Overtime Victories Yield Conference Honors for the Iowa and Iowa State Men’s Basketball Programs

By Slaten Swords · Monday, January 13th, 2025 at 4:25 pm CDT

College Basketball- The men’s basketball teams for Iowa and Iowa State have certainly enjoyed the spoils of last week’s matchups with both squads earning wins in overtime and now the Cyclones being ranked 2nd in the top 25. For their trouble, a couple players earned Conference Player of the Week Honors.

Big Ten

Payton Sandfort, who also eared the Dick Vitale National Player of the Week, will have to share the spotlight with Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin as Co-Big Ten Player of the Week, but the Waukee native will certainly enjoy his second weekly honor of his career.

The Hawkeyes played Nebraska last Tuesday under the theme of Superhero Night and Iowa clearly needed a hero as the squad trailed by 15 points in the second half. That’s when Sandfort took over the game, scoring 30 points between the second half and overtime to score the 97-87 win.

He followed that performance with 23 points in a dominant 85-60 win over Indiana. It was his sixth 20-point game of the season.

The Hawkeyes will face off against USC on the road tomorrow, January 14th, with the game scheduled to start at 9:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the call.

Big 12

The #2 Cyclones had two players earn Big 12 weekly awards as Curtis Jones was named Player of the Week and Joshua Jefferson took home Newcomer of the Week.

The duo helped Iowa State produce two wins as Jones averaged 24.5 points per game for their two contests without turning over the ball, while Jefferson netted 17 points in each game, including the layup to send their contest against Texas Tech into overtime and the eventual game-winning free throws.

The Cyclones will need the duo to show up against #9 Kansas on Wednesday, January 15th, in front of the home crowd with tip-off scheduled for 6 pm. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will have the broadcast.

Prep Basketball: Class 2A’s West Burlington Stays Put in Recent IHSAA Rankings

By Slaten Swords · Monday, January 13th, 2025 at 3:32 pm CDT

Prep Basketball- A week has passed, and the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) has released their second edition of the basketball rankings for the 2024-25 season and a shakeup in the top 10 shows that no team can take a game off.

Class 4A

Cedar Falls still sits above the rest with one of three undefeated records left in the class: in fact, the top four remained unchanged with Valley and Waukee Northwest rounding out the top three.

The only change that occurred was Johnston falling from #5 in the rankings to #8 after a loss to then-ranked #8 Waukee, now up a spot to #7, 58-56. Beyond that all ten teams stayed within the rankings.

Class 3A

Aptly, the top three teams in Ballard, Clear Lake, and Decorah are undefeated and ranked in that respective order. Wahlert Catholic kept their spot at #4 despite a fourth undefeated team climbing the rankings to #5 in Knoxville.

Last week, #7 ADM was in that #5 slot but a one-point loss to unranked Gilbert knocked the Tigers down two spots. Three teams were knocked out of the top 10 in Des Moines Christian, Nevada, and Central DeWitt with Xavier, Storm Lake, and Mt. Vernon taking over the final three spots of the top 10.

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. The Thunder defeated #9 Treynor, 61-56, and previously ranked #9 in Class 3A Nevada, 73-56.

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 and an All-State talent in Mason Watkins has this squad cooking.

Tri-Center was knocked out of the top 10 by #9 Treynor after the Cardinals conquered the Trojans 82-50.

Class 1A

Maquette Catholic and Madrid held strong in their top two spots, then chaos ensued throughout the rest of the top 10. St. Edmond went from being ranked 3rd in Class 1A to hanging on to the top 10 at the #9 slot after losing their last two games by an average of 28.5 points.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck climbed four spots up the rankings to #5, while Northwood-Kensett moved up from #10 to #7 in the rankings. #8 Bishop Garrigan’s 59-57 loss to Cedar Falls knocked the Golden Bears out of the top 10 and #6 Holy Trinity Catholic followed suit with an unexpected 55-52 loss to Central Lee last Friday.

The Crusaders will have an uphill climb to get back in the rankings despite touting a 15.4-point differential. Luke Hellige is leading the charge for the team, averaging 25.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Look for Koby Jones and Layne Rung to take on a bigger role as postseason time approaches.

Taking their spots was #8 MMCRU with an 8-2 record and #10 North Mahaska, rocking a 10-1 record.

MEETING OF HENRY COUNTY SOLDIERS’ & SAILORS’ MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, January 13th, 2025 at 12:27 pm CDT

MEETING OF HENRY COUNTY SOLDIERS’ & SAILORS’ MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Time:  7:30am

HCHC Board Room

 Mission:  To enhance the health of individuals and communities through high quality, effective and efficient services 

Vision:  To be the healthcare provider and employer of choice 

Values:  Quality, Service, Teamwork, Accountability, Respect and Trust 

I.               CALL TO ORDER

II.             ROLL CALL

  1. Mr. Prottsman ____ 4. Mrs. Bender            ____              7. Mr. Welcher ___
  2. Mrs. Olson ____                5. Mrs. McNamee       ____
  3. Mrs. Maher ____ 6. Mr. Blake                            ____

III.           OATH OF OFFICE

IV.           CONSENT AGENDA

  1. Minutes of previous meeting and committees
  2. Administrative memo and EMS report

 

V.             OLD BUSINESS

  1. Financial & Capital Update ♦ □
  2. Soldiers’& Sailors’ Website – Shelley Doak ♦ □GRH Update ♦ □

 

VI.         HOSPITAL INSPECTION:  Karla Maher

VII.         NEW BUSINESS      

  1. Conflict of Interest ♦ □
  2. Set County Tax Public Hearing Date ♦ □ *
  3. Board of Directors Dinner – February 1st at Burlington Golf Club 5:30pm, rsvp to Trulie by January 22nd □

 

VIII.       EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE

Closed session pursuant to Iowa Code Chapter 21.5 to discuss strategic objectives, quality, and legal matter

 

IX.           ADJOURNMENT

BOT Meeting – Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Robert Bernard “Bob” Moeller,

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, January 13th, 2025 at 12:10 pm CDT

Robert Bernard “Bob” Moeller, 89, of West Point, Iowa died Sunday, January 12, 2025 at the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, Fort Madison, Iowa.  Bob was born October 10, 1935 in rural Henry County, Iowa, a son of “Stacy” and Gwendoline (Pauly) Moeller.  He attended school in Houghton, Iowa.  On June 27, 1959, he married Florence Zelinski in Pleasant Plain, Iowa.  She preceded him in death October 23, 2006.

As a young man, Bob worked for local farmers.  He retired from Consolidated Packaging after more than 30 years.  His hobbies included taking his sons hunting and fishing on the family farm, and he especially loved watching his grandchildren play sports.  In his younger years he enjoyed making dandelion wine and having an occasional cold beer with Snappy Tom and peanuts.  He also loved collecting pens from local merchants or anyone who would give them to him! He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the St. James Catholic Church, St. Paul.

Bob is survived by his nine children: Mary (Brian) Burk, of Wever, Iowa; Dianne (Jim) Flaherty, of Fairfax, Iowa; Michael Moeller, of New London, Iowa; Jerome (Connie Taylor) Moeller, of New London, Iowa; Duane (Susan) Moeller, of Bondurant, Iowa; Brian (Barb) Moeller, of Donnellson, Iowa; Paulette (Nathan) Wyrick, of Donnellson, Iowa; Chris (Amber) Moeller, of Luray, Missouri; Stacey Moeller, of Mt. Pleasanat, Iowa; three siblings: Ruth Taylor, of Fort Madison, Iowa; Carol Kulpa, of Newton, Iowa; Barb Niehaus, of Sperry, Iowa; three sister-in-laws: Linda Zelinski, Eileen Moeller and Donna Moeller; 20 grandchildren: Collin Burk, Megan Burk, Stephanie VanTrump, Hunter Moeller, Austin Moeller, Seth Moeller, Mara Moeller, Isaac Moeller, Gavin Moeller, Karissa Moeller, Blake Wyrick, Brayden Wyrick, Stephanie Sammons, Miranda Wiseman, Kyle Golbricht, Riley Moeller, Rodney Bagwell, Ed Bagwell, Trent Bagwell and Michal Bagwell, 8 great grandchildren: Addysen Frakes, Behren VanTrump, Cearsen VanTrump, Draven VanTrump, Mackenzie Sammons, Madison Sammons, Conner Moeller and Wyatt Wiseman and several nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, four siblings: Francine Smith, James Moeller, Bernard Moeller and Leroy Moeller, brother-in-laws: Harold Zelinski, Al Smith, Glenn Taylor, Walt Kulpa and Ron Niehaus, one nephew and one great nephew.

Family will greet friends at the St. James Catholic Church, St. Paul, Iowa, Thursday, January 16th from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, January 17th at 10:30 am at the St. James Catholic Church, with Reverend Gary Beckman as Celebrant.  Burial will be at the St. James Cemetery, St. Paul, Iowa.  A memorial has been established for the St. James Cemetery, contributions may be left at Barr Memorial Chapel or the St. James Catholic Church on the day of the service. Barr Memorial Chapel is honored to serve the Moeller family and an online guest book may be found at www.barrmemorialchapel.com.

Jerry Hite

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, January 13th, 2025 at 12:07 pm CDT

Jerry Wm. Hite, 79, of Danville, died Saturday, January 11, 2025 at Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House, West Burlington.  He was born January 6, 1946 in Freeport, Illinois to George R. and Bernadine E. Carpenter Hite.  On December 4, 1971, he married Cheryl “Sherri” Garrels in Burlington.

He was a 1964 graduate of Burlington High School and earned a robotics degree from Indian Hills Community College.  He was a skilled tradesman working for J.I. Case Company in the Experimental Department from June 1974 until June 2008.  He was a member of New London Christian Church.

Jerry loved hunting and being outdoors; was a voracious reader; loved John Wayne and watching old westerns; working on computers; was a black belt in karate; and especially enjoyed visiting with his many friends.

Besides his wife, Jerry is survived by his daughter Allison (Dusty) Furnald of Danville; and his grandchildren Alexis Hite and Kenna and Karlee Furnald.  He was preceded in death by his parents; son Travis Hite; his father and mother-in-law Earl and Doris Garrels; and brothers-in-law David Garrels and Darrell Becker.

A memorial service will be at 11:00 February 1, 2025 at Elliott Chapel, New London, with Pastor Rod Cooper officiating.  Visitation will begin at 9:00 am with the family receiving friends from 10:00 until the time of the service.  According to his wishes, his body has been cremated and inurnment will be held at a later date.  Memorials have been established for Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice and the Danville Fire Department.  Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Richard F. Merschbrock

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, January 13th, 2025 at 9:34 am CDT

Richard F. Merschbrock, 74, of Wever, Iowa, passed away at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in West Burlington, Iowa.

A celebration of life will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Sunday, January 19, 2025, at the Merschbrock Family Home, 423 4th Street, West Point, Iowa.

Memorials have been established in his memory for Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House or Wever Fire and Rescue.

Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.

Henry County Conservation ls Looking For Donations Towards A New Playground

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, January 13th, 2025 at 7:39 am CDT

Henry county conservation director, Caleb waters gave his monthly update to Kilj. They held their monthly public board meeting to go over the yearly budget, possible playground build at the nature center and an update on the new Dump Site that will be built very soon. Caleb talks about the playground project details.

 

Caleb also gave us an update on the Dump site and its timeline.

 

Stay up to date on all things Henry county Conservation & Okland Mills Nature center by visiting the Henry county Conservation facebook page. There you can learn about events, programs, and conservation education. You can also visit the website at henrycounty.iowa.gov/conservation.

Sports, January 13th

By Slaten Swords · Monday, January 13th, 2025 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

The WACO girls’ team extended their win streak to seven games over the weekend with a comfortable 43-26 win over New London. Brenna Graber finished with a game high 17 points for the Warriors, while Mylee Miller’s 15 points led the Tigers. The WACO boys’ team ventured back into the win column with a 70-39 thrashing of New London as Christian Stacy netted 22 points. London Franklin put up 20 points for the Tigers.

WACO will hit the road to take on Pekin tomorrow, January 14th, with game one at 6 pm. 

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

The Mediapolis girls’ team was handed their first loss of the season over the weekend against Abingdon-Avon 53-38. Amelia Grier scored 11 points in the losing effort. The Bulldogs will play at home tomorrow against West Burlington with game time at 6 pm for the doubleheader. 

Both Holy Trinity Catholic squads got back in the win column against Winfield-Mt. Union over the weekend as the girls’ team won a slugfest 37-22 and the boys’ team picked up a 63-48 victory behind the duo of Luke Hellige (24 points) and Layne Rung (23 points) as they combined for 47 points. Jake Edwards had 14 points and eight assists for the Wolves. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will face off against Danville tomorrow 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 tomorrow to compete against Lone Tree with the night starting at 6 pm. 

Central Lee was outsprinted by Fort Madison over the weekend with the girls’ team losing 54-27, as Kenna Sandoval tabbed 10 points for the Hawks, and the boys’ team falling 81-53, as Will Hayes dropped 18 points in the losing effort. 

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

The Fairfield girls’ team will take on Van Buren County tonight with tip-off at 7:30 pm, while the boys’ team will compete against Pekin on Thursday, January 16th, at 7:30 pm. 

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

Columbus will face off against Hillcrest Academy tomorrow 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 Wrestling

The Mediapolis, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, Van Buren County, and Fairfield boys’ teams made the trip to Ottumwa over the weekend for an invitational and here are the top results. Starting with Mediapolis, Mason Johnson finished 5-2 over the weekend with an 8-4 decision win over Brody Johnson of Tipton for 5th place.

For Van Buren County, Leo Jirak took 4th place in the 106-pound weight class and Elijah Westercamp collected the bronze in the 190-pound weight class with a win by fall. 

Fairfield’s Cael McCabe and Cason Miller paced the Trojans with each wrestler grabbing the silver in their respective weight classes. Dain Burkhart and Dre Smithburg each won 3rd place, while Zandrik Allison finished in 4th place. 

Lastly, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union had Kason Dopler collect seven wins before falling in the first place match to take 2nd place. Jacob Nelson finished in 5th place and Itai Zapensz took 4th place. 

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. 

The New London, Mt. Pleasant, and WACO boys’ teams all participated in the Gary Curtis Invitational at Highland over the weekend and the Warriors had a duo claim the gold.

For WACO, Ian Maize defeated Mt. Pleasant’s Levi Evans by an 8-2 decision in the championship match to claim 1st place in the 106-pound weight class. Louden Huisenga remained undefeated after a sudden victory for the gold in the 190-pound weight class. Gage Samo claimed the bronze. 

New London was led by Gage Burden as he finished in 3rd place for the 138-pound weight class, while Kane Forseen took 4th place for the Tigers. Mt. Pleasant had Cruz Aguilar and Ramzy Davis claim 5th place for their respective weight classes. 

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 competed in the “Corky Stuart” Invite at BGM over the weekend and had a wrestler finish with the gold. Cohen Wolford went undefeated in the 138-pound weight class with a win by fall to claim first place. Carter Ball took third place and Grayson Nagle claimed 4th place in their respective weight classes. Wapello 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

Fairfield will host Davis County today. 

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

Southeastern Community College

The #20 men’s basketball team lost their second game of the season against #22 Triton College over the weekend 72-57. The Blackhawks will stay at home to take on Harry S. Truman College tomorrow, January 14th, at 7 pm. 

College Basketball

The #3 Iowa State men’s team survived their test on the road over the weekend against Texas Tech, winning their first game in Lubbock since 2019 in a 85-84 overtime finish. Curtis Jones collected 26 points in the victory. The Cyclones will face another test on Wednesday, January 15th, at home at 6 pm against #11 Kansas. KILJ AM 1130 and 98.5 FM will have the call. 

The Iowa men’s team dominated Indiana over the weekend 85-60 in front of the home crowd. Owen Freeman collected a double-double in the win with 16 points and 12 rebounds. The Hawkeyes will travel to USC tomorrow, January 14th, for a 9:30 pm showdown against the Trojans. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the broadcast.

The #23 Iowa women’s team has now lost back-to-back conference showdowns after yesterday’s defeat at the hands of Indiana, 74-67. Taylor McCabe’s 15 points from off the bench led the Hawkeyes. Iowa will take on Nebraska at home on Thursday, January 16th, at 6 pm. 

The Iowa State women’s team picked up a solid 79-58 win over Arizona over the weekend with Sydney Harris draining five threes from off the bench to lead the team with 24 points. The Cyclones will host Texas Tech tomorrow with tip-off at 6:30 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1972 – Bernice Gera wins an anti-discrimination case against the National Baseball Congress to be allowed to umpire. 

2004 – Toronto’s Tom Fitzgerald and Gary Roberts become the first teammates in NHL history to play their 1,000th NHL game on the same night as the Maple Leafs beat the visiting Calgary Flames, 4-1.

2019 – Houston guard James Harden scores 38 points in a Rockets’ 116-108 loss to the Orlando Magic; marks the 16th straight game with 30-plus points, matching Kobe Bryant’s NBA record streak. Additionally, Harden goes 1 for 17 from the 3-point arc, tying the record for most misses.