Recognizing Outstanding Agriculture Teachers, Apply Before Nov. 17

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024 at 11:00 am CDT

Do you have or know an amazing teacher that seamlessly incorporates Agriculture into their classrooms? To recognize and celebrate these exceptional teachers, the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation offers its annual Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award.

This award is open to non-vocational pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers across Iowa.

Applications are being accepted through November 17, 2024, and the winner will be selected and recognized in December. The selected Iowa teacher will receive $500 to support their classroom initiatives and up to $1,000 to cover expenses to attend the 2025 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference to be held in Minneapolis, Minn. June 23 – 26, 2025.

Teachers can apply directly or be nominated by community members, colleagues, or agriculture advocates.

For more information or to apply online visit: https://www.iowaagliteracy.org/tools-resources/general/grants.

Mary L. Housh

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024 at 10:25 am CDT

Mary Lou Housh, 85, of Mt. Pleasant, died Saturday, October 19, 2024 at Savannah Heights in Mt. Pleasant.

Mary was born May 27, 1939 in Terre Haute, Illinois. She was the daughter of Ross E. and Mildred P. (Olson) Mesecher. She graduated as the Salutatorian of the Terre Haute High School Class of 1957. She then began classes at the former Burlington Beauty Academy, graduating in 1960. It was at the academy that she fell in love and met her future husband. On January 9, 1960, Mary was united in marriage to Larry Eugene Housh. Mr. Housh preceded Mary in death on May 16, 1994.

Mary worked at several factories in the area. She was employed at Sylvania in Burlington, Heatilator and Motorola (later Celestica) in Mt. Pleasant.

Mrs. Housh was a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church and the American Legion Auxiliary Robert Tribby Post #58 of Mt. Pleasant.

Mary loved to travel and eat out. Uniquely, she loved to travel to attend sprint car races. In her younger days, Mary loved to dance. She also played the piano for many years.

Those thankful for sharing in Mary’s life include her daughter, Teresa Derby of Mt. Pleasant; a brother and his wife, Arthur & Ginny Mesecher of Burlington; a sister-in-law, Deloris Mesecher of Stronghurst, IL, and several other relatives of her brothers and husband’s families.

In addition to her husband, she is preceded in death by her parents, her son-in-law, David Derby and a brother, Ross Mesecher.

The funeral service for Mary will be at 10:00 AM on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mt. Pleasant. Burial will be in the St. Alphonsus Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9AM until the time of service on Saturday at the funeral home.

Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to her daughter for a decision to be made later.

Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com

Henry County Supervisors – October 24th, 2024

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024 at 9:42 am CDT

Henry County Supervisors 
AGENDA
October 24, 2024

1. Approve Agenda

2. Approve Minutes

3.Approve Claims

4. Sarah Berndt, General Assistance Monthly Update

5. Lynn Whaley Recyclables

6. Engagement
Letter – Henry County New LMI Residential Urban Renewal Plan & Development Agreement

7.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

 

The Board of Supervisors meets regularly on Thursday mornings usually beginning at 9:00 AM. All meetings are open to the public unless, for purposes described in Code of Iowa Chapter 21, a closed meeting is necessary or advisable to protect the interests of individuals or the County. All persons are invited to take an active roll in Henry County government. Agenda items will need to be scheduled through Henry County Auditor’s Office. You may address the Board (without an appointment) while they are in session during the Public Comment portion of the Agenda.

The Mount Pleasant Street Committee – October 29th, 4PM

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024 at 9:36 am CDT

The Mount Pleasant Street Committee will meet on Tuesday, October 29th,
2024, at 4:00 PM at City Hall in the City Administrators’ Conference Room.

AGENDA
1. Call to order.
2. Discuss Intersection of Harvest & S Grand Ave.
3. Review Preliminary Planning Engineering Service Agreement for S.
Cherry & S. Wilson
4. Review On Going Projects
5. Open Forum
6. Adjourn

MP City Compost Site Time Change, Last Day November 30th

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024 at 9:15 am CDT

The Compost Site located on Yocum Lane will change its hours starting November 6th. It will be open Wednesdays from noon to 5PM and Saturdays from 8AM to 5PM. The site will close for the season on November 30th. The last day for Yard Waste Friday Pickup will be November 29th.

Sports, October 23rd

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024 at 6:18 am CDT

Postseason Volleyball

Class 4A Region 4 saw a conference showdown to start off postseason play as Mt. Pleasant defeated Fort Madison in four sets (25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 26-24) to advance to the regional semifinals. For Panther head coach Logan Wall, it was the first true appearance of Mt. Pleasant volleyball this season, 

“Yeah, it feels good. We needed this win and we’ve been working hard all year long and I just feel like we haven’t seen our team out there and I thought tonight we saw Mount Pleasant Panther volleyball.”

The Panthers won the play at the net for the first two sets as Addison Clark, Alex Scott (10 kills), and Myah Starr (5 kills) produced some excellent swings. Clark put together a full game with 13 kills, two aces, and a block as coach Wall talked about how important the junior is to the squad,

“Yeah, she’s been a solid player all year. I can really count on her. She’s a 6 rotation player. She doesn’t really get a break and so yeah, she’s just a good hustler. She plays a lot of volleyball, so she knows the game well, and she’s really led this team this year.”

Despite a furious comeback from Dayonna Davis and Sydney McEntee (19 kills combined), the Panthers found their groove from the service line with 10 aces on the night, two coming from senior Zoey Atkinson, including the game winning point. The Bloodhounds finished the season with a 7-26 record. 

Mt. Pleasant will take on #4 Clear Creek-Amana tomorrow, October 24th, at 7 pm on the road. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

For Class 3A Region 5, Washington downed Mediapolis last night in straight sets (25-12, 25-11, 25-20). Bryn Wright tabbed 13 assists and two aces in the loss. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 16-19 record.

Washington will face off against Assumption tomorrow at 7 pm in the semifinal round. 

In Region 8, Fairfield was eliminated by Wilton in straight sets (10-25, 20-25, 22-25) last night. Lilly Bergren led the Trojans with seven kills. Fairfield finished the season with a 17-19 record. 

Central Lee battled the entire night, but ultimately came up short against West Liberty, losing in a sweep (22-25, 19-25, 17-25). The Hawks were led by Taylor Jones’ 12 kills and Kenna Sandoval’s 29 assists as they each tallied six blocks. Central Lee collected a 15-16 record for the season. 

In Class 4A Region 6, Burlington advanced to the semifinals after sweeping Keokuk (25-20, 25-12, 26-24), despite Camryn Atterberg’s 10 kills and three blocks for the Chiefs. The Grayhounds will travel to Pella tomorrow at 7 pm. 

In Class 1A Region 2, Winfield-Mt. Union will take on #3 Holy Trinity Catholic tonight at 7 pm on the road. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

Wapello will venture to play Burlington Notre Dame tonight at 7 pm. Nike head coach Susan Reid talked about what the team will be focusing on heading into tonight’s contest,

“We want to refine what we’re good at and work on where our weaknesses are. So, we kind of know what those are right now. So, really going to hone in on our defense and keep working on some offensive strategy that’s going to push us further in the postseason.”

In Class 2A Region 2, Van Buren County will take on Cardinal tonight at 7 pm at home. 

In Region 3, #14 West Burlington will host Columbus tonight at 7 pm.

Postseason Football

WACO will travel to Central City on Friday, October 25th, with kickoff scheduled for 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Winfield-Mt. Union will get a rematch with Montezuma on Friday at 7 pm on the road. 

Danville will compete against Bellevue on the road at 7 pm on Friday. 

Columbus will take on Maquoketa Valley on Friday at 7 pm in a road matchup.

#10 West Burlington/Notre Dame will host Centerville on Friday at 7 pm. 

Mediapolis will hit the road on Friday at 7 pm to face off against Northeast.

High School Football

Mt. Pleasant will end the regular season on Friday, October 25th, at 7:30 pm at home against Assumption. 

Fairfield will close out the season at home on Friday at 7:30 pm against Grinnell. 

High School Cross Country

Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield will travel to Pella for their Class 3A state qualifying meet set for today at 4 pm. Class 4A’s Burlington will also run today at Pleasant Valley. 

The state qualifying meets for Classes 1A and 2A will commence at 4 pm tomorrow, October 24th. 

For Class 1A at Regina Catholic, Danville, Van Buren County, Wapello, New London, and the Holy Trinity Catholic boys’ team will all be running.

WACO and Winfield-Mt. Union will make the trip west to Pleasantville to compete, while Columbus will be on its own at North Linn.

In Class 2A, Central Lee and Notre Dame/West Burlington will make the trip to Monticello, while Mediapolis will follow the highly ranked Mid-Prairie teams to Pella Christian. 

Southeastern Community College

The volleyball team will travel to Iowa Lakes Community College tonight at 7 pm.

College Football

Iowa will be searching for a win on Saturday at home against Northwestern at 2:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM will be on the call.

#10 Iowa State is on a bye week.

This Day in Sports History

1984 – Chicago Cub Rick Sutcliffe is the fourth National Leaguer (NL) to be selected as a unanimous choice for NL Cy Young.

2000 – “Monday Night Miracle,” down 30-7 at the end of the third quarter, the New York Jets pull together an improbable comeback with four touchdowns and a field goal in the fourth quarter, eventually defeating the Miami Dolphins 40-37 in overtime.

2019 – Kyrie Irving pours in 50 points, setting a new NBA record for points in a debut with a new team as his Brooklyn Nets go down 127-126 at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Those Pesky Beetles

By Allison Jacobs · Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024 at 6:45 am CDT

Ladybugs and invasive Asian lady beetles may be part of the same insect family, but they are very different bugs. Ladybugs are considered highly beneficial, harmless insects that rarely bite. Asian lady beetles “bite” by scraping the skin they land on. And when they feel threatened, they may excrete a foul-smelling, yellow liquid from their leg joints. This excretion is called “reflex bleeding” and can also happen when they are crushed. Reflex bleeding isn’t dangerous or poisonous, but it can trigger minor allergic reactions. They can also stain walls or fabrics, damaging your property. The biggest difference of behavior is how they shelter in the winter. Ladybugs don’t sneak into your home the way Asian lady beetles do. While ladybugs overwinter in sheltered sites outdoors, Asian lady beetles often enter homes. So if you feel bad vacuuming up those pesky beetles, rest easy knowing your not harming the native ladybug.

 

ladybug vs. asian lady bettle

 

https://plunketts.net/blog/ladybugs-vs-asian-lady-beetles