Accident in Henry County Friday

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, September 14th, 2024 at 6:20 am CDT

On September 13th, 2024, at approximately 4:32 a.m., the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a single motor vehicle collision at the intersection of 295th Street and Highway 218.  An investigation into the collision determined Thomas Adkins, 22 of Stockport, was driving a 2022 Chevrolet Blazer south bound on Highway 218.  While traveling south bound the vehicle left the roadway entering the west ditch.  The vehicle then collided with a stop sign before coming to a stop on the outside shoulder of the roadway.  Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $8000.  No injuries were reported.  The driver was cited for Failure to Maintain Control of a Motor Vehicle.   

 

 

 

Local High School Football Scores (Week 3)

By Slaten Swords · Friday, September 13th, 2024 at 10:53 pm CDT

8-Player

(3-1) WACO 40, (2-1) Winfield-Mt. Union 24

(3-0) Calamus-Wheatland 51, (0-4) HLV 50

(4-0) Iowa Valley 72, (0-3) New London 21

Class A

(3-0) Lisbon 49, (1-2) Columbus 6

(2-1) Highland 13, (0-3) Van Buren County 0

(1-2) Wapello 38, (0-3) Louisa-Muscatine 0

(3-0) Pekin 54, (1-2) Danville 10

Class 2A

(3-0) Central Lee 21, (1-2) Durant 7

(3-0) West Burlington/Notre Dame 27, (0-3) West Liberty 22

(3-0) Davis County 69, (0-3) Cardinal 6

(2-1) Sigourney-Keota 21, (0-3) Mid-Prairie 14

(3-0) Regina Catholic 31, (1-2) Mediapolis 21

(2-1) Chariton 35, (2-1) Albia 14

Class 3A

(2-1) Mt. Pleasant 33, (2-1) Tipton 24

(1-2) Keokuk 45, (1-2) Burlington 7

(3-0) Washington 34, (1-2) Fairfield 26

(3-0) Mt. Vernon 15, (2-1) Benton 13

(1-2) Centerville 28, (0-3) Fort Madison 12

(3-0) North Scott 35, (0-3) Assumption 0

Sports, September 13th

By Slaten Swords · Friday, September 13th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Football

Mt. Pleasant will stay at home to compete against Tipton tonight at 7 pm for Military Appreciation Night. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

West Burlington/Notre Dame will go against West Liberty tonight at 7:30 pm at home.

WACO will celebrate homecoming tonight at 7 pm against Winfield-Mt. Union. 

New London will host Iowa Valley tonight at 7 pm.

Fairfield will face off against Washington tonight at 7:30 pm on the road. 

Danville is back at home to take on Pekin tonight at 7 pm.

Van Buren County will host Highland tonight at 7 pm for their home opener. 

Central Lee will take on Durant tonight at 7 pm at home.

Mediapolis will attempt to upset Regina Catholic tonight at 7 pm on the road. 

Columbus will hit the road to face off against Lisbon at 7 pm tonight. 

Wapello will compete at home against Louisa-Muscatine tonight at 7 pm. 

High School Volleyball

Winfield-Mt. Union spoiled WACO’s homecoming week with a sweep last night, winning 25-19, 25-19, and 25-18. Kellee Milks led the Wolves with 17 kills as Kaelyn Townsley notched four aces in the victory. Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to Wapello on Tuesday, September 17th, at 7:30 pm at home. 

WACO will look to get back on track on Tuesday at 7:30 pm against Columbus at home.

Van Buren County fell to Burlington Notre Dame in straight sets last night 25-9, 25-17, and 25-22. The Warriors will face off against West Burlington on Tuesday at 7:30 pm on the road. 

Burlington Notre Dame will compete against Central Lee on the road at 7:30 pm on Tuesday. 

Central Lee dominated New London last night in straight sets 25-20, 25-16, and 25-10. Kenna Sandoval tallied 19 assists, while Taylor Jones collected nine kills, three blocks, and two aces in the win. The Tigers will square off against Holy Trinity Catholic on Thursday, September 19th, at 7:30 pm at home.

Danville claimed a hard-fought first set over Mediapolis 28-26 but could not hold off the Bulldogs, losing the next three sets 25-23, 26-24, and 25-13. Bryn Wright had a phenomenal night with 31 assists and eight aces for the Bulldogs with Maddy Carter tabbing 13 kills and five blocks. The Bears will look to get back in the win column on Thursday against Burlington Notre Dame on the road at 7:30 pm.

Mediapolis and Mt. Pleasant will compete in a tournament at Wilton tomorrow, September 14th. 

West Burlington faced 2-0 deficit last night against Holy Trinity Catholic after losing the first two sets 25-17 and 27-25, but rallied back to force a fifth set, taking the third and fourth sets 26-24 and 25-15. However, the Crusaders ended the comeback attempt with a 15-11 fifth set victory. Holy Trinity Catholic will look to continue their run on Tuesday at home against Mediapolis at 7 pm.

Fairfield and West Burlington will compete in a tournament at Williamsburg tomorrow.  

High School Volleyball Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their latest round of rankings yesterday and three of our local teams remained in the top 15 for their respective classes.

In Class 2A, West Burlington remained put at #9 after entering last night 14-1. The Falcons tout a veteran team as seniors Taryn Snodgrass and Carli Cline each broke the career 1,000-plateau last weekend with Snodgrass grabbing her 1,000th career assist and Cline tabbing her 1,000th career dig. 

In Class 1A, Holy Trinity Catholic kept their #5 ranking. Anna Bendlage has been the captain for the Crusaders this year as she leads the team in assists and aces. Lastly, Burlington Notre Dame moved one spot up in the rankings to #12 this week. Madalynn Knapp has been the main attacker for the Nikes this season with over 110 kills through 15 contests. 

High School Cross Country

Fairfield hosted their invitational last night and the girls’ and boys’ teams for Danville continued their early season dominance as both took 1st place as a team for the Class 1A and 2A teams, while for Classes 3A and 4A the Central DeWitt boys’ team grabbed 1st place and the Fort Madison girls’ team finished with the gold.

Looking at the girls’ Class 1A and 2A race first, Hillcrest Academy’s Marie Yoder took pole position with a time of 20 minutes and 21 seconds, but the Ravens would still finish in 2nd place with 65 points. 

Danville was anchored by Alaina Gourley’s 2nd place time of 21 minutes and 5 seconds as three more Bears finished within the top 10: Delaney Newberry and Abby Arnett grabbed 6th and 7th place, respectively, and Addison Henklevig took 9th place. The Bears finished with 33 team points.

Despite not having a team score, Kaitlyn Kipp and Hannh Fruehling of West Burlington and Kayley Snowgren of Van Buren County each finished in the top 5, with Kipp tabbing a time of 21 minutes and 9 seconds for 3rd place as Fruehling and Snowgren finished right behind her in 4th and 5th place, respectively. Kenna Small of Wapello claimed 8th place for the Arrows. 

Mediapolis finished in 4th place as a team with 76 points with Avery Dietz leading the charge for the Bulldogs with a 15th place time of 24 minutes and 8 seconds. 

On the boys’ side for Classes 1A and 2A, it was a rematch of some of the best runners in the state and a mixup of the top four runners. Van Buren County’s Lincoln Bainbridge took gold with a time of 16 minutes and 52 seconds followed by Jackson Shacklett of Danville with a time of 17 minutes flat with Mediapolis’ Will Schmidgall taking 3rd place just a second behind. Kohlby Newsom of Winfield-Mt. Union grabbed 4th place with a time of 17 minutes and 11 seconds.

Helping the Bears finish with a team leading 39 points was Isaac Shinn, Noah Horn, and Nick Powell who finished 7th through 9th, respectively. 

Landry Loeffler’s 6th place finish helped the Warriors grab 47 points and 2nd place as a team. Mediapolis took 3rd place with 64 points and Winfield-Mt. Union tabbed 5th place. 

West Burlington’s Gabe Andrus led the 6th place team effort with a 17th place time of 20 minutes and 11 seconds. Wapello finished in 8th place as Will Parsons took 32nd place. Nathan Bergman of New London finished in 31st place.

Switching to Classes 3A and 4A for the girls’ teams, Iris Dahl of Washington took 1st place with a time of 20 minutes and 28 seconds. Mt. Pleasant finished in 5th as a team with 135 points and Fairfield took 6th place with 141 points. 

The Panthers were led by Quintrie Lee’s 12th place finish with a time of 22 minutes and 19 seconds and Bella Dodds took 22nd place with a time of 23 minutes and 42 seconds. Head coach Lyle Murray called it a solid night of racing as everyone’s time trended in the right direction.

Caroline Van Pelt led the Trojans with a 16th place time of 23 minutes and 9 seconds followed by Alex Jo Steward, who grabbed 21st place. 

For the boys’ teams in Classes 3A and 4A, Fairfield touted 5th place with 145 points, Burlington took 7th place with 182 points, and Mt. Pleasant grabbed 8th place with 189 points. 

Solomon Clauson was Fairfield’s first finisher with a time of 19 minutes and 1 second, which was good enough for 21st place. Mt. Pleasant’s Locken Henderson finished in the top 10 at 7th place with a time of 17 minutes and 58 seconds. 

Danville will run at Oskaloosa on Tuesday, September 17th. 

Central Lee will host a meet on Tuesday with Winfield-Mt. Union and Van Buren County making the trip. 

Mt. Pleasant, Mediapolis, Winfield-Mt. Union, Fairfield, New London, Van Buren County, Danville, Central Lee, and Holy Trinity Catholic will run at Rodeo Park Trail on Thursday, September 19th. 

WACO and Wapello will run on Tuesday at Knoll Ridge Country Club at 5:40 pm.

Southeastern Community College

The volleyball team will compete in a triangular at Heartland Community College tonight with their first contest against John A. Logan College at 5 pm. 

College Football

Iowa will attempt to get back on track against Troy at home tomorrow, September 14th, with kickoff at 3 pm. The broadcast will be on KILJ 105.5 FM.

Iowa State is on a bye week.

This Day in Sports History

1958 – Braves Warren Spahn is the first lefty to win 20 or more games nine times.

1973 – US Congress passes and sends a bill to President Nixon to lift the NFL’s television blackout of sold out games.

2018 – “Thursday Night Football” Cincinnati beats Baltimore 34-23; the first all-female broadcast booth in NFL history as Andrea Kremer calls the game with Hannah Storm.

Mental Health Services offered through HCHC Mt. Pleasant Clinic

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 13th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

Anyone can experience a mental health crisis whether it is anxiety, depression, or everyday stress. The important thing is not to go through it alone.

The Henry County Health Center-Mount Pleasant Clinic offers mental health services with psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, Heather Miller. Heather is accepting new patients with no referral required. As a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, she focuses specifically on the mental health needs of patients. To schedule appointments, call 319-385-6770.

Some of the services that are provided, but are not limited to, include:

    • comprehensive mental health assessments,
    • diagnostic evaluations/assessments,
    • medication management of psychotropic medication,
    • coordination of individual, family, or group therapy,
    • management of acute/chronic mental health conditions,
    • patient/family education and arrangement for further medical testing or treatments  related to behavioral health conditions across the lifespan.

Common mental health disorders managed by psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners include, but are not limited to:

  • depression,
  • anxiety,
  • grief,
  • bipolar disorder,
  • schizophrenia,
  • dementia with behavior issues,
  • impulsivity,
  • intellectual disability,
  • eating, adjustment, and mood disorders.

WACO Announces Homecoming King and Queen

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 13th, 2024 at 6:26 am CDT

Just like that, summer is over and the new school year has begun. Area students always have Homecoming festivities to look forward to around this time of the year, WACO has announced their homecoming royalty.

Congratulations to King Isaac Rich and Queen Ella Huisenga! Isaac is the son of Neil and Kori Rich. Ella is the daughter of Bill and Joni Huisenga.

Homecoming activities continue Friday with a pep rally, parade at 4:30 p.m., and football game at 7 p.m. The homecoming dance will be Saturday.

Road Construction and Closure Starting Today in Mt. Pleasant – May Impact Your Daily Commute

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 13th, 2024 at 6:15 am CDT

You may want to start your commute a little early as Saunders St. from Broadway to Adams will be closed for construction starting today. This will be for the construction of storm sewers and replacement of paving.

The intersection of Main Street with Saunders will be completely closed.  No traffic will be possible through that intersection.

Access to Main St. north of Saunders will only be possible from Main St. north of the Railroad.  Traffic on Main St. will be directed onto W. Franklin St. a block north of the Railroad.  Only local traffic needing access to the residences between the Railroad and Saunders should cross the Railroad.

The project is to replace the paving on Saunders St. from Broadway to Adams in the next few weeks this Fall.

Your patience with this interruption of traffic on Saunders and the Main St. intersection will be appreciated while we complete this street improvement for the community.

Lee County Economic Development Group Named the Economic Development Organization of the Year

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 13th, 2024 at 6:14 am CDT

Lee County Economic Development Group received a 2024 Excellence in Economic Development Gold Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Lee County EDG was named the economic development organization of the year in the 25,000 – 200,000 population categories.

“Lee County Economic Development Group is setting the standard of excellence for economic development with its organizational excellence. This award highlights Lee County EDG’s commitment to its community and demonstrates the transformative impact of economic development,” said Nathan Ohle, IEDC President, and CEO, “It is with great pride that IEDC presents this award to Lee County Economic Development Group, celebrating their leadership and innovation in the field of economic development.”

Lee County Economic Development Group received a 2024 Excellence in Economic Development Silver Award for innovative financing for the Lee County fiber project from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in the 25,000 – 200,000 population categories

The Lee County Fiber Project is a unique coalition led by Southeast Iowa Regional Planning. Key partners include the Lee County Economic Development Group, Southeast Iowa Regional and Economic Port Authority, the Lee County Board of Supervisors, and Danville Telecom. The  $5.4 million project will create a 14-mile fiber backbone, including a redundant fiber loop. TheLee County Fiber project will serve 134 previously unserved Lee County addresses. There dundant fiber ring has helped make another $20 million of outside investment possible to serve another 1500 or more Lee County addresses with fiber.

Every year, IEDC looks specifically for economic development organizations, government entities, initiatives, and programs that have demonstrated consistent, exemplary performance in the economic development profession, leading the execution of projects that have a significant impact on revitalizing communities and playing a major role in shaping and improving the practice of economic development.

Henry County Supervisors Meeting Yields Talk of Planning and Zoning Meeting, Dump Station, and Constitution Week

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 13th, 2024 at 6:13 am CDT

The Henry County Board of Supervisors met on Thursday morning for their regular weekly meeting. The county engineer, Jake Hotchkiss, provided an update on the state of our county roads. The project at Franklin Avenue (W55) is moving “very well” right now according to Hotchkiss, and he asks that the public continue to avoid that area while crews are working. Currently, it is closed from 285th St south to 300th St. Hotchkiss appreciates the publics patience on these continued projects.

Caleb Waters chimed in with his monthly update for the conservation department. The dump station was a major talking point, as frustrations from Caleb were shared.  Initially, the conservation department was hoping to put in a new tank system, but after being told they could not go that route, spent just shy of $30,000 to hire an engineering firm. This allowed them to assess the situation and analyze the available routes. Now, they are looking into purchasing 8 large tanks which would be dispersed across two dump sites. They are working with Fairfield Precast and sharing rough information on the project. Unfortunately, the honor system of “pay to dump” was not working, and the rates of camping will have to go up.

A representative with The Daughters of the American Revolution shared a presentation and asked the board for permission to set up in the lobby of the courthouse on September 20th. They will hand out united states flags and share information on the constitution. This coincides with Constitution Week, which is September 17th-23rd. Their goal it to bring awareness to the constitution and to share the importance of it.

Joe Buffington, Planning and Zoning Commission, gave his monthly update and mentioned the Planning and Zoning meeting which is scheduled for next Tuesday evening. The citizens in attendance at the supervisors meeting were very interested and asked multiple questions during the public comment section. The public was assured that there will be a PA system set up at that meeting, which will allow for those in the rotunda to hear. Supervisor board chair, Greg Moeller, said it was his understanding that those who sign up to speak at the meeting can float the remainder of their time to other individuals, if they choose to do so. The chair has control of the meeting, and the supervisors stated that the public needs to follow their rules. One citizen stated that he doesn’t need a filibuster, but he needs to be able to speak his peace at this upcoming meeting. This will be held in the Henry County courthouse courtroom at 6:00pm Tuesday, September 17th.