The National Weather Service is predicting a quiet weekend weather wise with temperatures trending upwards as we head into next week. Today’s high will be in the upper 30’s. On Sunday, it will be a little cooler with the high around 30 degrees. As we start the week on Monday, temperatures will be in the 40’s.
Winds will be gusting overnight tonight up to 20 MPH and overnight lows will be 13 degrees tonight and 18 degrees on Sunday night.
When winter blankets our roads with snow and ice, Iowa DOT snowplows are critical in helping restore safe travel conditions.
Rushing to pass a plow, driving into its operational space, or staying in its blind spots can quickly become a recipe for an accident. To perform their work properly, snowplows typically travel 5 to 35 mph. Despite their signature combination of amber, white, and blue lights, they are often hit from behind by drivers who approach them too fast and are unable to get stopped in time. This winter season alone, a total of nine DOT snowplows have been hit by vehicles.
So far in 2025 in Iowa, 11 people have been killed in traffic crashes. That’s an increase of four since last Friday. In Iowa in 2024, there were 352 traffic-related deaths. For more information go to: https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf
High School Basketball
The Mediapolis girls’ team squashed Louisa-Muscatine last night 67-30. Ellah Wagenbach produced 17 points and nine rebounds in the winning effort. The boys’ team lost a close one to the Falcons, 56-53.
New London will travel to Mediapolis tonight with the boys’ team following the girls game at 7:30 pm.
WACO split their matchup against Sigourney last night with the girls’ team falling 64-42, while the boys’ team handled business, winning 62-49. The girls’ team was led by Brenna Graber’s 10 points. Christian Stacy went off for an incredible 41 points as he knocked down six threes. The Warriors will face off against Hillcrest Academy tonight at home with game one at 6 pm.
Mt. Pleasant will celebrate their senior night tonight, January 24th, against Fort Madison with game time at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm. Girls’ head coach Curt Watson talked about how tonight’s game will be a bittersweet moment for him,
“I couldn’t be prouder of my two seniors, Charice and Alexa. They’ve been here for four years, and they’ve always given me everything they have, every game, every practice. They’re just a great bunch of girls right there with them too. I mean it just. I love them to death and Charice and Alexa, it’s just hard to imagine how good they can be, and they both improved so much over the last four years they’ve been here and it’s just I’m really going to miss them.”
West Burlington will face off against Central Lee on the road tonight with the girls’ team leading off the night at 6 pm.
Danville will take on Van Buren County tonight at home with game one at 6 pm.
Holy Trinity Catholic will host Burlington Notre Dame tonight with the first game starting at 6 pm.
Wapello will tangle with Highland tonight with the girls getting the night started at 6 pm.
Fairfield will host Washington tonight with the night starting at 6 pm.
Columbus will take on Winfield-Mt. Union on the road tonight with the doubleheader starting at 6 pm.
High School Wrestling
Mt. Pleasant swept Fairfield last night in an important conference showdown. The boys’ team snuck out with a 40-35 win over the Trojans. Cruz Aguilar, Lane Beckler, and William Birdsell all pinned their opponents, while Ramzy Davis and Charlie Bohenkamp won via major decision. Payton Walker collected a win by technical fall and Kolbein Ostby picked up a narrow 4-3 decision over Jacob Crew. Fairfield was led by Cael McCabe, Cason Miller, Calvin McClain, and Dre Smithburg with wins by fall.
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team scraped by with a 24-18 win over the Trojans as Zenlynn Lee, Paris Phosy, and Olivia Gordy each won their match by fall. Alyia Abbott and Samantha Lyons won their matches for Fairfield.
The Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield boys’ teams will travel to Williamsburg for the Raider Round-Robin Invitational tomorrow, January 25th.
The WACO and Van Buren County boys’ teams participated in a triangular at Lone Tree last night with WACO exiting the night 2-0, beating both teams 54-30. Ian Maize, which included a huge win over Van Buren County’s Leo Jirak, Gage Samo, and Louden Huisenga each finished the night with an unblemished record.
Van Buren County took down Lone Tree 48-30 to split the night. Carver Goehring won both of his matches by fall.
The Mediapolis boys’ team hosted a triangular last night and split the night, falling to Highland 39-35 and defeating New London 51-17. Peyton Johnson, Kyler Crow, and Branson Mosley finished the night unbeaten for the Bulldogs.
New London also lost to Highland 43-21. Gage Burden and Gavin Menke-Bailey each went 2-0 on the night for the Tigers.
The Mediapolis, New London, and Van Buren County boys’ teams will compete in the Louisa-Muscatine Invite tomorrow.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team participated at the Pekin Triangular last night and swept the night, defeating the hosts 74-0 and Louisa-Muscatine 57-22. Riley Kaalberg, Jacob Nelson, and Tyson Kaalberg each finished the night 2-0. The Wildcats will host a tournament tomorrow.
The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team celebrated their senior night in style nearly blanking Wapello last night 76-3. Jared Glendening, C.J. Davis, Kael Cook, Dirk Boyles, and Bridge Anderson won by fall, while Kaiden Dietzenbach took his match by technical fall. Wapello’s Jaime Prado won his team’s lone match by a 5-0 decision.
The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will travel to compete in the Alburnett Duals tomorrow.
The Wapello boys’ team will participate in the John Byers Invitational at Midland tomorrow.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and Fairfield girls’ teams will travel to Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow for an Invite.
The WACO boys’ team will travel to Highland for a double dual on January 30th.
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 hosted Fairfield last night. The girls’ team picked up the victory 2,196-1,856. Bethany Drury led the way for the Panthers with 357 total pins, while Autumn Rose McBride collected 279 total pins for the Trojans.
The boys’ team dropped their showdown to the Trojans 3,007-2,575. Henry Pforts put up 400 total pins for the Panthers.
Mt. Pleasant will take on Louisa-Muscatine at the Rose Bowl on Monday, January 27th.
Fairfield will celebrate their senior night on January 30th against Keokuk.
Southeast Iowa Playbook
Tune in to KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, tonight during the 5 pm-hour for a special episode featuring Mt. Pleasant’s Alexa Fuller as she celebrates her senior night.
Southeastern Community College
The men’s basketball team will compete against Moberly Area Community College tomorrow, January 25th, with tip-off at 7 pm.
College Basketball
The #3 Iowa State men’s team will travel to Arizona State tomorrow, January 25th, at 1 pm.
The Iowa men’s team will host Penn State tonight at 8 pm.
The Iowa women’s team will venture back home to face off against Northwestern on Tuesday, January 28th, at 7 pm.
The Iowa State women’s team will take on UCF at home tomorrow at 4 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1952 – The Dallas Texans become the first NFL team in Texas; formerly the New York Yanks, the Texans lose 11 of 12 games and fold after one season.
1962 – Jackie Robinson is the first African American elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame; Bob Feller is also elected.
1990 – Los Angeles’ Pat Riley becomes the 13th and fastest coach to reach the 500-victory plateau as the Lakers down the Indiana Pacers, 120-111; Riley completes the task in 133 less games.
Scott Dean Houser, 49, a resident of Wayland, passed away Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date at the Fairfield VFW. Memorials may be made to his family and mailed to 202 S. Washington St. Wayland, IA 52654. Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield is assisting the family.
Scott was born May 19, 1975 in Centerville, the son of Norman Houser and Brenda Sales Parcell. He attended Chariton Community School District through his freshman year in high school. He graduated from Fairfield High School in 1993. Scott married Makayla Pencil-Pratt, October 9, 2020 in Mt. Pleasant.
Scott worked as a semi-truck driver for JB Hunt. He had an obsession with video games and consoles. He enjoyed working on cars, fixing things around the house, watching movies, comic-cons, and spending time with his family.
Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Makayla; children, Benjamin Houser of Washington and Vaeda Houser of Wayland; granddaughter, Albanie Houser; parents, Norm Houser of Centerville and Brenda (Doug) Parcell of Batavia; and brothers, Shafer Harris and Cody Harris, both of Batavia.
He was preceded in death by a stillborn son; and grandparents, Raymond and Deloris Houser, and Velmer and Irene Sales.
Online condolences may be made to Scott’s family by viewing his obituary at www.behnerfh.com.
A High speed chase from September of 2024 in Mount Pleasant has come to new information involving a homicide of a West Liberty woman. Brady Grimm led Mount Pleasant Police Department on a high speed police chase around 6:30 PM on September 5 stopping several times to fire shots at the Mount Pleasant Police Department, eventually losing control of his vehicle on Highway 218 and 185th Street.
Officers approached the car and determined that he was dead on scene. West Liberty Police have recently come to say that a man shot and killed his dead father’s girlfriend before leading police on that chase before killing himself. West liberty Pd had been working a homicide investigation since September 5th.
The investigation was between Brady Grimm & his dead father’s girlfriend, Susan Sam Fittro.
Police say it started with a domestic violence incident at Brady’s home in Mount Pleasant around 3:30 on September 5th. WL Police say Grimm went to the West Liberty home and killed his dead father’s girlfriend, Susan, Sam Fittro at her house that afternoon. Grimm then returned to his house in Mount pleasant around 6:30 on the evening of Sept 5th before leading MP officers on the high speed chase leading to a crash and then shooting himself.
A family member found Miss Fittro dead later at her home. Police say Grimm’s identity was withheld this length of time during the investigation to follow up on leads and forensic examinations.
Prep Basketball- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) released their seventh basketball rankings of the 2024-25 season and a local team has reemerged into the top 15. It was also not a good week to be ranked 9th as three of the five classes saw downward movement from the slot on an overall quiet week.
Class 5A
Johnston is still clinging on to an undefeated record and the top spot, followed by Dowling Catholic and Waukee Northwest, respectively. In fact, only one team caused any source of movement in the rankings.
Iowa City West was formerly ranked #9, but a loss to #5 Prairie in a 65-57 final pushed the Trojans down to #11 this week. Iowa City Liberty’s four-game win streak caused the Lightning to jump Cedar Falls to the #12 spot.
No teams were ejected from the rankings.
Class 4A
To breeze past the usual, Bishop Heelan is the #1 team for Class 4A as the top seven remained unchanged. The 8-10 spots were jumbled with Xavier moving two spots up to #8 as Waverly-Shell Rock and Pella were shifted two spots down to #9 and #10, respectively.
The reason the Go Hawks were slotted a spot lower was a 67-59 loss to Keokuk. The win catapulted the Chiefs back into the top 15 at #13 for the first time since December 5th in the second rankings of the season.
The Chiefs are touting an 11-game win streak with eight of the games being won by double digits. Last year’s SEC Player of the Year, Kendra Boatman, has really stepped up her play, averaging 20.3 points per game to go along with five steals and five assists per game.
Gilbert lost two of their past three games to #2 North Polk and #15 Carroll caused their removal from the top 15.
Class 3A
Mt. Vernon and Estherville Lincoln Central kept their top two spots, respectively, but undefeated Forest City jumped Wahlert Catholic after the Golden Eagles fell to Xavier in their most recent matchup.
Solon’s 57-54 loss to West Delaware saw the Spartans tossed from the top 15 and replaced by Center Point-Urbana at the #15 slot.
Class 2A
Not a single team was moved from their spot last week as Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s 15-0 record reigns over everyone else. Other undefeated teams include: #4 Hinton, #7 Denver, and #9 Maquoketa Valley.
Class 1A
The curse of the #9 slot caused a juggling of the middle three slots. #8 Springville handed East Buchanan a 61-54 loss on Tuesday night, causing the Buccaneers to fall from #9 to #10 in the rankings. Gladbrook-Reinbeck climbed two spots to the open #9 slot, while Lynnville-Sully took a step back to #11.
St. Albert kept their stranglehold on the crown, while North Linn and Newell-Fonda kept their spots in the top three, respectively. No teams were dropped from the top 15.
Rep. Shipley Welcomes Mt. Pleasant FFA
On Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Shipley (R-Fairfield) welcomed members of the Mt. Pleasant FFA chapter to the Iowa House during the FFA Legislative Symposium.
Rep. Heather Hora (R-Washington) welcomed members of the Washington and Highland FFA chapters to the Iowa House during the FFA Legislative Symposium.
Rep. Hans Wilz (R-Ottumwa) welcomed members of the Ottumwa FFA chapter to the Iowa House during the FFA Legislative Symposium.
Rep. Helena Hayes (R-New Sharon) welcomed members of the North Mahaska FFA chapter to the Iowa House during the FFA Legislative Symposium.
Heating Fuels
Tips for saving energy on the road or at home are available at energy.gov and fueleconomy.gov
