Sports, February 27th

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, February 27th, 2025 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Girls’ Postseason Basketball

Danville and #2 Regina Catholic entered the Class 2A Region 2 championship match last night attempting to avenge their respective losses in last year’s regional championships and it was the Regals who came out on top 73-22 to attend their third state tournament in the last four years.

Bears head coach Matt Morris knows it is hard to beat tradition when you get off to a slow start,

“Going into this game, our kids just hadn’t quite seen the speed and aggressiveness and the skill set, so we knew we were going to grow fast on the court no matter how much we prepared them. And you know, Regina did what they had to do in a Substate game. They came out, they jumped on us early and kind of took the wind out of our sails. They didn’t let us get on our feet and that’s what tradition does, that’s what good teams do…”

Alaina Gourley led the team with 11 points as Danville finished the season with a 15-9 record. Coach Morris expressed gratefulness to the team that surrounded him,

“Going into this game, our kids just hadn’t quite seen the speed and aggressiveness and the skill set, so we knew we were going to grow fast on the court no matter how much we prepared them. And you know, Regina did what they had to do in a Substate game. They came out, they jumped on us early and kind of took the wind out of our sails. They didn’t let us get on our feet and that’s what tradition does, that’s what good teams do…”

Joining Regina Catholic in the Class 2A state bracket will be Eddyville-Blakesburg Fremont, Hinton, Rock Valley, North Mahaska, Central Lyon, Treynor, and Maquoketa Valley. 

Class 5A will tip-off the state tournament on Monday, March 3rd, with Johnston facing off against Iowa City Liberty at 10 am.

High School Boys’ Postseason Basketball

In Class 1A Substate 4, #10 Burlington Notre Dame will face off against #8 North Linn for the Substate Championship on Saturday, March 1st, at 7 pm at Iowa City High. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

For Class 2A Substate 5, #10 West Burlington will compete against #5 Grand View Christian for the Substate Championship on Saturday at 7 pm at Oskaloosa high school.

For Class 3A Substate 6, Keokuk will travel to Mt. Vernon tonight at 7 pm and Fort Madison will head to Knoxville.

High School Bowling

The state bowling tournament wrapped up play yesterday with the boys’ and girls’ Class 1A team tournaments along with the boys’ and girls’ Class 3A individual tournaments. Grabbing the team titles were the boys’ team of Vinton-Shellsburg and the girls’ team of Camanch, as they downed Louisa-Muscatine 3-1 in the championship showdown.

Waterloo West swept the individual championships with Ben Greer bowling a 259 in the 1st place match on the boys’ side, while Macy Smedley put together a 245 in the final match to grab the gold for the girls.

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The men’s basketball team lost to Sauk Valley Community College last night 80-59. The Blackhawks will face off against Moberly Area Community College at 2 pm on Saturday, March 1st. 

NAIA Men’s Basketball Rankings

In the final Coaches’ Top 25 Poll of the season, former Iowa Wesleyan head coach Jordan Ashton’s William Woods University was ranked #9. The 25-2 Owls have accomplished a handful of firsts: clinched their first-ever AMC regular season title, surpassed their previous single-season win record of 22, a top 10 ranking, and boast a program-record 20-game win streak.

William Woods will look to win the AMC Tournament championship when the tournament starts tonight at 7 pm with a matchup against Harris-Stowe State University.

College Basketball

The #9 Iowa State men’s team will host #22 Arizona on Saturday, March 1st, at 8 pm.

The Iowa men’s team will travel to Northwestern tomorrow, February 28th, at 8 pm.

The Iowa women’s team handled Michigan last night 79-66. Sydney Affolter collected a double-double in the win with 24 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawkeyes will take on Wisconsin at home on Sunday, March 2nd, at 3 pm.

The Iowa State women’s team will face off against #14 Kansas State on Sunday at 3 pm at home.

This Day in Sports History

1959 – Boston Celtic Bob Cousy sets a then-NBA record with 28 assists as the Boston Celtics score 173 points against Minneapolis Lakers.

1966 – 8th Daytona 500: Polesitter Richard Petty comes from two laps down to win the event after 198 laps were completed because of rain.

1987 – The NCAA cancels SMU’s entire 1987 football schedule for violations of NCAA rules regarding athletic corruption.

Keokuk Woman Steals Police Car, Leads Chase

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, February 26th, 2025 at 2:37 pm CDT

A Keokuk woman was arrested Tuesday night after stealing a patrol car from the Keokuk Police Department and leading officers on a high-speed chase.

Megan Jo Plowman, 32, took the vehicle from the backlot and fled north on U.S. 61 before turning back to Keokuk. She stopped near Oakland Cemetery after the car was disabled and she was taken into custody.

Plowman faces multiple charges, including theft, assault on a peace officer, and interference with official acts.

She was treated for minor injuries before being booked into the Lee County Correctional Center.

Henry County Board of Supervisors Agenda Feb 27th

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, February 26th, 2025 at 2:22 pm CDT

AGENDA

Board of Supervisors Office

February 27, 2025

9:00 a.m.

  1. Approve Agenda
  1. Approve Minutes
  1. Approve Claims

4.. Jake Hotchkiss Engineer Weekly Update

Motion – Approve and Execute IDOT Agreement

  1. Conservation, Caleb Waters, Approve ITC Easement Agreements.
  1. General Assistance, Sarah Berndt – Monthly Update
  1. Approve Agreement for Dog Pound, Ted Willey & Emily Davis
  1. Diane Klesner, Discussion to Place Engine Brake Ordinance in Henry County.
  1. Approval of Liquor License, The Tipsy Travelers
  1. Public Comments

Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra’s 74th “Greatest Hits” season continues March 8 and 9

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, February 26th, 2025 at 2:12 pm CDT

Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra bridges communities, generations 

By Diana Nollen for the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra 

WASHINGTON, Iowa – Robert McConnell has one foot in a hog barn and the other on a concert stage.

As music director and conductor of the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra for 34 years, his job is to bridge worlds, bringing the joys of classical music, modern classics and new works to a largely rural area. It’s anchored by venues in Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant and Burlington, drawing audiences and professional musicians from southeast Iowa, northeast Missouri, western Illinois, from Cedar Rapids to the Quad Cities and beyond.

The ensemble’s 74th “Greatest Hits” season continues March 8 and 9 with works that will sound familiar to many audience members, even if they haven’t experienced a live orchestral concert, including Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8.

“This season is all about performing music that you know, recognize or will remember for years to come,” McConnell said on the orchestra’s website. “It’s about making you feel welcome at our concerts because the music is familiar and enjoyable. . . .

“Few composers connect the heart, mind and soul like Antonin Dvorak. His joyful and lyrical Eighth Symphony is no exception.”

The program also includes “Illuminare” by Des Moines composer Elaine Hagenberg, whose works have been performed around the world. “(Audiences) will be awestruck by the grandeur” of this piece, McConnell noted. And Kaylee Blunier of Nauvoo, Ill., the orchestra’s Young Artist Competition winner, will perform Carl Maria von Weber’s Concertino for Clarinet.

Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. March 8 in Burlington’s Capitol Theater; 2 p.m. March 9 in Ottumwa’s Bridge View Center; and 6:30 p.m. March 9 in Mount Pleasant’s Chapel Auditorium on the former Iowa Wesleyan campus. Tickets are $20 for adults and free for students, at the door or online at www.seiso.us.

Ticket prices are kept low to make the concerts more affordable. The non-profit ensemble, with an operating budget of $300,000, also relies on donations, grants and a sustaining fund. A recent $100,000 matching challenge brought in more than $200,000 to continue the orchestra’s outreach for years to come.

CREATING COMMUNITY 

Just as programming is designed to span the generations, from concerts to educational and rural outreach events, so do the ages and geography of the orchestra’s 70 musicians. That’s part of the appeal for principal violist Kylie Little, 26, a doctoral student at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

The Chicago native found what she was missing when she joined the ensemble about a year and a half ago.

“The Southeast Iowa Symphony and its audiences bring to me a sense of community like none other than I’ve ever experienced,” she said.

“It’s just such a joy to see Bob (McConnell) engage with the audience and make them feel like they’re part of the experience, as well. Sometimes he’ll break down what we have played so they’ll hear how an orchestra is put together.

“I also love that I’m able to meet musicians from all walks of life and different generations, too,” she said. “To see folks that are a bit older than me continue to play with this group – I know there are some members who have played with it for 30-, 40-plus years — is really inspiring to me, that music can truly be a lifelong thing.”

Charlene King, 68, of Ottumwa grew up hearing the orchestra, and has found that lifelong connection. Serving as the group’s principal violinist, known as the concertmaster, gives her not only an outlet for her art, but an anchor in her life.

“So many of us have been there for so long, it really has gotten to be more like family than a musical group,” she said. That’s more personally satisfying for her than playing with “pick-up” orchestras that have a small core group of musicians, then “import” others for the final rehearsal and performances. “I never got much reward out of that,” she added.

She also appreciates that the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra brings “another viewpoint” to the rural region’s cultural fabric.

“Imagine being in some of these smaller towns,” she said. “There’s no public school backing for string players. . . . “It’s just being able to expand their minds a little bit, to hear something they might normally not be able to hear around here at all. They do hear the younger music, a lot of bluegrass and country bands,” as well as bands at sporting events.

“The exposure is good,” King said. “I’m a strong believer that music increases your potential for knowledge.”

MCCONNELL’S CONNECTIONS 

McConnell, 69, and his wife, Julie Peshkin, one of the ensemble’s bass players, moved to St. Louis when she was offered a job promotion. Both had been very involved with Washington’s school board and civic organizations while their two girls were young, but the timing was right for the couple to relocate in 2006.

These days, McConnell makes the 3 1/2-hour commute between cities on a regular basis, as the third generation to raise hogs on the family farm east of Washington. He’s the ninth of two boys and eight girls raised there, and now oversees a huge wean-to-finish operation with a partner, as well as 145 acres of crops, largely corn to feed about 21,000 hogs per year.

While that may seem poles apart for someone with a performing degree in oboe, conducting studies and teaching experience in Israel, living in two different worlds keeps McConnell grounded.

“The contrast between music and the difficulty of being on the farm … it’s a real break,” he said. “You appreciate it a lot more when you’re not (solely) working in music,” he said.

“I could devote full-time to the orchestra if I wanted to,” he said, calling it his “favorite job.” He’s not ready to give up the farm any time soon, and thrives on working hard.

“I’m getting by balancing it for now,” he said, hoping to continue wielding his baton into his  80s.

 

IF YOU GO 

What: Southeast Iowa Symphony Masterworks 2

Burlington: 7:30 p.m. March 8, Capitol Theater, 211 N. Third St.

Ottumwa: 2p.m. March 9, Bridge View Center, 102 Church St.

Mount Pleasant: 6:30 p.m. March 9, Chapel Auditorium, 631 N. Main St.

Tickets: $20 adults, free for students, at the door or www.seiso.us

Sports, February 26th

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, February 26th, 2025 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Boys’ Postseason Basketball

For Class 1A Substate 4 District 8, Holy Trinity Catholic and #10 Burlington Notre Dame squared off for the third time this season having split the matchup in the regular season; expectantly, it was slugfest throughout as the two were tied at 12 at the end of the first quarter but the Nikes grabbed control in the second quarter and never relinquished, winning 55-46. 

Notre Dame was able to limit the Crusader offense to their worst offensive output of the season, while the Nikes were also able to dominate the offensive boards to earn some second chance points. Shay Stephens facilitated the offense with 18 points in the winning effort. After graduating six seniors last year and returning only one starter, few expected Notre Dame to work their way back to this position except for head coach Dan Kies,

“I mean we’ve got some multi-sport guys that play, and they and they were around, they’ve been together, they played together. You know, a few juniors that are same class as Shay and it helps to have Shay, he is a great player. And they kind of just surround him, and he can create for them, and they play off of him. But they work at it defensively. They work at it on the boards. I think our rebounding is pretty solid throughout. You know, it helps to have a great leader who works as hard as he does. And the other guys just fall in line, you know it. Different nights, different guys step up and maybe one of them has an off night and a couple of sophomores step up and have a great night. You know, team victory and these guys, you know, they just worked at it as a group.”

Luke Hellige put up 18 points, while Adam Sobczak collected 10 points for the Crusaders. Hellige finished his career with 1,792 points and the program leader in points, rebounds, and three-pointers made, while Sobczak finished his career as the all-time leader in assists. Head coach John Hellige was disappointed in the outcome, but proud of his squad,

“Yeah, I mean, tough team you know, but at the end of the day, Holy Trinity had a great season. I mean we competed for the substate final last year, district final this year. You know it’s coming off some seasons that we’re a little bit lean and to go 19-6 and 19-5, just speaks volumes to the upper classmen. You know, your Adam Sobczak, your Luke Hellige that basically rewritten the record book at Holy Trinity and Southeast Iowa Basketball for assists and points and steals, and three pointers made. Koby Jones had a great senior year, but in general, you know, just proud of the hard work and effort of the team to get to this point and, you know, it always stinks to lose. But you know what I love more than anything as a coach is just the process, the practices, the summer stuff, the open gyms and the team events where, you know, an old guy like me gets to hang around these guys and feel young again and hopefully motivate them to, you know, continue the success.”

#10 Burlington Notre Dame will face off against #8 North Linn for the Substate Championship on Saturday, March 1st, at 7 pm at Iowa City High. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

For Class 2A Substate 5: District 9, #10 West Burlington needed overtime but the Falcons got the job done, beating Mid-Prairie 71-63. Mason Watkins finished the night with 29 points in the winning effort. The Falcons will compete against #5 Grand View Christian for the Substate Championship on Saturday at 7 pm at Oskaloosa high school.

For Class 3A Substate 6, Keokuk will travel to Mt. Vernon tomorrow, February 27th, at 7 pm.

High School Girls’ Postseason Basketball

In Class 2A Region 2, Danville will compete against #2 Regina Catholic tonight at 7 pm at Muscatine High School for the regional championship. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

High School Bowling

The state bowling tournament continued play yesterday with Madalyn Millard and Bethany Drury of Mt. Pleasant and Jaelynn Ketterer, Sophia Rule, Natalie Alberts, and Addison Spicer for Keokuk participating in the girls’ Class 2A individual championship. Through the first three games to decide the top-eight bracket, Millard bowled a 454 to finish in 30th place, while Drury grabbed 21st place with 534 total pins.

Keokuk had Spicer just miss out on the top eight by one pin to finish in 9th place. Advancing to the championship bracket was #7 Ketterer, looking for back-to-back titles, #5 Alberts, and #2 Rule. 

Ketterer would defeat her own teammate Rule in the first round 258-194, then down Emily Whitehead of Clinton 225-198 to advance to the championship match against Lindy Dhuse of North Scott. Unfortunately, no repeat was in the works as Ketterer fell 216-176 to claim 2nd place. Alberts went on to beat Rule 188-174 for 5th place.

In the boys’ Class 2A individual tournament, Pray Lawson of Keokuk earned the #7 seed but fell in his first two matches, casting him to the 7th place match where he outdueled Damien Timm of Urbandale 259-201 to claim 7th place.

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The men’s basketball team will travel to Sauk Valley Community College tonight at 7 pm.

College Basketball

The #9 Iowa State men’s team started the game ice cold and could not regain enough momentum to avoid the upset by Oklahoma State, falling 74-68. Joshua Jefferson nabbed 17 points in the effort. The Cyclones will host #22 Arizona on Saturday, March 1st, at 8 pm.

The Iowa men’s team struggled against Illinois last night, losing 81-61. Brock Harding led the scoring with 16 points. The Hawkeyes will travel to Northwestern on Friday, February 28th, at 8 pm.

The Iowa women’s team will square off against Michigan tonight at 6 pm on the road.

The Iowa State women’s team rumbled past UCF last night 98-73. Audi Crooks and Addy Brown put together terrific games with Crooks going off for 29 points and Brown finishing the night with 20 points. The Cyclones will face off against #14 Kansas State on Sunday, March 2nd, at 3 pm at home.

This Day in Sports History

1967 – 9th Daytona 500: Mario Andretti wins his first and only NASCAR Grand National event; only time a driver born outside the US has ever won the Great American Race.

1981 – 84 penalties (406 mins) assessed for a brawl between the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars and the Boston Bruins. Boston won 5-1.

2017 – 59th Daytona 500: Kurt Busch wins after Kyle Larson runs out of gas on the last lap; Jeffrey Earnhardt makes NASCAR history as the first ever 4th generation driver to compete in the Daytona 500.

Third Graders Explore Career Paths at KHS Mini-Career Fair

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, February 26th, 2025 at 6:23 am CDT

Keokuk High School hosted its second annual Career and Technical Education (CTE) Mini-Career Fair, giving third-grade students an interactive glimpse into future career opportunities.

Around 130 young students attended the event, where high school CTE students led workshops across seven career fields: Agriculture, Automotive, Building Trades, Business, Family & Consumer Science, Health Occupations, and Welding.

Each station featured hands-on activities to engage the students, helping them explore potential career paths as they progress through school.

The event aimed to spark early interest in technical and vocational education while showcasing opportunities available in CTE programs.

Lee County Sheriff’s Office Launches New App for Community Safety

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, February 26th, 2025 at 5:58 am CDT

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has launched a new mobile app designed to keep residents informed and connected with essential public safety updates. The app provides real-time alerts, emergency notifications, and important community resources—all at your fingertips.

Key Features:

Receive Safety Alerts – Stay updated on emergencies, weather warnings, and law enforcement notifications.
Inmate Search – Easily look up current inmates in Lee County facilities.

Access Important Resources – Find valuable information on public safety, community programs, and sheriff’s office services.

By downloading the app, residents can stay informed and contribute to a safer community. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office encourages everyone to download the app today and stay connected!