Elizabeth (Drew) Reschly. Dr. Wilbur Reschly is survived by his brother, Dr. Ron Reschly (Barbara) and former spouse Julie Clark. He was preceded in death by his parents, several siblings and a young son Joseph Reschly.

Private Family Services have been held. Condolences to the family at www.whiddenmcleanfuneralhome.com

The Mt. Pleasant Youth Wrestling Club Establishing Themselves as One of the Best in the Nation

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, March 11th, 2025 at 1:47 pm CDT

Mt. Pleasant, IA- Last year the Mt. Pleasant Youth Wrestling Club was ranked #23 in the nation according to trackwrestling.com, this year the club climb up the latter to be ranked #14 in the nation after another successful season.

Head coach Nick Ettinger along with his assistant coaches Karla Maher, Corey Hamilton, Jordan Norton, and Mick Manning have been building something special, spending six hours a week with the kids under the motto “work hard.” A motto embodied by the entire club according to coach Ettinger.

This season saw a record set and a state champion crowned as the entire club tallied 452 pins on the mat this season along with grabbing a couple of team trophies from local tournaments this season.

The club sent a record 24 wrestlers to the Iowa AAU state tournament, six youth and two middle school boys qualified for the AAU grade school boys state championships and 10 girls made the trip to Cedar Rapids to participate in the AAU girls state tournament.

Courtney Smith wrestled her way to a state championship, while Klara Shelby and Cece Aranda both grabbed bronze medals with Milli Norton taking home 4th place for the girls’ team.

Kamden Ettinger and Braxton Hamilton highlighted the Iowa super peewee state championships for kindergarten through 2nd graders as a total of six boys competed in Waterloo. Ettinger and Hamilton each took home 3rd place in the effort. Samuel Ross also grabbed 8th place.

(Photo courtesy of Nick Ettinger)

Coach Ettinger thanked everyone involved with the club along with expressing his gratitude for the kids’ effort,

“We are forever thankful for their commitment to the kids! I couldn’t do it without them. Lastly, I’m extremely proud of this club and look forward to the future of MP wrestling!”

Congratulations to the MP Youth Wrestling Club for their successful season!