The Mt. Pleasant City Council will meet in adjourned session on Monday, December 23rd at City Hall, 307 E. Monroe Street, second floor meeting room. The meeting will begin at 5:30pm and is open to the public. The next regular session meeting for the Mt. Pleasant City Council will be on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at 5:30pm.
AAA Weekly Fuel Report
The price of regular unleaded gasoline averaged $2.74 across Iowa this week according to AAA . Prices rose 4 cents from last week’s price and are down 2 cents from a year ago. The national average on Wednesday was $3.03, up 1 cent from last week’s price. Retail diesel prices in Iowa rose 4 cents this week with a statewide average of $3.29. One year ago, diesel prices averaged $3.74 in Iowa. The current Iowa diesel price is 22 cents lower than the national average of $3.51. Tips for saving energy on the road or at home are available at energy.gov and fueleconomy.gov.
Sports, December 21st
High School Basketball
Mt. Pleasant could not expel their early season demons last night against their SEC foe, as the girls’ team fell to Washington 57-17 and the boys’ team lost 61-50. The girls’ saw Paityn Ensminger and Abi Shelangowski each score five points for the Panthers.
The boys’ team for the third time this season held a lead late in the second half, but the Demons slammed the door closed in the 4th quarter, outscoring the Panthers 21 to 10. Aiden Humble led the scoring for Mt. Pleasant with 16 points on five three-pointers followed by Noah Lange and Ian Reid with 12 points.
Head coach Eric Rawson knows his young squad still has to learn the process before worrying about the wins and losses,
“You know we just saw a lot of fight, especially in the first half and through the third quarter and we just ran out of gas in the end. So, you know, the big thing right now with this group is don’t get so hung up on, you know, wins or losses, you know, we’ve got to win days first. Our focus is winning days right now. So, we’ve, you know, we’ve got a break and we’re not back on the court for a game until January 3rd. So, there’s a lot of days for us to win between now and our next game. I think that’s going to be our focus and their focus going into break.”
The Mediapolis girls’ team clobbered New London last night 68-13. Amelia Grier collected 14 points as the team notched 27 steals. New London and Mediapolis will head into winter break.
Columbus swept Wapello last night with the girls’ team winning 57-23 and the boys grabbing their victory with a 54-51 final. Both teams will rest over winter break.
Van Buren County split the night against Danville as the girls’ team fell to the Bears 65-40 and the boys’ team picked up the win last night 74-64. The Warriors will head into winter break.
Danville will travel to Clark County tonight with the girls’ tipping off the night at 5 pm.
The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team will take a 7-0 record into the winter break after a narrow 43-39 victory over Burlington Notre Dame last night. The Crusader boys’ team handed the Nikes their first loss of the season in a thrilling 55-54 final as Luke Hellige cashed in for 24 points.
The Central Lee girls’ team cruised to a 62-37 win over West Burlington last night, while the West Burlington boys’ team handled the Hawks 79-39. The Falcon boys’ team enters winter break with a perfect 7-0 record.
Fairfield helped Keokuk right the ship in conference play as the girls’ team lost 67-17 and the boys’ team fell 69-43. The Trojan boys’ team will host Hillcrest Academy today at 4:30 pm.
High School Wrestling
The Mediapolis, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, New London, and Burlington Notre Dame boys’ teams will continue the Fort Madison Invitational today.
The Van Buren County boys’ team will travel to Dike-New Hartford in a dual tournament today.
The Wapello, Mt. Pleasant, and WACO boys’ teams will compete at the Regina Catholic Invitational today.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will compete in the John Randles Invite at Prairie today.
The Wapello and WACO girls’ teams will travel to Chariton for an invitational today.
High School Bowling
Mt. Pleasant competed at a triangular in Burlington yesterday and the girls’ team won with 2,141 pins followed by Burlington and Washington, respectively; moreover, the boys’ team finished with 2,310 pins, which was good enough for 2nd place behind Burlington. Bethany Drury bowled a 311 for the girls, while Henry Pforts collected a 346 for the boys. The Panthers will face off against Washington after winter break.
Southeastern Community College
The #20 men’s basketball team will take on Western Iowa Tech at home on January 8th with tip-off scheduled for 7 pm.
College Football
#18 Iowa State will face off against #16 Miami in the Pop Tarts Bowl on December 28th at 2:30 pm in Orlando.
Iowa will take on #19 Missouri for the Music City Bowl on December 30th in Nashville at 1:30 pm.
College Basketball
The #3 Iowa State men’s team will host Morgan State tomorrow, December 22nd, with game time scheduled for noon.
The Iowa men’s team will meet Utah tonight at 5 pm in a road matchup.
The #22 Iowa women’s team held off Northern Iowa last night 92-86. Lucy Olsen led the way with 21 points and seven assists. The Hawkeyes will compete at home on December 29th against Purdue at 2 pm.
The Iowa State women’s team will look to get back in the win column today on the road against Oklahoma State at 4 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1891 – First basketball game based on rules created by James Naismith is played by 18 students in Springfield, Massachusetts.
1937 – Chicago Blackhawks left winger Paul Thompson becomes the first player in NHL history to score a goal against his brother, goaltender Cecil Thompson of the Boston Bruins, with just nine seconds left in regulation; Bruins win though, 2-1.
1969 – Vince Lombardi coached his last football game, a 20-10 loss to the Cowboys in Dallas, to finish with a 7-5-2 season and a career record of 105-35-6.
Winter Solstice – Shortest Day of the Year!
The winter solstice is this weekend. Today will be the shortest day of the year. The winter solstice only has eight hours and 11 minutes of sunlight. Starting Sunday, the days will grow longer.
The winter solstice in Mount Pleasant will occur at 3:20 AM. The sunrise and sunset times for that day are:
- Sunrise: 7:26 AM
- Sunset: 4:40 PM
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in most places north of the equator. This moment marks the start of the winter season for the Northern Hemisphere.
Drought Conditions
Nearly 93 percent of Iowa is experiencing drought conditions currently. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s most recent report, 1.3 percent of Iowa is in severe drought located in the northwestern corner of the state, 63.13 percent is in moderate drought, and 92.8 percent is abnormally dry. Portions of Henry, Louisa, Johnson, and Iowa counties are abnormally dry with some areas in moderate drought.
Jane Ann Mulford
Jane Ann Mulford, 66, of Decorah, IA and formerly of Mount Pleasant, died Thursday, December 19, 2024 at the Aase Haugen Senior Services in Decorah, following a brief but courageous battle of cancer.
Jane was born June 17, 1958 in Aledo, IL. She was the daughter of Clifford Ray and Juanita Francis (Fisher) Mulford. She was raised in Mt. Pleasant and graduated from Mt. Pleasant Community High School in 1976.
In June of 1976, Jane entered the United States Air Force. She was a Radar Technician and later a Weapons Control System Mechanic while residing in St. Louis. At one point in her military career, she was stationed in South Korea as a Radar Technician. After 4 years in service, she reenlisted into the Air National Guard. She was assigned to the 131st Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron in Missouri in the guard. Jane was awarded the Air Reserve Forces Merit Service Award in March of 1984 and again in March of 1987. She was honorably discharged as a Sergeant in May of 1987,
Following her discharge, she remained in the St. Louis area and worked for the McDonald-Douglas Corporation. She returned to Mt. Pleasant and worked for Heatilator Industries. She retired in 2013 after completing her working career as a Correctional Officer for the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility.
Jane had the biggest heart to help anyone in need. Most especially, Jane had a deep and abiding love for pets of all sorts.
Those thankful for sharing in Jane’s life include 2 brothers and their wives – Douglas & Tammy Mulford and Craig & Jeanne Mulford, all of Mt. Pleasant; a brother-in-law, Lyle Riley of Wasilla, AK; 8 nieces and nephews – Scott Riley and Jeff Riley, both of Wasilla, Katie Jordan of Colorado Springs, CO, Jordan Mulford of Mt. Pleasant, Abbey Hendrickson of Cedar Falls, IA, Logan Mulford of Denver, CO, Zachary Mulford and Colin Mulford, both of Mt. Pleasant.
Her parents, sister Patricia Ruth Riley and infant brother, Edward Floyd Mulford precede Jane in death.
An open visitation will be from 12 Noon to 7 PM on Friday, December 27, 2024 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mt. Pleasant. The family will not be present. Cremation rites have been entrusted to Kimzey Funeral Home, and burial of Jane’s ashes will be at a later date at the Columbus City Cemetery.
Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to All God’s Creatures in Mt. Pleasant. Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com
Vern E. Dorothy
Vern E. Dorothy
Vern E. Dorothy, 98, of Mt. Pleasant, died Wednesday, December 18, 2024 at Arbor Court in Mt. Pleasant.
Vern was born March 14, 1926 in Salem, IA. He was the son of Raymond and Nellie (Conner) Dorothy. He was raised by his father and step mother, Edna. He graduated from Stockport High School.
During WW II, Vern was called to the service of his country. He entered the United States Navy on August 14, 1944 in St. Louis, MO. He was trained as a Signalman in Farragut, ID. Vern was assigned to a destroyer, the USS Marshall. He was honorable discharged on June 15, 1946 as a Seaman First Class.
Upon his return home, he met a young lady. They had a first date and a courtship ensued. On June 5, 1949 at her parents home in Birmingham, IA, Vern was united in marriage to Carolyn J. Dorothy. To this union, 2 children were born – R.V. and Joy. It was a love, marriage and partnership that lasted nearly 75 years until Carolyn’s passing on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at Arbor Court in Mt. Pleasant.
For 45 years, Vern worked as a Foreman for Dexter Industries in Fairfield. He was not only a Foreman, but served as a mentor and role model for many a young worker. All during the time at Dexter, Vern also farmed at their farm in the Stockport area. After retirement and selling the farm, Vern and Carolyn made their home in Mt. Pleasant.
In retirement, Vern became a Funeral Associate at the former Weir Funeral Home, and stayed with the funeral home when it became the Kimzey Funeral Home. Vern not only worked funerals and visitations, but was the handyman at the funeral home, keeping it in repair. He served almost 30 years, well into his early 90’s.
Vern was a very faithful member of Calvary Baptist Church. He served several terms as a Deacon of the church. Unless they were out of town, Vern never missed a Sunday at church. During the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, he worked at the steam powered carousel on the MOT grounds. Vern was a die hard St. Louis Cardinals fan, seldom missing a game on the TV or radio.
Those thankful for sharing in Vern’s life include his 2 children – Joy (Brian) Messer of Fairfield and R.V. (Debra Bislip) Dorothy of Yuma, Colorado and Aruba; a sister – Barbara Cox; twin brothers – Dale and Gale Dorothy; 4 grandchildren – Jason (Tasha), Jodi, Chad (Stacy) and Shelby; 9 great grandchildren; 3 great-great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Janet Smith of Birmingham and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
His parents, wife, sisters – Mildrend Ingalls, Esther Alexander and Mary Dodd, and a brother-in-law, Robert Smith, precede Vern in death.
Friends may call from 2-7 PM on Sunday, December 22 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mt. Pleasant. The family will receive friends from 2-4 PM on Sunday afternoon.
The funeral service for Vern will be 11 AM on Monday, December at Calvary Baptist Church, 803 E. Mapleleaf Drive. The Rev. Dr. David Strope and Pastor Danny Cary will officiate. Burial will be in the Maple Hill Cemetery with military honors conducted by the Henry County Honor Guard and the Naval Military Funeral Honors Detail.
A memorial has been established in Vern’s name for a decision to be made at a later date.
Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com
Prep Football: Keokuk’s Junior Linebacker Mason Claus Ranked the #27 Senior Recruit for Iowa
Keokuk, IA- The Keokuk football team may not have had the season they were hoping for but that did not stop the talent on the team from shining through with junior Mason Claus being ranked the 27th top football recruit in the state of Iowa by the Des Moines Register.
(Photo courtesy of Iron Rail Photography by Pray Lawson a senior at KHS)
Claus has been a vacuum on the defensive side, leading Class 3A in tackles his sophomore year and collecting the second most total tackles in 3A last year despite missing the final two games due to injury.
Head coach Marvin McNutt knows they have a star in one of the only six ranked 3A players for the state of Iowa,
“Rightfully so, he works hard and leads our team as a junior, because he attacks the game.”
Claus, who also saw action at wide receiver is a jack-of-all-trades, master of all, having made the state track and field meet in past seasons and leads his class academically, sporting a 4.0 GPA as he eyes a degree in engineering.
“Football is a big part of my life, it is the one thing I love to do, and I want to keep playing it for as long as I can,” Claus said. “I’m very grateful for this, I have put in a lot of work and next year you’re going to be surprised at where I will be at.”
The junior is hoping to follow in his coach’s footsteps and play at the University of Iowa. Claus finished the year with 79.5 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and four receiving touchdowns.