Russ Williams, 81, of Mediapolis, formerly of Danville, died Sunday, May 24, 2026 at Bickford Cottage in Burlington. Services are pending at Elliott Chapel, New London.
Janet “Jan” Carol Hagerty – Sheppard
Janet “Jan” Carol Hagerty – Sheppard, 69, of Fort Madison, Iowa, passed away at 6:50 a.m. Saturday, May 23, 2026 at her daughters home in West Point.
She was born on July 9, 1957 in Keokuk, Iowa, the daughter of Gary Eugene and Betty Jean (Davis) Hagerty. She married Tim Manning, they later divorced. She then married Brian Sheppard, they later divorced.
She is survived by her daughter Tara Manning; four grandchildren: Alexys Hartman, Fayth Hartman, Joshua Hartman II, Amiyah Flores; sister Jackie Barg; one niece: Sara (Corey) Collins; and two nephews: Damien (Susan) Loecker, Ryan (Courtney) Loecker. Also surviving are three children from her husband Tim: Morgan (Richard) Ramirez, Meagan Manning, Brandi Manning; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents; sister Joann Loecker; brother Thomas “Tom” Scott; and grandson Micah Phillips.
Jan was a graduate of Nauvoo – Colusa High School and retired from Silgan Company. Her grandchildren were her whole life.
A visitation will be held from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at Schmitz Funeral Home in West Point, where the family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
A memorial has been established in her memory.
Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.
Stride into Summer Family Walk Scheduled
Healthy Henry County Communities invites all to the “Stride into Summer” Family Walk on Sunday, June 7, from 1pm – 4pm at Eastlake Park in Mt. Pleasant. Bring a stroller or wagon and you will start the walk at the tennis courts where you can pick up a bag. Some of the stations throughout the walk include sun safety, bike safety, bubbles, and kids’ games sponsored by local organizations. (Rain date is 6/14/26). This event is free, packed full of information and fun!
MP Public Library News!
The Mt. Pleasant Children’s Discovery Center is closing for the months of June and July. The discovery center will reopen on August 3rd! On Mondays, the discover center will open from 12pm – 2pm and on Fridays from 10am – noon. Every other Saturday starting in August, the Discover Center will be open from 10am – noon. Registration is currently open for the MP Library summer reading program: “Plant a Seed, Read”! Readers of all ages can register through the program start date which is June 1st and runs through July 2nd. The Mt. Pleasant public library has special programming planned for the month of July – Please be listening to KILJ Radio during the Hy Vee half hour Monday through Friday at 7am for details or refer to KILJ’s community calendar at KILJ.com.
Rick Everett Krogmeier
Rick Everett Krogmeier, 49, of Mount Pleasant passed away on Friday, May 22, 2026, at the Henry County Health Center.
Rick was born on September 28, 1976, in Ottumwa, Iowa. After several months at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Rick came to join the family of Marvin and Karen Krogmeier on June 17, 1977.
As a youngster Rick attended the Developmental Center and then to Hope Haven. In 1983, special needs classes came to Mount Pleasant, where he graduated from Living Skills class.
Rick enjoyed listening to music, especially his musical puppy or bear that went everywhere with him. The past few years he has enjoyed living in his REM home with his housemates and staff.
Those thankful for sharing in Rick’s life include his parents, Marvin and Karen Krogmeier, and his sister and brother-in-law, Becky and Kevin Miller all of Mount Pleasant.
Rick was preceded in death by his grandparents.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Mount Pleasant with Father Ross Epping officiating. Burial will follow in the St. Alphonsus Catholic Cemetery. Friends may call from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mount Pleasant. The family will not be present. Memorials may be directed to the St. Alphonsus Catholic Cemetery in his memory.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com
The Murphy Funeral Home of Mount Pleasant is honored to serve the family with love, comfort and dignity as we celebrate the life of Rick.
Sports, May 25th
High School Track and Field
The 2026 Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships is in the books and southeast Iowa accumulated 19 state champions by the end of the three-day event and a team runner-up finish. Here’s a rundown of each champion.
The meet started with Pekin collecting 20 points, as Anna Hadley reclaimed her shot put title with a toss of 43 feet and 9.75 inches and Chloe Glosser reset the 3000-meter run state meet record with a pace of 9 minutes and 37 seconds.
Class 1A featured two of the best performances of the event. New London’s London Franklin claimed the long jump title with a mark of 22 feet and 4.25 inches and he would add on to his gold medal count by joining Brigham Porter, Cale Westerbeck, and Gavin Strawhacker to take the 4×200 meter relay and defend their 4×100 meter relay banner. Lincoln Bainbridge of Van Buren County went a perfect four for four, winning the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter run, the distance medley, and the 4×400 meter relay with the team of Jace Duncan, Jaren Troxel, and Kayden Simmons.
The Pekin boys’ team took the victory in the sprint medley relay, while the Hillcrest Academy girls’ team won the 4×100 meter relay.
Class 2A’s Lamar Ceant of Columbus roared to his first state championship in the boys’ 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.19 seconds, while West Burlington/Notre Dame’s Landry Haberichter sprinted to the gold in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.72 seconds.
In Class 3A, Burlington’s Kylee Hill and Washington’s Greyson Hartman swept the throwing events with relative ease. Keokuk’s Ryan Bair also brought the broom as he grabbed the gold in the 100 and 200-meter dashes.
Lastly, Bainbridge’s 40 points helped the Warriors snatch 2nd place as a team in the boys’ Class 1A team standings with New London’s 38 points being good enough for 4th place.
High School Postseason Soccer
In Class 1A Substate 5, the Mediapolis boys’ team will take on Pella Christian on Wednesday, May 27th, at 7 pm on the road.
The Danville boys’ team will travel to Burlington Notre Dame on Wednesday at 7 pm.
In Substate 6, the Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will hit the road to play Tipton on Wednesday at 7 pm.
Over in Class 2A Substate 4, the Washington boys’ team will square off against Mt. Vernon on Wednesday at 7 pm on the road.
The Fairfield boys’ team will look to knock off Solon in the substate semifinals on Wednesday at 7 pm on the road.
In Class 3A Substate 4, the Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will host Pella on Wednesday at 5 pm.
In Class 1A Region 2, the Fairfield girls’ team will take on Central Lee tomorrow, May 26th, at 7 pm at home, while the Wapello girls’ team will compete against Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union at the same time.
The Burlington Notre Dame girls’ team will face off against Mediapolis and Washington will travel to Mid-Prairie with both games scheduled to start on Thursday, May 28th, at 7 pm.
For Class 2A Region 4, the Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will tangle with Davenport North on Thursday at 7 pm and Fort Madison will host Keokuk with the winner advancing to play Burlington on June 2nd.
High School Golf
The boys’ Class 1A state tournament will take place at Westwood Golf Course tomorrow, May 26th, from Newton as Winfield-Mt. Union and Hillcrest Academy’s Rowan Miller get ready to compete.
The boys’ Class 2A state tournament is slated to start tomorrow at South Hills Golf Course in Waterloo with Central Lee, Mediapolis, and Burlington Notre Dame’s Sam Yonker making the trip.
The girls’ Class 1A state meet is scheduled to take place at Cedar Pointe Golf Course in Boone on May 28th with Highland and Wapello’s Emmalin Marshall competing.
Burlington Notre Dame’s Alexandria Booten will be heading to the American Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown on May 28th for the girls’ Class 2A state meet.
The girls’ Class 3A state meet will take place in Cedar Falls at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course on May 28th with Fort Madison’s Kylie Lumino participating.
High School Boys’ Tennis
Mt. Pleasant’s duo of Sawyer Fulton and Max Heater along with Fort Madison’s Rowan Benda will travel to Waterloo for the State Singles and Doubles competition scheduled for Wednesday, May 27th.
High School Baseball
Wapello will square off against Hillcrest Academy on Thursday, May 28th, at 7 pm at home.
Van Buren County will head to Central Lee tomorrow, May 26th, for first pitch at 7 pm.
Mt. Pleasant will welcome Clear Creek Amana tomorrow at 7 pm.
Fairfield will travel to Central Lee on Wednesday, May 27th, at 7 pm.
High School Softball
Central Lee will travel to Louisa-Muscatine tonight at 7 pm.
Holy Trinity Catholic will stay on the road to play Danville tomorrow, May 26th, at 7 pm.
Mt. Pleasant will welcome Oskaloosa to town tomorrow at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.
West Burlington/Notre Dame will host West Liberty tomorrow at 7 pm.
Wapello will square off against Columbus tomorrow at 7 pm on the road.
Local Summer Athletic Camps
Mt. Pleasant girls’ basketball is offering up a camp for any girls’ basketball players entering 3rd through 12th grades from June 23rd through the 25th located at the Mt. Pleasant High School Gym. The camp will focus on the fundamentals and introduce team concepts employed by the high school’s system.
If you would like to sign-up, then follow this link and fill out the form: https://kilj.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/mp-girls-bball-camp.pdf
Winfield-Mt. Union is encouraging students entering 3rd through 8th grade to stay active this summer with their Wolfpack Performance Training program that will feature 12 dates throughout June and the beginning of July from 9 am to 9:45 am to build speed and agility.
If you would like to sign-up, then head over to KILJ’s Facebook page and use their QR Code.
Prospect League
The Burlington Bees will have their home opener tomorrow, May 26th, at 6:30 pm against the Normal CornBelters.
The Clinton LumberKings will start the season at home against the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp at 6:30 pm tomorrow.
This Day in Sports History
1935 – Legendary American athlete Jesse Owens equals or breaks four world records in 45 minutes at a Big Ten meet at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan; remembered as “the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport.”
1997 – Todd and Mel Stottlemyre become the first father and son to win 100 games in Major League Baseball.
1922 – Babe Ruth is suspended one day and fined $200 for throwing dirt on an umpire.
Two Vehicle vs. Deer Accidents on Sunday, North of Mt. Pleasant
The Washington County Dispatch reported a motorcycle vs. deer accident on Highway 218 at Crawfordsville at about 8:40pm Sunday night. Washington County deputies and rescue units responded. Gregory Joseph Oler of Cedar Rapids was the operator of the motorcycle. While injured, Oler was conscious at the scene.
At about 9:30pm on Sunday, Washington County dispatch reported a vehicle vs deer accident in the 2900 block of Highway one near Brighton. Chase Branch of Ottumwa was the driver of the vehicle and was not injured.