It was a full room for this weeks Henry County Supervisors meeting. On the agenda was the monthly update from department leads.
On everyone’s mind was something different; Chairman Greg Moeller.
Each and every department lead started their monthly update with a quick “thank you” or “Business as Usual” to Greg, for his service as a Henry County Supervisor for so many years.
Greg shared with the room during the Supervisors meeting that he would encourage departments to come into meetings with something other than “business as usual”.
Greg Moeller will end his term as Chairman for the Henry County Supervisors at the end of 2024. Steve Detrick will be joining the board of supervisors as a newly elected supervisor.
Prep Wrestling- The 2024-2025 Iowa high school wrestling season has started rolling with most of the teams with at least one competition under their belts. On schedule, IAwrestle released their first round of rankings for both the boys’ and girls’ classes and weight divisions.
Boys’ Class 1A
WACO touts two wrestlers ranked within the top 5, including a top wrestler for their weight division. In the 113-pound weight class, Gage Samo enters at the #4 slot as the senior looks to improve upon a 6th place finish from last year’s state tournament. Louden Huisenga sits at the top of the 190-pound weight class as he started the year with three pins within the first round.
New London still awaits their first match of the season with their own tournament on Saturday, but Gage Burden will start his senior season ranked #9 in the 126-pound weight class after a trip to the state tournament last year.
Class 2A
Notre Dame/West Burlington has been a powerhouse of wrestling for Southeast Iowa the last half-decade and will keep that claim with the Nikes slotted at the #7 slot with six ranked wrestlers. The one interesting aspect is no one is the favorite for their respective weight class.
In the 120-pound weight class, Colt Boyles is ranked 7th. CJ Davis, according to the rankings, is the 3rd best wrestler in the 138-pound weight class. Kaiden Dietzenbach is ranked #2 for the 144-pound weight class after finishing as the runner-up a season ago.
In the 150-pound weight class, Blake Wilson is ranked at #8. Dirk Boyles is #7 in the 157-pound weight class and Kael Cook rounds out the top 10 in the 165-pound weight class.
Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union shocked the Nikes in last year’s conference tournament, usurping the title. They return two key members in #7 Dakota Aney of the 106-pound weight class and #11 Jacob Nelson of the 113-pound weight class.
Fairfield will be looking to make a dent in not only the Southeast Conference (SEC) but also the state tournament with four wrestlers ranked to start the year. Cael McCabe has made his name known in the 106-pound weight class as the junior ranks #1 as he eyes a gold to add to his silver medal.
Cason Miller had a phenomenal run through the consolation bracket last year in the 157-pound weight class, rightfully, he starts the year ranked 3rd. Dain Burkhart and Dre Smithburg are both ranked 9th in the 175-pound and 215-pound weight classes, respectively.
Another local name to look out for is #7 Kyler Crow of Mediapolis in the 175-pound weight class. Crow managed two victories by fall in their triangular back on Tuesday night.
Girls’ Class 1A
In the debut season for multi-class girls’ wrestling, there will be plenty of local talent to watch as the season progresses. Fairfield touts two wrestlers ranked within the top 10 with Alyia Abbot ranked 4th in the 110-pound weight class and #8 Samantha Lyons in the 170-pound weight class.
Wapello’s Kenadee Helscher is ranked 5th in the 100-pound weight class and Elyssa Graber of WACO slides in the 105-pound weight class rankings at #8.
This upcoming Saturday, December 7th, will be a busy day for our local wrestlers as they travel all around southeast Iowa to participate in various tournaments and invites.
Submitted by: Fire Marshal, Burlington Fire Department, Robert Berndt
On Dec 4th, 2024, the Burlington Fire Department was dispatched at 7:53 pm for a report of a house fire at 407 S. Leebrick St. in Burlington, IA. Burlington firefighters arrived at 7:58 pm to find fire showing from the front and rear of the residence.
The property is owned by Ryan Miller & Heather Kloos who were not home at the time of the incident. An adult female residing in the residence was able to make it out safely. 407 S Leebrick is a two-story single-family structure and at the time of this report it is unknown if it was insured.
Due to high winds and other extenuating factors, the fire quickly grew in size and intensity, eventually engulfing the structure. The structure is considered a total loss.
There were no working smoke alarms located within the residence.
The Burlington Fire Department was assisted by Alliant Energy and Gas, Mediapolis Fire Department, West Burlington Fire Department, Burlington Police Department, and Burlington CID.
The last unit cleared the scene at 12:45 am.
There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported during this incident.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. If you have any information relating to this case, contact the Burlington Fire Department at (319) 753-8396. Updates to this incident will be made available by the Fire Marshal.
The West Burlington girls’ team will look to continue their momentum from Tuesday night’s victory into tonight’s contest against Centerville at home at 6 pm.
Fairfield will take on Albia tonight at home with the girls’ scheduled to start the night at 6.
Columbus will compete against North Cedar tonight with the girls’ playing at 6 pm for their home opener.
Burlington Notre Dame will host Central Lee tomorrow, December 6th, with the girls’ getting the night underway at 6 pm.
Holy Trinity Catholic will stay at home to take on Danville with the girls’ scheduled to lead off the night at 6 pm tomorrow night.
The Mediapolis boys’ team will take on West Burlington tomorrow at 7:30 pm on the road, while the girls’ team will host Wilton on Monday, December 9th, at 6 pm.
Winfield-Mt. Union will square off against Lone Tree tomorrow with the boys playing at 7:30 pm, following the girls’ game.
Wapello will travel to Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow with the girls’ tipping off at 6 pm.
New London will look to right the ship tomorrow on the road against Van Buren County with game one at 6 pm.
Mt. Pleasant will commence conference play tomorrow at home against Burlington with the girls’ competing first at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm.
WACO will face off against Pekin tomorrow with the girls’ tipping off the night at 6 pm.
High School Wrestling
The Fairfield boys’ team will travel to Davis County tonight.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will compete in the Raider Duals on Saturday, December 7th, at Williamsburg.
The Mediapolis boys’ team will travel to Burlington to compete in an invite on Saturday.
The Wapello boys’ team will host WACO and Mt. Pleasant on Saturday for the Willard Howell Tournament.
The New London boys’ team will host the Jeremy Fulk Classic on Saturday.
The Mt. Pleasant, Mediapolis, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, and WACO girls’ teams will compete in the Willard Howell Tournament on Saturday at Wapello.
High School Bowling
Fairfield will take on Burlington tomorrow, December 6th, on the road.
Southeast Iowa Playbook
Last night’s episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook was a feature on Winfield-Mt. Union’s celebration of Cooper Buffington, who became the third Wolve to sign a National Letter of Intent to play football at a Division I school, FCS’ University of Montana.
Buffington, who has won the district Lineman MVP award unanimously the past two seasons and was named First Team All-State the last two years, discussed why he chose the Grizzlies,
“Well, they came down to watch me work out. I don’t know when, but earlier in the school year and then they wanted me to come to camp, so I ended up going out there to camp on June 8th and then ended up getting an offer later that week. I always went out to Wyoming, and I love the mountains. And I went out there and I landed, and when I got off the plane I jokingly said if they offer me [a scholarship] I’m gonna commit and then it came true, I guess. So, it’s kind of awesome.”
The senior finished his high school football career with 145.5 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 34.5 tackles for loss, five fumble recoveries, and ensured a free lane for rushing the football as Winfield-Mt. Union averaged more than 5 yards per carry each of the past three seasons and has scored 127 times on the ground in that same time span. Head football coach Scott McCarty said his skill was evident anytime you saw him on the field,
“Cooper is one of those kids that a lot of things don’t show up on the stat line on Saturday morning after the game. But then when you sit back and watch film, you watch how truly dominant he is. You know, he might not be the one getting the tackle, but because of him, we were able to get a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage, so. A lot of his things were just, you know, they don’t show up on the stat book, but if you’re watching film and you know football, you know how good Cooper Buffington really is.”
If you missed last night’s episode, then follow this link: W-MU Episode
Southeastern Community College
The #11 men’s basketball team will host Kennedy-King College on Saturday, December 7th, at 7.
College Football
#16 Iowa State will face off against #12 Arizona State on Saturday, December 7th, at 11 am for the Big 12 conference championship.
Iowa will await their bowl matchup, which will be announced on Sunday, December 8th.
College Basketball
The #6 Iowa State men’s team competed against their second top-five opponent this season and this time the Cyclones held on to beat #5 Marquette last night 81-70. Keshon Gilbert went a perfect 8 for 8 from the free throw line as he led the team with 24 points. The Cyclones will stay at home to take on Jackson State on Sunday, December 8th, at 6 pm.
The Iowa men’s team will travel to Michigan on Saturday, December 7th, at 1 pm.
The #20 Iowa State women’s team will face off against Central Michigan on Sunday at noon in front of the home crowd.
The #17 Iowa women’s team will take on Tennessee in the Women’s Championship Classic on Saturday at 6 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1968 – Future Hockey Hall of Fame center Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins scores two goals in his goaltender brother Tony’s (also HOF) NHL debut for the Montreal Canadiens in a 2-2 tie.
1973 – Chicago Cubs Ron Santo becomes the first baseball player to invoke the 10-and-5 rule and veto his trade.
1992 – The first SEC Championship Game: #2 Alabama beats #12 Florida, 28-21.
Michael Reed Billups, 56, of Douds, IA passed away on Monday, December 2, 2024, at the Jefferson County Health Care Center in Fairfield, IA surrounded by his loving family. As were Mike’s wishes, cremation has taken place. A visitation with the family present will be held from 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. on Friday, December 6, 2024, at the Cranston Family Funeral Home in Fairfield. Military honors will begin at 1:00 p.m. with words of comfort by Paul Peterson immediately following. Burial will be held at a later date in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery. Memorial contributions in Mike’s honor may be directed to the family and may be mailed c/o Cranston Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 189, Fairfield, IA 52556. Friends may leave online condolences or join the webcast at www.cranstonfamilyfuneralhome.com.
Micheal Reed Billups was born on July 3, 1968, in Burlington, IA to Randy and Donna Nichols Billups. He grew up and attended school in Dallas City, IL where he graduated with the high school class of 1986. Mike furthered his education at Western Illinois in Macomb where he was a part of the basketball team. Mike served in the United States Army where he proudly served his country during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Upon his honorable discharge he returned to Burlington and began working at the Walmart Distributions Center. He began his career in the Loss Prevention Department eventually moving into Transportation Management where he was a dedicated employee for over 30 years. During this time Mike was a supervisor who led by example. He was the kind of boss everyone wanted. He was a voice of reason, someone to listen when you needed to talk, and the first to make you smile when the day wasn’t going your way. During his time at Walmart Mike met a fellow supervisor, Tammy Kerr. This was the first chapter in a story that lasted over 30 years. With this union Mike became a loving father to Jackie and eventually adding two more, Dalton and Jordan. When Mikes career with Walmart ended, he began working in transportation for Allied Blending and would remain there until his health would no longer allow.
Mike was the life of the party..and often the host. His world revolved around his family and his ever-growing circle of friends. Mike was a motorcross fan and loved traveling to watch the races that his family participated in. Whether it was camping at a racetrack or poker nights, being together with family and friends was what brought him the most joy. As his family grew with the addition of grandchildren it just made those gatherings even more special. As we part ways with a man who impacted so many lives, we take comfort in the fact that we were able to share in the moments that meant so much and will fondly share the stories of the legendary, Michael Reed Billups.
Mike was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents, as well as his parents, Randy (Donna) Nichols.
Left to share his story is his loving wife, Tammy of Douds, IA; three children, Jackie Poe (Robert Hall) of Douds, IA, Dalton (Kelsey) Billups of Washington, IA and Jordan (Blake) Scott of Keosauqua, IA, five grandchildren, Adalynn, Jovi, Bennett, Killian, and Maverick; two siblings, Mark Billups (Melody Paulus) of Burlington, IA and Savanna (Conway) Wolf of Mediapolis, IA, his bonus family, Taylor (Gabby) McLeland and their son, Slater; Caleb (Lacey) Millard and their son Lennox; and Brandon Billups, as well as many, many extended family and friends.
Winfield, IA- A wave of talent has washed over Winfield-Mt. Union for the past couple of years with multiple teams making a trip to their respective state tournaments and student-athletes continuing their playing careers at the next level. You can add another one to the growing list as Cooper Buffington signed his letter of intent to play football at the University of Montana Wednesday afternoon.
The senior offensive/defensive lineman has been integral to the Wolves’ gridiron success the last four years, collecting 25 wins, three straight trips to the postseason, and a trip to the state semifinals during his high school career. He’s a bulldozer on the offensive line as W-MU has averaged over 5 yards per carry the last three seasons, scoring 127 rushing touchdowns in the process.
Buffington talked about why he chose to become a Grizzly after the ceremony,
“Well, they came down to watch me work out. I don’t know when, but earlier on the school year and then they wanted me to come to camp, so end up going out there to camp on June 8th and then end up getting an offer later that week. I always went out to Wyoming, and I love the mountains. And I went out there and I landed, and when I got off the plane I jokingly said if they offer me [a scholarship] I’m gonna commit and then it came true, I guess. So, it’s kind of awesome.”
Despite the nearly 21-hour road trip to get to the University of Montana, a Division I-FCS power, Buffington expects to acclimate quickly to the atmosphere,
“I love the snow. I love the cold. So, I don’t think it’ll be much of a challenge or nothing. So, it’s also kind of why I picked it. Just felt like the perfect place for me and stuff. And then their football program being so good for the past years and stuff like, yeah. It just felt like home.”
The talented Wolve also caused havoc on the defensive line, tallying 145.5 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 34.5 tackles for loss, and five fumble recoveries in his career. His senior season he led the team in tackles, while producing 11.5 of 12.5 sacks in his junior season, which helped W-MU finish 11-1 and a game short of the state championship contest.
Even with the rule changes to make the game safer—rightfully so—the game of football still centers around physicality, an aspect that Buffington relishes in,
“Defensive line, I mean, you’re just you can be in the play every play I like. It’s hard nose, like in the trenches, every play, play and play out and stuff and. Like, I mean, if you’re a good enough d-lineman, you can really make an impact and stuff like just physical. So, I kind of like about that and stuff so.”
The lack of fame that comes with playing the offensive and defensive line has not stopped the senior from collecting his due praise as he has been named back-to-back unanimous District Lineman MVP and two-time First-Team All-State selection. As head football coach Scott McCarty mentioned after the ceremony, it’s obvious once you see him on the field,
“Cooper is one of those kids that a lot of things don’t show up on the stat line on Saturday morning after the game. But then when you sit back and watch film, you watch how truly dominant he is. You know, he might not be the one getting the tackle, but because of him, we were able to get a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage, so. A lot of his things were just, you know, they don’t show up on the stat book, but if you’re watching film and you know football, you know how good Cooper Buffington really is.”
Assistant football coach and boys’ head basketball coach Klay Edwards discussed how Buffington was essentially a player-coach with how he approached the game,
“It was a joy, you know, he came to work every single day. He put a ton of work in the summers weight room, getting individual skill work in. And, you know, most of all, when we would break out and do our defensive line drills and everything like there’s days where I was like, I had to be there late or something and he could coach them up and do it and knew everything that was going on, so he was just a huge leader for us.”
Buffington was always eager to help the team, even in the most creative of ways according to coach McCarty,
“I mean some, some of the things that maybe not under the lights. You know, he’s had some plays. He had his strip against HLV that he took back he got called back as a penalty, you know, but we had a formation last year where we switched our guards and our running backs, and we gave him the ball for a touchdown or two-point conversion. This year we had we had a couple plays that we had designed straight for him and every lineman thinks they’re a receiver, you know, so he’s got ideas every week on how to get him the ball and things like that. And you know he’s a good kid, you know, with a good heart, good sense of humor. And those are the kind of kids that you’re really happy for to go to the next level and be successful.”
Cooper Buffington finally scored that touchdown with a one-yard plunge during this past football season. He now marks the third Wolve to sign on to a Division I football program after Cam Buffington signed on to the University of Iowa and Abram Edwards committed to Army in a ceremony last year. For coach McCarty, he’s just been taking in the view,
“Yeah, I’ve been fortunate, right. These guys, I’ve just been able to be a part of the ride, you know, just try and give them the opportunity to let them shine. You know, as I was talking earlier, you know, it takes what it takes and those guys, they’ve done what we’ve asked and then they do what it takes to be elite, you know, and you just try and create the opportunity for them and they shine and have been able to produce and put themselves in position to go to the next level.”
As his high school career winds down, it was not a memory on the field that Buffington singled out as his favorite moment; rather, a collection of memories shared amongst teammates,
“So, we do team meals every Wednesday and probably just be them like hanging out with friends after practice. You just car rides up and then eat, like we go to jumbo or Pizza Ranch and just those type of memories and after that to go to Walmart or something. Just spending time with the teammates and stuff. It just felt like a brotherhood. It was awesome.”
He’s not quite done yet though, rejoining the basketball team after a year of wrestling for the co-op Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union team that won the conference crown last year. The Wolves picked up a season opening win against Louisa-Muscatine last night 40-38 on a game winner by Max Edwards.
Coach Edwards is ready to have a physical force back on the court,
“Extremely excited. You know, he’s starting for us. So, a little rusty, but we’re going to get all that worked out. So you know he’s a hard worker. He’s going to give 100% effort in whatever he does. So yeah, we’re super excited to have him.”
That rust included four points, three rebounds, a block, but also five fouls, which ended his night early. As he enjoys the rest of the 2024-2025 school year, he will be awaiting his trip west to join a Montana squad that is currently 9-4 and gearing up for a second-round postseason matchup against #3 South Dakota on Saturday.
Joan Sidney Van Ginkel Brown of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa passed away on Saturday, November 30, 2024. Joan was a resident of the Southeast Iowa Behavioral Healthcare Center in Keokuk, IA.
Joan was born on March 19, 1951 to Joseph Garrett Van Ginkel, Jr. and Ellen Peterson Van Ginkel in Des Moines, Iowa. Joan grew up on 42nd Street in Des Moines and attended Roosevelt High School. Joan graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1969, and she attended Iowa State University. Joan met her future husband (Marvin Brown) in Chemistry class at Iowa State University. They were married on February 22, 1975 at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Des Moines, Iowa. Joan graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Zoology.
Joan liked to sew and had her own sewing and alterations business. Joan also worked in many temporary jobs as her family grew and they moved around Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Washington, D.C. Joan became a Certified Nursing Assistant and worked as an in-home health aid while they lived in Washington, D. C. When her husband retired they moved to Marvin’s childhood home on the farm in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Joan enjoyed her time living on the farm, gardening and raising fainting goats.
Joan was a member of the P.E.O. sisterhood from the time she was 21. She had been a member in Chapters wherever she lived throughout her life. It was a source of friendships and enjoyment wherever she went and Joan felt that P.E.O. helped her to become part of the community wherever she was.
Joan was a member at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and she enjoyed working with other ladies in the kitchen during Old Threshers. Joan enjoyed singing in the church choir.
Music was a source of enjoyment for Joan and she was an accomplished violinist. She played her violin with community orchestras in Des Moines, Iowa; Effingham, Illinois; Springfield, Illinois; and Lincoln, Nebraska. Joan also enjoyed giving violin lessons and providing musical entertainment at health care centers in her local communities.
Joan is survived by her husband (Marvin Brown) of Mt. Pleasant, and by her three children and their spouses – Carolyn (Jack) Thomas of Champaign, Illinois; James (Sarah) Brown of Fenton, Missouri; and Andrew (Melanie) Brown of Lincoln, Nebraska. Joan is also survived by four grandchildren and one great grandchild.
A Celebration of Life for Joan will be held on Saturday, February 22nd, 2025 from 1-4 PM at the Mt. Pleasant Masonic Temple, 206 North Main Street, Mt. Pleasant. A private family interment service will occur at St. Alphonsus Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant.
Memorials may be directed to the family for decisions to be made later.
Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education today announced $8.5 million in competitive grants to support Iowa school districts in developing systems to identify and recognize teachers who significantly accelerate student learning.
Gov. Reynolds said. “This grant program builds on our momentum by working with local school districts to identify teachers with the greatest impact on student success—and then financially reward them for their extraordinary skill and dedication. Great teachers change lives, and they deserve to be recognized.”
The Teachers Accelerating Learning grant program will celebrate excellence in teaching and help districts attract and retain top teachers. All Iowa public school districts that commit to developing and implementing a methodology for identifying and recognizing teachers who accelerate student learning beyond one year’s growth are eligible to apply.
Funds for the Teachers Accelerating Learning grant are provided through State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Applications for the Teachers Accelerating Learning grant will be accepted in IowaGrants.gov beginning Nov. 26, 2024. The application deadline is Jan. 10, 2025.
