Small Business Week Celebrations in Mount Pleasant

By Yorke Prough · Monday, April 29th, 2024 at 10:08 am CDT

Small business week began yesterday and goes on through Saturday, and Mt. Pleasant is full of great ones. This year, five great businesses have been selected as finalists for the 2024 Small Business of the Year through the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations again to From the Heart Flowers and Gifts, Othodontic Associates of Iowa, Sa3m Sao Market, Southeast Iowa Realty, Inc. and Triple Seven Trucking.

KILJ Radio will bring continuing coverage of these businesses throughout the week, culminating with a report on the winner, which is announced on Friday.

These businesses will host open houses throughout the week to further the celebration. On Tuesday, Triple Seven Trucking will open their doors at 9:00am followed by From the Heart Flowers and Gifts at 2:00pm. Wednesday will see a 3:00pm open house for Sa3m Sao Market and a 4:30pm timeframe for Orthodontic Associates of Iowa. Southeast Iowa Realty will be the lone business open house on Thursday at 2:00pm.

The 2024 Henry County Small Business of the Year will be announced on May 3rd at the Small Business Breakfast.

Darrell Bryant

By Yorke Prough · Monday, April 29th, 2024 at 8:43 am CDT

Darrell Eugene Bryant, 83 passed away peacefully at the University of Iowa Hospitals on April 24th, 2024. We think he did this on purpose to avoid having to make a decision in the pending presidential election. 

He leaves behind five children, 9 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren, and a well known fast food restaurant that serves a mean cheeseburger and senior coke at a reasonable price.

As a child he walked to the old Morning Sun school where he exercised his free spirit freely. With great surprise to most of his teachers he was offered a chance to move to Ellsworth, Iowa and live with his former teacher Lorainne Gorder. He credits her for seeing the potential he had to attend Ellsworth Community College where he became salutatorian of his class.  He was proud that he went on to attend Iowa State University where he earned a degree in Chemistry.

With his degree in Chemistry in hand he volunteered for the United States Air Force at the ripe old age of 23. As a Captain in the AirForce he was in charge of managing the logistics of nuclear weapons during the Vietnam War. He realized after extensive travel, marriage and 2 children that he didn’t much like being bossed around.

He returned to Morning Sun, Iowa where he believed it was the best place to raise children. He used his degree to work at the Ordinance Plant in Middletown, Iowa where he was a supervisor. At the same time he was fostering what would become Bryant’s Apple Orchard. With much strategy, hard work and teamwork from Barb he was able to become self employed at the apple business for over 50 years. After many years of self employment he went to manage the Laboratory and Waste Water at Tyson foods in Columbus Junction, Iowa.  His retirement from Tyson was a time that he and Barb were able to take many journeys in and out of the United States.

Darrell was well renowned for his lack of patience, and ability to educate his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren on his various views of their problem at hand. His tenacity was obviously taken from his mother, Eulalie.

With that being said he was genuine to a fault, those he loved he loved and cared for deeply. Being a continuous teacher, he taught his children and grandchildren his highly extensive vocabulary of curse words. He particularly liked four letter words as much as he liked looking at all things involving nature, like his dad Max, and continuously learning. He was an accomplished cook. He spent many hours studying his extensive cookbooks to improve his abilities. Unfortunately for us he had no taste or smell. Darrell specialized in dried beans with little taste and homemade bread.

He will be sorely missed by his children: Dale E. Bryant, Kimberly (Metzger) Wenger and son in law David, Kathy(Bryant) Holtkamp and son in law Walt, Amy (Metzger) Hamilton,and Cris(Metzger) Richardson and son in law Jeff. Grandchildren: Kenna(Springsteen) Freudiger, Kala Holtkamp, Andrea(Hamilton)Horton , Jena (Holtkamp) Meinderding, Tabitha(Bryant) Fisk, Darrell J. Bryant, Maci Richardson, Bryant Holtkamp, and Emma Richardson. Great Grandchildren: Kaden Fisk, Noah Fisk, Tucker Fisk, Natalie Fisk, Raelynn Fisk, Emerald Fisk, Justin Horton, Bradley Horton, Allison Springsteen Freudiger, Kaiden Holtkamp, Ophelia Meinderding,

He is preceded in death by his loving wife Barbara, parents Max and Eulalie Bryant, Brother Dwayne, and grandson Joshua. All who loved him dearly.

Following his wishes, there will be no service. If you would like to send a card or a quick note please send them to Bryant Memorial 1669 305th St. Salem Iowa 52649. Memorials will go to St. Judes Cancer Research for Children or Hospice House of Burlington, Iowa.

Beware of Pig-Butchering Scams

By Yorke Prough · Monday, April 29th, 2024 at 6:57 am CDT

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued a warning to Iowans about a rise in “pig-butchering” scams.

In a pig-butchering scam, con artists build trust with their victims and “fatten them up” for a rip-off by flirting or developing a friendship over a long period of time. Often, scammers will first reach out over social media messaging apps and find common ground with their targets. The con artists then tell a story to convince the innocent victim to send money through cryptocurrency, where the money cannot be tracked or retrieved.

A recent example out of southeast Iowa serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of online scams. A 69-year-old man was befriended by a scammer posing as a young woman on Facebook. The scammer, who went by “Delia” from Illinois, talked with the man on Facebook messenger and over the phone for months to build the man’s trust. They bonded over common hobbies such as cooking. She then persuaded him to send money through Bitcoin, making him believe that the money was going to a pretend investment company. He started with just $1,500. But when the scammer sent fake screenshots of investment statements showing he had made $750,000 off of it, he continued to increase his investments. He invested a total of $164,000. The man even borrowed against the titles of his two Harley Davidson motorcycles. This scam came at a time when his wife had just lost her job, and they could have used the money more than ever.

“Pig-butchering scams are evil long-cons,” said Attorney General Bird. “Scammers prey on Iowans’ emotions to build trust over time before stealing their savings, ruining relationships, and taking advantage of people when they are at their most vulnerable. We are spreading the word to stop the scam.”

Pig-Butchering Scam Tactics:

  • Scammers connect with Iowans on social media or dating apps, pretending to flirt or build a friendship.
  • They build a relationship with their victims over time, often for weeks or months before asking for money or “investments.”
  • After building a trusted relationship with their victims, scammers will tell them a story to persuade them to send money through cryptocurrency.

How to Protect Yourself:

  • Be wary of connecting with strangers online, and do not accept friend requests from people you do not know.
  • Do not send money through cryptocurrency. Once that money is gone, you cannot get it back.
  • Seek advice and do thorough research before making an investment.
  • Do not send money to people you do not personally know. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
  • If Iowans are suspicious of a scam, they should contact their friends and family or the Iowa Attorney General’s office.

If you or someone you know has been targeted by a pig-butchering scam, contact the Iowa Attorney General’s office at 888-777-4590 or file a complaint online: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-consumers/file-a-consumer-complaint.

House Fire in Mt. Pleasant on Sunday Evening

By Yorke Prough · Monday, April 29th, 2024 at 6:56 am CDT

There was a house fire in Mount Pleasant yesterday evening which saw multiple agencies respond. Around 8:21pm, the Mount Pleasant Fire Department was dispatched to the 600 block of N White Street. Assisting was the Henry County Health Center and New London Fire and Rescue.

*Update provided by a Mount Pleasant Firefighter*

In total, 14 Mt. Pleasant Fire Fighters were joined by an estimated 8 New London firefighters. 2 engines and a brush truck were provided by MPFD, with an additional two trucks through New London.

No one was home at the time of the incident and there were no reported injuries. The scene was cleared around 1 in the morning.

Sports, April 29th

By Slaten Swords · Monday, April 29th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Track and Field

Mt. Pleasant will participate in the Fairfield Coed Brookhart-Crew Relays today with West Burlington also making the trip. 

The WACO and Danville boys’ and girls’ teams will compete tonight at Highland.  

The Central Lee and New London boys’ and girls’ teams will travel to Van Buren County for the Warriors’ senior night today.

Drake Relays

The 114th running of the Drake Relays wrapped up competition over the weekend and here’s how our local teams’ relays performed.  

The girls’ 4×100 meter relay saw three of our local teams run as Danville’s squad of Kenna Furnald, Violet Sowell, Jaeda Molle, and Alaina Gourley snatched 78th place with a time of 51.86 seconds. Mt. Pleasant’s team of Kynlee White, Alex Scott, Bailey Jalas, and Andi Scott finished in 13th place with a time of 49.72 seconds. Lastly, the Burlington girls’ team qualified for the finals and Kierah Wiseman, Shariah Hart, Sophie Brown, and Mylee Stiefel raced to a time of 48.8 seconds, which was good enough for 4th place. 

On the boys’ side, Danville, Burlington, and Mediapolis each had a team competing. The Bears grabbed 59th place with the team of Jaden Bauer, Drake Bielser, Landon Seibert, and Ayden Doyle with a time of 44.2 seconds. Burlington’s team of Derrick Watson, Keshawn Wyldon, Darius Shealey, and Laderrias Shealey took 62nd place with a time of 44.23 seconds. Lastly, the team of Aedin Nelson, Henry Luttenegger, Noah Schmidgall, and Kyler Crow finished in 65th place with a time of 44.31 seconds for the Bulldogs. 

The Mediapolis’ boys’ 4×800 media relay team of Owen and Will Schmidgall, Solomon Zaugg, and Logan Rosas raced to a phenomenal time of 7 minutes and 50 seconds, which was good enough for 5th place. 

High School Soccer

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team struggled at Pella Christian over the weekend as they fell to the Eagles 2-0 and Burlington Notre Dame 7-0. The Nikes were led by Julianna Hill as she scored a double hat trick, six goals, and tabbed an assist. 

Notre Dame also defeated Pella Christian 4-2 as Hill added two more goals to her weekend total. 

Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to Wapello next Monday, May 6th, with the girls playing first at 5 pm.

The WACO boys’ team will take on Central Lee at home tonight at 5 pm. 

Mediapolis will host Burlington Notre Dame tonight with the girls’ playing first at 5 pm.

Mt. Pleasant will face off against Keokuk today with the girls at home and the boys on the road. 

The Central Lee girls’ team will hit the road tonight to take on Canton at 5 pm. 

The Danville boys’ team will face off against Highland tomorrow, April 30th, at 5 pm at home.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host Burlington today and the boys’ team will face off against Keokuk tomorrow, April 30th, on the road. 

High School Golf

Winfield-Mt. Union will take on Louisa-Muscatine today at home.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will travel to Fairfield today for a meet.

The Central Lee girls’ team will participate in a tournament today at Elks Fairview Golf Course with New London, Holy Trinity Catholic, and Mt. Pleasant also making the trip. 

The Central Lee boys’ team will host a meet on Saturday, May 4th, with Van Buren County, Holy Trinity Catholic, and Burlington Notre Dame also making the trip. 

WACO will host Hillcrest Academy on Friday, May 3rd. 

The New London and Mediapolis boys’ teams will travel to Blue Top Ridge Golf Course today to compete in a meet.

The Mediapolis girls’ team will head to Washington Golf and Country Club for a meet today. 

Southeastern Community College

SCC baseball’s woes continued over the weekend, falling to Iowa Central Community College 15-11 and 13-8 to extend their losing streak to five games. Abrahan Rios led the offense in game one with two doubles and three RBIs. The Blackhawks will look for some revenge on the road as they will take on Iowa Central Community College today.

The SCC softball team ended their regular season with a bang, winning all four games in their weekend slate. The Blackhawks outscored Southwestern Community College 19 to 2 for their Saturday doubleheader. Maggie Vasa smashed three home runs and totaled eight RBIs in their series against the Spartans. 

Yesterday, the Blackhawks won game one 12-0 and 16-3 in game two against Marshalltown Community College. Araceli Rivas pitched a gem in game one, allowing only one hit, while striking out nine batters. Ella Florey provided the bat in game one with a home run. The power continued into game two with Rylee German and Mireya Rose each collecting a home run in the victory. 

This Day in Sports History

1934 – Pittsburgh is last major league baseball city to play a home game on a Sunday, as the Pirates host the Cincinnati Reds.

1961 – ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” debuts.

1981 – MLB Philadelphia Phillies Steve Carlton is the first lefty to strike out 3,000 batters.

April 29, 2024 – May 5, 2024

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, April 27th, 2024 at 6:35 pm CDT
04/29/24
Kylie Miller
04/29/24
Jeff Dotson
04/29/24
Lois Roth
04/29/24
Cindy McGuire
04/29/24
Dorothy Wenger (98)
04/30/24
Sherri McPheron
04/30/24
Sarah Donnolly
04/30/24
John Newton
04/30/24
Tom Watznauer
04/30/24
Loretta Linz
04/30/24
Jerry & Joylynn Smith *Anniversary *64th
05/01/24
Meg Richtman
05/01/24
Brent Allen Rich
05/01/24
Dorinda and Tom Pounds - 55 year anniversary
05/02/24
Shael Styron
05/02/24
Emma Szewczyk
05/03/24
Jaymisen Rich
05/04/24
Thuan Baccam
05/04/24
John Lance
05/04/24
Lou Schimmelpfennig
05/04/24
Tammy Mulford
05/05/24
Karen Hassell
05/05/24
Deb Mabeus

Jon Lowell Cook

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, April 27th, 2024 at 6:28 pm CDT

Jon Lowell Cook, 84, of Ft. Dodge, died on Friday, April 19, 2024, in Burlington.

A celebration of life will be held on May 18, 2024, from 1-4 PM, at Manning Hall next to St. Alphonsus Church in Mt. Pleasant.

Jon was born October 24, 1939, in Ft. Dodge to Archie and Myrtle Cook. He graduated from St. Edmond Catholic School and went on to attend Wayne State College.

He was a  teacher (37 years) and Coach (cross-country, track, football, basketball) for the Mt. Pleasant School District.  Mr. Cook was Mt. Pleasant’s first cross-country coach.

He is survived by his wife, Helen, five children and fourteen grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Jon’s honor may be directed to the cross country teams at St. Edmond Catholic School, 2220 4th Avenue North, Ft. Dodge, IA 50501.

Condolences may be left directly to the family by visiting www.IowaCremation.com under Obituaries.

Sports, April 27th

By Slaten Swords · Saturday, April 27th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Track and Field

Mt. Pleasant will participate in the Fairfield Coed Brookhart-Crew Relays on Monday, April 29th, with West Burlington also making the trip. 

The WACO and Danville boys’ and girls’ teams will compete on Monday at Highland.  

The Central Lee and New London boys’ and girls’ teams will travel to Van Buren County for the Warriors’ senior night on Monday.

Drake Relays

High school had their second day of competition for the 114th running of the Drake Relays and here’s how our local athletes fared.

Mylee Stiefel of Burlington grabbed 29th place with a time of 13.24 seconds in the 100-meter dash. For the boys’ 100-meter dash, West Burlington’s Landry Haberichter finished with a time of 11.36 seconds, which was good enough for 16th place. 

The team of Noah Schmidgall, Kyler Crow, Aedin Nelson, and Logan Rosas competed in the distance medley where their time of 3 minutes and 37 seconds gave Mediapolis 12th place. Rosas then claimed 15th place in the 800-meter run with a time of 1 minute and 59 seconds. 

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team of Kiyah Sanders, Kynlee White, Alex and Andi Scott took 19th place in the 4×200 meter relay with a time of 1 minute and 45 seconds.

Lastly, Danville’s Kenna Furnald’s leap of 15 feet and 8.75 inches was good enough for 20th in the girls’ long jump. 

Scheduled to run today will be the girls’ and boys’ 4×100 teams of Danville and Burlington, while the Mt. Pleasant girls’ and Mediapolis boys’ team will also have a 4×100 meter relay team compete. Additionally, Mediapolis will have their 4×800 meter relay team participate. 

High School Soccer

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will travel to Wapello on May 6th, while the girls’ team will face off against Pella Christian today at 10 am on the road. 

The WACO boys’ team will take on Central Lee at home on Monday, April 29th, at 5 pm. 

Mediapolis will host Burlington Notre Dame on Monday with the girls’ playing first at 5 pm.

Mt. Pleasant will face off against Keokuk on Monday with the girls at home and the boys on the road. 

The Central Lee girls’ team will hit the road on Monday to take on Canton at 5 pm. 

The Danville boys’ team will face off against Highland on Tuesday, April 30th, at 5 pm at home.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host Burlington on Monday, April 29th, and the boys’ team will face off against Keokuk on Tuesday, April 30th, on the road. 

High School Golf

Winfield-Mt. Union will take on Louisa-Muscatine on Monday, April 29th, at home.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will travel to Fairfield on Monday for a meet.

The Central Lee girls’ golf team will participate in a tournament on Monday at Elks Fairview Golf Course with New London, Holy Trinity Catholic, and Mt. Pleasant also making the trip. The boys’ team will host a meet on Saturday, May 4th.

WACO will host Hillcrest Academy on Friday, May 3rd. 

The New London and Mediapolis boys’ teams will travel to Blue Top Ridge Golf Course on Monday to compete in a meet.

The Mediapolis girls’ team will head to Washington Golf and Country Club for a meet on Monday. 

Southeastern Community College

SCC baseball will host Iowa Central Community College today for a doubleheader.

Iowa Football

Cooper DeJean will be trading in the black and gold for the green and white after being selected as the 40th pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft last night. DeJean was a standout at Iowa, finishing his career with 120 total tackles, 20 pass deflections, seven interceptions, and three touchdowns. Marvin McNutt was the last Hawkeye to be picked by the Eagles as DeJean is the 19th defensive back to be taken in the Kirk Ferentz era. 

This Day in Sports History

1953 – Wrestler Freddie Blassie coins the term “Pencil neck geek.”

1956 – Undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano, retires from the ring.

1961 – The NFL officially recognizes the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.