Teenager Only Occupant in Tractor-Trailer Rollover

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, October 10th, 2024 at 7:06 am CDT

There was a tractor-trailer rollover at 12:30 am on October 9th that the Henry County Sheriff’s Office responded to. They were identified via 911 emergency call.

Logan Louderman 19, of Brighton, Iowa was traveling eastbound in the 1100-Grid of Highway 78 when his tractor-trailer hit the Crooked Creek bridge guardrail and left the roadway. The tractor-trailer came to rest on the passenger side, approximately 70 yards from where it left the roadway, parallel to the bridge. Alarmingly, the driver, who was the only occupant, was trapped inside.

Wayland Fire Department and Henry County Sheriff Deputies used mechanical means to extract the driver from the vehicle. The driver was transported to Iowa Hospitals for treatment of potential injuries. The tractor appeared to be totaled.

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Wayland Fire Department, Henry County EMS, Washington County EMS, Iowa Air-Care and Breuer Towing and Recovery.

This accident is still under investigation.

Sports, October 10th

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, October 10th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Football

Mt. Pleasant will stay at home to take on Keokuk tomorrow, October 11th, at 7:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm. 

Columbus will face off against Van Buren County tomorrow at 7 pm. 

Central Lee will square off against Mid-Prairie on the road tomorrow at 7:30 pm. 

Mediapolis will compete against Davis County tomorrow at 7:30 pm on the road. 

WACO will hit the road to take on English Valleys tomorrow at 7 pm. 

Danville will be tested on the road against #4 Lisbon at 7 pm tomorrow.  

West Burlington/Notre Dame will host Albia tomorrow at 7:30 pm. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will host Mormon Trail tomorrow at 7 pm.

Wapello will travel to Pekin tomorrow at 7 pm.

Fairfield will take on South Tama tomorrow at 7 pm at home. 

New London’s road game against Moravia has been rescheduled to Saturday, October 12th, at 2 pm.

High School Volleyball

New London will look for a win on their senior night tonight against Burlington Notre Dame at 7:15 pm. 

Mediapolis will compete against Van Buren County tonight at 7:30 pm at home. 

Danville will host Keokuk tonight at 7:30 pm.

Central Lee will travel to Holy Trinity Catholic tonight at 7:30 pm for the Crusaders’ senior night.

Winfield-Mt. Union will take on Hillcrest Academy tonight at 7:30 pm at home for their senior night.

Wapello will face off against Lone Tree tonight at 7:30 pm at home.  

WACO will face off against Louisa-Muscatine tonight at home at 7:30 pm.

Columbus will take on Highland tonight at 7:30 pm at home.

Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield will travel to Oskaloosa on Saturday, October 12th, for a tournament. 

West Burlington will square off against Danville on Tuesday, October 15th, at 7:30 pm in a road matchup. 

High School Volleyball Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their seventh edition of the 2024 volleyball rankings and Holy Trinity Catholic continues to climb up the ranks.

Starting in Class 2A, West Burlington, despite winning the New London tournament and not dropping a set in their last five games, fell two spots in the rankings to #14. Taryn Snodgrass is 3rd in the state in assists with 884, while Carli Cline leads the state in digs by nearly 200 with 630 for the season. Add in Brenna Beggs, Jayonna Hiley, and Madelyn Hamelton, who have all tallied at least 230 kills for the season, and this team is a tough one to beat.

Holy Trinity Catholic cannot stop winning since their own classic, causing their move up to #2 in Class 1A. The Crusaders have won their past 12 contests, including the conference championship, while losing only one set. Presley Myers is a fearsome presence at the net with a team leading 185 kills and 57 blocks. With the Crusaders catching fire at the right time and plenty of tournament experience, they will look to make another deep run in the postseason.

High School Cross Country

Mediapolis and Columbus will be co-hosting the Mike Jay Invitational with Danville, Van Buren County, WACO, Central Lee, Winfield-Mt. Union, New London, Holy Trinity Catholic, Mt. Pleasant, West Burlington/Notre Dame, and Wapello all competing tonight.

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Winfield-Mt. Union was the school of focus for last night’s episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook with special guests seniors Pacey Schlee and Lane Genkinger. For Pacey, her leadership style looks to set the foundation for the younger members of her team to build upon when they become leaders,

“I definitely try to lead by example every day at practice. You know, working hard, not giving up in the game and I always try to give the younger ones advice to, you know, let them know what they can do better and just try to show them, like, how they should be as leaders when they get to their senior year too. Yeah. Just try to remind them that it’s supposed to be fun, and, in the end, the wins and losses don’t matter as long as you had a good time with your team.”

Lane is looking to shock the state as the playoffs rapidly approach and his motivation is built out of selflessness, 

“My family. Because we never really had much and going to state for any athletic activity, whether it’s basketball or track, anything, going to state is pretty big here. So, my dad’s one of my biggest supporters and he just tries to make it to everything and sometimes he couldn’t cause of work. So, I just always try to push to Let him know that I’m doing it for you, Dad, and he can go out and talk to other people and say, yeah, that’s my kid.”

If you missed last night’s episode, then you can follow this link: Winfield-Mt. Union Episode

Southeastern Community College

The volleyball team fell to Western Iowa Tech Community College last night 3-2. The Blackhawks will host a triangular tomorrow, October 11th, with Wilbur Wright College and Illinois Central College making the trip. 

College Football

#11 Iowa State will travel to West Virginia on Saturday, October 12th, at 7 pm. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will have the call.

Iowa will host Washington on Saturday at 11 am. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the broadcast.

This Day in Sports History

1916 – In Game 3, Charlie Ebbets becomes the first owner to raise the price of World Series grandstand seats to $5-up from $3.

1960 – Ron Stewart of Ottawa rushes for a Canadian Football League-record 287 yards.

1979 – Nordiques’ Real Cloutier becomes the third player to score a hat trick in their first game.

Harvest Proclamation Extended Through November 8th

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, October 9th, 2024 at 4:06 pm CDT

Gov. Kim Reynolds today signed a proclamation relating to the weight limits and transportation of grain, fertilizer, and manure.

The proclamation is effective immediately and continues through November 8, 2024. The proclamation allows vehicles transporting corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer (dry, liquid, and gas), and manure (dry and liquid) to be overweight (not exceeding 90,000 pounds gross weight) without a permit for the duration of this proclamation.

This proclamation applies to loads transported on all highways within Iowa (excluding the interstate system) and those which do not exceed a maximum of 90,000 pounds gross weight, do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit determined under the non-primary highway maximum gross weight table in Iowa Code § 321.463 (6) (b), by more than 12.5 percent, do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds, and comply with posted limits on roads and bridges.

Mt. Pleasant Site and Policy Committee Meeting Agenda 10/10

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, October 9th, 2024 at 3:57 pm CDT

This meeting begins at 5:00pm in the high school media center and is open to the public.

  1. Intersection of S. Grand and E. Harvest Dr. Potential Improvements
  2. Central Campus Near-Term Goals
  3. Bus Garage/Buildings and Grounds/Central Receiving Facility Update
    1. Change Order
  4. LP Fueling Station Proposal
  5. School Bus Purchase
  6. Master Planning Meeting October 23, 2pm – 4pm

POLICY COMMITTEE

  1. First Reading of School Board Policy Series 700, Non-Instructional and Business Services
    1. New Board Policy 703.14 Credit and Procurement Cards
    2. Board Policy 707.01 School Nutrition Program
    3. New Board Policy 707.07 Meal Charges
  2. Second  Reading of Board Policies:
    1. Board Policy 501.01                       Compulsory Attendance
    2. Board Policy 501.01A                    Student Absences – Excused
    3. Board Policy 501.01B                    Truancy – Unexcused Absences
    4. New Board Policy 501.01C           Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy
    5. Board Policy 501.01C-R(1)          Truancy  – Unexcused Absence Regulation

 

  1. Review IASB Proposed Legislative Agenda Items
  2. IASB Director District #9 Vacancy
  3. iJAG Fundraiser
  4. NHS Fundraiser
  5. FFA Fundraiser
  6. Oct. 28 School Board Work Session – Candidate Forum

Stephen Smyth – Pending

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, October 9th, 2024 at 10:34 am CDT

Stephen A. Smyth, 78, of New London, died Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Des Moines.

Funeral arrangements are pending at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mt. Pleasant.

Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com

Abandoned Cats Found New Home

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, October 9th, 2024 at 9:21 am CDT

The Burlington Police Department has confirmed that multiple cats have been recovered from a property in the city. Reports on social media suggest that the former resident of 105 Melrose Ct abandoned up to 50 cats before leaving town. 10 cats have been recovered by the Des Moines County Animal Shelter, with approximately 15 remaining on the property.

One local business is taking matters into their own hands. Press Paws Cat Café and Game Room has started a fundraiser to help rescue and rehabilitate these animals. According to them, an overwhelming amount of the abandoned animals are malnourished, sick, and neglected.

The Burlington Police Department says that they are in contact with the former resident, and that an investigation is ongoing.

Impasse for the Supervisors over Setback Lengths

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, October 9th, 2024 at 7:00 am CDT

Discussions have seemingly been placed on hold for the Henry County Board of Supervisors after a work session turned into a stalemate on Tuesday. While many sections of the alternative energy ordinance were discussed, the main issue at hand was the failure to agree on setback lengths.

All three supervisors have proposed distances that conflict with each other. Board chair, Moeller, and supervisor Lindeen, agree that the setback distance should be from structures, which is what the ordinance currently says. Supervisor White, however, argues that the distance should be measured from the property line.

Lindeen believes that one kilometer (3280ft) from a structure is ample setback length, with White wanting 3/4ths of a mile, or 3960 feet, from the property line. Moeller came in much lower, choosing a figure of 2500 feet from a structure. All three men shared their reasoning for the distance that they chose.

The board will be taking the rest of the month to conduct further research in regard to issues with natural disasters, mechanical failures, and things of that nature. Moeller believes that the setback distance is the main hold up at this point in time.

The topic of money was brought forth by Moeller. Further discussion will be had over the value and growth that this potential wind turbine project would bring into the county. Meanwhile, supervisor Lindeen seemed frustrated with the progress of this project, believing that it is continually consuming the board. He agreed that the board should not rush through anything, but did mention that they can’t get anything else done right now because most of their time is focused on this. White called this potential project “monumental” and stated that it would change Henry County for the foreseeable future.

Sports, October 9th

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, October 9th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Football

Mt. Pleasant will stay at home to take on Keokuk on Friday, October 11th, at 7:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm. 

Columbus will face off against Van Buren County on Friday at 7 pm. 

Central Lee will square off against Mid-Prairie on the road on Friday at 7:30 pm. 

Mediapolis will compete against Davis County on Friday at 7:30 pm on the road. 

WACO will hit the road to take on English Valleys on Friday at 7 pm. 

Danville will be tested on the road against #4 Lisbon at 7 pm on Friday.  

West Burlington/Notre Dame will host Albia on Friday at 7:30 pm. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will host Mormon Trail on Friday at 7 pm.

Wapello will travel to Pekin on Friday at 7 pm.

Fairfield will take on South Tama on Friday at 7 pm at home. 

New London’s road game against Moravia has been rescheduled to Saturday, October 12th, at 2 pm.

High School Volleyball

#12 West Burlington honored their seniors last night in a dominating win over New London: 25-8, 25-8, and 25-9. Seniors Taryn Snodgrass with 25 assists and Madelyn Hamelton, who led the team with nine kills and five aces, stole the show for the Falcons’ 34th victory of the season. 

West Burlington will square off against Danville on Tuesday, October 15th, at 7:30 pm in a road matchup. 

New London will look for a win on their senior night tomorrow, October 10th, against Burlington Notre Dame at 7:15 pm. 

Burlington Notre Dame celebrated senior night in style with a sweep of Mediapolis (25-13, 25-21, and 25-21). Bryn Wright dished out 21 assists and connected on an ace for the Bulldogs, while Addi Brockway tallied 13 kills for the Nikes.

Mediapolis will compete against Van Buren County tomorrow at 7:30 pm at home. 

Danville looked to spoil Central Lee’s senior night by winning the first set 25-23, but the Hawks squashed any attempt at an upset by taking the next three sets 25-19, 26-24, and 25-17. Taylor Jones and Halle Lampe were dominant at the net with both players collecting 14 kills and combining for 17 total blocks. The Bears will host Keokuk tomorrow at 7:30 pm.

Central Lee will travel to Holy Trinity Catholic tomorrow at 7:30 pm for the Crusaders’ senior night.

Despite the largest margin of victory in a set being only three points, Winfield-Mt. Union fell to Highland last night in straight sets (25-22, 28-26, and 26-24). The Wolves will take on Hillcrest Academy tomorrow at 7:30 pm at home for their senior night.

Wapello defeated Hillcrest Academy last night 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-23, and 25-19). The Arrows will face off against Lone Tree tomorrow at 7:30 pm at home.  

The Southeast Conference (SEC) Tournament held their first round of competition last night in Keokuk. Burlington exited unscathed, defeating Keokuk (25-6, 25-22), Mt. Pleasant (25-12, 25-22), and Fort Madison (25-18, 25-15) without dropping a set. 

Washington almost followed suit, taking down Mt. Pleasant (25-13, 25-16) and Fort Madison (25-23, 25-8) in sweeps, while shutting down Fairfield (25-19, 23-25, 15-0) in the third set for a perfect record on the night.

Fairfield picked up wins against Fort Madison and Keokuk to finish the night 2-1, while Mt. Pleasant went 0-2. The Grayhounds will host the SEC finals next Tuesday at 5 pm. 

Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield will travel to Oskaloosa on Saturday, October 12th, for a tournament. 

WACO will face off against Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow at home at 7:30 pm.

Columbus will take on Highland tomorrow at 7:30 pm at home.

High School Cross Country

Mediapolis and Columbus will be co-hosting the Mike Jay Invitational with Danville, Van Buren County, WACO, Central Lee, Winfield-Mt. Union, New London, Holy Trinity Catholic, Mt. Pleasant, West Burlington/Notre Dame, and Wapello all competing tomorrow, October 10th.

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Tune in to KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, tonight at 6 pm for a new episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook. The school of focus for this week’s episode will be Winfield-Mt. Union with special guests Lane Genkinger and Pacey Schlee.

Southeastern Community College

The volleyball team will compete against Western Iowa Tech Community College tonight at 6 pm on the road. 

College Football

#11 Iowa State will travel to West Virginia on Saturday, October 12th, at 7 pm. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will have the call.

Iowa will host Washington on Saturday at 11 am. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the broadcast.

This Day in Sports History

1938 – The Cleveland Rams and the Chicago Bears play one of only four penalty free games in NFL history; Rams win 14-7 at Cleveland Stadium.

1989 – Art Shell becomes the first Black NFL head coach in the modern era; his Los Angeles Raiders beat the New York Jets 14-7 on Monday Night Football.

1997 – North Carolina’s men’s basketball coach Dean Smith retires as the winningest coach in college basketball.