Jon Lowell Cook
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
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.
Mt. Pleasant Community School Board Meeting Agenda 04/29
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Senator Grassley Visits Mt. Pleasant High
Senator Chuck Grassley stood amongst a crowded room and answered hard questions on Friday morning. No, he wasn’t in Washington D.C. with adults grilling him. In fact, adults were severely outnumbered as students with the Mt. Pleasant Community High School took the lead in talking to their senator.
One question saw a student ask about a package that was recently passed. This package is a series of four bills tied together, with the first three seeing 95 billion dollars in aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Indo-Pacific. Grassley supported this in a bipartisan vote.
Multiple personal questions were asked, with one student asking Grassley, a senator for 44 years, why he became a senator in the first place. Responding, Grassley mentioned that he wanted to either teach government or participate in it, due to his parents talking about United States history. Another student asked about the most enjoyable part of his job. He told the room that he enjoys speaking to highschoolers and showing realism.
Grassley was forced to think back over decades of experience in Congress when he was asked what the most difficult vote he has had to make was. In 1991 or 1992, he responded, he voted no to the first Gulf War, which made him one of just two republican senators that opposed it.
Since 1981, Grassley has served with 7 different U.S. presidents, and a student asked who the best one was. The best during that time was Ronald Reagan, with Grassley providing an example of how the president handled the Cold War and tensions with the Soviet Union. However, his favorite president in his time was George W. Bush as he thought that he was very personable.
Internships in his office have been offered for many years, with 25-30 positions available throughout the year. For more information on that, head to Grassley.senate.gov.
Henry County Heritage Trust Announces Ribbon Cutting for Iowa Wesleyan Archives Room
Henry County Heritage Trust (HCHT) held its monthly meeting on April 24, 2024, at the museum in Mount Pleasant, with nearly all board members in attendance.
After the minutes and finance reports were approved, plans for the Friday, May 10, opening of the Iowa Wesleyan Archives Room were finalized. The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:00 AM. The public will then be invited to tour. Refreshments and some giveaways will be offered. The IW Archives will be open for touring and research on Mondays, 10:00 to 2:00, through June. The board recognized Tony Brown, who has refurbished the stuffed “Croaker” band, now housed in the archives.
In June, the Van Allen House is being offered as a tour stop for Preserve Iowa Summit registered attendees. During the summit, the Van Allen House will be open to the general public on Thursday, June 6, 10:00-Noon. David Van Allen will present a program on 19th Century photography, June 29. A Tag Sale and Henry County History Book Sale will be held later in the summer.
The next scheduled HCHT board meeting will be Wednesday, May 22, 10:00 AM at the Henry County Heritage Center Museum, 403 West Madison Street. The public is invited.
Collins Capitol Connection – Legislative Session Draws to a Close
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Sports, April 26th
High School Track and Field
The Central Lee girls’ team traveled to Wapello last night for a meet and finished in 5th place with 74 points, while Muscatine won the meet with 128 points.
The Hawks got a first place finish from Allison Gruntmeier in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet. Kamryn Cox in the 400-meter hurdles and Aubrey Weber in the discus each claimed second place.
Mt. Pleasant competed at Pella for the Tulip Time Relays and the girls’ team captured second place with 144.5 points, trailing Pella’s 185 points, while the boys’ team finished in 5th place with 47 points, Pella won the meet with 191 points.
On the girls’ side, Alex Scott finished in first place with a time of 12.96 seconds in the 100-meter dash. The Panthers raced to first place finishes in the 4×100, 4×200, and the 4×100 meter shuttle hurdle realys. Bailey Jalas captured gold in the long jump with a leap of 16 feet and 4 inches with Kiyah Sanders taking second place. Ella Ensminger won the shot put with a heave of 37 feet and 3 inches. Lastly, Kya Goodrich and Savannah Slobodnik finished first and second in the discus, respectively, with Goodrich winning with a toss of 110 feet and 1 inch.
On the boys’ side, Harmon Ensminger was the top finisher with a second place heave of 46 feet and 7.5 inches in the shot put. The 1600 medley relay team captured third place with a time of 4 minutes and 8 seconds.
Mt. Pleasant will participate in the Fairfield Coed Brookhart-Crew Relays on Monday, April 29th, with West Burlington also making the trip.
WACO hosted the Ekstrand Relays last night and the girls’ team grabbed 6th place with 76 points as Washington won the meet with 173 points. WACO’s Carlee Lunsford captured first place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes and 43 seconds.
Winfield-Mt. Union finished in 11th place as the Wolves dominated in the hurdles with Josie Nelson running a 16.91-second 100-meter hurdles to grab the win, while Tessa Huston picked up a win in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1 minute and 13 seconds.
On the girls’ side for Class A, Danville collected 72.5 points as their relay teams won the 800 and 1600 medleys. Alaina Gourley finished in first place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes and 26 seconds. Kenna Furanld leapt to the gold in the long jump with a distance of 16 feet and 10 inches. Lastly, Taegan Frazier won the shot put with a heave of 33 feet and 7.5 inches.
Mediapolis finished with 65 points and got a first place finish in the 4×400 meter relay and Avery Crear won the high jump with a leap of 4 feet and 10 inches.
On the boys’ side for Class A, Danville crushed the relays, winning the 4×100, 4×800, 800 sprint medley, and the 1600 sprint medley.
Central Lee’s Grant Myhre had a terrific day, capturing first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 53.02 seconds and the long jump with a leap of 19 feet and 9 inches. Additionally, he finished in second in the 200-meter dash.
Mediapolis’ top individual finisher was Nathan Schmidgall in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet and 8.25 inches, which grabbed him second place.
For Class B, Winfield-Mt. Union won the 4×200, 4×800, 800 sprint medley, and 1600 sprint medley relays. Kohlby Newsom’s 2 minutes and 7 second time in the 800-meter run was good enough for first place. Gabriel Hemsworth won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.83 seconds. Jake Edwards lept 6 feet and 2 inches to win the high jump and Cooper Buffington’s toss of 117 feet and 9 inches won the discus.
New London’s London Franklin won the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.54 seconds and the long jump with a leap of 19 feet and 11 inches. Brigham Porter took the 400-meter dash with a time of 55.13 seconds.
WACO’s 4×100 meter relay team raced to a first place finish with a time of 46.09 seconds.
The WACO and Danville boys’ and girls’ teams will compete on Monday at Highland.
The Van Buren County girls’ and boys’ teams had their meet at Cardinal get canceled for tonight.
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 competition began yesterday for the 114th running of the Drake Relays and here’s how our local athletes fared.
Burlington’s Kylee Hill was the only freshman to participate in the girls’ shot put and her second throw proved to be her best throw as her heave of 41 feet and 1 inch earned her the bronze.
Solomon Zaugg of Mediapolis participated in the boys’ 3200-meter run and the Bulldog finished middle-of-the-pack with a 10th place time of 9 minutes and 12 seconds.
Lastly, the boys’ long jump saw Avin Truong of Mt. Pleasant finish in 19th place with a leap of 20 feet and 1.25 inches. Cam Buffington of Winfield-Mt. Union grabbed 14th place with a distance of 20 feet and 10.5 inches, while Burlington’s Keshawn Wyldon’s jump of 22 feet and 1.5 inches claimed him 5th place.
Competing today will be Mylee Stiefel of Bulington in the girls’ 100-meter dash and West Burlington’s Landry Habericher in the boys’ 100-meter dash.
For Mediapolis, Logan Rosas will run the 800-meter and the distance medley team will compete.
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team of Kiyah Sanders, Kynlee White, Alex and Andi Scott will participate in the 4×200 meter relay. Lastly, Kenna Furnald will battle it out in the long jump.
High School Soccer
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team had their matchup against Hillcrest Academy tonight postponed. The girls’ team will face off against Pella Christian tomorrow, April 27th, at 10 am on the road.
The Mediapolis boys’ team was able to scrape past Central Lee last night with a 1-0 win despite Hunter Gregory saving eight shots for the Hawks. The Mediapolis girls’ team won their matchup 2-0.
Mediapolis will host Burlington Notre Dame on Monday, April 29th, with the girls’ playing first at 5 pm.
Central Lee’s match against Keokuk was canceled tonight.
The WACO boys’ team had their match against Wapello tonight canceled.
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team hosted Washington last night and despite scoring two goals within five minutes of the game starting, the Demons snuck out with the 3-2 win in sudden death overtime. Jonah Zimmer and Kolbien Ostby each scored a goal and tallied an assist. The Panthers will face off against Keokuk on Monday with the girls at home and the boys on the road.
The Danville boys’ team smacked Wapello last night 10-0. Colin Pealer notched a hat trick and four assists in the win as Kadu Garcia finished with two goals. Aiden Konig, Carter Buck, Joseph Rheinschmidt, and Kaiden Kerr each tallied a goal. The Bears will face off against Highland on Tuesday, April 30th, at 5 pm at home.
High School Tennis
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team narrowly fell to Fairfield last night 5-4. Jana Isanta won her singles match 8-1, while Ellie Situmeang and Audrey Richmond picked up 8-2 wins in their singles matches. The team of Isanta and Situmeang won their doubles competition 8-3.
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team struggled against Fairfield, losing 9-0 yesterday. The 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 hosted Lone Tree yesterday with the boys’ team coming out with the win 174 to 220. Konner Kinneberg led the way for the Wolves, shooting a 40 (+4) for the course. Carter Loyd carded a 43. Neither girls’ team finished with a team score as Ella Kann shot a 77 for the Wolves. Winfield-Mt. Union will take on Louisa-Muscatine on Monday, April 29th, at home.
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team competed in the Mohawk Classic yesterday and finished in 16th place with a team score of 347. Washington took first place with a score of 298.
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team had their invitational canceled today. The boys’ team will travel to Fairfield on Monday for a meet.
Central Lee had their meet against WACO today canceled.
Mediapolis had their meets against Holy Trinity Catholic tonight canceled.
Southeastern Community College
SCC baseball will host Iowa Central Community College tomorrow, April 27th, for a doubleheader.
The SCC softball team will travel to Southwestern Community College tomorrow for a doubleheader.
This Day in Sports History
1931 – Lou Gehrig hits a Home Run but is called out for passing a runner. The mistake costs him the AL home run crown as he and Babe Ruth tie for the season.
1935 – Frank Boucher is given NHL’s Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship permanently after winning it 7 times in 8 years.
1941 – A tradition begins, the Chicago Cubs are the first to play an organ at a baseball stadium.