Sports, January 15th

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

New London was swept by Van Buren County last night with the girls’ team losing 45-24 and the boys’ team falling 67-61. Mylee Miller collected 10 points and five blocks for the Tigers. 

New London will take on Moravia at home tomorrow, January 16th, with game one at 6 pm. 

Van Buren County will travel to Mediapolis on Friday, January 17th, for a doubleheader scheduled to start at 6 pm. 

The Mediapolis girls’ team clobbered West Burlington last night 73-22 to get back in the win column as Josie Hutcheson tabbed 20 points and eight steals for the Bulldogs. The boys’ team had no such luck, surrendering a 76-65 final to #6 Falcons. 

West Burlington will face off against Holy Trinity Catholic on the road with the girls’ starting off the night at 6 pm on Friday. 

The Holy Trinity Catholic boys’ team dominated Danville last night to the tune of 72-39 final as Luke Hellige cashed in for 34 points for the Crusaders, while the Danville girls’ team narrowly escaped with a 44-42 win over the Crusaders. 

Danville will compete against Central Lee on Friday at home with game time at 6 pm. 

WACO split their matchup against Pekin last night with the girls’ team winning 55-31 and the boys’ team losing 52-44 after being outscored 36 to 12 in the first half. Brenna Graber led the Warriors with 20 points in the girls’ contest.  

WACO will stay on the road this Friday for a showdown against Louisa-Muscatine with the girls’ tipping-off the night at 6 pm. 

Winfield-Mt. Union finished 1-1 last night as the girls’ team fell to Lone Tree 74-35 and the boys’ team nearly gave the game away before outscoring the Lions 9 to 5 in overtime to win 56-52. The Wolves will tango with Hillcrest Academy on Friday with the boys playing at 7:30 pm, following the girls’ game. 

The Burlington Notre Dame girls’ team was defeated 58-29 last night at the hands of Central Lee.

Burlington Notre Dame will host New London on Friday with the doubleheader starting at 6 pm.

The Wapello girls’ won a low-scoring affair against Louisa-Muscatine last night 38-23, while the boys’ team could not keep pace with the Falcons, losing 68-47. Wapello will venture to Lone Tree on Friday with a 6 pm start time. 

The Columbus boys’ team was handled by Hillcrest Academy last night 70-33, while the girls’ team collected a 46-33 win over the Ravens. The Wildcats will take on Highland on Friday with the girls’ teams tipping-off at 6 pm. 

Fairfield will compete against Pekin tomorrow with the doubleheader starting at 6 pm. 

Mt. Pleasant will face off against Burlington on the road 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

The Van Buren County boys’ team will take on Highland tomorrow, January 16th, for a dual. 

The Fairfield boys’ team will compete in a triangular tomorrow at home. 

Mt. Pleasant will duel Washington tomorrow on the road. 

The WACO boys’ team will host Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and New London tomorrow for a double dual. 

The Wapello boys’ team will host a meet tomorrow at 6 pm with Mediapolis making the trip. 

The WACO girls’ team will host a meet with Mediapolis, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, and Van Buren County making the trip tomorrow. 

The Wapello girls’ team will participate in the Cascade Tournament tomorrow.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will travel to Lone Tree tomorrow for a triangular. 

High School Bowling

Fairfield will host Burlington tomorrow, January 16th.

Mt. Pleasant will take on Fairfield on January 23rd at home. 

Southeastern Community College

The men’s basketball team got back in the win column last night with an emphatic 82-43 victory over Harry S, Truman College. The Blackhawks will take on Indian Hills Community College on Saturday, January 18th, at 7 pm on the road. 

College Basketball

The #2 Iowa State men’s team will face another test tonight at home at 6 pm against #9 Kansas. KILJ AM 1130 and 98.5 FM will have the call. 

The Iowa men’s team could not corral USC’s offense last night in a 99-89 loss to the Trojans. Owen Freeman put up 23 points in the loss. The Hawkeyes will stay on the west coast to compete against UCLA on Friday, January 17th, at 8 pm. 

The Iowa women’s team will take on Nebraska at home tomorrow, January 16th, at 6 pm. 

The Iowa State women’s team had their NCAA record for consecutive games with a three-pointer end last night at 945 games, but it did not deter the Cyclones from defeating Texas Tech 71-58. Audi Crooks (28 points) and Addy Brown (21 points) led the way with 49 combined points. The Cyclones will take on #20 West Virginia on Sunday, January 19th, at noon.

This Day in Sports History

1967 – Super Bowl I, LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA: the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10; MVP: Bart Starr, Green Bay, QB.

1987 – Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird was named Man of the Year by The Sporting News and Athlete of the Year by The Associated Press, marking the first time one athlete had gained both distinctions.

1990 – In a bizarre NHL coaching move, the Washington Capitals fired coach Brian Murray, who had been head coach since 1981, and replaced him with his brother Terry, who had been coaching in the minors.

Janet Sue Rippenkroeger

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 at 5:38 pm CDT

Janet Sue Rippenkroeger, 75, of New London, died Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House, West Burlington. She was born March 27, 1949 in Washington, Illinois to Wilbert and Helen Rose Hangartner Seggerman. She attended Winfield schools and was a member of Heritage Baptist Church in Burlington.

She married David Mathews in 1965; they later divorced. On May 7, 1988, she married Darrell Long; he died March 10, 2015. She married Randy Rippenkroeger February 10, 2017 at Heritage Baptist Church.

Janet worked in housekeeping at the Harlan Hotel in Mt. Pleasant and retired after twenty-seven years at Heatilator. She enjoyed mini-vacations; watching the hummingbirds at her kitchen window; was a good cook and loved to eat Randy’s fresh caught fish; she adored her cats Izzy and Midnight; but most importantly, she loved her grandchildren.

Survivors include her husband, Randy; two daughters, Kimberly (Terri) Hester-Mathews of Winfield and Lindsey Wagner of Mt. Pleasant; step-children, Christie (Harley) Davidson of Donnellson, Randy (Patricia) Rippenkroeger of Ft. Madison, Gary (Robin) Long of New London and Michael Cain of Croton, Iowa; twelve grandchildren, Paige, Kylie, Madelyn, Adriana, Courtney, Alayna, Rylan, Nicholas, Maci, Damion, Lincoln and Ellie; two great-grandchildren Braydon and Amelia; Brothers Eddie (Charlene) Seggerman of Mt. Pleasant, Leslie (Jean) Seggerman of Roanoke, Illinois, Myron Seggerman of Tonasket, Washington, and Greg (Penny) Seggerman of Texas; sisters Beverly (Jeff) Rodgers of Keosauqua, and Janel Seggerman of South Dakota. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Willy; and infant sister Joella.

The funeral service for Mrs. Rippenkroeger will be held at 1:00 PM, Monday, January 20, 2025 at Elliott Chapel, New London. Visitation will begin at 9:00 with the family present to greet friends from 11:00 until the time of the service. Burial will follow at Sheridan Cemetery, Mt. Union. A memorial has been established to assist the family. Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Tops $100 Million in Conservation Funding to Iowa Farmers

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 at 4:43 pm CDT

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) obligated a record $112.1 million in conservation practice funding to Iowa farmers in fiscal year 2024 (FY24) through 1,960 conservation program contracts that will help treat natural resource concerns such as soil erosion and water quality on nearly 400,000 acres.

Conservation program contracts typically run three to five years, depending on the program. The obligated funds are about $26 million more than the prior record of $85.8 million in 2023, and nearly $40 million more than the prior five-year average.

In Henry County, NRCS and its conservation partners obligated about $661,785.07 last year that will help treat resource concerns on 3,532.7 acres.

IRA vs Farm Bill Funding
Iowa NRCS staff obligated about 42 percent ($47.2 million) of the FY24 conservation funding through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA, signed into law in 2022, addresses clean energy and climate change. IRA conservation funding targets climate-smart agriculture mitigation and helps farmers build resilience in their operations.

Iowa NRCS State Conservationist Jon Hubbert said many of the conservation practices Iowa producers are adopting through the IRA offer stacked benefits. “Not only are practices like cover crops, no-till farming, and tree planting good for air quality, but they can also benefit the soil, water quality, and provide wildlife habitat,” he said.

NRCS staff obligated the other 58 percent of its Iowa financial assistance program funding through the 2018 Farm Bill, which was extended another year. “We are thankful for the support from Congress that allows us to implement record amounts of conservation on Iowa’s private lands,” said Hubbert. “With the importance of agriculture in Iowa, there is a strong need for a variety of conservation practices to help treat our natural resources and sustain agriculture for future generations.”

Program Breakdown
NRCS provides conservation funding through four primary programs authorized through the Farm Bill: Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP): CSP helps farmers build a customized plan to meet their conservation goals and needs. Iowa NRCS obligated $29.2 million through new and renewed CSP contracts during the past year to 594 Iowa landowners who signed five-year CSP contracts. The CSP contracts will cover 204,743 acres.

In Henry County, NRCS obligated 12 contracts totaling $500,474 through six new and renewed CSP contracts that will cover 2,492.7 acres through five-year contracts.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP): NRCS contractd about 58 percent of new federal conservation funding in Iowa through EQIP – a voluntary program that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality, where farmers can choose from a conservation practice list developed at the county level to treat local resource issues.

Through EQIP, NRCS obligated $65.5 million covering 164,073 acres through 1,212 contracts. Cover crops, brush management, and practices to support livestock grazing such as prescribed grazing, watering facility, pipeline, heavy use protection area and fence were the most adopted practices in Iowa in 2024.

In Henry County, NRCS obligated $161,311.07 through 11 new EQIP contracts in 2024 that will cover 1,040 acres. There are currently 17 active EQIP contracts in Henry County that are helping to treat natural resources on 1,809.7 acres obligating $364,369.61.

Conservation Plans: NRCS staff also wrote 23,020 conservation plans during fiscal year 2024, which covers more than two million acres. Conservation plans help producers target and address natural resource concerns such as soil erosion, water quality, and wildlife habitat, in addition to addressing climate change and improving soil health.

 

In Henry County, conservation planners wrote 674 new conservation plans covering nearly 28,145 acres. Overall, 386 conservation plans were applied in Henry County on 40,040 acres.

 

For conservation planning and program questions in Henry County, visit the USDA Service Center at 709 South Iris Street, Mt Pleasant or call the office at 319-385-2824, Ext. 3

Senator Adrian Dickey (R-Packwood) Sworn In For His First Full-Term In The Iowa Senate

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 at 4:20 pm CDT
 Pictured in the Middle Senator Adrian Dickey, (R-Packwood) was sworn in for his first full-term in the Iowa Senate on Monday.

Senator Adrian Dickey, R-Packwood, was sworn in for his first full-term in the Iowa Senate on Monday.

 

Senator Dickey was quoted saying “Iowans have shown us again and again they want common-sense solutions to the problems they’re facing. I am proud to be a voice in Des Moines, protecting what common-sense looks like, and making Iowa a GREAT place for Iowans to live and work.”

 

Senator Dickey is the chair of the Workforce Committee, and serves on the Commerce, Judiciary, Rules and Administration, Transportation, and Ways and Means committees.

 

Senator Adrian Dickey is a father and has been a lifelong Packwood resident. He earned a Bachelor of Technology degree with magna cum laude honors, graduating in just three years from the University of Northern Iowa.

Senator Dickey has served as the chairman of the Board of the Iowa Motor Truck Association. He has been a member of several local groups and boards, including as a board member and past president of the Jefferson County Hospital Foundation (2004-2013), a member of the Iowa Firefighters Association for 33 years, and an officer and member of the Packwood Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department (1992- present). Senator Dickey is a past parish council member and active in Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Fairfield.

Rep. Matt Rinker (R-Burlington) & Rep. Martin Graber (R-Fort Madison) Sworn In During The 91st General Assembly

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 at 10:13 am CDT
Rep. Matt Rinker (R-Burlington) took the oath of office in the Iowa House Chamber on January 13, 2025

(DES MOINES) — On Monday, January 13th, Rep. Matt Rinker (R-Burlington) was sworn into the Iowa House of Representatives on the first day of the 91st General Assembly.

This is Rep. Rinker’s second term in the Iowa House of Representatives. He currently serves on the Public Safety, Veterans Affairs, and Labor Committees, as well as the Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee.

 

 

 

Rep. Martin Graber took the oath of office in the Iowa House Chamber on January 13, 2025.

On Monday, January 13th, Rep. Martin Graber (R-Fort Madison) was sworn into the Iowa House of Representatives on the first day of the 91st General Assembly.

This is Rep. Graber’s third term in the Iowa House of Representatives.  He serves as the Chair of the Federal and Other Funds Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations, Economic Growth and Technology, and Local Government Committees.

Iowa State Representatives Taylor Collins & Jeff Shipley Are Sworn In For Additional Terms

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 at 9:25 am CDT
Rep. Jeff Shipley (R-Fairfield) took the oath of office in the Iowa House Chamber on January 13, 2025

Rep. Jeff Shipley (R-Fairfield) was sworn into the Iowa House of Representatives on the first day of the 91st General Assembly. This is Rep. Shipley’s fourth term in the Iowa House of Representatives. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the High Education and Government Oversight Committees. He also serves on the Education and Judiciary Committees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rep. Taylor Collins (R-Mediapolis) took the oath of office in the Iowa House Chamber on January 13, 2025.

On Monday, January 13th, Rep. Taylor Collins (R-Mediapolis) was sworn into the Iowa House of Representatives on the first day of the 91st General Assembly. This is Rep. Collins’ second term in the Iowa House of Representatives.  He serves as the Chair of the Higher Education Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations, Government Oversight, Natural Resources, and State Government Committees.

MPCSD Presents Central Campus Master Plan During School Board Meeting

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 at 8:27 am CDT

Mount pleasant Community school district held their monthly board meeting on Monday night. First on the agenda was the student spotlight. Kali Barnett & Abby Blint gave the school board an update on their experience taking the Foundation of Education course with Mr. Rogers. As graduates from MPCSD now, they both operate as student teachers within the district. Next, Instructors of the Talented and Gifted Program, Samantha Freeman and Jeremy Klopfenstein spoke about their program.

 

Samantha and Jeremy talked to the board about the course work, the strategies for individual learning, benefits the students are seeing from the talented and gifted program, and some need that the program has.

The main discussion of the board meeting was the Central Campus master plan. Superintendent John Henriksen talks to the school board about some of that plan.

Several parents and staff from Salem elementary were in attendance as there is talk to close Salem elementary school once a central campus is built.

 

 

The entire master plan for the mount pleasant school district can be found on the district website. The school board continued until 8pm, covering some school-based issues that are taking place in the Iowa legislative session in Des Moines; a four day school week is a topic of discussion for state representatives, with many parts for and against it.

Also, the school start date is becoming a concern based on when the start date falls in certain years.

Lastly during the School Board Meeting, it was announced and approved to adopt an early retirement plan within the district. Teachers can qualify if they have worked at least fifteen (15) contracted years (of which ten (10) must be consecutive) for the Mount Pleasant Community School District.

Licensed employees can be paid $70 & Classified Employees can be paid $50 a day for the number of accumulated sick leave days the employee has at the end of that year up to 125 days. if the application for retirement is received by the first business day in March as that is the deadline to submit their application for retirement.

Sports, January 14th

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

The Van Buren County girls’ team collected a 50-41 victory over Fairfield last night as Callie Kracht cashed in for 18 points on 10 of 13 shooting from the free throw line. 

Fairfield will compete against Pekin on Thursday, January 16th, with the doubleheader starting at 6 pm. 

New London will host Van Buren County tonight with the girls tipping off at 6 pm.

WACO will hit the road to take on Pekin tonight with game one at 6 pm. 

Mediapolis will play at home tonight against West Burlington with game time at 6 pm for the doubleheader. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will face off against Danville tonight at home for Teacher Appreciation Night with the boys starting off the night at 6 pm followed by the girls game. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will stay at home tonight to compete against Lone Tree with the night starting at 6 pm. 

Burlington Notre Dame will travel to Central Lee tonight with the doubleheader starting at 6 pm.

Wapello will host Louisa-Muscatine tonight with the night starting at 6 pm. 

Columbus will face off against Hillcrest Academy tonight with game one at 6 pm. 

Mt. Pleasant will face off against Burlington on the road on Friday, January 17th, 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 Boys’ Basketball Rankings

The Iowa High school Athletic Association (IHSAA) released their second edition of the boys’ basketball rankings and one of our local teams kept their spot in the top ten.

In Class 2A, Western Christian and Kuemper Catholic remained in the top two spots, respectively, and despite West Lyon not losing a game since the last rankings, Grand View Christian jumped them to be the #3 team this week. 

West Burlington kept their position at #6 in the rankings, rocking an 11-0 record. The Falcons are averaging an other-worldly 80.4 points per game, while keeping their opponents under 50 points per game for the season. Add in a defense that can cancel out their 10 turnovers per game with 10 steals.

Over in Class 1A, Holy Trinity Catholic was ranked #6 last week before a narrow loss to Central Lee last Friday knocked the Crusaders out of the top ten. 

High School Wrestling

The Van Buren County boys’ team will take on Highland on Thursday, January 16th, for a dual. 

The Fairfield boys’ team will compete in a triangular on Thursday at home. 

Mt. Pleasant will duel Washington on Thursday on the road. 

The WACO boys’ team will host Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union and New London on Thursday for a double dual. 

The Wapello boys’ team will host a meet on Thursday at 6 pm with Mediapolis making the trip. 

The WACO girls’ team will host a meet with Mediapolis, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, and Van Buren County making the trip on Thursday. 

The Wapello girls’ team will participate in the Cascade Tournament on Thursday.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will travel to Lone Tree on Thursday for a triangular. 

High School Bowling

The Fairfield boys’ team defeated Davis County last night 2,739-2,508. Ian Aplara led the Trojans with 400 total pins. The Trojans will host Burlington on Thursday, January 16th.

Mt. Pleasant will take on Fairfield on January 23rd at home. 

Southeastern Community College

The men’s basketball team will stay at home to take on Harry S. Truman College tonight at 7 pm. 

College Basketball

The #2 Iowa State men’s team will face another test tomorrow, January 15th, at home at 6 pm against #9 Kansas. KILJ AM 1130 and 98.5 FM will have the call. The Cyclones will be led by Big 12 Player of the Week in Curtis Jones and Newcomer of the Week Joshua Jefferson.

The Iowa men’s team will travel to USC tonight for a 9:30 pm showdown against the Trojans. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the broadcast. Co-Big Ten Player of the Week Payton Sandfort will look to have another big game for the Hawkeyes. 

The Iowa women’s team will take on Nebraska at home on Thursday, January 16th, at 6 pm. 

The Iowa State women’s team will host Texas Tech tonight with tip-off at 6:30 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1943 – Montreal Canadiens’ left wing Alex Smart becomes the first NHL rookie to score a hat trick in his first NHL game, a 5-1 win at home over the Chicago Blackhawks.

1951 – First NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: the American Conference beats the National Conference, 28-27; MVP: Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns, QB.

1993 – Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton blocks two shots in a 96-89 win over the Seattle SuperSonics; becomes only the second player in NBA history (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to record 3,000 career blocks.