Jay Allen Boyd, 65, of New London, died Saturday, September 21, 2024 at the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House, West Burlington. According to his wishes his body has been cremated and the family will receive friends from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, September 27 at Elliott Chapel, New London with a “Celebration of Jay’s Life” to be held immediately following at Woobies, New London. A memorial has been established and online condolences may be sent to www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.
Elzina “Zina” Hardin
Elzina “Zina” L Hardin, 90, of Keosauqua, IA passed away on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at the Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua, IA. As were her wishes, cremation has taken place. A memorial service in her honor will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at the Cranston Family Funeral Home in Keosauqua, IA with Pastor Mary Kathryn Hart officiating. Burial will be in the Fellows Cemetery immediately following the service. A visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, September 27, 2024, at the Cranston Family Funeral Home in Keosauqua with the family present to greet friends from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Memorial contributions in Zina’s honor may be directed to the Fellows Cemetery Association or to Christmas for Kids and may be mailed c/o Cranston Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 189, Fairfield, IA 52556. Friends may leave online condolences or join the webcast at www.cranstonfamilyfuneralhome.com 
Elzina Leona Hardin was born on May 17, 1934, in Corydon, Iowa, to Jesse and Wilma Cox. She attended school in Corydon and was a 1952 graduate of Corydon High School. Zina quickly embraced the essence of love and commitment when she married her soulmate, Hugh Hardin on Independence Day in 1952 in Chariton, Iowa. The couple moved to Keosauqua in 1964, where they began the challenge and joy of raising five rambunctious boys, a job Zina cherished with every fiber of her being.
Zina’s caring nature drove her professional career as she served as a compassionate Certified Nursing Assistant at both the Van Buren County Hospital and the Van Buren County Home. Zina was an active member of the Red Hat Society and a regular attendee at the Keosauqua United Methodist Church. She was also the driving force for over 30 years behind “Christmas for Kids,” a labor of love that ensured local children received new presents each holiday season—a tradition she honored and prepared for throughout each year.
Zina cherished the hours spent quilting and sewing, talents she contributed as a member of a quilt club and a group dedicated to creating blankets and pillows for Christmas for Kids and other worthy causes. Her love for her family could be felt in every carefully crafted scrapbook page, preserving memories of their life events. She loved hearing about the successes and adventures of her ten grandchildren—Mike, Matt, Ashley, Jessica, Brandon, Austin, Trent, Mackenzie, Trey, and Kalli—and eleven great-grandchildren, dedicating her role to being their biggest supporter and the family’s historian.
Though preceded in death by her parents, husband Hugh (2018), and son Jesse “Wally” Hardin (2022), Zina’s legacy lives on. She is survived by her sons, Randy of Keosauqua, Cliff of Danville, IL, Clint (Judy) of Birmingham, IA, and Edd (Coreen) of Fairchild, WI; her siblings, Jim, Marie, Mary Ann, Connie, Bonnie, and Janet; and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, along with numerous extended family and friends.
Armed Burlington Fugitive to spend Over 4 Years in Federal Prison
A man who shot two people in Burlington, Iowa, and was found in Cedar Rapids with a firearm was sentenced September 19, 2024, to over four years in federal prison.
Kejonte Daishawn King, age 21, from Burlington, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 29, 2024, guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
At the guilty plea, King admitted he was previously convicted in Wisconsin for robbery by threat. King failed to appear for his sentencing in that case. King was in Burlington on March 24, 2023, when he shot two people and then fled the area. The Eastern Iowa Fugitive Task Force, led by the United States Marshals Service, found King in Cedar Rapids on April 18, 2023, with two firearms. King was later convicted of willful injury and intimidation with a dangerous weapon and is still serving his prison sentence in that case.
King was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. King was sentenced to an additional 54 months’ and 21 days’ imprisonment to be served concurrently with the remainder of his prison sentence for the Burlington shooting and consecutive to any sentence imposed for his Milwaukee robbery conviction. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
King is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be returned to the Iowa Department of Corrections to complete service of his Iowa sentence and then be sent to a federal prison.
Mt. Pleasant Marching Band Invitational Results
The 24th Mount Pleasant Marching Band Invitational took place Saturday, with 12 schools in competition and exhibitions from Mt Pleasant Middle and High school marching bands.
In class 1A/2A, Tipton takes 1st place. Despite taking best drum major, color guard, and drum line in the class, Central Lee takes second with Wapello in third. Class 3A saw Mount Vernon in 1st with a score of 743, which would put them as the runner up for the entire competition. Center Point-Urbana was just 8 points behind, with Oskaloosa, Fort Madison, Washington, and Keokuk rounding out class 3A. The highest score of the evening went to Council Bluffs Lee Central with 779 points. They also took all caption awards in class 4A. Muscatine takes runner up in that class with Ottumwa in third. The Lennis Moore Fan Appreciation award went to Mount Vernon high school!
Gary Watson
Gary L. Watson, 64, formerly of Lockridge, passed away Friday, September 20, 2024 at Parkview Care Center in Fairfield. 
A celebration of life will be held from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Thursday, September 26, 2024 at Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield. Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, October 4th at Evergreen Cemetery in Fairfield. Memorials may be made to the family for Gary’s grandchildren or to Lockridge Fire Department.
Gary was born February 25, 1960 in Keosauqua, the son of Jerry and Dolores “Dee” (McClaran) Watson. He married Melissa Barr. She preceded in him in death July 1, 2004.
Gary served in the National Guard and was a member of the Lockridge Fire Department. He worked in carpentry for most of his life, and later worked for Harper Brush Works in Fairfield. Gary enjoyed going to air shows, hunting, and sprint car races. He loved spending time with his grandchildren.
Those left to honor his memory include his children, Amanda (James) Tedrow of Libertyville and Josh (Stephanie Regan) Watson of Fairfield; significant-other, Stacey Moeller of Mt. Pleasant; grandchildren, Daphne, Taylor, Kevin, and Trevor; father, Jerry Watson; sisters, Robin (Jeff) Hoaglin, Sandra (Mike) Skirvin, and Kim McClaran; and brothers, Butch (Stephanie) Watson and Shawn (Suzy) Nelson.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his mother, Dee; and brother, Chris Watson.
Online condolences may be made to Gary’s family by viewing his obituary at www.behnerfh.com.
Sports, September 23rd
High School Football
Mt. Pleasant will stay on the road to compete against Mt. Vernon on Friday, September 27th, at 7:15 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7 pm.
Columbus will attempt to right the ship at home on Friday against Highland with kickoff set for 7 pm.
Mediapolis will square off against West Burlington/Notre Dame at home on Friday at 7:30 pm.
Fairfield starts their district play against Benton on Friday at 7 pm at home.
Danville will host Wapello on Friday at 7 pm.
WACO will travel to Easton Valley on Friday at 7 pm.
Winfield-Mt. Union will hit the road to take on English Valleys at 7 pm on Friday.
New London will look to pick up their first win of the season on Friday at home against HLV with kickoff at 7 pm.
Central Lee will look to stay undefeated for the season against Albia on Friday at 7:30 pm at home.
High School Volleyball
Mediapolis, #4 Holy Trinity Catholic, and #10 West Burlington made the trip to Lisbon over the weekend for a tournament and the Falcons claimed 2nd place after a narrow defeat in the championship match against Anamosa.
West Burlington had no issues through the first four games of pool play, not dropping a set against Midland (21-9, 21-11), West Branch (21-14, 23-21), Mediapolis (21-6, 21-13), and Davenport West (21-12, 21-11). In a battle of two ranked southeast Iowa teams, the Falcons soared past Holy Trinity Catholic 25-22 and 25-15 to set up a championship match against Anamosa. After the two teams traded sets, Anamosa edged out a 15-9 win to claim the gold. Jayonna Hiley led the team with 35 kills, while Taryn Snodgrass passed another career milestone as she collected her 1,500th career assist; overall, she tabbed 118 assists and five aces.
Mediapolis picked up victories against Midland (21-14, 21-11) and Iowa Valley (21-16, 21-11), but lost to Davenport West in three sets (9-21, 25-23, 15-10) and was swept by the Crusaders (21-10, 21-14) and Anamosa (21-12, 21-16). Josie Hutcheson led the Bulldogs with 25 kills with Bryn Wright clocking 64 assists.
Lastly, Holy Trinity Catholic finished 3-3 at the Lisbon tournament. The Crusaders swept Midland (21-12, 21-6) and snuck past Lisbon in three sets (21-13, 14-21, 15-11); however, Anamosa had their number, beating them twice 2-1 and 2-0.
Holy Trinity Catholic will host their Classic tonight at 4 pm with Central Lee, Mediapolis, Wapello, and Danville making the trip.
#11 Burlington Notre Dame struggled on their trip to Springville over the weekend, falling in each of their three matches. The Nikes lost in straight sets to Cascade (21-18, 21-14) and Jesup (21-19, 21-11), while losing in a three-set thriller to Easton Valley (24-22, 14-21, 15-0). Maddy Knapp and Addi Brockway grabbed 13 kills apiece with Chloe Wenzel tabbing four blocks and four aces.
Danville’s closest match of the West Liberty tournament was a three-set loss to Cedar Rapids Kennedy (17-21, 21-10, and 7-15). Unfortunately, the Bears were swept the rest of the weekend by Muscatine, West Liberty, and Davenport North. Miya Orbiana collected 24 kills and five blocks.
Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant competed in the Ottumwa Invitational over the weekend with the Trojans finishing 1-4 over the weekend and the Panthers locking in a 2-3 record. Fairfield’s lone win came against Davis County in a 22-20 and 21-11 sweep; the Trojans nearly picked up another win against Albia after forcing a third set but fell short 15-17 in the third set. They also suffered losses to Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (21-9, 21-7) and Ottumwa (21-13 and 21-17).
Mt. Pleasant also picked up a win against Davis County, needing three sets (21-16, 10-21, and 15-13). Additionally, the Panthers took down Fairfield for the second time this season in straight sets 21-18 and 21-13.
Mt. Pleasant will travel to Washington tomorrow, September 24th, at 7:15 pm.
Fairfield squares off against Fort Madison tomorrow at 7:15 pm at home.
West Burlington, Winfield-Mt. Union, WACO, Burlington Notre Dame, and New London are preparing for the SEISC tournament on Thursday, September 26th.
High School Cross Country
Van Buren County was a part of history over the weekend as the Warriors participated in the first lighted high school cross country meet in state history at the Ottumwa Twilight Invitational. The boys’ team finished in 3rd place with 71 points as Lincoln Bainbridge collected the gold with a time of 16 minutes and 39 seconds, followed by Landry Loeffler in 6th place. On the girls’ side, Rylee Phillips was the top finisher with an 8th place time of 22 minutes and 5 seconds.
Van Buren County and Wapello will travel to Burlington to compete on Thursday, September 26th.
Mt. Pleasant’s girls’ coach Lyle Murray urges the community to come out and support the Panthers when they host the Mt. Pleasant Invitational at the high school tomorrow, September 24th, at 4:30 pm. Central Lee, Columbus, Danville, Fairfield, Holy Trinity Catholic, New London, Mediapolis, WACO, and Winfield-Mt. Union will also be participating.
Southeastern Community College
The volleyball team finished 2-2 at the Parkland Tournament over the weekend after the Blackhawks split their Saturday matches, defeating Danville Area Community College in a sweep and despite scoring 26 and 28 points in the first and third sets, Morton College exited with the 3-0 match victory. Delaney Beard led the squad with 20 kills over the course of the two games, while Maddie Jones tabbed 46 assists. The Blackhawks will be back in action tomorrow, September 24th, at 6:30 pm on the road against Kirkwood Community College.
College Football
The Bronze Pig was returned to Iowa City over the weekend after the Hawkeyes outscored Minnesota 24 to 0 in the second half to win 31-14. Kaleb Johnson was unstoppable on the ground as he tallied 206 yards and three scores in the dominating performance. Iowa will be on their bye week.
#18 Iowa State ran up the score over the weekend, clobbering Arkansas State 52-7. The Cyclone committee collected 237 yards rushing with five touchdowns as Carson Hansen found the endzone twice. The Cyclones will start Big 12 play on Saturday, September 28th, at 6 pm against Houston. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will have the broadcast.
This Day in Sports History
1984 – Sparky Anderson is the first manager to win 100 games in both leagues.
1988 – Jose Canseco is baseball’s first to steal 40 bases and hit 40 home runs in a season.
1992 – Manon Rheaume becomes the first woman to play in any of the major North American sports leagues when she plays goalie for the first-year Tampa Bay Lightning in a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues.
Elwood McDaniel
Elwood Stevens McDaniel, 79, of rural Mt. Pleasant passed away on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at the Henry County Health Center in Mt. Pleasant.
No services are planned at this time and cremation has been entrusted to the care of Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com
Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for his arrangements.
Paula Hurley
Paula J. Hurley, 77, of Mt. Pleasant passed away at her home on Friday, September 20, 2024.
Paula was born on August 17, 1947, in Flint, Minnesota, the daughter of Loren and Mary Dodge. Paula was united in marriage to Jerry Dunn; they later divorced. She then married the love of her life, Jim Hurley, on December 26, 1987, at Mt. Sterling. He preceded her in death on February 27, 2011. She enjoyed doing needlepoint, coloring puzzles, visiting friends and family. Paula loved life and would dress up for Halloween. Paula had a passion for collecting owls, porcelain dolls and anything of Elvis.
Paula is survived by her children, Brenda Hurley, Jimmy (Tammy) Hurley, Kim (Karen) Hurley, Phillip (Minnie) Dunn, Mike (Jamie) Hurley and Tammy (Dan) Austin, and her loving grandchildren, Ashley, Rawley, Brittney, Stephanie, Henery, Brandon, Dwight, Tayler, Tyler, Sara, Sean, Scottie and Jenna and several great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands, a son, Russell Dunn, a daughter, Julie Dunn and her brother, Edward Dodge.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at 2 p.m. at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant with Pastor Matt Hunt officiating. Burial will follow in the Salem East Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Tuesday from 1 p.m. until time of service at the Murphy Funeral Home. Memorials may be directed to St Jude Children’s Hospital in her memory. Following the services at the cemetery there will be a time of fellowship at the Mapleleaf Apartments in the community room.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com
Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for her arrangements.