Mount Pleasant City-Wide Book Sale

By Hayden Douglas · Thursday, October 31st, 2024 at 8:30 am CDT

The Mount Pleasant City-Wide Book Sale is November 4th-8th. Lottie Schnicker, MPCSD K-12 Teacher Librarian, talks to KILJ about the book fair this year and a change to where your child might find the books they are looking for…

The book fair will have books of fiction, nonfiction, sci-fi, and even cookbook collections. All money raised from the city-wide book fair will stay at the school where the book fair sale was held. For times and dates for the book fair, check out your respected school’s website. Listen to the full interview below.

Sports, October 31st

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, October 31st, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

Postseason Volleyball

For the Class 1A Region 2 championship, #3 Holy Trinity Catholic advanced to their fourth consecutive state tournament appearance after fighting back to sweep Calamus-Wheatland (25-12, 27-25, and 28-26). After a dominating first set by Presley Myers, the Warriors thundered out to leads of seven in the second set and twelve in the third set. Nevertheless, in the first instance of resistance against the Crusaders in the postseason, the team did not flinch as head coach Melissa Freesmeier was enthusiastic to see,

“It makes you feel good. We were down. We were down big, and we came back, and we just kept coming after them and we told them in the timeout. We got to keep swinging. All right? Don’t just try to put the ball in play. We gotta keep swinging and we came up huge. I think Adalyn had five straight kills and you know, she just kept going and she has that ability to take over a game, but our defense was digging up balls and was able to keep that opportunity alive but proud of all of our kids tonight. They stepped up and did the little things and we got the victory after being down and said two and three, but proud of the way our kids just stayed in it and had the opportunity to win it.”

Adalyn Kruse tabbed 11 of her 19 kills in the third set comeback, but Myers led the squad with 20 kills in the match and the junior still hasn’t gotten sick of the going to state,

“No, I mean we work all season to go to the state tournament and it’s, you know, it’s a really short, you know, three days, but it’s like it’s one of the best feelings. You know, you’re ever going to feel, and you only have a short four years of high school to experience it. So you know, it’s totally worth it to work your butt off and miss out on some stuff all throughout the season, so you’re prepared to make it to the state tournament and I’m so excited to go next week and to just show all the incoming freshmen and everything like what it’s all about. So, they can look forward to it next year too.”

Holy Trinity Catholic will take on BCLUW in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday, November 5th, at 8:25 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 8:05 pm. 

The other Class 1A matchups include: Ankeny Christian will face off against Don Bosco, Riverside will compete against North Tama, and Saint Ansgar will take on Janesville. 

In Class 2A Region 3, #14 West Burlington hung in for the first set against #3 Beckman Catholic last night, but ultimately could not keep up, losing in straight sets (21-25, 14-25, and 17-25). The Falcons ended the season with a 37-7 record. 

The state tournament matchups for Class 2A will be Denver versus Boyden-Hull, Dike-New Hartford will take on Aplington-Parkersburg, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont will compete against Regina Catholic, and Beckman Catholic will face off against South Hardin. The tournament will begin at 2 pm on Tuesday for Class 2A. 

Class 5A will start off the tournament with Pleasant Valley facing off against Waukee on Monday, November 4th, at noon. Ankeny Centennial will take on Cedar Falls, Dowling Catholic will compete against Indianola, and Ankeny will tango with Waukee Northwest.

Postseason Football

WACO will travel to #3 Don Bosco tomorrow, November 1st, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

#10 West Burlington/Notre Dame will take on #8 Anamosa on the road tomorrow night.

Mediapolis will get a district rematch against Mid-Prairie on the road at 7 tomorrow. 

In Class 3A, #5 Mt. Vernon will host Carroll and Assumption will hit to the road to take on #3 Wahlert Catholic with both games scheduled for 7 pm tomorrow.

High School Cross Country

The Class 3A state meet is scheduled for tomorrow, November 1st, in Fort Dodge with both Washington teams and Mt. Pleasant’s Quintrie Lee making the trip. 

The Class 1A and Class 2A state meets will run on Saturday, November 2nd. For the Class 2A boys’ race, Mediapolis will have a trio of runners competing in Mason Lindeen, Will Schmidgall, and Simon Wendell. On the girls’ side, Hannah Fruehling and Kaitlyn Kipp will run for Notre Dame/West Burlington. 

For Class 1A, the Danville, Van Buren County, and Columbus boys’ teams will be competing along with the Danville girls’ team. For the qualifying individuals, Winfield-Mt. Union’s Kohlby Newsom and WACO’s Jude Dykstra will participate in the boys’ race, while the duo of Rylee Phillips and Kayley Snowgren of Van Buren County will run in the girls’ race. 

Southeastern Community College

The volleyball team finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak after defeating Ellsworth Community College in four sets last night. The Blackhawks await their opponent for the First Round of the Region 11 tournament slated for Wednesday, November 6th. 

College Football

Iowa will take on Wisconsin on Saturday, November 2nd, at 6:30 pm at home. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the broadcast. 

#11 Iowa State will be back in action this Saturday at 2:30 pm at home against Texas Tech. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call. 

This Day in Sports History

1950 – The Big Cat, Earl Lloyd, becomes the first African-American to play a game in the NBA, scoring 6 points in his debut for the Washington Capitols.

1994 – Tennis star Venus Williams makes her professional debut as a 14-year-old with a 6-3, 6-4 win over former NCAA champion and world No. 58 Shaun Stafford in the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, California.

2003 – Bethany Hamilton, aged 13, has her arm bitten off by a shark while surfing in Hawaii. She would return to surfing less than a month later.

Henry County Health Center Foundation Announces 2024 Foundation Grant Recipients

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, October 30th, 2024 at 7:05 am CDT

The Henry County Health Center Foundation recently announced the recipients of the 2024 Foundation Grant Program. The HCHC Foundation awarded $20,000 among nine different organizations. The grant opportunities have doubled in 2024 to $20,000, an intentional strategy to bring an increased impact to awardees.

HCHC Foundation Director, Savannah Collins, says “This is a great example of local dollars making a big impact for local organizations. The Foundation’s grant program brings opportunities for area organizations to continue their service to Henry County residents.”

Among the nine organizations awarded based on their grant requests, the Mount Pleasant Community School District, Wayland Area Childcare Organization, Tiger Food Pantry, Mount Pleasant High School Activities Department, Henry County Sheriffs Office, and the Mount Pleasant Library & Henry County Conservation, Henry County Public Health, and Mount Pleasant Childcare Center. The HCHC Foundation remains a leading steward of financial resources focused on the future of healthcare and quality of life in our Henry County communities.

Sports, October 30th

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, October 30th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

Postseason Volleyball

In Class 1A Region 2, Holy Trinity Catholic will face off against Calamus-Wheatland for the Regional Championship tonight at 7 pm at West Liberty High School. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45. Crusader head coach Melissa Freesmeier wants her team to focus on the things they can control,

“You know the big thing is to take care of our side of the net and do the things we’ve been doing, do the little things and keep swinging.”

In Class 2A Region 3, #14 West Burlington will take on #3 Beckman Catholic tonight at 7 at Solon High School with the winner advancing to the state tournament. 

Classes 3A, 4A, and 5A held their Regional Championship matchups last night and here are the teams that advanced to the state tournament. 

In Class 3A, the regional champions are Mt. Vernon, Western Christian, West Delaware, Wahlert Catholic, Assumption, Sioux Center, Kuemper Catholic, and Mid-Prairie, who defeated Wilton in four sets. 

Punching their ticket to the Class 4A state tournament was Xavier, Bishop Heelan, North Scott, Clear Creek Amana, Pella, Glenwood, Carlisle, and Sergeant Bluff-Luton in the lone upset.

Lastly, for Class 5A: Ankeny Centennial, Pleasant Valley, Ankeny, Dowling Catholic, Indianola, Waukee Northwest, Cedar Falls, and Waukee all qualified for the state tournament with seven of the eight matches ending in a sweep.

Postseason Football

WACO was placed in a pod with Iowa Valley, #5 Gladbrook-Reinbeck, and #3 Don Bosco. The Warriors will travel to #3 Don Bosco on Friday, November 1st, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

#10 West Burlington/Notre Dame will take on #8 Anamosa on the road on Friday.

Mediapolis will get a district rematch against Mid-Prairie on the road at 7 on Friday. 

In Class 3A, #5 Mt. Vernon will host Carroll and Assumption will hit to the road to take on #3 Wahlert Catholic with both games scheduled for 7 pm on Friday.

High School Cross Country

The Class 3A state meet is scheduled for Friday, November 1st, in Fort Dodge with both Washington teams and Mt. Pleasant’s Quintrie Lee making the trip. 

The Class 1A and Class 2A state meets will run on Saturday, November 2nd. For the Class 2A boys’ race, Mediapolis will have a trio of runners competing in Mason Lindeen, Will Schmidgall, and Simon Wendell. On the girls’ side, Hannah Fruehling and Kaitlyn Kipp will run for Notre Dame/West Burlington. 

For Class 1A, the Danville, Van Buren County, and Columbus boys’ teams will be competing along with the Danville girls’ team. For the qualifying individuals, Winfield-Mt. Union’s Kohlby Newsom and WACO’s Jude Dykstra will participate in the boys’ race, while the duo of Rylee Phillips and Kayley Snowgren of Van Buren County will run in the girls’ race. 

Southeastern Community College

The volleyball team will host Ellsworth Community College tonight at 7 for Sophomore Night. 

College Football

Iowa will take on Wisconsin on Saturday, November 2nd, at 6:30 pm at home. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the broadcast. The Hawkeyes will be leaning on quarterback Brendan Sullivan after Cade McNamara was ruled out of this week’s matchup with a concussion.

#11 Iowa State will be back in action this Saturday at 2:30 pm at home against Texas Tech. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call. 

This Day in Sports History

1919 – Baseball league presidents call for the abolishment of the spitball.

1954 – The first use of the 24-second shot clock in pro basketball; the Rochester Royals defeated the Boston Celtics, 98-95.

2016 – The Oakland Raiders break the single game record for most penalties in an NFL game, gaining 23 in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mt. Pleasant Community School District Board of Directors Held A Special Session Ahead Of Elections

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, October 29th, 2024 at 3:37 pm CDT

A Special Session Board Meeting for the Mt. Pleasant Community School District Board of Directors was held Monday afternoon. During the meeting the school board held an informal forum with several Henry County District Representatives present. Among the panel was Jeff Shipley – House District #87, Thomas O’Donnell – House District #87, Jeff Poulter – House District #95, Lisa Ossian – Senate District #44,  & John Dabeet – Senate District #48. Candidates were asked a series of questions from Mt pleasant Superintendent, John Henriksen. Candidates were asked about their top priority within the school systems, School Safety measures, and their opinions on the importance to manufacturing & small businesses in Rural Iowa. Click here to listen to what the candidates had to say during the forum and watch the meeting in its entirety.

Lassa Fever in Eastern Iowa

By Allison Jacobs · Tuesday, October 29th, 2024 at 9:07 am CDT

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has confirmed the death of a middle-aged eastern Iowa resident from Lassa fever. The individual had recently returned from travel to West Africa, where it is believed they contracted the virus.

Iowa HHS is working closely with the University of Iowa Health Care, where the individual was receiving care, the CDC and local public health partners to identify anyone who may have been in close contact with the patient, out of an abundance of caution, for monitoring.

Lassa fever is not spread through casual human contact like hugging, shaking hands or sitting near someone or through the air. Though very rare, the virus can be transmitted from human to human contact through blood or bodily fluids. Lassa fever is carried by rodents in West Africa and is transmitted to humans who may come in contact with urine or feces of the infected rodents.

There have been eight travel-associated cases of Lassa fever in the U.S. in the past 55 years. Approximately, 80% of those that contract Lassa fever have mild or no symptoms at all.

Burlington Felon Arrested with Stolen Pistol

By Allison Jacobs · Tuesday, October 29th, 2024 at 9:06 am CDT

On October 27, 2024, Des Moines County Deputies stopped a vehicle for an equipment violation at the intersection of Osborn St. and Wells St. Upon contacting the driver, deputies observed an open container of alcohol in the center console of the vehicle. Deputies then conducted a search of the vehicle.

Deputies located a pistol during the search of the vehicle and knew the driver was a convicted felon. Deputies ran the serial number and found the pistol was stolen out of Burlington on October 3, 2024. Deputies also located a baggie containing 10 20mg amphetamine/dextroamphetamine pills and 27 5mg amphetamine/dextroamphetamine pills.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Vincent Anthony Copeland, age 27, of Burlington, IA. Copeland was placed under arrest for improper brake light, no valid driver’s license, fail to display registration plate, possession firearm by felon (D felony), 2 counts possession of a controlled substance 3rd or subsequent offense (D felony), 2 counts fail to affix a drug tax stamp (D felony), and trafficking stolen weapons (D felony). Copeland was transported to the Des Moines County Correctional Center.

A CRIMINAL CHARGE IS MERELY AN ACCUSATION AND THE DEFENDANT IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL AND UNLESS PROVEN GUILTY.

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Sports, October 29th

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, October 29th, 2024 at 6:34 am CDT

Postseason Volleyball

In Class 1A Region 2, Wapello was looking to slay another giant of southeast Iowa after defeating Burlington Notre Dame to advance to the Regional Semifinals. #3 Holy Trinity Catholic had other ideas. Led by the duo of Adalyn Kruse and Presley Myers, who each claimed 13 kills, the Crusaders swept the Arrows (25-14, 25-17, and 25-14) to advance to the Regional Championship. Myers has now accumulated 33 kills through the first two games of the postseason as Crusader head coach Melissa Freesmeier talked about her dominance at the net,

“You know she’s swinging well. She’s getting great touches on the block in the front row and she’s, you know, she’s becoming unstoppable. So, I really love the way she goes up there and swings. Her and Anna have a connection and, you know, then you see freshman Olivia Bendlage, who just keeps swinging and doing the little things. And Adalyn Kruse who comes in and, you know, plays great defense. But you know, I was proud of our kids tonight. Just everything. What they were doing and, you know, just getting better and better every game.”

The win also marked coach Freesmeier’s 1,100th career victory, but Freesmeier was quick to humble herself upon passing the milestone,

“Well, you know it means I’ve been around a while, but you know it feels good. But you know, I couldn’t do it without the support of the parents and the community. And you know, we’ve got great kids here who come in and work hard every day and, you know, until I stop loving to come to practice every day, you know, I’m going to be here for a while so, you know that’s a big attribute to the kids that we’ve had going through the system. They’re great kids and you know, they just keep getting good kids all the way down the line.”

Wapello was led by Annaka Greiner’s 21 assists and an ace, while Mila Jordan tallied eight kills followed by Kate Lanz with seven kills. The Arrows ended the season with an 18-12 record. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will face off against Calamus-Wheatland for the Regional Championship tomorrow, October 30th, at 7 pm at West Liberty High School. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

In Class 2A Region 2, Van Buren County saw their season come to an end last night against #2 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont as the Rockets swept the Warriors (25-11, 25-14, 25-14). Van Buren County finished the season with a 20-10 record, their first 20-win season since 2019. 

In Region 3, #14 West Burlington punched their ticket to the Regional Championship after defeating Lisbon in four sets (25-21, 26-24, 19-25, and 25-21). Taryn Snodgrass tabbed two aces and dished out 47 assists as Brenna Beggs (two blocks) and Jayonna Hiley each finished with 15 kills. The Falcons will face off against #3 Beckman Catholic tomorrow at 7 pm at Solon High School with the winner advancing to the state tournament. 

High School Volleyball Awards

The Southeast Conference (SEC) was controlled by two talented clubs in Washington and Burlington, justly, they dominated the All-Conference list.

For the First Team honorees, the conference champion Demons had Leighton Messinger, Lauren Hinrichsen, and Layla Green make the team. Messinger led the conference in kills with 285 and efficiency with a 0.251 mark, along with being ranked sixth in aces with 35 for the season. These marks led to Messinger taking home SEC Player of the Year honors.

Hinrichsen tabbed 659 assists for the season and Green finished ninth in kills, 176, and fifth in total blocks, 44.

Burlington was led by Annalise Buxton, Gemma Plummer, and Lily Newell. Buxton was second in the conference in kills (283), tenth in efficiency (0.191), eighth in digs (274), and second in aces behind Sydney Schroeder, who tallied 61. Plummer was a force at the net with 180 kills and 58 total blocks, which ranked second in the conference. Lastly, Newell was a top-notch defensive specialist with 384 digs, which led the conference, and helped the offense with 91 assists.

Earning the last spot on the All-SEC First Team was Fairfield’s Lilly Bergren. The senior led the Trojans with 188 kills and a kill efficiency of 0.212. 

Mt. Pleasant’s junior attacking duo of Addison Clark and Alex Scott claimed spots on the All-SEC Second Team. The two main attackers for the Panthers each collected over 190 kills, which ranked them in the top five of the SEC. Clark’s 32 blocks was good enough for 7th in the conference, while Scott ranked third in the SEC for aces with 44.

Savannah Slobodnik, 54 kills and a 0.071 kill efficiency, and Kynlee White, 80 kills with 18 blocks, were named to the All-Conference Honorable Mention team.

Postseason Football

WACO was placed in a pod with Iowa Valley, #5 Gladbrook-Reinbeck, and #3 Don Bosco. The Warriors will travel to #3 Don Bosco on Friday, November 1st, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

#10 West Burlington/Notre Dame will take on #8 Anamosa on the road on Friday at 7 pm.

Mediapolis will get a district rematch against Mid-Prairie on the road at 7 pm on Friday. 

In Class 3A, #5 Mt. Vernon will host Carroll and Assumption will hit to the road to take on #3 Wahlert Catholic with both games scheduled for 7 pm on Friday.

High School Cross Country

The Class 3A state meet is scheduled for Friday, November 1st, in Fort Dodge with both Washington teams and Mt. Pleasant’s Quintrie Lee making the trip. 

The Class 1A and Class 2A state meet will run on Saturday, November 2nd. 

Southeastern Community College

The volleyball team will host Ellsworth Community College tomorrow, October 30th, at 7 pm for Sophomore Night. 

College Football

Iowa will take on Wisconsin on Saturday, November 2nd, at 6:30 pm at home. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the broadcast. 

#11 Iowa State will be back in action this Saturday at 2:30 pm at home against Texas Tech. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call. 

This Day in Sports History

1989 – Ozzie Newsome ended his NFL streak of 150 consecutive game receptions.

1995 – Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers became the NFL’s career leader in receiving yards with 14,040 yards.

2018 – Golden State shooting guard Klay Thompson breaks the NBA record previously held by teammate Stephen Curry for most 3-pointers in a game with 14 in a Warriors’ 149-124 win over the Bulls in Chicago.