SCC is hosting 2 FAFSA workshops this week. These events are free to anyone looking to gain some knowledge about filling out their financial aid forms.
A workshop will be held Today (Feb 11th) from 3-6 pm at the SCC Keokuk campus and a free workshop will be held Wednesday the 12th from 3-6pm and the west Burlington campus.
No appointment necessary.
Hope Jennett, 74, of Morning Sun passed away on Sunday, February 9, 2025 at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. Graveside services will be held at a later date in Elmwood Cemetery, Morning Sun. Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Morning Sun is assisting the family with arrangements. Sympathy notes may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.
Hope Jennett was born on March 18, 1950 in Fairfield, Iowa, the daughter of Don L. and Mariam (Harrison) Ferguson. Hope attended Mediapolis High School. On May 10, 1985, she was united in marriage to Dale Jennett in Morning, Sun. Hope worked for Prairie Ridge Care Center in Mediapolis and later for Heatilator, now known as Hearth and Home. She enjoyed tending to her flowers and mowing her lawn.
Hope will be deeply missed by her husband, Dale of Morning Sun; children, Gina (Tod) Riherd of Oakville, Mike (Shannon) Kilbride of Middletown, Iowa and Carol (Aaron) Oetken of Mediapolis; grandchildren, Anthony Riherd, Patrick (Keysha) Riherd, Chadley (Katherine) Kilbride, Riley Kilbride, Jacob Lofthus and Cal Lofthus; five great-grandchildren and siblings, Eileen Doneson of Tucson, Arizona, Sheila (Jay) Gorsuch of Benson, Arizona and Wayde Ferguson of Mediapolis.
Prep Boys’ Basketball- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) has released the brackets for District play for Classes 1A and 2A as the preliminary round tips-off on Friday, February 14th, for Class 1A and all first-round action gets underway on Monday, February 17th, with all gametimes at 7 pm. Here’s a look at our local matchups.
Class 1A
Travel will be light for our local teams in Substate 4 District 8 as #10 Burlington Notre Dame locked down the top seed for the district, but Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) rivalries will rule the bracket.
To start off play on Friday, New London will make the trip to Wapello with the winner advancing to take on #10 Burlington Notre Dame. The Tigers just fell to Wapello in the SEISC shootout by a considerable margin, 64-36.
It was their first matchup in nearly five years with New London having won the last three contests. London Franklin’s 20 points were dwarfed by Justyn Faulkner’s 31 points as he went 15 for 26 on the game, while tabbing four steals.
New London was limited to 21 less shots and outrebounded 35 to 11 in the loss. They will have to fix that if they want to win, while Wapello has a clear blueprint for victory.
New London Player to Watch: London Franklin (14.4 points per game)
Wapello Player to Watch: Justyn Faulkner (17.1 points and 4.9 assists per game)
For first-round action, the closest matchup will be between the #4 and #5 seeds and in this case, it was between two teams that battled for the #3 seed in the SEISC-North Division and despite Pekin coming out on top it will be Winfield-Mt. Union hosting the matchup.
The semantics behind the decision are a bit convoluted but essentially, the Wolves hold the head-to-head advantage having won their matchup back in early January 47-45 and their rematch will take place tomorrow, February 11th. Nevertheless, Pekin does hold the better conference record (12-3 vs 11-4).
With that out of the way, the last matchup nearly featured a 14-point comeback after the Panthers scored 19 fourth quarter points; however, Winfield-Mt. Union proved to be too much, holding on to win.
Cooper Buffington finished with a double-double for the Wolves, collecting 21 points and 10 rebounds. Both squads’ biggest scorers struggled in their last matchup, but turnovers certainly helped paint the picture with 23 turnovers for Pekin, while the Wolves coughed it up just 13 times.
Winfield-Mt. Union Player to Watch: Jake Edwards (19.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 5 steals per game)
Pekin Player to Watch: Nolan Glick (13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game on 56.8% shooting)
In the #2-seed vs #7-seed matchup Holy Trinity Catholic will tangle with Columbus down in Fort Madison. The Crusaders were a win away from attending the state tournament last year and in Luke Hellige’s senior season they are hoping to make it a reality.
For the season, the Crusaders have handled other North competitors, defeating Waepllo 73-56 and just recently Pekin in the shootout 76-45. Those two games marked the sixth and seventh time this season they had scored over 70 points.
Columbus has gone 1-1 against the South this year with a 10-point win over New London, but a damaging loss to Van Buren County in the shootout 80-54. The Wildcats are currently trying to dig out of a six-game hole. The biggest issue for them is defense, in their 20 games this season they have held only one opponent under 50 points.
Holy Trinity Catholic Player to Watch: Luke Hellige (25.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game)
Columbus Player to Watch: Ellis Hills-Carrier (16.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game)
The final game of district 8 will take place at WACO with the #3-seed Warriors facing off against #6-seed Danville. This cross-divisional rivalry will see its renewal since they last took on one another in the 2021-22 season, the last season WACO was in the South Division.
It was that same year that Danville scraped by WACO 46-39 in the substate championship to punch their ticket to the state tournament for the first time for the coaching duo of Michael and Steven Soukup.
This year, WACO is a win against Wapello tomorrow night away from sharing the North crown with Hillcrest Academy, while Danville has managed just three wins against the South division but cleaned house against Lone Tree 61-41 in the shootout.
WACO Player to Watch: Christian Stacy (19.6 points and 2.8 steals per game)
Danville Player to Watch: Jaden Bauer (14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game)
Here’s a list of the Substate 4 District 7 opponents as one of these teams will play the winner of District 8 to decide who will be attending the state tournament.
#1 North Linn, #2 Hillcrest Academy, #3 Keota, #4 Springville, #5 Cedar Valley Christian, #6 Lone Tree, #7 Central City, #8 Rivermont Collegiate, and #9 Highland.
Class 2A
Substate 5 will house all of our local teams with most of the matchups contained in District 9 but one outlier in District 10.
Starting in District 9, #10 West Burlington is the team to beat, earning a bye to the second round scheduled to be played on Thursday, February 20th. The #2-seed Mid-Prairie also earned a bye.
In the first round, the #4-seed Central Lee will compete against the #5-seed Louisa-Muscatine with the winner advancing to play #10 West Burlington. The Hawks just recently handled business against the Falcons 75-39 last Friday night in the shootout, scoring 50 points in the first half alone.
The most impressive game that Central Lee has produced this year was a 55-52 win over Holy Trinity Catholic back when the Crusaders were ranked in Class 1A. The Hawks buried nine threes by the night’s end and held a potent offense to just 39% shooting from the field.
Central Lee Player to Watch: Brayden Wyrick (12.6 points and 1.3 blocks per game)
Louisa-Muscatine Player to Watch: Finnegan Cline (22.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game)
Mediapolis will enjoy a home contest as the #3-seed as the #6-seed Cardinal is set to hurtle into town. In their lone matchup, the Bulldogs exited with a 55-48 win over the Comets in the SEISC shootout back in the 2019 season, despite turning the ball over 29 times.
Cardinal would hang out in the SEISC for a couple more seasons before joining the South Central conference for the 2022-2023 season. Since joining, the Comets are a mere 3-39 in South Central play.
The Bulldogs are hoping to make it six consecutive years of winning at least one postseason contest. It has been a bit of mixed bag for the Bulldogs this season with a loss to Louisa-Muscatine but a big win over Holy Trinity Catholic and multiple games of 70-plus points but just recently being held to 36 points by Winfield-Mt. Union.
The winner of this game will travel to Mid-Prairie for the second-round matchup.
Mediapolis Player to Watch: Will Luttenegger (14.8 points, 4 assists, and 2.5 steals per game)
Cardinal Player to Watch: Chase Hengstenberg (13.4 points per game)
Over in District 10, Van Buren County nabbed the #5-seed and will hit the road to take on the #4-seed PCM.
The Warriors squashed Columbus at the shootout with a final score of 80-54. It was the first time this season that Van Buren County had hit the 80-point plateau, but they are no strangers to a litany of points.
The Warriors have scored 60-plus points in 10 of their 20 games this season, including four straight games of at least 61 points scored. The problem is winning those games as of late. They hold a 6-4 record after starting the year 4-0 in such games.
They will have to buckle down on defense to stop a PCM squad that is putting up 55 points per game.
The winner of the game will have the #1-seed of District 10 waiting for them in Grand View Christian.
Van Buren County Player to Watch: Izaak Loeffler (20.4 points and 1.9 steals per game)
PCM Player to Watch: Gavin VanGorp (13.4 points per game)
Other teams in District 10 include: #2 Davis County, #3 Pella Christian, and #6 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.
More
District brackets for Classes 3A and 4A will be released on Monday, February 17th.
Larry “Zeke” Smith, 86, of Fairfield, passed away Saturday, February 8, 2025 at Jefferson County Health Center in Fairfield.
Per his wishes, there will be no services held at this time. In lieu of flowers or memorials Zeke and his family would appreciate you showing others acts of kindness. Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield is assisting the family.
Zeke was born May 10, 1938 in Cantril, the son of Craig and Iris (Kisling) Smith. He served his country in the United States Army. Zeke married Sharon Shipley, June 25, 1966 in Cantril.
Zeke and Sharon owned and operated Zeke’s Spray in Feed in Cantril for 35 years. He worked at Hy-Vee in Fairfield for 20 years. Zeke enjoyed attending Ertl toy shows in Dyersville. He was an avid sports fan and enjoyed watching the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Sharon; daughter, Angie (Rod Brandau) Smith of Overland Park, Kansas; granddaughters, Addison and Lila Brandau; brother, Allen (Shelly) Smith of Jefferson City, Missouri; and a special niece, Susan Smith of Cantril.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Billy Smith.
Online condolences may be made to Zeke’s family by viewing his obituary at www.behnerfh.com.
Notice of Public Collective Bargaining Meeting
Special Open Meeting:
Dan McCabe, Chairman 4:00 P.M. Wednesday
Harvey Ungerman February 12th, 2025
David George (Mt. Pleasant Municipal Utilities
Michelle Rosell located at 509 N. Adams St.)
Lori White
Pursuant to Iowa Code §§20.17(3), 21.4
IBEW Local 55’s submission of its initial collective bargaining proposal to Mount Pleasant Municipal Utilities (MPMU) in accordance with Iowa Code §20.17(3), immediately followed by MPMU’s submission of its initial collective bargaining proposal to IBEW Local 55 in accordance with Iowa Code §20.17(3)
David Merle Grimm, 80, a resident of Fairfield, passed away February 7, 2025.
In accordance with his wishes, there will be no formal service. Memorials may be made to Noah’s Ark Animal Foundation and mailed to the family at 4115 Olde Coach Rd. Durham, NC 27707. Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield is assisting the family.
Born August 7, 1944 in Iowa City, Iowa, David attended Cardinal High School in Eldon, Iowa, where he played football for the Cardinal Comets. He lived life on his own terms and was known for his sarcastic wit and strong will. David dedicated 32 years to the railroad industry and was proud to be a descendant of a multi-generational Rock Island Railroad family. He valued his independence, and although he was strong-willed, those who knew him best appreciated the honesty and depth of his character.
He enjoyed riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles, having built several from the frame up, including multiple rebuilds of his beloved 1972 Shovelhead over the decades. He loved wearing stylish hats and fashionable clothing while cruising around town. His final wish was to have his ashes scattered, along with those of his late wife, on Jones Mountain in Colorado.
Though estranged from his children, those who knew him well saw the deep regret he carried in his heart. He is survived by his children, Todd Grimm and Maddie Grimm; his brother, Jerry Grimm of Indianola, Iowa; and his nephews, Doug Grimm of Durham, North Carolina, Timm Grimm of West Des Moines, Iowa, Kevin Grimm of Iowa City, Charlie Grimm of Washington, along with his nieces, Kim Dicky of Atalissa, Iowa, and Laura Southern of Fort Collins, Colorado.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn Grimm; parents, Charles Samuel and Beatrice Perle (Prince) Grimm; and brothers, Charles Jr., Grant, and Donny Grimm.
The Henry County Soil & Water Conservation District Commissioners will hold their monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 18th at 3.30. at the USDA Office, 709 S. Iris Street, Mt Pleasant. Tentative agenda items include approve minutes, watershed report, and cost share payments and other district business. Those needing special accommodations should call the office @ 319-385-2824 ext. 3.
Prep Boys’ Basketball-The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released their sixth edition of this season’s rankings as we await the announcement of the substate brackets with postseason play set to start for Class 1A on Friday, February 14th.
Class 4A
No teams were knocked out of the top 15 but a team was bounced from the top three and it was not the two favorites, Cedar Falls and Valley at #1 and #2, respectively. Cedar Rapids Kennedy faced a gauntlet last week with #4 Linn-Mar and #5 Waukee Northwest on the schedule.
Unfortunately for the Cougars a two-point loss and an embarrassing 29-point loss caused Kennedy to fall back to #6 in the rankings, while Linn-Marr hopped up to #3 and Waukee Northwest took over the void at #4.
Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln’s bid for a perfect season was trounced last Friday in a narrow 71-66 loss at the hands of Sioux City East. The Lynx fell back to #9 in the rankings due to the loss.
Class 3A
The top four remained the same with Clear Lake holding the crown for the second year in a row. Decorah and Knoxville round out the top three, respectively. MOC-Floyd Valley might be on a two-game win streak but consecutive losses to end January and start February caused them to slide from #5 to #7 in the rankings.
Waverly-Shell Rock’s nine-game win streak, including a 20-point victory over Class 2A’s #9 Cascade promoted the Go Hawks from #8 to #6 in this week’s rankings.
No teams were dropped from the rankings.
Class 2A
Some light juggling mixed up the top ten with another top three team losing their spot. West Lyon turned back time to the 4th edition of the rankings with a 71-70 victory over Unity Christian, thus the two teams reverted to their #3-#4 rankings led by the Wildcats.
West Burlington kept their #10 spot after handing business at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference shootout with a 76-42 thrashing of Hillcrest Academy, winning the conference crown for the third straight season. The Falcons tout one of the best offenses in the state with four players averaging double figures and they are giving up the ball less than 10 times per game.
Class 1A
Havoc infiltrated the rankings for Class 1A after you get through the first three teams with Marquette Catholic sitting above everyone with a 20-0 record followed by Madrid, also undefeated, and MMCRU.
The fall starts with Woodbine as the Tigers were rolling on a five-game win streak having just dropped 100 points on Ar-W-Va to end January. Then unranked Coon Rapids-Bayard held them to just 25 points in a 29-point victory in front of the home crowd, demoting Woodbine from #4 to #9 in this week’s rankings, while the Crusader jumped up to #7.
The next team to feel the wrath of the rankings was Remsen St. Mary’s. Even back-to-back 40-plus point thumpings could not alleviate the pain of a 68-40 loss to Class 2A’s Spirit Lake. Thus, casting the Hawks out of the top 10.
Lastly, Bishop Garrigan had their nine-game win streak snapped by Forest City 45-29 last Tuesday and a narrow win over West Hancock did not convince the committee to keep them in the top 10.
Replacing the Golden Bears? Burlington Notre Dame at #10. The Nikes were ranked #9 two weeks ago, but a rough schedule: Class 2A’s #9 Regina Catholic and #10 West Burlington, knocked the squad out of the top 10 after competitive losses.
But a 65-52 win over WACO in the #2-seed contest propelled the Nikes back into the conversation with a 16-4 record, every loss coming against a team that has seen time in the rankings. This team runs through junior Shay Stephens and Jack Drew.
Stephens averages 21.4 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists per night, while Drew nets 17.3 points per game and led the scoring against the Warriors in an uncharacteristic off night for Stephens.
More
For a full list of the rankings, follow the provided link: IHSAA Top 10
