The New London City Council will meet in regular session, Monday, February 10th at City Office, 112 Main Street. Proposed Street Improvements for the Pine Street Subdivision among other items is on the agenda. This meeting is open to the public.
The Mt. Pleasant School District School Board will meet in regular session on Monday, February 10th at 6:00pm. This meeting is held in the Media Center of the MP High School, 2104 S. Grand Avenue and is open to the public.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a “drive sober” campaign this weekend, leading up to the Super Bowl on Sunday. This year’s campaign is called “Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk” and encourages anyone celebrating the big game to coordinate a sober ride home. Area law enforcement agencies will be on high alert for drunk drivers this weekend, especially Sunday night. NHTSA is partnering with law enforcement throughout Region 7: Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska
The Henry County Engineer’s Office has announced that beginning Monday, February 10th, weather depending, a contractor will start clearing and grubbing to prep for 235th Street (Business Hwy 34) bridge construction, west of Mt. Pleasant. The bridge will remain open. The clearing and grubbing operation will require equipment on the shoulder of the roadway. Trucks entering and existing the roadway are advised to use caution. Construction will begin later this year. Any questions may be directed to the Henry County Engineer at 319-385-0762.
The National Weather Service reminds motorists that when there is ice and snow: take it slow! With freezing rain and freezing temperatures combined with snow in the forecast, you are advised to drive slower, leave extra distance between vehicles and especially far from snowplows. If roads look wet, they are mostly likely slick. Check road conditions before heading out at 511ia.org.
High School Wrestling
The girls’ state tournament finished up yesterday and 28 champions were crowned. Southeast Iowa was well represented with two wrestlers bringing home the silver medal.
In Class 2A, Fort Madison’s #4 Mara Smith competed in the third-place match but fell to #3 Kylee Shoop of West Delaware by major decision. Smith finished the year with a 46-6 record.
In the 155-pound weight class, Amaziah Twillie of Burlington could not find a win on day two as the freshman finished in 6th place.
Burlington’s #15 Macey Peterson also took home 6th place in the 170-pound weight class, while #3 Kiara Rodriguez had her day end early due to a medical forfeit, which gave her 8th place in the 190-pound weight class, and #4 Alannah Peterson took home 5th place in the 235-pound weight class after defeating Delilah Subsin of Ottumwa by fall in a rematch.
In Class 1A, Wapello’s #2 Kenadee Helscher punched her ticket to the championship match with a win over #3 Lily Webster of Colfax-Mingo; unfortunately, Helscher would end the year 35-1, losing to #5 Ainsley Hemann of Osage, earning 2nd place.
In the 105-pound weight class, #9 Lexa Nelson of Pekin finished in 6th place, while Wapello’s #7 Clara Ball also collected a 6th place finish.
#9 Ashlee Farrier of Mid-Prairie concluded the season with a win in the 5th place match for the 130-pound weight class, gathering a 40-4 record for the season.
In the 140-pound weight class, Keokuk’s #3 Jalyiah Gardner upended #2 Andelyn Cabalka of East Buchanan in the semifinal, which set up a matchup against #8 Teagan Carritt of Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine for the state championship. Gardner fell to Carritt, gathering 2nd place and finishing the season with a 41-4 record.
Lastly, Fairfield’s Samantha Lyons ended the season in 4th place, going 1-2 on the day in the 170-pound weight class. She ended the season with a 35-6 record.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and WACO boys’ teams will travel to Mid-Prairie today for the Colton Allen Memorial Tournament.
The boys’ district meet is scheduled for Saturday, February 15th, with Van Buren County, WACO, and Wapello traveling to Pleasantville and New London will head to Wilton in Class 1A. For Class 2A, Burlington Notre Dame, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, and Fairfield will compete in Centerville and Mt. Pleasant and Mediapolis will venture to Williamsburg.
High School Basketball
Mt. Pleasant struggled against Keokuk last night with both teams suffering one-sided losses. A depleted girls’ team could not keep up with the Chiefs, losing 73-22. Paityn Ensminger led the team with six points. The boys’ team hung in for the first quarter with a nice barrage of three-pointers but the offense was not enough in a 75-48 final, despite Aiden Humble pouring in 27 points on seven made threes.
Mt. Pleasant will take on Ottumwa on Monday, February 10th, with the girls’ hitting the road with tip-off at 7:45 pm and the boys’ hosting the Bulldogs at 7:30 pm at Central Campus Gym.
Fairfield was swept by Burlington last night with the girls’ team losing 58-42 and the boys’ team falling short in the comeback attempt 57-54. The Fairfield girls’ team will face off against Knoxville, while the boys’ teams will travel to Mid-Prairie with both games scheduled for 7:30 pm on Tuesday, February 11th.
The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team clobbered Cedar Valley Christian 61-24 as Madisen Kellogg and Kynlee Buffington each finished the game with double-doubles as Kellogg collected 23 points and 15 rebounds and Buffington scored 18 points and gathered 10 rebounds.
The Southeast Iowa Super Conference Shootout continued last night for the boys’ teams and here were the results for the #3-#8 seed games.
The Holy Trinity Catholic boys’ team steamrolled Pekin in the #3 seed matchup 76-45 as Luke Hellige poured in 26 points for the Crusaders.
In the #4 seed contest, the Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team skirted past Mediapolis 45-36. Jake Edwards led the scoring with 17 points while collecting five steals.
Winfield-Mt. Union will host Pekin on Tuesday at 7:30 pm.
Mediapolis will travel to Tipton on Thursday, February 13th, at 7:30 pm.
In the #6 seed clash, the Danville boys’ team demolished Lone Tree 61-41.
The Van Buren County boys’ team won the #7 seed game with ease against Columbus 80-54. The Wildcats will take on Louisa-Muscatine on Tuesday at 7:30 pm on the road.
In the #8 seed matchup, the New London boys’ team was handled by Wapello 64-36. The Tigers will hit the road to compete against Davis County on Tuesday with tip-off at 7:30 pm.
The Wapello boys’ team will host WACO on Tuesday at 7:30 pm.
The Danville girls’ team will take on Lone Tree at SCC in the battle of the #2 seeds at 2 pm today.
The Columbus girls’ team will challenge Mediapolis in the #1 seed game today at SCC with tip-off at 3:30 pm.
The WACO boys’ team will compete against Burlington Notre Dame tonight in the two-seed game at 5 pm at SCC.
The West Burlington boys’ team will face off against Hillcrest Academy tonight in the #1 seed game at 6:30 pm at SCC.
Holy Trinity Catholic will compete against Clark County on Monday at 6 pm on the road.
WACO will host Van Buren County on Monday at 6 pm.
Central Lee will face off against Cardinal on Monday at home at 6 pm.
West Burlington will host Mt. Pleasant on Tuesday at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm.
Dan Gable Ms. and Mr. Wrestler of the Year
IAwrestle and Iowa Corn in coordination with the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) has released the top 15 wrestlers for the Dan Gable Ms. and Mr. Wrestler of the Year Awards and southeast Iowa has three competitors in the running.
In Class 1A, WACO’s Louden Huisenga is a strong contender for the award at the 190-pound weight class. He has compiled a 25-0 record against fellow 190-pound contenders.
Over in Class 2A, Kaiden Dietzenbach of Burlington Notre Dame is back in the top 15 after being placed on the list last year. The Nike is continuing his reign of terror on the area in the 138-pound weight class with a perfect 27-0 record, so far through his senior campaign.
Fairfield’s Cael McCabe is also up for the award in Class 2A as the junior boasts a 22-2 record in the 113-pound weight class. McCabe has won the Bob Murphy and Bill Van Horn Invitationals this season.
Fans can vote once per list at Facebook.com/IAwrestle for their favorite wrestler in each category until February 9th, when the list will be narrowed down to the top 7. The next round of voting, from Monday to February 23rd, will determine the top 3 finalists, with the winner announced at the banquet on February 27th at the Fareway Conference Center in Boone, Iowa, on February 27th at 11:30AM.
High School Bowling
Fairfield will host the Southeast Conference (SEC) tournament scheduled for Monday, February 10th.
The girls’ state qualifying meets are scheduled for Monday, February 17th, and Fairfield and West Burlington will compete at Davis County, while Mt. Pleasant will travel to Keokuk.
The boys’ state qualifying meets will take place on Tuesday, February 18th, and Mt. Pleasant will make the trip to Keokuk to compete.
Southeastern Community College
The men’s basketball team will host Illinois Central College on Wednesday, February 12th, at 7 pm.
College Basketball
The #8 Iowa State men’s team will host TCU today at 11 am.
The Iowa men’s team will compete against #21 Wisconsin today with game time at noon.
The Iowa women’s team will take on Nebraska on Monday, February 10th, at 7 pm on the road.
The Iowa State women’s team will face off against Colorado today at home at 4 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1936 – First-ever NFL Draft: the Philadelphia Eagles select Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago as the first pick. The first Heisman trophy winner opts not to play in the NFL.
1945 – Paul Brown agrees to coach the new American football expansion team in Cleveland, which would later be named the Cleveland Browns after their coach.
1960 – Boston Celtic Bill Russell becomes the first NBA player with 50 rebounds in a game with 51.
Coralville, IA- Championship Friday is officially in the books for the 2025 Iowa Girls High School State Wrestling Tournament and 28 champions have been crowned. Southeast Iowa left their mark by tournament’s end with two wrestlers finishing with the silver medal.
130-Pound Weight Class
Fort Madison’s#4 Mara Smith started off the third session with a matchup against #10 Tatum Heaberlin of Gilbert on her path towards third place. Smith collected a hard-fought victory by fall to advance one step closer to the third-place match.
Smith pinned #11 Brielle Parke of Linn-Mar to punch her ticket to the bronze medal match against #3 Kylee Shoop of West Delaware. Unfortunately, Shoop proved to be too much, defeating Smith by major decision.
Smith finished in 4th place and with a 46-6 record for the season.
155-Pound Weight Class
#13 Amaziah Twillie of Burlington could not parlay her day one success onto day two as her day started with a loss to #1 Haylee McGrew of Ankeny in the semifinals.
In the consolation bracket, #4 Shanona Emmanuel of Iowa City, City High took advantage of the rematch, registering a quick pin of Twillie. The loss sent the freshman to the 5th place match where #9 Kalen Jo Westerfield of Lewis Central pulled off the win by fall.
Twillie collected a 6th place finish and a 29-13 record.
170-Pound Weight Class
#5 Kayma Burleson of Clear Lake awaited Burlington’s #15 Macey Peterson in in the third round of the consolation bracket and Peterson executed another upset by pinning Burleson.
Peterson lost to #12 Kasey Stone of Waverly-Shell Rock pinned by fall, ushering her to the 5th place match against #7 Jazelle Smith, who beat Peterson back in the quarterfinals by tiebreaker. Unfortunately, a similar story played out with Smith notching a 1-0 decision win over the Grayhound.
Peterson finished the season with a 32-23 record and 6th place overall.
190-Pound Weight Class
Burlington’s #3 Kiara Rodriguez fell to #9 Maddison Wright of Lewis Central, placing her in the 7th place match but due to medical forfeit she could not wrestle. Ending her season with a 37-6 record and 8th place at state.
235-Pound Weight Class
#4 Alannah Peterson of Burlington took down #7 Sage Dzeladini of North Scott by major decision to take one more step towards the bronze.
However, Peterson lost by ultimate tiebreaker to #3 Aniyah Smith, casting her to the 5th place match. With a rematch against #5 Delilah Subsin of Ottumwa in place Peterson had learned everything she needed from her first matchup, defeating the Bulldog by fall.
Peterson took home 5th place and a 24-6 record for the season.
Class 1A
100-Pound Weight Class
Wapello’s #2 Kenadee Helscher had her sights set on a state championship and #3 Lily Webster of Colfax-Mingo stood in her way for her semifinal matchup. Helscher would shutout Webster by a 7-0 decision, setting up a matchup against #5 Ainsley Hemann of Osage for the gold.
The undefeated season was not meant to be as Hemann would claim the championship by fall. Helscher would collect the silver medal and a 35-1 record for the junior.
105-Pound Weight Class
#9 Lexa Nelson of Pekin upended #5 Mercedes Ponce of Perry by a narrow 11-8 decision to advance to the consolation semifinal match.
There, Nelson fell to the #3 Serenity Turner of Knoxville. In the 5th place match, #4 Emma Miller of Treynor kept the pressure on the Panther and took down Nelson by fall, resulting in a 6th place finish for Nelson.
She finished the season with a 31-9 record.
110-Pound Weight Class
Wapello’s #7 Clara Ball began her day with a win by fall over #12 Kaelynn Roster of Vinton-Shellsburg. In the consolation semifinal, #11 Valentina West would get the best of her by major decisison.
Ball took on #4 Cora Schuttt for 5th place, which ended in another major decision against her. Ball finished with a 35-14 record and 6th place for the 110-pound weight class.
130-Pound Weight Class
#9 Ashlee Farrier of Mid-Prairie finished the tournament in 5th place after ending day two with a 2-1 record. Farrier started the day pinning #5 Mayleigh Medberry of Central Elkader.
Farrier lost to #3 Lyni Gusick of Alburnett by tiebreaker, tossing her to the 5th place match. Farrier would collect one more upset for the road with a win by major decision over #6 Jordan Buffum of Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine.
She concluded the season with a 40-4 record.
140-Pound Weight Class
Keokuk’s #3 Jalyiah Gardner skipped past #2 Andelyn Cabalka of East Buchanan to earn a chance to wrestle for the state title.
Against #8 Teagan Carritt of Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine, Gardner was unable to grab one last win, falling to Carritt. Gardner touts a 41-4 record for the season and 2nd place at the state tournament.
170-Pound Weight Class
Fairfield 1A-170 #9 Samantha Lyons of Fairfield was unable to pull off the upset against #4 Nancy Bowman of Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine in the semifinals, losing by fall.
In the consolation bracket semifinal, Lyons handled #6 Gracie Pinckney, advancing to the third-place match on a 7-1 decision victory over Pickney. Lyons would garner 4th place after losing to #2 Layna DeMoss of Benton by major decision.
Lyons ended the season with a 35-6 record.
Full List of State Champions
Class 2A
Class 1A
KILJ would like to thank all of our sponsors for allowing us to cover the 2025 Iowa High School Girls’ State Wrestling Tournament.
Chad M. Johnson, 51, of Fairfield passed away on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Chad was born on December 22, 1973, in Burlington the son of Don and Janice (Harper-Greer) Johnson. Chad was united in marriage to Lisa Jane Schinstock on May 16, 2020, in Mount Pleasant. He started working at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in 2014, most recently as a system operator. Chad enjoyed playing disc golf, collecting and trading Magic the Gathering Cards and reading. He loved science and technology, history, traveling, watching wrestling and bowling. He was an avid Miami Dolphins fan. Chad was a quiet and thoughtful person.
Those thankful for sharing in his life include his wife, Lisa, his daughter, Alissa Ann (Derek) Victory, his grandchildren, Jeremiah Daniel Carriger, Jr., Arabella Kay Victory, Dexter Xavier Victory and Abreya Ann Victory, his step-brother, Gene Wilkerson, and a step-sister, Rhonda Schnedler, along with his mother-in-law, Jane Schinstock and his sisters-in-law and brother-in-law, Carol (Mike) Shumaker, Christine (Scott) Keck, Lori (Todd) Dage, Matthew (Emily) Schinstock and Joann Vens, 8 nieces and nephews, and his beloved cat, Niko.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and his father-in-law, Ronald Schinstock.
Friends may call after noon on Saturday, February 15, 2025 at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant where the family will be present from 3 to 7 p.m. that afternoon. A memorial has been established in his memory. Cremation has been entrusted to the care of the Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com
Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for his arrangements.
Margaret (Margie) Carolyn Courtney Curtis, a loving mother, devoted friend, and fierce advocate for animals, passed away at the age of 77, February 5, 2025, in Keota, Iowa. Born February 24, 1947, in Fairfield, Iowa, to Florine Roslin Moyer Courtney and Alfred Lee Courtney, Margaret spent her life brightening the world with her kindness, humor, and unwavering compassion.
A mother first and foremost, she is survived by her beloved children: Lorna Leigh Curtis, Lonnie Summers (Eric Cuellar), Ray Curtis Jr. (Rochelle Engle), and bonus child Lisa Vannoy. She was a proud grandmother to five adoring grandchildren: Alec Summers (Beth), Shelby Curtis (Eric Paske), Skyler Cuellar, Lucian Curtis, and Kylie Cuellar (Jairo Oyuela). She also cherished her role as a great-grandmother to Draven Rains and Amara Oyuela. She is survived by her brother, Jon Lee Courtney, and sister-in-law, Linda Courtney, as well as her nephew, Jon Lee Courtney Jr., who brought her great joy.
Margaret was preceded in death by her daughter Loretta Lynn, mother, Florine Roslin Moyer Courtney, her father, Alfred Lee Courtney, her nephew Jimmy Courtney, and her life partner, Carolyn Millard.
Before entering Keota Health Center-Memory Care in June of 2024, she spent the previous 5 years living in Austin, Texas with her family and loved spending time with family at countless live music shows, dancing, listening to music, car rides, trips to the surrounding zoos and going out to eat. Previously her time in Iowa was spent fishing and playing cards with family, and visiting with friends.
Margaret dedicated her life to rescuing and caring for animals, ensuring that every creature she encountered felt the warmth of her love. Her passion for helping those in need extended beyond animals—she was a friend to everyone she met, greeting the world with an open heart, an infectious smile, and a spirit as warm as the sun.
Those who knew Margaret would describe her as funny, ornery, and full of life. Her smile could light up a room, and her mischievous wit made every moment spent with her unforgettable. She had a way of making people feel seen, loved, and valued, leaving an imprint on every soul she touched.
Though she is no longer with us in person, Margaret’s legacy of love, laughter, and compassion will continue through the countless lives she impacted. Her family, friends, and the many animals she cared for will forever cherish her memory.
A celebration of Margaret’s beautiful life will be held at a later date to allow out-of-state family members to attend. Details will be announced. Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield is assisting the family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Paws in Ft Madison in her honor, continuing her lifelong mission of love and care.
Margaret, your smile, your laughter, and your boundless love will be missed beyond measure—but your spirit will never fade.
“Our sweet momma loved with her whole heart. We didn’t have much, but we always had love.” – Her Loving Children
