Henry County was declared a disaster area which extends the deadline for informal reviews and for petitions to the Board of Review as per Iowa code 441.37(1)(a)(1). The informal review period is extended to May 25th Petitions to the Board of Review must be post marked by June 5th. This information can be found on the Henry County Government website: henrycounty.iowa.gov Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for five Iowa counties, including Henry County, following severe storms earlier this month.
116th Drake Relays: Washington’s Greyson Hartman Headlines Friday’s Slate of Results
Des Moines, IA- After sprinting through events Thursday in an attempt to avoid a round of strong storms, the Blue Oval enjoyed a pristine spring day in the second day of high school competition. The result was four of our local athletes earning a medal, including a 1st place finish in boys’ shot put.
Boys’ 100-Meter Dash
It has been an ongoing clash of talent between Keokuk’s Ryan Bair and West Burlington/Notre Dame’s Landry Haberichter, as the two finished in 2nd and 3rd respectively at state last season. In the preliminary, it was Haberichter who finished on top, in fact, the Falcon flew to the best time of 10.69 seconds, while Bair’s 10.71 seconds was enough for 5th place and to advance to the finals. London Franklin of New London took 28th place with a time of 11 seconds.
In the finals, Bair regained his edge and shaved nearly two-tenths of a second off his time, cruising to a silver medal time of 10.55 seconds. Haberichter fell back to 4th place with a mark of 10.72 seconds.
Girls’ 100-Meter Dash
Despite her hiatus from the track, Burlington’s Mylee Stiefel roared to a 5th place time of 12.08 seconds in the prelims to qualify for the finals. The Grayhound would stay consistent with another 5th place finish, this time with a mark of 12.16 seconds.
Washington’s Jaedyn Moore claimed 23rd place with a time of 12.51seconds, while Hillcrest Academy’s Rya Scott’s time of 12.53 seconds was good enough for 25th place.
Boys’ 400 and 800-Meter Events
Lincoln Bainbridge of Van Buren County had a busy day. In his first event, the Warrior stayed near the top of the pack in the 800-meter run and snatched the silver medal with a time of 1 minute and 52 seconds.
Near the end of the night, Bainbridge would go on the full-lap sprint in the 400-meter dash and submit a time of 48.32 seconds for 5th place. A solid day for Bainbridge, but he’s not done yet with the 400-meter hurdles Saturday afternoon.
Girls’ 400 and 800-Meter Events
In her second of three events of the day, Mt. Pleasant’s Avery Fedler displayed her speed and stamina with a 5th place jaunt of 2 minutes and 11 seconds in the 800-meter run. As the only freshmen in the 400-meter dash, Fedler claimed 12th place with a time of 57.57 seconds.
The Panther will look the set the pace in the 1500-meter run early Saturday evening.
Boys’ 110-Meter Hurdles
It was not the showing Columbus’ Lamar Ceant, last year’s Class 1A silver medalist, wanted at the Blue Oval as the Wildcat finished in 20th place with a time of 14.71 seconds. His teammate Alex Rees claimed the 10th best time of the meet at 14.36 seconds.
Boys’ 4×200 Meter Relay
The team of Kurt Joy, Jackson Bair, Jadyn Burton, and Ryan Bair for Keokuk finished in 21st place with a time of 1 minute and 30 seconds.
Girls’ 4×200 Meter Relay
Washington had the team of Jaslyn Villa, Lauren Drahota, Leighton Messinger, and Jaedyn Moore run and the quartet clocked a time of 1 minute and 45 seconds for 20th place.
Girls’ Sprint Medley Relay
Mt. Pleasant’s Delaney Anderson, Kynlee White, Alex Scott, and Avery Fedler nearly reset their school record time set just over a week ago at the Denny White Relays. Yet, the Panthers were just six-tenths of a second short as they claimed 8th place with a mark of 1 minute and 47.9 seconds.
Boys’ Shot Put
A pair from the Southeast Conference (SEC) made an appearance in the ring with Uriah Brooks of Fort Madison taking 19th place with a toss of 49 feet and 5.25 inches. But the showstopper was Washington’s Greyson Hartman as his first throw of 61 feet and 8.75 inches would’ve been a winner.
Yet, the Demon added on to it in the finals with a heave of 65 feet and 0.5 inches, which was more than five feet further than Morgan Cooley of East Union Afton’s 2nd place throw of 59 feet and 11 inches. Hartman will look to add another gold medal in the discus Saturday morning.
Girls’ Discus
Pekin’s Anna Hadley and Burlington’s Kylee Hill both qualified for the finals and this time it was the Panther finishing on the podium and the Grayhound one spot away from the bronze medal. Hadley’s first throw of the finals was her best at 147 feet and 7 inches, just three inches short of the silver medal.
Hill never was able to reach the height of her first throw of the day at 140 feet and 9 inches, as she finished in 4th place. Still, Hill walked away with the gold in the shot put in Thursday’s field events.
Girls’ High Jump
Unfortunately, Quin Smith of Winfield-Mt. Union was unable to clear the starting height of 5 feet and 1 inch, resulting in no ranking.
Up Next
Stay tuned to KILJ for a recap of Saturday’s events for our local athletes!
Mary Elizabeth Leonard – Starr
Mary Elizabeth Leonard – Starr, 86, of Branson, Missouri, passed away at 7:44 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at the Cox Medical Center in Branson, Missouri.
She was born on April 26, 1939 in Macomb, Illinois, the daughter of Gerald Alvin and Mallie Mae (Shoemaker) Leonard. On October 6, 1956 she married Joseph A. “Joe” Starr, he preceded her in death on March 30, 2000.
She is survived by two daughters: Ann Kain of Branson, Missouri, Sheila Vorwaldt of Donnellson, Iowa; four grandchildren: Nicholas (Alexis) Kain of Tampa, Florida, Sarah (Alex) Hudson of Denver, Colorado, Devin (Erin) Vorwaldt of Keokuk, Iowa, Shelby Vorwaldt of Donnellson, Iowa; and four great-grandchildren: Jordan Vorwaldt of Fort Madison, Iowa, Jayden Vorwaldt of Fort Madison, Iowa, Emma Johnson of Donnellson, Iowa, Bella Johnson of Donnellson, Iowa.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Joseph; and great-grandson Hunter Vorwaldt.
Mary graduated from Nauvoo High School and worked at Silver Dollar City in Food Service.
She loved her girls, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, gardening, reading, and sewing.
A visitation will be held from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. Friday, May 1, 2026 at Schmitz Funeral Home in Donnellson, Iowa, where the family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 2, 2026 at Schmitz Funeral Home in Donnellson, Iowa with Father Tony Trosley officiating.
Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery in Hamilton, Illinois.
A memorial has been established in her memory for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Branson Library, or the Alzheimer’s Association.
Also surviving Carol Starr.
Schmitz Funeral Home of Donnellson is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.
Crash – Hwy 218 North at MM 55
Henry County Attorney Updates Supervisors on New Hires, Ongoing Staffing Efforts
Henry County Attorney Becky Wilson provided an update on staffing within her office during the Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting on Thursday, April 23.
The discussion came under “other business,” when Supervisor Steve Detrick asked Wilson for an update on recent hiring efforts.
Wilson told the board she has hired two attorneys, pending routine paperwork and background checks, to serve as assistant county attorneys.
Attorney Ed Harvey, who had been working temporarily to address a backlog of public records requests, has now been officially hired. Harvey will work 34 hours per week at an annual salary of $97,500 and brings 27 years of legal experience to the office.
Wilson also announced that Attorney Terri Quartucci plans to join the office as a full-time assistant county attorney. Quartucci currently serves in a similar role in Des Moines County and has 14 years of experience. She will earn $100,000 per year, with a projected start date of May 6.
In addition, Kelly Patterson began work this week as the County Attorney’s Office Manager at a salary of $45,000 per year. Patterson previously served as director of the Salem Crew Public Library since 2002.
Wilson said she is continuing to hire for additional positions and is looking forward to building a full team and getting the office back up to speed prosecuting cases.
Because the staffing update was not listed on the meeting agenda, no formal action was taken. Wilson said she expects to bring the necessary paperwork and resolutions to the board for approval at an upcoming meeting.
Kathleen “Kathy” G. Kessel
Kathleen “Kathy” G. Kessel, 69, of Fairfield, IA passed away on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Jefferson County Health Care Center. As were Kathy’s wishes, cremation has taken place. A time to celebrate and remember Kathy will be held jointly with her daughter Jónquil’s FUNeral on Saturday, May 23, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Fairfield Golf and Country Club. Friends may share memories and leave online condolences at www.cranstonfamilyfuneralhome.com.
Nancy Ann Farquharson Conrad
Nancy Ann Farquharson Conrad, 92, of Mt. Pleasant, formerly of New London, died Friday evening, March 20, 2026 at Soldiers and Sailors Park Place, Mt. Pleasant. She was born August 5, 1933, in Albany, New York to John Edward and Adelaide “Della” (Dost) Farquharson. Her mother died immediately after giving birth to Nancy and her twin, Frank. In 1938, her father married Celeste W. Wilkin, who became a mother to the twins.
She graduated from Columbia High School in East Greenbush, New York, where she was a cheerleader and played field hockey. She continued her education and graduated from the College of St. Rose in Nursing in 1955 and worked at Sloan Kettering in New York City. She fondly remembered visits to her grandpa’s farm and trips to New York City.
On July 8, 1961, Nancy married Ernest Conrad, and they lived in Clinton Corners, New York where she worked in nursing. The family relocated to Iowa in 1976 and in 1984, she earned her master’s degree from the University of Iowa. She worked for 31 years as an associate nursing professor at Iowa Wesleyan College while continuing to work as a practicing nurse in several different medical establishments. Nancy was an active member of St. Alphonsus Church and after retiring from IWC as Associate Professor Emeritus of Nursing, she volunteered with many organizations in the community.
Nancy is survived by her children; Susan (David) Martin, Tim (Karen) Conrad, Steve (Julie) Conrad, Joe (Ros) Conrad, and Don (Kari) Conrad, grandchildren; Emma Martin LaPlant, Liv Martin, Josh Conrad, Nick Conrad, Sarah Conrad, Amelia Conrad, Elaina Conrad and several great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, stepmother, brother Frank and her grandson Ethan.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 1:00 – 4:00 PM, Sunday, May 3, 2026 at Elliott Chapel, New London with a tribute by the Great River Nurse Honor Guard at 3:30. Memorials may be made to All God’s Creatures Animal Shelter in Mt. Pleasant or the Alzheimer’s Association. Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.
Jon Michael “Fu” Fullerton
Jon Michael “Fu” Fullerton, 54, of Des Moines, died Thursday, April 14, 2026 at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. He was born December 31, 1971 in Monticello, Iowa to Richard “Dick” and Anna Crockett Fullerton. Jon was of the Christian faith.
He worked at various positions in the food service business including cooking, waiting tables, singing, and locals may remember his smiling face at The Bistro in New London. He enjoyed music, photography and photo work, and skateboarding. Jon was very artistically talented in painting and pencil and ink drawings.
Jon is survived by his parents of Mt. Pleasant; two brothers, Daniel of Des Moines and James (Jenn) of Chicago; two nieces, Miranda and Ashley; many aunts, uncles and cousins; and a host of good friends. He was preceded in death by his grandparents.
A Celebration of Jon’s life will be held May 9, 2026, at 11:00 am at Calvary Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant with a time of fellowship immediately following the service. A memorial has been established. Elliott Chapel, New London, is assisting the family and online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.