Prep Cross Country: Week 8 of IATC’s Team Rankings

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 at 4:39 pm CDT

Prep Cross Country- The Iowa Track Coaches Association (IATC) released the latest team rankings and all eight of our local teams that were ranked last week remained in the top 20 with five teams climbing up the rankings.

Class 3A

The Southeast Conference (SEC) meet looms just two days away and for the boys’ race, two squads enter the day ranked with Washington at #13 and Fort Madison at #18. Both teams fell in the rankings, the Demons from #8 and the Bloodhounds from #17.

Washington’s last race was a winning effort at the Bob Mudd Lynx Invitational over the weekend, defeating Class 2A’s #12 Tipton by 12 points. #27 Tyler Alderton and Andrew Rees are the two heavy hitters for the Demons as they finished side-by-side at their last meet.

Fort Madison traveled to Centerville for their last meet on October 8th as the Bloodhounds finished in 3rd place with 84 points, 37 points behind Chariton who won the invitational. Fort Madison touts their own duo in Jacob Shottenkirk and Peyton Lambert as they grabbed 9th and 11th place, respectively.

The Fort Madison girls’ team climbed one rung up the ladder to #4 in the state after a dominating 1st place finish at the Centerville Invitational. All five of the Bloodhounds finished within the top 12 with Avery Rump grabbing the bronze and Ellie Hellman taking 5th place at the meet.

Class 2A

The Mediapolis boys’ team, fresh off a 3rd place performance at the Mike Jay Invitational, moved up from #20 to #18 in the rankings. Will Schmidgall is the pack leader for the Bulldogs with Simon Wendel proving to be a top 10 runner for the squad.

Class 1A

A log jam of local talent has three teams ranked within the top 20 for the boys’ teams. Danville is in pole position for the Southeast Iowa Super Conference, who will have their conference showdown tonight, as the Bears are ranked #4.

Van Buren County vaulted five spots in the rankings to round out the top 10 and Columbus remained put at #12. The three teams met at the Mike Jay Invitational with the Bears winning the meet by nearly 20 points with the Warriors taking 2nd and the Wildcats placing in 4th.

Jackson Shacklett of Danville grabbed the gold as Nick Powel and Noah Horn each finished in the top 10. Lincoln Bainbridge, who has had his turn on top of the leaderboard, finished back in 4th place while Landry Loeffler was the next Warrior in 12th place. Ty Muniz is the leader of the Wildcats as he finished with the silver at the meet. Cade Storm was next in 15th place.

On the girls’ side, Danville moved up two spots in the rankings to #15. Alaina Gourley, who has been ranked individually for most of the season, matched the Bears’ team finish as her time of 20 minutes and 14 seconds took 2nd place. Abby Arnett, Delaney Newberry, Addy Henkelvig, and Ava Ourth provide an excellent supporting cast.

Henry County Supervisors Meeting Agenda 10/17

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 at 4:11 pm CDT

Henry County Supervisors
100 E Washington St Ste 202
Mt Pleasant IA 52641
Fax: 319-385-3601

Chad White, Member Marc Lindeen, Vice-Chairman Greg Moeller, Chairman
319-385-0759 319-385-0760 319-385-0761

AGENDA

October 17, 2024

Approve Agenda

Approve Minutes

Jake Hotchkiss Engineer Weekly Update
Open quotes for rock crushing at Henry County quarry

Joe Buffington, P&Z- Public Hearing to Rezone the north 1100’ of the east half of the west 29 acres of the NW of NE 7-73-7 from A-1 Agricultural to C-1 Commercial to operate a sawmill and related activities.

Approve Conservation Agreement with ITC.

Approve ARPA resolution and MOU for AS400 and other Computer Equipment.

Zach Griebahn Supervisor Questions Regarding Ordinance Process.

Public Comments

Public audience comments are typically open to anything the

public wants to tell the board – Although there are rules about

confidential information, avoiding disparaging an employee, etc.

        Other County Business as time allows

        Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates

 

Richard Libby

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 at 11:26 am CDT

Richard Roy Libby, 83, of Mount Pleasant, passed away unexpectedly on October 14, 2024, at home. He is now absent from the body and present with the Lord.

Born on September 25, 1941, in Bandon, Oregon, Roy was the son of Virgil Watson and Esther Joy Libby. He graduated from Pacific High School in 1960 and attended Multnomah School of the Bible. Roy married Karla Turner on June 1, 1963, in Portland. They traveled to Costa Rica to learn Spanish before serving as Missionary Pastors in Colombia for 25 years. After a miraculous release from Colombian guerillas, they returned to Oregon, where Roy and Karla continued his missionary work in Latino communities for another 25 years.

For the last eight years, they made their home in Mount Pleasant and were active members of Wellspring Evangelical Free Church. Roy had a passion for serving others, delivering meals for Milestone and helping with transportation through the Fellowship Cup. He also enjoyed long arm quilting and stamp collecting.

Roy is survived by his wife, Karla; four children, Charles (Cheryl) Libby, Bob (Denice) Libby, Rich (Elizabeth) Libby, and Ruth (Jerry) Disch; 15 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; siblings Glen (Cathy) Libby, Nanine Felton, and David Libby; and two “adopted” exchange students, Andrew Huhuyana and Pacharo Awuakye. He was preceded in death by his parents, stepmother Lucille Libby, and sister Joy Berg.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at Wellspring Evangelical Free Church, officiated by Pastor Randy Keeley. The service will be livestreamed on the Wellspring E-Free Mount Pleasant YouTube channel. Burial will take place at a later date in Spring Creek Cemetery, Goldendale, Washington. Because of Roy’s passion for missions, in lieu of flowers or gifts, memorials may be directed to Wellspring Missions Fund. The Olson-Powell Chapel & Crematory is caring for Roy and his family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com

Paul Moeller

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 at 10:37 am CDT

Paul R. “Rudy” Moeller, 69, of West Point, Iowa, passed away at 11:14 p.m. Sunday, October 13, 2024, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa.

He was born on October 20, 1954, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the son of Rudolph and Marcella (Klesner) Moeller. On November 5, 1977, he married Cathy S. Schneider at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fort Madison, Iowa. She preceded him in death on November 22, 2001.

He is survived by his daughter: Pam (Mark) Hymes of St. Paul, Iowa; son: Scott (Karen) Moeller of Donnellson, Iowa;  grandchildren: Abigail, Natalie, Jonah, Brady, Claire; special friend: Jody Krebill; siblings: Sr. Joanne Moeller of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Delbert (Barb) Moeller of West Point, Iowa, Ronnie (Sharon) Moeller of Fort Madison, Iowa, Vic (Maureen) Moeller of Port Aransas, Texas, Gary (Sandy) Moeller of Des Moines, Iowa, Roger (Joan) Moeller of West Point, Iowa, Nancy (Mike) Cutler of Marion, Iowa. Also surviving are several nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife: Cathy; infant son: Cole; brother: Richard.

Paul was a graduate of Marquette Catholic High School. He retired from J.I. Case and was a greenskeeper for Green Acres Country Club and courier for Menke and Company. He was a member of St. Mary’s of the Assumption Catholic Church in West Point and Green Acres Country Club. Paul enjoyed watching the Hawkeyes, golfing, riding his motorcycle and shooting pool. He was very social and enjoyed being around people.

A visitation will be held from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, October 17, 2024, at Schmitz Funeral Home in West Point, where the family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, October 18, 2024, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point, with Father Dan Dorau as celebrant.

Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in West Point.

A memorial has been established in his 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.

School Board Discusses Truancy, Candidate Forum, Fundraisers, and Special Show-choir Performance

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 at 10:05 am CDT

Members of the Mt. Pleasant school board were treated to a show on Monday evening, as the high school show choir performed one of their songs, “In My Life”. It will be a few more months until the show choir will trade the carpet of the library for the stage, as their competitive season waits until after Christmas.

Student and Family Advocate, Martha Peterson, presented on chronic absenteeism and truancy. According to her, the problem that students are not going to school isn’t just an issue here in Southeast Iowa, but rather nationwide. According to a new law passed by the state of Iowa through senate file 2435, students are considered “chronically absent” if they miss 10% of the school days in a grading period. For Mt. Pleasant, that is one semester. If a student misses that amount, a certified letter is sent to the family and to the county attorney. At 15%, the family will meet with the district to see what can be done to ensure the trend stops. 20% is when a student is considered “truant”, which means their name goes to the county attorney, who decides on if truancy proceedings are necessary, which may lead to fines or jailtime.

According to the data, just shy of 30% of students nationwide missed 10% of a grading period in the 2021/2022 school year, with that number slightly dropping the following year. Peterson said that she doesn’t want students coming to school if they are sick, but it is a different story if they have the sniffles or a stomach ache.

The school board has a work session scheduled for October 28th, in which they will host three candidates running for the Iowa house. Tom ODonnell, Jeff Shipley, and Jeff Poulter will be in attendance that evening.

All three fundraisers were approved on Monday’s meeting. There will be an iJAG fundraiser next Monday at Pizza Ranch, a Fun Run on November 2nd for the National Honor Society, and the FFA will be partnering with the Rotary clubs in Mt. Pleasant to sell Christmas Wreaths.

Identifying Human Trafficking Event This Thursday

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 at 8:26 am CDT

The fight against human trafficking takes center stage in Ottumwa on October 17, 2024, with a crucial community event titled “Identifying Human Trafficking.” Hosted at the Bridge View Center, this event will commence at 6 p.m. and aims to raise awareness, educate the public, and foster community engagement to address this pressing issue. Doors to the event will open at 5:30pm.

Human trafficking is a grave concern impacting communities nationwide, including our own. The “Identifying Human Trafficking” event is designed to provide attendees with essential information on recognizing signs, understanding risks, and implementing preventive measures against human trafficking.

Raymond Feidler, an esteemed expert from the Human Trafficking Training Bureau with the Department of Public Safety (DPS), will serve as the keynote speaker. Feidler will offer in-depth insights into the human trafficking landscape in Iowa, drawing from his extensive experience and expertise.

Event organizer Krista Tracy emphasizes the importance of community involvement: “Human trafficking is a complex issue that requires collective effort to combat. By coming together and sharing knowledge, we can make significant strides in protecting our community and supporting those affected by trafficking.”

The event is open to the public, and all community members are encouraged to attend. The organizers also welcome any contributions in the form of resources or materials from local agencies to support the event’s goals.

For additional information or to get involved, please contact Krista Tracy at 515-290-2218 or via email at krista_kay_17@hotmail.com. For further inquiries, Bruce Tracy is also available at 515-450-7522 or iowasun2001@yahoo.com.

 

Joyce Garretson

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 at 6:42 am CDT

Joyce Kathleen Stuart Garretson, rural Salem, died Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 at her home on the family farm.

A graveside memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, October 25th at the Salem East Cemetery in Salem.  The Rev’d. Wayne K. Kamm, Retired Rector, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, will preside. The Kimzey Funeral Home, Mt. Pleasant, is assisting the family with arrangements.

Online condolences may be directed to kimzeyfh.com.  Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the Salem East Cemetery, or to St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Mt. Pleasant.

Born June 5, 1925 in Wayland, Iowa, she was the daughter of Homer and Helen Yount Stuart.  She attended grade school in Wayland and Saunders School in Mt. Pleasant.  She graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1943, and attended Iowa Wesleyan College where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Joyce was united in marriage to Joel Howard Garretson, Sr. on September 27, 1947 at the United Methodist Church in Mt. Pleasant.  She worked at Iowa Wesleyan in the Public Relations office, and later at Hawk Eye Bank and Trust in Mt. Pleasant and Salem.

Joyce enjoyed her life on the farm and cherished her time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  An avid Hawkeye sports fan, she followed football and basketball games in the company of many family, friends and neighbors.

She loved being outdoors working in the large vegetable garden and flower beds, in later years, directing the seed purchase and home canning with son, Bob.

Joyce kept up to speed on the evening news and never missed a vote.

The Garretson farm has been a welcoming home away from home to many over the years due to the friendship, warmth, and caring of Joyce and Joel Garretson.

She is survived by her daughter, Cathy Helman and husband Dave, two sons, Joel  and Robert Garretson, sister-in-law Josie Bainter; six grandchildren, Justin Garretson and Rachel, Kurt Garretson and Kate, Sarah Helman Breseman and Brian, Barbara Helman, Eric Garretson and Drew Garretson; six great-grandchildren, Alexis, Jeneva, Isabelle, Joel Howard IV, Edith and Owen; and her faithful Golden Retriever, Homer.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and one son, John, daughter -in-law Marlene and sister Myrll Jean Hoffman and brother-in-law Don.

 

John L. Tasker

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 at 6:41 am CDT

John L. Tasker, age 71, was blessed to meet the Lord on October 14, 2024, at Savannah Heights Care Center in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

John was born in Anamosa, Iowa, on March 16, 1953. He was the third child born to Jack and Dorothy (Mott) Tasker. John was raised in Wyoming, Iowa. John served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War from 1970 – 1974. He was aboard the USS Enterprise ship. He married Kathy Feller of Cascade, Iowa, on September 14, 1979. John was employed by the Iowa DOT and worked out of the Jones County maintenance shop in Anamosa, Iowa. He drove semi part-time for Lou Somerville Trucking. He retired from the DOT in 2010.

John attended the Lincoln Street Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. John loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and loved sharing about his faith. John loved golfing and fishing. He enjoyed singing and playing his guitar. John received his quilt of valor on March 15, 2023, while at Savannah Heights. He loved spending time with his six grandkids, they called him “Grandpa John” and “Papa.”

John is survived by his wife Kathy of Mount Pleasant; son, Matthew (Holly) Tasker of Estelline, South Dakota; daughter, Nichole (Jeff) Mason of Salem; six grandchildren, Lincoln Tasker, Leighton Tasker, Landry Tasker, Mckinley Mason, Kenai Mason, Cooper Mason; sister, Cathy (Dean) Wheeler of Cedar Rapids; and brother Tom Tasker of Wyoming, Iowa.  He was preceded in death by his parents.

Memorial Service will be held 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at the Lincoln Street Baptist Church, with Jim Hughes officiating. Visitation will be held 9:30-10:15 a.m. Saturday morning prior to the service. Military Rites will be conducted by the Henry County Honor Guard. Memorial funds have been established for the VA Hospital in Iowa City, Compassus Hospice and Savannah Heights Activities Department. The Olson-Powell Chapel & Crematory is caring for John and his family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com