Sports, January 10th

By Slaten Swords · Saturday, January 10th, 2026 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

Mt. Pleasant split their matchup with Fairfield last night, losing 47-43 in the girls’ game and defeating the Trojans 62-42 in the boys’ game. Faith Jones scored 14 points in the girls’ game for the Trojans. Noah Lange cashed in for 24 points for the Panthers in the winning effort. 

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Burlington Notre Dame on Monday, January 12th, with tip-off at 6 pm.

Fairfield will square off against Van Buren County at home on Monday with game one at 6 pm.

The #4 Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team kept their undefeated season rolling, bulldozing Van Buren County last night 83-35. The Nikes will square off against Marquette Catholic today at 3 pm in a top ten matchup. 

The Burlington Notre Dame girls’ team fell 50-45 to the Warriors. They will suit up against Marquette Catholic at 1 pm today. 

Wapello was swept by Pekin last night 58-38 in the girls’ game and 64-56 in the boys’ contest. Annaka Greiner put up 10 points in the loss. Wapello will tangle with Louisa-Muscatine on Tuesday, January 13th, with the night starting at 6 pm.

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team fell to Louisa-Muscatine last night 68-41. The Wolves will play Holy Trinity Catholic on Monday at 6 pm on the road. 

The Central Lee boys’ team escaped with a double-overtime victory over Holy Trinity Catholic last night 62-58. The Hawks will host Fort Madison today with the day starting at 11:30 am.

Columbus split their night with Lone Tree with the boys’ team winning 69-59 and the girls’ team losing 61-33. The Wildcats will take on Hillcrest Academy on Tuesday at 6 pm on the road. 

Mediapolis swept Danville last night in convincing fashion with the #10 girls’ team winning 64-38 and the boys’ team handling business in a 65-48 final. Josie Hutcheson put up a 20 point/11 rebound double-double in the win. 

The Danville boys’ team will travel to Durant today with gametime at 3:15 pm.

Mediapolis will contend with West Burlington on Tuesday with tip-off at 6 pm.

New London was swept by West Burlington last night 56-8 in the girls’ game and 62-39 in the boys’ game. WACO will travel to New London today with game one at 5 pm.

High School Wrestling

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, Mediapolis, Van Buren County, Mt. Pleasant, and WACO girls’ teams wrestled at the Highland Invitational last night and the Van Buren County girls’ team led the charge with 104.5 points for 6th place followed by Mt. Pleasant in 8th place with 80 points. 

Van Buren County had a pair of 2nd place finishers in Teagan Sickles and Brystol Wiley. 

The Fairfield, Van Buren County, and Mediapolis boys’ teams will attend the Ottumwa Invitational today. The Panthers dominated the 235-pound weight class with Courtney Smith pinning her teammate Olivia Gordy for the gold in the championship match. 

Brynn Pogmore snatched 4th place for Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and Emorry Davis and Macy Bonebrake of WACO each took 6th place in their respective weight classes. 

The Fairfield girls’ team will wrestle at the North Mahaska Invitational today.

The Wapello and Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ teams will compete at the Corky Stuart Invitational at BGM today. 

The WACO, New London, and Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will travel to the Highland Invitational today. 

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will head to Maquoketa for an invitational today. 

High School Bowling

Fairfield will host Burlington on Monday, January 12th.

Mt. Pleasant will take on Burlington at home on Thursday, January 15th.

Southeastern Community College

The women’s basketball team will face off against Iowa Western Community College at home today at 1 pm.

The men’s basketball team will host Indian Hills Community College today at 7 pm.

The women’s wrestling team will compete at the Lakeland Scramble tomorrow, January 11th.

College Basketball

The #11 Iowa State women’s team will host West Virginia tomorrow, January 11th, at 2 pm.

The #14 Iowa women’s team will travel to Indiana tomorrow for tip-off at 4 pm.

The #19 Iowa men’s team will square off against Illinois at home tomorrow at 11 am.

The #3 Iowa State men’s team will face off against Oklahoma State today at 3 pm at home. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call.

This Day in Sports History

1982 – NFC Championship, Candlestick Park, SF: the San Francisco 49ers beat the Dallas Cowboys, 28-27; “The Catch” an iconic moment in NFL history, Dwight Clark makes a fingertip catch for a touchdown from Joe Montana with 58 seconds remaining. San Francisco goes on to win the Super Bowl. 

1985 – Lenny Wilkens becomes the first to coach in 1,000 NBA games when his Seattle SuperSonics defeat the Golden State Warriors, 89-86. 

1986 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers scores his 34,000th career point during a 124-102 win over the Indiana Pacers; the only NBA player to reach the milestone at that time as he held the career record until 2023.

Stephen Burden

By Slaten Swords · Friday, January 9th, 2026 at 4:07 pm CDT

Stephen Burden, 67, of rural Mount Union died Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in West Burlington.

Stephen was born October 31, 1958, in Mount Pleasant, the son of Robert F. and Patricia J. (Mathews) Burden. He graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1977. Stephen attended the University of Iowa, then later on attended Indian Hills Community College and received a degree in Robotics and Automation. On December 14, 1985, Stephen was united in marriage to Dianna Wagner in Denmark, Iowa. He began working for local farmers, then a seed company, worked on cars and Kubota tractors for Jerry and Doris Boeddeker, then for Arlo Raid Scrap. He worked for 25 years at Henry County Health Center as maintenance, bio-med technician and boiler operator. He then worked at Mount Pleasant Water Treatment Plant, followed by COBO in Burlington. He went on to be a boiler operator at Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility, worked for West Liberty Foods, then Sigma in Mt Pleasant before retiring.

Stephen and Dianna were former members of New London Christian Church and current members of Harmony Bible Church in Danville, where Stephen was very active. He volunteered in all aspects at Midwest Old Threshers along with Midwest Central Railroad, and City Hope.

Stephen is survived by his wife Dianna; daughter Corliss Burden (Tyler Blind) of New London; sister Jane Burden; and many other family members.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother Paul Robert Burden.

Funeral service will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday, January 17, 2026, at Harmony Bible Church in Danville. Burial will follow at the Trinity Cemetery in rural Mount Union. Visitation will be held 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. Friday, January 16, at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Harmony Bible Church and Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House.  The Olson-Yoder Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for Stephen and his family. Messages may be sent to the family at www.olsonyoderfh.com

MP Utilities – Planned Water Shut Off in NE Mt. Pleasant for 01/12/26

By Shelbi Swinscoe · Friday, January 9th, 2026 at 10:31 am CDT

Mt. Pleasant Utilities Water Department issued an alert about a planned water shut off for Monday, January 12th, from 9am-3 pm in Northeast Mt. Pleasant.  Residents in an area including Winfield Avenue, N. Main Street, Harlan Street, North Lincoln Street, N. Palm Street, and the surrounding area may be affected.  Pleasant call MPMU with questions at 319-385-2121, option #2.

WMU Announces Opportunities for a Career Fair

By Shelbi Swinscoe · Friday, January 9th, 2026 at 8:38 am CDT

The Winfield Mt. Union School District is promoting career exploration for 9th and 10th grade students on March 25, 2026 from 8:30am – 3pm.  Local businesses interested in hosting students for a visit gives them the opportunity to learn about the different industries and career paths in the Mt. Pleasant area.  The goal is for students to walk away with an understanding of the business and opportunities for a career in this community.  Contact the WMU school district for more information and to get your business involved.  Melissa.anderson@wmucsd.org, jill.blake@wmucsd.org, gaige.gill@wmucsd.org, sierra.wyse@wmucsd.org

The Winfield Mt. Union School District 3rd annual Career Fair is scheduled for March 27th in the gym with all middle and high school students in the area invited as well as any businesses who would be interested in participating.

MPCSD Finance Committee Meets Today

By Shelbi Swinscoe · Friday, January 9th, 2026 at 8:36 am CDT

The Mt. Pleasant Community School Board Finance Committee meeting is scheduled for 2pm this afternoon at the district office, 1010 E. Washington Street. Items on the agenda include Financial Reports from December 2025, Modified Supplemental amount and plan for at-risk/dropout prevention, and Iowa School finance comprehensive financial projections model.  This meeting is open to the public.

“Ask a Nurse” Program Scheduled for Monday, 01/12/26

By Shelbi Swinscoe · Friday, January 9th, 2026 at 8:35 am CDT

Henry County Public Health presents “Ask a Nurse” on Monday, January 12th at the Crew Public Library, 107 E. Cherry St. in Salem.  A registered nurse will be available to answer questions, health education will be offered on topics such as chronic disease management, nutrition, and general wellness.  Blood pressure screening is also available.  “Ask a Nurse” is a monthly, informal session with a public health nurse who provides a relaxed, supportive environment for people.  A new topic is discussed each month and on Monday, the topic is Neurological Health.

Triple A Fuel Report

By Shelbi Swinscoe · Friday, January 9th, 2026 at 8:34 am CDT

The weekly fuel report published by Triple A and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship shows that the price of regular unleaded gasoline fell by one cent and averages $2.37 across the state. The national average on Wednesday was down 2 cents from last week’s price. Retail diesel prices in Iowa fell 5 cents this week and the current Iowa diesel price is 29 cents lower than the national average. Taking a look at heating fuels: natural gas prices were down 27 cents and propane prices averaged $1.56 per gallon in Iowa. Tips for saving energy on the road or at home are available at energy.gov

Mt. Pleasant Woman Arrested on Drug Charges

By Shelbi Swinscoe · Friday, January 9th, 2026 at 8:29 am CDT

A Mount Pleasant woman was arrested on felony drug charges in Brighton on Tuesday this week.   52-year-old Kathleen Lyon was arrested by Washington County Sheriff’s deputies on charges out of Henry County. The charges include violation of probation on the original charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, and controlled substance violation, both class B felonies.

According to court documents, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office conducted a drug investigation in September of 2025. During that investigation, a search warrant was executed at Lyon’s residence in Mt Pleasant where drug paraphernalia, a scale and packaging was found, as well as a large amount of money.  Lyon’s phone was seized and messages were discovered alluding to the sale of methamphetamine.

Lyon is currently being held in the Henry County Jail on a $30,000 bond. An arraignment hearing has been scheduled for January 26th.