Sports, January 9th

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, January 9th, 2025 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

The WACO girls’ team will compete against Iowa Valley at home at 6:45 pm, while the boys’ team will face off against North Linn on the road at 7 pm with both games taking place tonight.

Burlington Notre Dame will play West Branch tonight at home with the girls’ scheduled to start at 6 pm. 

New London will face off against West Burlington at home tomorrow, January 10th, with the girls’ team playing at 6 pm.

Danville will compete against Mediapolis on the road tomorrow with tip-off scheduled for 6 pm. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will travel to Central Lee tomorrow with the girls tipping off the night at 6 pm. 

Van Buren County will face off against Burlington Notre Dame tomorrow with game time at 6 pm.

Wapello will square off against Pekin tomorrow with game one at 6 pm at home. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will host Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow with the night scheduled to start at 6 pm. 

Columbus will take on Lone Tree at home tomorrow with the boys’ team scheduled to play at 7:30 pm following the girls game. 

Fairfield will host Mt. Pleasant tomorrow with game one at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm. Boys’ head coach Eric Rawson understands no conference game on the road will be easy,

“Yeah, Riley Perkins is having a really nice year this year. He put a lot of work in over the summer and it’s paying off for him and they’re going to be really tough at home. We’ll be ready to go and looking forward to its big rivalry game. So, we’ll have a good week of practice and bring on the Trojans.”

High School Wrestling

The Wapello girls’ team will participate in the Lancer Invitational at North Scott tomorrow, January 10th, while the boys’ team will compete on Saturday, January 11th, at BGM for an invitational. 

The New London boys’ team will travel to Durant tonight to compete in a meet.

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and Fairfield boys’ teams will compete at the Ottumwa Invitational tomorrow.

The Mt. Pleasant, Mediapolis, Van Buren County, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and WACO girls’ teams will compete at the Highland tournament tomorrow.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will travel to Maquoketa for a tournament on Saturday.

The Mt. Pleasant and WACO boys’ teams will travel to Highland for the Gary Curtis Invitational on Saturday.

High School Bowling

Mt. Pleasant will host Washington tonight. 

Southeastern Community College

The #20 men’s basketball team started the new year with a dominant victory over Western Iowa Tech last night 79-57. The Blackhawks will stay at home for a matchup against Triton College on Saturday, January 11th, with tip-off at 7 pm. 

College Basketball

The #3 Iowa State men’s team will compete against Texas Tech on Saturday, January 11th, on the road at 1 pm. 

The Iowa men’s team will host Indiana on Saturday at 7 pm. 

The #23 Iowa women’s team will take on Illinois tonight at 6 pm on the road.

The Iowa State women’s team outpaced Arizona State 90-83 last night to get back in the win column. Audi Crooks led the way with 20 points. The Cyclones will travel to Arizona on Saturday with game time at 3 pm. 

This Day in Sports History

1958 – Oscar Robertson, in his varsity debut, scored 56 points against Seton Hall inside Madison Square Garden in a 118-54 win.

1972 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leads the Milwaukee Bucks past the Los Angeles Lakers, 120-104, ending LA’s consecutive win streak at 33, the longest winning streak in major league sports history. 

1991 – Dean Smith of North Carolina is the 6th coach to win 700 career basketball games.

Mount Pleasant City Council Approves Purchase of New Snowplow Truck & Several More Airport Improvement Projects

By Hayden Douglas · Thursday, January 9th, 2025 at 6:05 am CDT

A Mount Pleasant city hall meeting was held on Wednesday Jan 9th. During the city hall meeting, a motion was approved unanimously to purchase a new work truck and snowplow for the public works department, the cost of the truck was $46,775.80 from Karl automotive group, the cost of the snowplow was $8,010.54 from Brozene Hydraulic Services.

A motion was approved to appoint Drew Schumacher, director of Public Works into an indefinite term at the TEA 21, the transportation equity Act of the 21st century. Drew is replacing Rick Mullin, former director of public works.

A few airport related resolutions were approved with McClure Engineering to provide engineering services to design and construct the extended taxi lane, box hanger rehabilitation project, manage the grant and design the storm water management per city code, the cost of these agreements were funded entirely by state DOT grants. Several other resolutions were approved in reference to the airport, the hangar roof rehabilitation project initially set for 24 gauge steel doors was lowered to a 26 gauge steel door, which had a reduction in price of $16,730, that amount will be separated and allocated into replacing roof nailers, installing new gutters, and upgrading outdoor lighting at the airport.

A motion was unanimously approved for the demolition bid for 207 South Marion St.

Lastly, Iowa Wine & Spirits at 109 S. Jefferson St. was approved for a new cigarette and tobacco permit.

The next city hall meeting is Wednesday, January 22 at 5:30.

The Great Rivers Conservation Alliance of Southeast Iowa is hosting a Landowner’s Prescribed Fire Workshop

By Hayden Douglas · Thursday, January 9th, 2025 at 5:31 am CDT

The Great Rivers Conservation Alliance of Southeast Iowa is hosting a Landowner’s Prescribed Fire Workshop on Thursday, February 13, 2025, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm at the Lee County Conservation Center at Heron Bend Park in Montrose.

This workshop is geared toward landowners who are interested in using prescribed fire as a management tool for prairies and woodlands, although anyone 18 and older may attend. Volunteer fire fighters are also encouraged to attend and may find this class helpful in responding to wildfires.

The class will cover a brief history of fire in Iowa; the benefits of prescribed fire; how to set management goals and objectives; the use of burn plans; fire weather; equipment, techniques, and safety. The $25 fee includes class materials, coffee, rolls, and a catered lunch. Registration and morning refreshments will begin at 8:30 am with the workshop starting at 9:00 am.

Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. Participants can register and pay online at https://www.tri-rivers.org/new-events.

Contact Muscatine County Conservation at 563-264-5922 or conservation@muscatinecountyiowa.gov with questions.

 

MPCSD Site & Policy Meetings Jan 9th at 6pm

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 at 4:12 pm CDT

SITE COMMITTEE

  1. Facilities Master Plan Update
  2. Facilities Master Plan Calendar
  3. Update on HVAC Rooftop Unit Replacement at Howe
  4. Chapel HVAC Controls Package
  5. Bus Garage/Maintenance/Central Receiving Facility Update

POLICY COMMITTEE

  1. Update from Activities Director, Scot Lamm:
    1. Middle School Scheduling
    2. Competition Cheer
  2. First Reading of Board Policy Series 800 Buildings and Sites
  3. First Reading of Board Policy 401.10 Licensed Employee Retirement (New Policy)
  4. First Reading of Board Policy 401.10A Classified Employee Retirement (New Policy)
  5. First Reading of Board Policy 401.10B Employee Early Retirement (New Policy)

Prep Basketball: The SEISC-South Put Their Best to the Test and the North Standings After a Packed Tuesday Night Schedule

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 at 3:31 pm CDT

Prep Basketball- The Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) had quite the Tuesday night slate as the top spots for both the girls’ and boys’ South divisions were up for grabs, while the North divisions were weening out the competition.

Boys’ North Division

WACO 50, Wapello 40

WACO’s win over Wapello last night extended their win steak to eight games after picking up a win over Winfield-Mt. Union 51-42 last Saturday in a road matchup. That makes it two tough road victories against quality North opponents this season for the Warriors.

Head coach Chayse Roth explained the importance of that win against the Wolves last Saturday,

“Yeah, this was huge for us. You know, they came in with one loss. We were undefeated. So, if they knock us off, we’re right there tied. So, if we wanted to stay where we wanted to be, you know, our goal was to be at the top of the North. We really had to buckle down and play big tonight, take care of the boards and keep that position on the top of the North. Where we want to be.”

Winfield-Mt. Union 47, Pekin 45

Winfield-Mt. Union and Pekin faced off last night with the two teams fighting for a chance to stay within the top three spots of the North standings. The Panthers nearly stole the game after outscoring the Wolves 19 to 7 in the fourth quarter, but Cooper Buffington’s 21 points kept Winfield-Mt. Union bobbing for first place.

Louisa-Muscatine 70, Columbus 62

The Falcons had to defend their own position in the conference after the Wildcats roared back in the fourth quarter to score 32 points. Still, Louisa-Muscatine prevailed as they attempt to move up the conference ladder.

Lone Tree 77, Highland 53

Near the bottom of the standings, the Lions kept the status quo with a contest that never really was in question.

Team CONF ST OVER PCT
WACO 8-0 W8 8-1 .889
Hillcrest Academy 7-1 W4 9-1 .900
Winfield-Mt Union 6-2 W1 6-4 .600
Pekin 5-3 L1 5-4 .556
Louisa-Muscatine 4-4 W2 5-6 .455
Lone Tree 3-5 W1 3-6 .333
Columbus 2-6 L3 4-7 .364
Highland 1-7 L4 1-7 .125
Wapello 0-8 L10 0-10 .000

 Girls’ North Division

Columbus 47, Louisa Muscatine 19

The Wildcats held on to their top spot in conference behind Araina Vergara’s 18-point performance as Columbus jumped out to a 19 to 5 lead after the first quarter. Their lone loss in conference play comes against WACO who has been streaking as of late.

Lone Tree 67, Highland 24

The early season woes for the Lions appear to be behind them after demolishing Highland last night, leading 43 to 10 by the halftime break. The Huskies should still cruise to their second consecutive winning season, but the #14 ranking might have been premature.

WACO 51, Wapello 36

The Warriors just keep finding a way to win as their fifth consecutive win, two of which by one-point, has WACO vying for the top spot in the conference. Ella Huisenga and Brenna Graber have been an excellent 1-2 punch this season for a relatively inexperienced squad.

Pekin 67, Winfield-Mt. Union 36

Slow starts have plagued the Wolves this season after falling behind 22 to 8 by the end of the first quarter. Pekin is burrowed along with Highland in the middle of the standings with similar 5-4 marks against North competition.

Team CONF ST OVER PCT
Columbus 8-1 W1 10-2 .833
Lone Tree 7-2 W7 9-2 .818
WACO 7-2 W5 7-3 .700
Highland 5-4 L1 7-4 .636
Pekin 5-4 W2 5-4 .556
Hillcrest Academy 3-5 L2 5-5 .500
Louisa-Muscatine 2-6 L2 3-8 .273
Winfield-Mt Union 1-7 L10 2-10 .167
Wapello 1-8 L1 3-8 .273

 Boys’ South Division

#6 West Burlington 62, Burlington Notre Dame 47

This game could have really muddied the waters at the top of the conference standings; instead, the Falcons have now picked up wins against the Crusaders and Nikes, who stand between them and another crack at the conference crown. Quincy Collins led the way with 24 points to go along with nine rebounds and three steals.

#6 Holy Trinity Catholic 65, Mediapolis 54

The Crusader offense continues to hum through their competition as Luke Hellige averages 25 points per game, he had an off night against Mediapolis only putting up 23 points. This ensures a three-horse race at the top between the Falcons, Crusaders, and Nikes with rematches set for later in the month.

Central Lee 64, Van Buren County 35

Izaak Loeffler (15 points) was the only one able to find any success for the Warriors on offense as they shot just 19.1% from the field. The Hawks provided some distance between them and the bottom three teams in the conference.

Danville 73, New London 52

It was one of those games where the final score does not indicate how close the margin was as the Tigers held a one-point lead midway through the third quarter, despite Danville scoring 25 points in the first quarter.

Jaden Bauer took care of the first half for the Bears, finishing the night with 26 points, while Kessler Whaley took over in the second half with 18 of his 22 points coming in the third and fourth quarters as Danville won their first conference game of the season.

New London showed improvement on offense, but it was two players who supplied 42 of their 52 points (London Franklin with 22 points and Brigham Porter cashed in for 20 points). The offense fell asleep in the clutch, managing only six points in the fourth quarter.

Team CONF ST OVER PCT
West Burlington 8-0 W10 10-0 1.000
Holy Trinity Catholic 5-1 W4 7-1 .875
Burlington Notre Dame 5-2 L1 6-2 .750
Mediapolis 4-3 L1 7-3 .700
Central Lee 3-4 W1 4-5 .444
Van Buren County 2-6 L2 3-7 .300
Danville 1-6 W2 4-7 .364
New London 0-6 L10 0-10 .000

Girls’ South Division

Mediapolis 69, Holy Trinity Catholic 42

Two undefeated teams entered Mediapolis High School last night and the Bulldogs cemented their spot atop the South standings with a dominant showing with 21 steals and 43% shooting from the field. Josie Hutcheson led the team with 17 points in the win.

Mediapolis head coach Todd Borrison said this before the season about the strength of this team,

“Well, I think the fact that we can play up tempo and we got multiple ball handlers, and we start the game, all five of them. Kids can move and we don’t really have that one kid that we have to protect in our press. So we’re going to mix up defenses and we’re going to try to really be aggressive and just try to create tempo.”

That aggressive nature saw the Bulldogs put up 69 points against a defense that had not allowed more than 41 points this season.

Danville 47, New London 17

The Bears ventured back into the win column with their ninth straight victory over New London. Alaina Gourley continues to be the feature of the offense, putting up 20 points in the win. Mylee Miller led the Tigers with seven points.

Central Lee 54, Van Buren County 38

Central Lee’s loss to Danville back in December that saw the Hawks score only 26 points certainly does not help the resume, but the offense appears to have bounced back after outscoring the Warriors 19 to 5 in the first quarter and riding that momentum.

Sophia Jirak led the team with 16 points as the Warriors lost their 0.500 record in conference play.

Burlington Notre Dame 52, West Burlington 31

In a cross-town rivalry, the Nikes landed the first punch and the last punch, outscoring the Falcons 35 to 15. Kinsey Cameron captured 14 points in the winning effort as Notre Dame continues to gain confidence for a roster full of underclassmen.

Team CONF ST OVER PCT
Mediapolis 7-0 W10 10-0 1.000
Holy Trinity Catholic 5-1 L1 8-1 .889
Danville 4-2 W1 6-5 .545
Central Lee 4-3 W1 5-5 .500
Van Buren County 3-4 L1 5-4 .556
Burlington Notre Dame 2-4 W1 2-7 .222
West Burlington 1-7 L7 2-9 .182
New London 0-5 L11 0-11 .000

Sports, January 8th

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

Danville made the trip to New London last night and swept the Tigers as the girls’ team secured a 47-17 win, while the boys’ team could not miss in an 73-52 exhibition of offense for the Bears. The Danville girls’ team was led by Alaina Gourley’s 20 points, while Mylee Miller put up a team high seven points for the Tigers. 

On the boys’ side, four players finished the contest with at least 20 points as New London had London Franklin collect 22 points and Brigham Porter scored 20 points. The Bears had Jaden Bauer go off for 26 points, followed by Kessler Whaley with 22 points.  

New London will face off against West Burlington at home on Friday, January 10th, with the girls’ team playing at 6 pm.

Danville will compete against Mediapolis on the road on Friday with tip-off scheduled for 6 pm. 

In a showdown for the top spot of the Southeast Iowa Super Conference South division, the Mediapolis girls’ team continued their dominant start with a 69-42 win over Holy Trinity Catholic as the defense tabbed 21 steals. Josie Hutcheson scored 17 points in the win. On the boys’ side, the Crusaders picked up a 65-54 victory as Luke Hellige cashed in for 23 points. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will travel to Central Lee on Friday with the girls tipping off the night at 6 pm. 

The Van Buren County boys’ team lost to Central Lee last night 64-35. The Warriors will face off against Burlington Notre Dame on Friday with game time at 6 pm.

Both WACO squads continued their win streaks last night against Wapello with the girls’ winning 51-36 and the boys’ team claiming a 50-40 victory. Ella Huisenga led the Warriors with 13 points, while the boys team had Christian Stacy finish the contest with 16 points. Wapello had Macey Kuntz and Kinnick Richenberger lead their teams in scoring with 11 and 14 points, respectively. 

Wapello will square off against Pekin on Friday with game one at 6 pm at home. 

The WACO girls’ team will compete against Iowa Valley at home at 6:45 pm, while the boys’ team will face off against North Linn on the road at 7 pm with both games taking place tomorrow, January 9th.  

Winfield-Mt. Union split their matchups against Pekin with the girls’ team falling 67-36, while the boys’ team held on to win 47-45 behind Cooper Buffington’s 21 point performance. The Wolves will host Louisa-Muscatine on Friday with the night scheduled to start at 6 pm. 

The Burlington Notre Dame girls’ team clobbered West Burlington 52-31, while the boys’ team fell to the Falcons 62-47. 

Burlington Notre Dame will play West Branch tomorrow at home with the girls’ scheduled to start at 6 pm. 

The Columbus girls’ team ventured back in the win column with a dominant 47-19 showing against Louisa-Muscatine. The boys’ team was unable to complete their comeback against the Falcons in a 70-62 loss, despite scoring 32 points in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats will take on Lone Tree at home on Friday with the boys’ team scheduled to play at 7:30 pm following the girls game. 

Fairfield will host Mt. Pleasant on Friday with game one at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm. 

High School Wrestling

Fairfield hosted a quad last night with Wapello in attendance. The Trojan boys’ team collected a 2-1 record with a 60-24 win over Chariton and a 64-18 victory against Wapello. Dain Burkhart, Dre Smithburg, and Cason Miller each finished the night with a 3-0 record.

The Wapello boys’ team struggled, finishing the night 0-3. Cohen Wolford was the lone wrestler to go undefeated for the night. 

The Wapello girls’ team will participate in the Lancer Invitational at North Scott on Friday, January 10th, while the boys’ team will compete on Saturday, January 11th, at BGM for an invitational. 

The New London boys’ team will travel to Durant tomorrow, January 9th, to compete in a meet.

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and Fairfield boys’ teams will compete at the Ottumwa Invitational on Friday.

The Mt. Pleasant, Mediapolis, Van Buren County, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and WACO girls’ teams will compete at the Highland tournament on Friday.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will travel to Maquoketa for a tournament on Saturday.

The Mt. Pleasant and WACO boys’ teams will travel to Highland for the Gary Curtis Invitational on Saturday.

High School Bowling

Mt. Pleasant will host Washington tomorrow, January 9th. 

Southeastern Community College

The #20 men’s basketball team will take on Western Iowa Tech at home tonight with tip-off scheduled for 7 pm. 

College Basketball

The #3 Iowa State men’s team routed Utah last night 82-59 for their 10th straight win. Curtis Jones collected a game-high 23 points in the win. The Cyclones will compete against Texas Tech on Saturday, January 11th, on the road at 1 pm. 

The Iowa men’s team got it done in overtime last night against Nebraska, winning 97-87. Josh Dix had a phenomenal game with 31 points, followed closely behind by Payton Sandfort with 30 points. The Hawkeyes will host Indiana on Saturday at 7 pm. 

The #23 Iowa women’s team will take on Illinois tomorrow, January 9th, at 6 pm on the road.

The Iowa State women’s team will face off against Arizona State tonight at 7:30 pm on the road. 

This Day in Sports History

1945 – The University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team sets an NCAA record by holding Arkansas State to 6 points in a 75-6 win.

1955 – Georgia Tech ends Kentucky’s 129-game home basketball win streak. 

1984 – The Executive Committee of the NCAA votes to expand the championship basketball field to 64 teams starting in 1985.

Governor Kim Reynolds Issues Immediate Proclamation Lifting Restrictions On Transportation of Heating and Motor Fuels

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 at 6:05 am CDT

With most the state of Iowa in a severe weather alert, Governor Kim Reynolds issued an immediate proclamation to ease restrictions on transportation of heating and motor fuels.

This proclamation is effective immediately and continues through 11:59 p.m. on February 6, 2025. This proclamation suspends the regulatory provisions of Iowa Code pertaining to hours of service for crews and drivers delivering propane, diesel, natural gas, and other fuels used for residential, agricultural, and commercial heating purposes.

At this time, Drivers making such deliveries can do so in their time frame to assure people are no without heat, gas or fuel during these winter storms.

Washington County 7th & 8h Grade 4-H Will Attend Region 19 4-H Trip in St. Louis

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 at 5:57 am CDT

Washington County 7th-8th grade 4-H students are invited to attend Region 19’s 4-H Trip to St. Louis, Missouri April 4th-5th. 4-H students will visit the St. Louis Aquarium, Grant’s Farm, have lunch at Union Station, take a tram ride to the top of the St. Louis Arch and an overnight stay will be spent at the Challenger Learning Center participating in the Space Mission Program and Rocket Program.

Space is limited and registrations will be accepted online first come, first serve.

Registration is open until February 7 (or until trip is filled at)  https://tinyurl.com/4hStLou2025.

The final registration cost is $270 due to Washington County Extension. For more information about Region 19 7th-8th grade trip or Washington County 4-H program, contact the Washington County Extension Office at 319-653-4811.

Follow “Washington County 4-H – Iowa” on Facebook.