Debra “Deb” K. Mueller

By Hayden Douglas · Thursday, August 21st, 2025 at 12:28 pm CDT

Debra “Deb” K. Mueller, 70, of Mount Pleasant passed away on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at her home. 

A celebration of Deb’s life will be held on Monday, August 25, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mount Pleasant.

 Friends may call after 2 p.m on Sunday at the Murphy Funeral Home where the family will be present from 4 to 7 p.m. that evening.  

  

 Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

 

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant is caring for her arrangements.

Becky Sue Calhoun

By Hayden Douglas · Thursday, August 21st, 2025 at 10:48 am CDT

Becky Sue Calhoun, 69, of Mount Pleasant, died Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at her home surrounded by her loving family.

Becky was born May 8, 1956, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, the daughter of Russell and Eleanor (Breuer) Rawlings. She graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1974. On April 7, 1979, Becky was united in marriage to Dale Calhoun at the First United Methodist Church in Mount Pleasant, where she remained a faithful member. She worked for Family Medicine of Mount Pleasant for many years, and later at the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility in human resources. Becky and Dale loved traveling together, making many cherished memories along the way. She loved searching for the best deals while shopping, and also enjoyed camping and tending to her garden. Above all, Becky’s greatest happiness came from spoiling her grandchildren and sharing time with her beloved family and friends.

Becky is survived by her husband Dale, daughter Christie (Kurtis Baumgartner) Calhoun of Princeton, Illinois, son Corey Calhoun of Mount Pleasant, two grandchildren, Addyson and Logan. Also surviving are four siblings, Bobbi (Dan) Bruggemeyer of Mount Pleasant, Scotti (Jeff) Nesbitt of Graham, North Carolina, Dell (Ken) Madole of North Liberty, Ron Rienschmidt of Burlington; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; six siblings, Tink Parrott, Art Rawlings, Gil Rienschmidt, Pat Stalder, Rosie Dopler, and Kay Farmer.

Memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at the First United Methodist Church in Mount Pleasant. Rev. Court Fischer will officiate. Burial will be at a later date in the Forest Home Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 25, at the Olson-Powell Chapel & Crematory where the family will be present to greet friends from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. www.powellfuneralhomes.com

Proverbs 31:25 “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future”

Gas and Diesel Prices Continue to Fall in Iowa

By Hayden Douglas · Thursday, August 21st, 2025 at 7:38 am CDT

Iowa drivers are seeing continued relief at the pump as fuel prices dropped again this week.

According to AAA, the average price of regular unleaded gasoline in Iowa was $2.89 per gallon as of Wednesday. That marks a three-cent decrease from last week and a 31-cent drop compared to this time last year. Nationally, the average price for regular unleaded was $3.13, also down three cents from last week.

Diesel prices in Iowa followed a similar trend. Retail diesel fell by five cents this week to an average of $3.51 per gallon. A year ago, diesel in Iowa averaged $3.52. Iowa’s diesel prices remain below the national average of $3.70 by 19 cents.

Wholesale fuel costs also reflected current market conditions. On Wednesday, Des Moines Terminal/Rack Prices were reported at $1.97 for U87-E10, $2.26 for Unleaded 87 (clear), $2.37 for ULSD#2, $2.68 for ULSD#1, and $1.91 per gallon for E-70.

Sports, August 21st

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, August 21st, 2025 at 6:35 am CDT

High School Girls’ Tennis

Mt. Pleasant will travel to Keokuk tonight.

Fairfield will stay on the road to compete against Burlington tonight.

High School Volleyball

Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to West Liberty tomorrow, August 22nd, for a scrimmage.

The season will officially get underway on Monday, August 25th, around the state of Iowa and WACO will ring in the new season by hosting a tournament with Columbus, Van Buren County, and Burlington Notre Dame making the trip.

High School Cross Country

Columbus will be holding a Run-A-Thon fundraiser at the Columbus Community High School Track tonight from 4 to 6 pm to raise money for new uniforms and warmups. If you would like to donate, then find a member of the Columbus cross country team. 

Meet the Players Night

Winfield-Mt. Union will hold their Meet the Players tonight at 6:30 pm located at the Winfield-Mt. Union track. There will be a free will donation dinner starting at 5:50 pm.

Danville will host their Meet the Players tomorrow, August 22nd, with the volleyball and football teams scrimmaging against Mt. Pleasant at 7 pm. 

High School Football

WACO will hold an intrasquad scrimmage tomorrow at home at 7 pm. 

Wapello will hold a sports drink scrimmage tomorrow at home at 5:30 pm. The cost of admission is a bottle of sports drink for the team to use throughout the season.

Columbus will travel to Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow at 6 pm for a scrimmage.

Van Buren County will host a scrimmage against Albia tomorrow with the JV starting at 5:15 pm. The cost of admission will be a Gatorade.

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Mt. Pleasant was our school of focus for last night’s episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook as they celebrated their “Meet the Panthers” night on Tuesday, introducing the fall sports teams to the community. 

To get ready for the season, we were able to talk to head football coach John Bowlin, head girls’ tennis coach Martha Peterson, and girls’ and boys’ head cross country coaches Lyle Murray and Mitch Anderson, respectively.

With only one player returning with varsity experience to the tennis courts, but a new ensemble of eager competitors, coach Peterson has been encouraged by the motivated practices,

“Yeah. I mean, I think there’s something to be said for some unknowns. You know, when everybody can look around and go, oh, it’s pretty obvious who our top six are. I think it does sort of sap the motivation out of some, but I think they all know that these are spots to be fought for. We’re trying to do our challenge matches which is where we get to see that head-to-head competition between any two certain girls. We’re trying to do as much of that outside of practice time as possible because our time really is so limited and so valuable when we step out on the court as a team. But there’s no question that with a lot of girls that are more evenly matched, I think that it’s translating into them being much more motivated to show where they think they deserve to be on the team.”

If you missed last night’s episode, then follow this link: Mt. Pleasant Episode

Southeastern Community College

The women’s soccer team will kick off the year today against Black Hawk College on the road. 

The volleyball team will get the season started with the Opening Weekend Tournament tomorrow, August 22nd, with their first opponent being Schoolcraft College. 

The men’s soccer team will square off against Oakton Community College tomorrow at home.

College Football

#22 Iowa State will start the season in Ireland on Saturday, August 23rd, with a showdown against #17 Kansas State at 11 am. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call with the pregame show at 9 am.

Iowa’s Logan Jones was named a USA Today Preseason Second Team All-American yesterday. The senior earned First Team All-Big Ten and honorable mention All-America last year as an anchor to an offensive line that helped the Hawkeyes rush for 2,564 yards. Iowa will host UAlbany on August 30th at 5 pm to kickoff the season.

This Day in Sports History

1931 – Yankees slugger Babe Ruth becomes the first MLB player to hit 600 career home runs as New York defeats the St. Louis Browns, 11-7 at Sportsman’s Park.

1967 – MLB Kansas City Athletics utility player Ken Harrelson becomes one of baseball’s first free agents when he is abruptly released by the team, after he reputedly refers to team owner Charlie Finley as “a menace to baseball.”

1982 – Milwaukee Brewers’ relief pitcher Rollie Fingers becomes the first pitcher in MLB history to get save #300.

Monmouth College Pipe Band Returns to Midwest Old Threshers

By Hayden Douglas · Thursday, August 21st, 2025 at 5:12 am CDT

To celebrate 75 Years of Midwest Old Threshers Reunions, , the “Fighting Scots” Bagpipe Band of Monmouth College (Monmouth, IL) will return to perform in the Family Tent on Sunday, August 31st at 3PM.

A resounding success last year in their MOT debut performance, the band was eagerly asked to return this year. The concert will feature traditional Irish and Scottish Bagpipe music, along with demonstrations of bagpipes workings, drumming techniques and the unique backgrounds of each of the musicians.

The band is led by Mt. Pleasant Community High School (’15) and Monmouth College (‘19) graduate Aaron Kimzey.

If you missed last year’s performance, you will definitely want to make it a part of your Midwest Old Threshers experience this year.

Rear-End Collision at Washington and Marion Intersection In Mount Pleasant

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, August 20th, 2025 at 2:01 pm CDT

On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at approximately 12:53 p.m., the Mount Pleasant Police Department responded to a motor vehicle collision at the intersection of West Washington Street and South Marion Street.

According to the investigation, Christina White of Mount Pleasant was stopped at a solid red light while driving her 2015 Chevy Tahoe eastbound when her vehicle was struck from behind. The other driver, identified as Angel Holt of Mount Pleasant, was operating a 2008 Infiniti and failed to stop in time.

Witnesses confirmed that Holt did not stop before colliding with White’s vehicle, which was lawfully stopped at the light. Holt’s vehicle was totaled, and the total damage from the crash was estimated at $5,500.

Holt was cited for Failure to Stop within an Assured Distance and No Insurance.

No injuries were reported at the scene. The Mount Pleasant Police Department was assisted by Breuer’s Towing.

Mount Pleasant’s City Wide Garage Sales Digital Map is Out!

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, August 20th, 2025 at 12:27 pm CDT

City Wide Garage Sales are coming to Mount Pleasant August 21st–24th, and you won’t want to miss it!

Thanks to Root & Pixel, shoppers can now explore an awesome interactive map to help plan their treasure hunting routes. This tool makes it easier than ever to find the best bargains all around town.

A big thank you goes out to Meadow & Main Realty and Auction for making this community event possible.

Mark your calendars, grab some cash, and get ready to shop—Mount Pleasant’s City Wide Garage Sales are almost here!

City Wide Garage Sale Map!

Mt. Pleasant Community Schools Shares Bus Information Access

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, August 20th, 2025 at 8:24 am CDT

With the start of the school year just around the corner, Mt. Pleasant Community School District is reminding families how to access their student’s bus information.

Parents and guardians can view bus routes, pick-up, and drop-off details through the district’s Parent App.

To get started, families can download the app at: https://IAMtPleasantComSD.myridek12.tylerapp.com/