| February 6, 2025
This past Friday we lost a great member of the Iowa Legislature, Representative Martin Graber, a devoted husband, father, and community leader in Fort Madison. Martin was a native Iowan and served for over 30 years in the Iowa Army National Guard, achieving the rank of Brigadier General. He was also a financial advisor in the Fort Madison area, and spent time both in his personal life and in the legislature working to improve the lives of those around him. Martin was not only a great and dedicated public servant, but he was also an amazing friend and family man, and he will be missed by all whom he had an impact on. The issue I’d like to discuss this week is an one that I know was important to Rep. Graber and a recurring topic on the House floor: the Veterans Trust Fund. Created in 2007, the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund (managed by the Iowa Department of Veteran Affairs) is a multi-million dollar fund that offers financial assistance to veterans in Iowa. It is funded by proceeds from the Iowa Lottery ($2.5 million annually) every year to ensure the fund grows and exists in perpetuity, while the interest from the fund helps provide services and support to our Veterans community. This can be for things like vehicle repairs, mental health services, or emergency housing repair such as fixing a broken water pipe. This program is vital to ensuring our veterans get the help and support they need. Last year the Department of Veteran Affairs gave out more than $775,000 to Veterans in need. I am currently reviewing legislation that impacts the Iowa Trust Fund and how it may impact our Iowa Veterans. Another topic discussed at the capitol this week was Iowa’s child welfare system. The Department of Health and Human Services presented data to legislators this week showing the valuable work they’ve done to improve children’s lives. Over the past decade the number of children in foster care has decreased by 30%, caseloads have reduced almost 10% since 2021, and social workers are spending more time than ever with children who have been removed from their home. Under Iowa’s DHHS, children in the foster care system are in good hands. Finally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) issued a press release in which Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that his state agency is encouraging Iowa corn growers to leverage the new Nitrogen Fertilizer Application Consultation Tool (N-FACT) to inform nutrient application decisions this growing season. The N-FACT tool takes multiple field-level production variables into account, then recommends an optimal nitrogen application rate to help farmers balance productivity, environmental stewardship and input costs. The N-FACT tool leverages thousands of data points from hundreds of field trials conducted by ISU. Data inputs include field location, weather, residual soil nitrogen, estimated planting dates and input and commodity prices. Field trials were conducted in each region of the state, yielding more than 21,000 possible optimal nitrogen rate scenarios. |
MPCSD Finance Committee Meeting 2/7/2025, 12:30 PM
| 2/7/2025, 12:30 PM | ||||||||||
| Finance Committee Meeting | ||||||||||
| The meeting has been published. You may review the agenda by clicking on Meeting Title.
Meeting Title: 2/7/2025, 12:30 PM-Finance Committee Meeting |
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| Meeting Agenda | ||||||||||
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Henry County Board of Supervisors Deny Outside Legal Counsel For Henry Co. Sheriff
At this weeks Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting, the conversation continued between Henry County Sheriff, Rich McNamee, and the Board of Supervisors on request by Sheriff McNamee for outside legal counsel.
This counsel would represent the Sheriff in a proceeding related to an FOIA request involving the sheriff’s office.
Rich argues on his own behalf that the county attorney has a conflict of interest and cannot represent him fairly.
However, the board of supervisors previously denied this request and reaffirmed their decision in this meeting.
Board of Supervisor Chairman, Marc Lindeen reminded the room that legal counsel by the county attorney is responsible for representing the sheriff’s office unless officially removed from the case.
Despite Sheriff McNamee providing documents supporting his position, the board members maintained their stance in not approving outside council.
Weekly Fuel Report
- As of Wednesday, the price of regular unleaded gasoline averaged $2.97 across Iowa according to AAA.
- Prices rose 2 cents from last week’s price and are up 13 cents from a year ago.
- The national average on Wednesday was $3.13, up 1 cent from last week’s price.
- Retail diesel prices in Iowa rose 5 cents this week with a statewide average of $3.47.
- One year ago, diesel prices averaged $3.53 in Iowa.
- The current Iowa diesel price is 20 cents lower than the national average of $3.67.
- Wholesale ethanol held steady and is currently priced at $2.16.
- The current Des Moines Terminal/Rack Prices are $2.10 for U87-E10, $2.27 for Unleaded 87 (clear), $2.40 for ULSD#2, $2.64 for ULSD#1, and $1.96 per gallon for E-70 prices.
Heating Fuels
- Natural gas prices were up $.16 at the Henry Hub reporting site and are currently priced at $3.28/MMbtu.
- Propane prices averaged $1.68 per gallon in Iowa.
- Home heating oil prices had a statewide average of $3.03 per gallon.
Tips for saving energy on the road or at home are available at energy.gov and fueleconomy.gov.
Donnellson Fire Chief, Fred Hoyer Retires After 69 Years
Donnellson Fire Department is congratulating Fred Hoyer as he retires as the Fire Chief.
Chief Hoyer joined the Donnellson Fire Department in 1956 and has served the community for 69 years. Fred has been the Fire Chief for the last 53 years after receiving the title in 1972. In addition to this role, Fred was also a first responder for many years, serving as a medical provider for the department.
The department would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Chief Hoyer for his leadership, commitment, and service to the department and the community.
Washington Elementary School Is Looking For New Principal
Fairfield CSD is in search of their next principal at Washington Elementary School!
Washington Elementary is seeking a passionate leader to guide the school toward continued success.
If you’re ready to make a lasting impact and lead a school to excellence, You can apply today.
MPCS Site & Policy Meeting
| 2/6/2025, 5:00 PM |
| Site and Policy Committee Meeting |
| Mt. Pleasant CSD – Central Office | 1010 East Washington Street, Suite 102 |
| Add to your calendar: Google | Outlook (.ics) | Yahoo |
| Please click on the link below for details on the Site and Policy Committee Meeting.
Meeting Title: 2/6/2025, 5:00 PM-Site and Policy Committee Meeting |
Sports, February 6th
High School Basketball
The Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will face off against Rivermont Collegiate tonight at 7 pm at home.
Mt. Pleasant will travel to Keokuk tomorrow, February 7th, with tip-off at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm..
Fairfield will hit the road to take on Burlington tomorrow with game one at 6:30 pm.
The Southeast Iowa Super Conference Shootout starts tonight and runs all the way until the top two seeds face off on Saturday, February 8th. Here’s a look at all the matchups.
The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team will compete in the #3 seed game tonight against Highland at home with gametime at 7:30 pm.
In the #4-seed contest, the WACO girls’ team will take on Central Lee at Holy Trinity Catholic with tip-off at 6 pm tonight.
The Van Buren County girls’ team will face off against Hillcrest Academy at home at 7:30 pm for the #5 seed.
The West Burlington girls’ team will compete in the #6 seed game against Pekin at 6 pm tonight at Van Buren County.
The Burlington Notre Dame girls’ team will take on Louisa-Muscatine at home at 7:30 pm tonight for the #7 seed contest.
In the #8 seed game, the New London girls’ team will compete against Wapello at Burlington Notre Dame with game time at 6 pm.
The Holy Trinity Catholic boys’ team will face off against Pekin on the road tomorrow for the #3 seed game for the SEISC shootout at 7:30 pm.
In the #4 seed contest, the Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will travel to Pekin to take on Mediapolis at 6 pm tomorrow.
The Central Lee boys’ team will tangle with Louisa-Muscatine on the road at 7:30 pm for the #5 seed game tomorrow.
In the #6 seed clash, the Danville boys’ team will face off against Lone Tree at 6 pm at Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow.
The Van Buren County boys’ team will be tasked with competing against Columbus on their home floor at 7:30 pm tomorrow for the #7 seed game.
The New London boys’ team will travel to Columbus to compete against Wapello for the SEISC shootout in the #8 seed contest at 6 pm tomorrow.
The Danville girls’ team will take on Lone Tree at SCC in the battle of the #2 seeds at 2 pm on Saturday, February 8th.
The Columbus girls’ team will challenge Mediapolis in the #1 seed game on Saturday at SCC with tip-off at 3:30 pm.
The WACO boys’ team will compete against Burlington Notre Dame on Saturday in the two-seed game at 5 pm at SCC.
The West Burlington boys’ team will face off against Hillcrest Academy on Saturday in the #1 seed game at 6:30 pm at SCC.
High School Girls Basketball Rankings
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) released their latest installment of the girls’ basketball rankings and a new local team has made an appearance in the top 15.
In Class 3A, 19-1 Mediapolis made their first appearance in the rankings at #14. The Bulldogs tout a point differential of 36.5 and have scored at least 60 points in 17 of their wins.
The squad has a trio of scorers averaging double figures in Amelia Greier, Josie Hutcheson, and Ellah Wagenbach, while Bryn Wright leads the state in assists with 137. The toughest aspect of this team is their defense, notching 24.5 steals per game.
High School Wrestling
The girls’ state tournament is scheduled to begin today in Coralville at 10 am. KILJ will be giving live updates, following our 23 local wrestlers throughout the tournament. For a full breakdown, follow the link provided: Girls’ State Qualifiers
The New London and Van Buren County boys’ teams will travel to Davis County tonight for a quad.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and WACO boys’ teams will travel to Mid-Prairie on Saturday 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.
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 February 10th 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
Mt. Pleasant will take on West Burlington/Notre Dame today at home.
Fairfield will host the Southeast Conference (SEC) tournament scheduled for 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.
Southeast Iowa Playbook
Zenlynn Lee of Mt. Pleasant was our special guest for last night’s episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook as she wrestles today at the Iowa Girls Wrestling State Tournament. Despite the individuality of the sport, Lee gives the credit to her team for giving her the motivation to keep competing,
“Both the guys and the girls really pushed me to be better and I I without them, I don’t know if it would be something I’d want to do. They really make it worth it. Just having them there knowing whether I win or lose that they’re going to be there is just a great feeling. And then it also makes you want to do better for your team and yourself, because if you’re accomplishing your goals, then you’re helping the team. That just all plays a role together.”
If you missed the episode last night, then follow this link: Mt. Pleasant Episode
Southeastern Community College
The men’s basketball team will take on Marshalltown Community College tonight at 7 pm on the road.
College Basketball
The #8 Iowa State men’s team will host TCU on Saturday, February 8th, at 11 am.
The Iowa men’s team will compete against #21 Wisconsin on Saturday with game time at noon.
The Iowa women’s team will travel to Minnesota tonight at 7 pm.
The Iowa State women’s team clobbered Cincinnati last night 72-52. Audi Crooks had her way all night as she collected 18 points in the winning effort. The Cyclones will face off against Colorado on Saturday at home at 4 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1932 – First Olympic dog sled race at Lake Placid, New York. It is run as a demonstration sport.
1971 – American astronaut Alan Shepard is 1st to hit a golf ball on the moon.
1990 – Brett Hull becomes the first son of an NHL 50 goal scorer (Bobby Hull) to also score 50 goals.