Lester H. Decker

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, March 3rd, 2025 at 1:30 pm CDT

Lester H. Decker, 88, of West Point, Iowa, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at his home with family by his side.

He was born at home on May 25, 1936, in West Point, Iowa, the son to Henry and Rose (Bentlage) Decker. Lester married his first wife, Mary Alice (Thomas) McClaskey in 1957, in West Point, Iowa and although the union was not permanent, they maintained an amicable friendship. On November 1, 1969 he married Marylee G. (Bair) Meier in Galesburg, Illinois. Their family resided in West Point for a short while before relocating to Elvaston, Illinois, where he lived for over forty-five years before returning to his West Point roots.

Lester attended St. Mary’s Catholic High School. In 1955, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served on the U.S.S. Intrepid stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. After retiring from active duty in 1959, holding the rank of Machinist Mate Third Class, he transferred to the United States Naval Reserve where he served until retiring in 1967.

Having grown up on a midwestern farm, Lester developed a strong work ethic and a love for nature and all its bounties at a young age. While he enjoyed gardening, camping, fishing, bluegrass festivals, listening to country music, repairing lawn mowers, he mostly enjoyed spending time with family and friends and telling stories of days gone by. Lester spent time as an OTR truck driver before becoming an independent construction contractor which he did for many years before retiring. He was a member of the American Legion.

Lester is survived by his children: Bruce (Gail) Meier of Indianapolis, Indiana, Norman (Linda) Decker of Edgewood, Texas, Noel Meier of Kahoka, Missouri, Cynthia (Tom) Hast of Champaign, Illinois, Christine Wildrick of Bradenton, Florida, Judith Camp of Elvaston, Illinois, Dustin Decker of West Point, Iowa and Patti (Dean) Jinkens of Port Clinton, Ohio; fifteen grandchildren; twenty-eight great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews, and his many friends and acquaintances.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wives; brothers: Donald Decker, Leroy Decker and Myron Decker; sister: Caroline Decker; son-in-law: Doug Camp; grandson: Justin Meier and nephew: John Decker.

His body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation.

Per his wishes, no services will be held.

Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.

Wilson Rentals in Burlington Suffers Another Property Fire

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, March 3rd, 2025 at 12:25 pm CDT

On March 2nd, 2025, at 9:51 p.m. the Burlington Fire Department was dispatched for an apartment fire located at 305 North 4th in Burlington. Burlington firefighters arrived three minutes later and could see smoke coming from the roof of the three-story multi-family residential complex. The fire that occurred at 305 North 4th originated within an elevator shaft which was converted into a storage closet housing incompatible cleaning products.

Multiple occupants were able to make it out safely. The building was equipped with working smoke alarms and a fire suppression system that activated as a result of the fire. The fire suppression system was able to confine the fire to the area of origin.

The building consists of a vacant first floor commercial store front with two stories utilized as residential rental units and is owned by Dennis Wilson. The building was insured at the time of the fire. As a result of the fire the building sustained water and smoke damage.

Burlington Fire Department was assisted by Alliant Energy and Gas, West Burlington Fire Department, Burlington Police Department, and the American RedCross. American RedCross assisted with placing 11 displaced tenants into local hotels.Fireground operations were completed, and all personnel returned to service at 11:58 p.m.

The fire has been ruled accidental and not considered suspicious.
Robert Berndt
Fire Marshal

Connie S. Bush,

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, March 3rd, 2025 at 8:24 am CDT

Connie S. Bush, 77, of rural Mt. Pleasant passed away on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at the Henry County Health Center in Mt. Pleasant.

According to her wishes no services are planned.  Cremation has been entrusted to the care of Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant.

Burial will be held at a later date in the Grant Cemetery rural Rome.  

Memorials may be directed to the Grant Cemetery Association in her memory.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

 

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for her arrangements.

Myrlene L. Eubanks

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, March 3rd, 2025 at 8:20 am CDT
Myrlene L. Eubanks,

Myrlene L. Eubanks, 94, of Wayland formally of Crawfordsville, passed away peacefully Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Parkview Home in Wayland.

A celebration of her life will be 11:00 AM, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at the Beatty Funeral Home in Washington with Pastor Dave Schooley officiating. The service will be live-streamed on the Beatty-Peterseim Funeral Home Facebook page and YouTube channel. Inurnment will be 9:00 AM, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at the Crawfordsville Cemetery. Visitation will begin at Noon Monday, March 17, 2025, at the funeral home with family present from 4-6:00 PM. Memorials in the name of Myrlene L. Eubanks may be designated to the Crawfordsville 1st Responders or the Parkview Home in Wayland.

Myrlene was born November 3, 1930, in Grandview, Iowa, the daughter of Myrle E. and Pauline M. (Jackson) Stephens. She graduated from Wapello High School and was united in marriage to Forrest Dwight Eubanks, May 23, 1948, in Columbus Junction. She was employed with Sylvania in Burlington, 35 years at Oral B in Iowa City, helped on the farm and also operated a catering business. Myrlene was a woman of many passions. She found joy in the simple pleasures of life, from riding her side-by-side to check cattle to making homemade noodles, which she served piping hot for anyone lucky enough to share a meal with her. She loved spending time mowing her yard and savoring a delicious plate of Mexican food. Above all, Myrlene treasured time with her family, particularly her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, whom she adored.

Myrlene was a dedicated mother and is survived by her son, Jimmy (Joan) Eubanks of Noble. She was a proud grandmother to Jeff (Amy) Eubanks of Crawfordsville, Jason (Becky) Eubanks of Hedrick and Janelle (Donnie) Escher of Washington. She also leaves behind her cherished great-grandchildren: Emma (Travis) Clemen, Nolan, Sarah, Renae, and Henry Eubanks.

 

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Forrest, January 9, 2018, brothers, Hal, Adrian, Ted, Ray, Bob and Jack; sisters, Mary Lou, Delaine, Jill and JoAnn.

Sports, March 3rd

By Slaten Swords · Monday, March 3rd, 2025 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Boys’ Postseason Basketball

In the Class 1A Substate 4 championship game, #10 Burlington Notre Dame rallied and led for most of the night, but #8 North Linn snuck out with the victory after a late surge at the free throw line sunk the Nikes, 56-52. Shay Stephens knocked down 15 points followed by 13 points for Jack Drew. Nike head coach Dan Kies talked about his two seniors, Colby Booton and Drew, after the game,

“Both are great kids, great teammates, great kids to coach. I mean never an issue come up; they both work hard, you know, Colby, he’s just a hard-working athlete and ready to battle whenever he’s in whatever he’s doing, and Jack is just a basketball junkie that loves the game. You know, we’ll miss them as people really.”

Notre Dame finished the year with a 19-5 record. Joining North Linn in the Class 1A state tournament set to start on March 10th will be Boyden-Hull, St. Edmond, Marquette Catholic, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Madrid, Woodbine, and Remsen St. Mary’s.

For the Class 2A Substate 5 championship game, #10 West Burlington battled back from being down 20 to 4 at the end of the first quarter but simply ran out of steam as #5 Grand View Christian exited with the win 74-57. Mason Watkins ended his incredible career with one more 30-point performance as the Falcons ended the season with a 21-3 record.  

Also punching their ticket to the Class 2A state tournament were Unity Christian, West Lyon, Jesup, Grundy Center, Union Community, Treynor, and Western Christian.

In Class 3A Substate 6, Keokuk will travel to #3 Knoxville tonight at 7 pm for the Substate Championship.

High School Girls’ Postseason Basketball

Class 5A will tip-off the state tournament today with #1 Johnston facing off against #8 Iowa City Liberty at 10 am. Other Class 5A matchups include: #4 Ankeny Centennial will take on #5 Pleasant Valley, #2 Dowling Catholic will compete against #7 Davenport North, and #3 Waukee Northwest will tangle with #6 Prairie.

Also starting their tournament run today will be Class 3A with #1 Mt. Vernon going against #8 West Marshall. #4 Cherokee Washington will look to defeat #5 Estherville Lincoln Central, #7 Spirit Lake will look to knock off #2 Wahlert Catholic, and #3 Williamsburg will face off against #6 Des Moines Christian.

Class 2A will start tomorrow, March 4th, along with Class 4A, while Class 1A will compete on Wednesday, March 5th. The Class 2A matchups include #1 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, looking to cap out a perfect season, facing off against #8 Treynor. #4 North Mahaska will verse #5 Central Lyon. #2 Regina Catholic returns to the state tournament to compete against #7 Maquoketa Valley, while #3 Hinton will take on #6 Rock Valley.

For Class 4A, #1 Bishop Heelan will face off against #8 Xavier with the winner competing against either #4 Norwalk or #5 Central DeWitt. On the bottom half of the bracket, #2 North Polk will tangle with #7 Sioux Center and #3 Maquoketa will take on #6 Dallas Center-Grimes.

Lastly, in Class 1A, #1 Saint Albert will lead off the day against #8 Dunkerton, followed by #4 Bishop Garrigan versus #5 Montezuma, #2 North Linn taking on #7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck, and #3 Newell-Fonda attempting to avoid the upset against #6 Springville.

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Tune in to KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, on Wednesday night at 6 pm for a new episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook featuring the trio of state wrestlers from WACO in Ian Maize, Gage Samo, and Louden Huisnega as they discuss what led up to the tournament and the emotions that came with competing in Des Moines.

IHSAA Football Classifications

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released the preliminary breakdown of the two-year classification cycle based on the Basic Educational Data Survey along with a formula for free and reduced lunch percentages and here’s how our local teams were affected.

Mt. Pleasant will be the largest team in Class 3A as they were joined by Keokuk, Fort Madison, Fairfield, and Washington. West Burlington/Notre Dame is the largest school in Class 2A, sneaking in by only six points. Mediapolis also stayed in Class 2A.

Class A kept Danville, Wapello, Van Buren County, and Columbus but they also added New London to the mix as one of the smallest schools of the class. WACO and Winfield-Mt. Union kept their status in 8-Player.

For a full look at the numbers, follow this link: IHSAA Classifications

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The men’s basketball team slipped past Moberly Area Community College over the weekend, winning 57-55. The Blackhawks will host Marshalltown Community College on Wednesday, March 5th, at 7 pm.

College Basketball

The #9 Iowa State men’s team got back in the win column with a one-sided victory over #22 Arizona this past weekend 84-67. Milan Momcilovic led the scoring effort with 17 points. The Cyclones will compete against BYU at home tomorrow, March 4th, at 8 pm.

The Iowa men’s team sits in 15th place in the Big Ten with two conference games left on the schedule as they look to upset #8 Michigan State on Thursday, March 6th, at 7 pm at home for their senior night.

The Iowa women’s team outpaced Wisconsin yesterday 81-66 to finish out the regular season with a win. Hannah Stuelke was a force in the contest, collecting 21 points and gathering 15 rebounds for a double-double. The Hawkeyes will get a rematch with Wisconsin on Wednesday, March 5th, at 7:30 pm for their opening matchup of the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis.

The Iowa State women’s team capped off their regular season with a dominating upset of #14 Kansas State 85-63. Audi Crook was unstoppable, picking up a 36 point/10 rebound double-double in the winning effort. The Cyclones will be gearing up for the Big 12 tournament as they received a bye into the second round, scheduled for Thursday.  

This Day in Sports History

1920 – The Montreal Canadiens scored an NHL record 16 goals, beating the Quebec Bulldogs 16-3.

1983 – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw is admitted to the hospital for surgery to repair his throwing arm under the alias ‘Tom Brady.’

2024 – Iowa’s Caitlin Clark became the NCAA Division I all-time career scoring leader, surpassing Pete Maravich’s career total of 3,667 points as she went on to finish the night with 35 points in a win over Ohio State.

InMotion Clinches Grand Champion Title for Second Year in a Row!

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, March 3rd, 2025 at 6:12 am CDT

For the second consecutive year, InMotion has proven they are a force to be reckoned with, securing the title of Grand Champions at the Central Connections Show Choir Competition. But that’s not all—this powerhouse group is bringing home a collection of awards, further cementing their dominance on the stage.

In addition to their Grand Champion victory, InMotion took home 1st Place in the 3A category, the coveted Fan Favorite Award, and multiple individual and team accolades. Addison Peck shined during the Daytime Awards, earning the title of Best Soloist, while the group’s exceptional talent was further recognized with Best Choreography and Best Band during the Final Awards.

With electrifying performances, unmatched energy, and an undeniable passion for show choir, InMotion has once again left an unforgettable mark on the competition. Congratulations to all the performers, directors, and supporters who helped make the achievement possible.

 

Mount Pleasant Community High School Honors Over 70 Scholars at Academic Awards Assembly

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, March 3rd, 2025 at 5:44 am CDT

Mount Pleasant Community High School recognized the hard work and dedication of its students during the annual Academic Awards assembly on Friday morning. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors were honored for their academic excellence, with more than 70 students receiving recognition.

The Academic Achievement Awards celebrate students who maintained at least a 3.5 GPA in six classes during both the first and second semesters of the previous school year. The awards highlight the students’ commitment to academic success and their drive for excellence.

MPCHS staff and administrators congratulated the scholars on their achievements, emphasizing the importance of hard work and perseverance in academics. The assembly served as a moment of pride for both students and their families, showcasing the school’s dedication to fostering a strong learning environment. Congratulations to all the honorees for their outstanding accomplishments!

Mount Pleasant Planning and Zoning Commission to Meet March 4

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, March 3rd, 2025 at 5:44 am CDT

The Mount Pleasant Planning and Zoning Commission is set to convene on March 4, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in the large conference room at Mount Pleasant City Hall, located at 307 E Monroe St.

The meeting agenda includes approving minutes from the previous session held on November 5, 2024, and discussing a recommendation to the City Council regarding Auditors Parcel “2025-004,” a subdivision within two miles of the city limits at 2020 W Clay St.

Additionally, the meeting will feature an open forum for public input before adjourning.

Residents and stakeholders are encouraged to attend and participate in the discussion.