Mary Mettenburg

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 at 4:02 pm CDT

Mary F. Mettenburg, 87, of Mt. Pleasant, died Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at the University of Iowa Downtown Hospital in Iowa City.

Mrs. Mettenburg, the former Mary Frances Heitz, was born October 31, 1936 in Ft. Madison, IA. She was the daughter of Joseph Lee and Virginia Ann (Moline) Heitz. Mary graduated from Catholic Central High School of Ft. Madison in 1954. She furthered her education at Marycrest College in Davenport. On September 1, 1956 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ft. Madison, Mary was united in marriage to Clarence Wilfred “Zip” Mettenburg.

Mary was a devoted homemaker for Zip and her children, tending to everything a mother could and even more. For 22 years, the family made their home in Ridgecrest, California. As some of the children “left the nest”, Mary and Zip moved to McLean, Virginia. In retirement, they returned to Ft. Madison in 1993, residing there until they moved to Mt. Pleasant in 1998.

Mary was a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, the Altar and Rosary Society of the church and the Ladies of Charity of the church. She was also a member of the Mt. Pleasant Women’s Club.

Bridge was a passion to Mary, a runner up only to the love she had for her family. She belonged to numerous Bridge clubs and Duplicate Bridge clubs. She was often sought as a substitute Bridge player for groups needing a stand-in.

Those thankful for sharing in Mary’s life include her husband, Clarence “Zip” (they marked their 68th wedding anniversary just 2 days prior to Mary’s passing); her children – Ann (Dr. John) Bennett of Mt. Pleasant, Deborah (Dr. Mark) Carlson of Mt. Pleasant, Jane (Randy) O’Boyle of Manhattan, KS, John (Mary Helen) Mettenburg of Cedar Rapids, IA, Virginia Dupuis of Tyler, TX, Mary Beth Mettenburg of Mt. Pleasant, Katherine (Denny) Stewart of Melbourne Beach, FL and Dr. Joseph (Catherine) Mettenburg of Pittsburg, PA; 2 sisters – Judy (Arthur) Duke of Brighton, IA and Susan (Michael) Biderman of Cedar Rapids; 29 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren.

Her parents and a daughter, Laura Jo Carlson, precede Mary in death.

A funeral mass for Mary will be celebrated at 10:00 AM on Saturday, September 7, 2024 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Mt. Pleasant. Father Ross Epping will celebrate the mass. Burial will be in the St. Alphonsus Cemetery. Visitation will be 3-7 PM on Friday, September 6 at the church. The family will be present to receive friends from 5-7 PM. The Rosary will be recited at 7 PM following the family greeting time.

Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to St. Alphonsus Catholic Church or St. Jude’s Hospital.

Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com

Henry County Supervisors Meeting Agenda 09/05

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 at 4:01 pm CDT

Henry County Supervisors

100 E Washington St  Ste 202

Mt Pleasant IA  52641

Fax:  319-385-3601

 

Chad White, Member            Marc Lindeen, Vice-Chairman        Greg Moeller, Chairman    

           319-385-0759                                 319-385-0760                                  319-385-0761________                       

 

AGENDA

 

September 5, 2024

1.Approve Agenda

2.Approve Minutes

3.Monthly Department Head Meeting

4.Jake Hotchkiss Engineer Weekly Update

5.Motion for Hiring of Employee in Treasurer’s Office

  1. Joe Buffington Monthly Update

      Preliminary Plat for Rolling Hills Subdivision

Section 27-71-6

7.Public Comments

Other County Business as time allows

Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates

Mitzi Schwartz

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 at 3:59 pm CDT

Mitzi Schwartz, 75, of West Point, Iowa, passed away at 2:49 a.m. Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in West Burlington, Iowa.

She was born on July 8, 1949, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the daughter of Casper and Helen (Kruse) Schinstock. On November 29, 1969, she married Arthur “Art” Schwartz at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Houghton.

She is survived by her husband of fifty-five years: Art; children: Tracie (Kevin) Rauenbuehler of West Point, Iowa, Julie (Ed) Stoffer of Waterloo, Iowa, Michael Schwartz of West Point, Iowa; grandchildren: Eric, Adam and Maria Rauenbuehler, Emma, Isabelle and Elizabeth Stoffer; siblings: Dorothy (Jerry) Mertens, Marilyn Holterhaus, David (Pam) Schinstock, Irene (Jim) Tweedy, Rosie (Roger) Weber, Barb Hancock, Annie (Pat) Allen, Bob (Diane) Schinstock; sisters-in-law: Jane Schinstock, Margaret Schinstock. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers: Ronald and Theodore Schinstock; one nephew: Samuel Weber; one great niece: Riya Schinstock and brother-in-law: Bill Hancock.

Mitzi was a graduate of St. John’s Catholic High School. She worked as an accountant until  her retirement. She was a member of St. James the Less Catholic Church, the Altar and Rosary of the Church and a local card club for fifty-six years. She enjoyed reading, gardening, fishing, word search puzzles and playing games with her grandchildren. She was soft spoken and kind hearted. Most of all, Mitzi was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother who loved spending time with her family.

Her body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation.

A visitation will be held from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, September 8, 2024, at St. James Catholic Church in St. Paul, where the family will receive friends from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Following the visitation, a Christian wake service will be held at 4:00 p.m. at the church.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, September 9, 2024, at St. James Catholic Church in St. Paul with Father Dan Dorau as Celebrant.

Burial will be at St. James Cemetery in St. Paul.

A memorial has been established in her memory for St. James Cemetery.

Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.

Prep Volleyball: SEC Play Exhibits an Exciting Start to Conference Matchups

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 at 11:53 am CDT

Prep Volleyball- Conference volleyball is back as rivalries were renewed last night for the Southeast Conference (SEC), aptly, two five-set thrillers were the result and a couple of home openers were spoiled.

Mt. Pleasant vs Keokuk

The Panthers have dominated this series, including an 8-game win streak starting in 2020, but Keokuk claims the latest win, a 3-1 final in the first round of postseason action last season.

That momentum from a season ago carried its way into the first set. Despite Mt. Pleasant scoring the first point of the match, Keokuk had control for most of the set in large part due to miscues by the Panther offense and Camryn Atterberg of the Chiefs.

The first set was locked at 15, then Keokuk took a 20-17 lead. Mt. Pleasant responded by tying the game at 20, but the Chiefs again rattled off a short run to take set one 25-22. Three points was the largest lead of the set.

Atterberg was a force at the net for the Chiefs with five kills in the first set, while Addison Clark for Mt. Pleasant tallied five kills of her own in the first set. Nevertheless, the Chiefs won at the service line with a 3 to 1 advantage in the first set, a Panther strength.

The second set was pure domination by Atterberg and Kendra Boatman. The duo took advantage of Mt. Pleasant mistakes, and the addition of Neveah Logan and Gracie Thompson at the front of the net caused most of Mt. Pleasant’s attacks to sail wide.

The Chiefs sprinted to a 12 to 4 lead in the second set and never looked back with a final 10 to 4 run to end the second set in their favor 25-12 as Atterberg added four more kills to her total.

The tide began to change in the third set as Mt. Pleasant captured their largest lead of the night through the first 17 points, 11-6. However, Keokuk would not go down without a fight as they tied the game at 14.

Alex Scott finally caught fire as the Panthers rallied away with the third set, outscoring the Chiefs 11 to 2 down the stretch. Myah Starr entered for an injured Kynlee White in the set and captured a couple of aces from the service line as Mt. Pleasant was finding success.

Keokuk appeared poised to end the game early though as they scored the first four points of the fourth set. But similar to the first set, the two teams traded blows until Mt. Pleasant scurried away with a 20-14 lead as White returned to capture a couple kills.

An Atterberg kill gave the Chiefs the serve and with Atterberg back at the service line, Mt. Pleasant was caught in a tough rotation. Atterberg tallied a couple of aces and continued to serve the Panthers out of rotation as the Chiefs went on a 9 to 0 run, leading 23 to 20.

The late surge proved to not be enough as the Panthers managed to reclaim the lead and the set 25-23 with an Addison Peck ace, having officially battled back from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set.

Mt. Pleasant head coach Logan Wall discussed what went into the comeback for her squad,

“I think we just capitalized on some of the open spots on the other court. #7 had a great game, so we were we were trying to avoid her as much as possible. So, we’ll know that for next time. I know my girls showed a lot of grit and a lot of toughness and I haven’t seen that in Panther volleyball for a long time. So, I’m just proud how they came back.”

Unfortunately, the effort exerted in the third and fourth sets left Mt. Pleasant drained as the Chiefs rattled away with the fifth set handily, 15-4. Mt. Pleasant is now 2-5 (0-1) on the season, while Keokuk improved to 1-4 (1-0).

Coach Wall talked about what the Panthers are going to work on heading into their matchup against Albia tomorrow, September 5th, at home,

“We were working on serving a lot. I thought our passing was pretty decent. Now we just got to put, put it all together at the net and finish strong. We had a lot of errors at the net, so we got to work on some hitting and some blocking and some coverage, but you work on one thing and then something falls off, so it’s hard. It’s hard to balance.”

Keokuk will host Central Lee tomorrow.

Keokuk Stat Leaders

Kills: Camryn Atterberg 17

Assists: Kendra Boatman 26

Blocks: Atterberg 7 (six solo)

Aces: Atterberg and Boatman 3

Mt. Pleasant Stat Leaders

Kills: Alex Scott 14, Addison Clark 10, Kynlee White and Paityn Ensminger 6

Assists: Abby Carthey 22

Blocks: Ensminger 2 (1 solo)

Aces: Sonya Simon 5, Myah Starr 2, Addison Peck 2, Scott 2

Burlington vs Fairfield

The Grayhounds and Trojans had their own five set thriller. Fairfield took the first set 25-23, but Burlington prevailed in the second and third set without much of an issue, winning 25-14 and 25-17.

The Trojans woke back up in the fourth set with a 25-20 set win, forcing a final 15-point set. Again, the team to force the fifth set was the one to turn up short as Burlington won 15-10 to win the match 3-2.

Fairfield moved to 1-6 (0-1), while Burlington improved to 6-4 (1-0) for the season. The Trojans will ravel to compete in the WACO quad tomorrow, while Burlington will participate in a tournament at Muscatine on Saturday, September 7th.

Fairfield Stat Leaders

Kills: Lilly Bergren 13, Claire Thompson 10

Assists: Faith Jones 28

Blocks: Jaden Haynes 4

Aces: Jones 4, Iris Lane 3

Burlington Stat Leaders

Kills: Annalise Buxton 17, Daphne Brown 13, Sydney Schroeder 10

Assists: Sela Rascon 39

Blocks: Brown 6 (3 solo)

Aces: Meliah Ertz 5, Schroeder 3

Washington vs Fort Madison

Another case of a road team causing havoc for a home opener. Washington dismantled Fort Madison 25-11, 25-23, and 25-15 in straight sets to pick up their sixth consecutive victory over the Bloodhounds.

Fort Madison falls to 0-8 (0-1), while Washington is at 0.500 for the season at 3-3 (1-0). The Bloodhounds will compete in a tournament at Midland on Saturday. The Demons will take on Mediapolis tomorrow at home.

Washington Stat Leaders

Kills: Leighton Messinger 12

Assists: Lauren Hinrichsen 24

Blocks: Jade Sheetz, Hinrichsen, Ella Greiner, and Layla Green each had a block assist

Aces: Taylor Miksch, Ellie Farmer, Hinrichsen, and Greiner each had 2 aces, Ruby Withoft 1

Des Moines County Deputy Arrests Man on Marijuana Charges

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 at 11:29 am CDT

A man was arrested in Des Moines County after he was found to be in possession of marijuana.

Just before 11:30am on Tuesday, Des Moines County Deputies stopped a vehicle for a registration violation, and after making contact with the driver, the noted the smell of marijuana from inside the vehicle. Deputies then conducted a search of the vehicle and located several individual packages of marijuana inside of a container. The driver, Dontray Holiday, 27, Burlington, was in possession of $1549.

Holiday was subsequently placed under arrest with intent to deliver marijuana, D Felony, and failure to display registration plate. He was transported to the Des Moines County Correctional Center.

The Importance of Knowing Your Neighbors

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 at 11:27 am CDT

The start of the school year often means children are making new friends. The unfortunate reality is that some children and parent’s don’t truly know who these so called friends are. There are 27 registered sex offenders just within 10 miles of Mt. Pleasant alone.

Whether you live in the city surrounded by neighbors or in the country with no ones for miles, it’s important to know who your neighbors are. It is completely normal to want to keep your children safe, and one way you can keep up on it is by knowing who is in your neighborhood.

The Iowa Sex Offender website provides a search engine that shows every registered offender in the state. The website has a series of frequently asked questions, such as “Am I supposed to be notified by my Sheriff’s Office or Police Department when a sex offender moves near my house?”

They go on to explain that “this type of notification is not required under Iowa law.” However, there is a helpful email notification service on the website which allows you to sign up to receive email notices. You will receive an email every time a registered sex offender moves into or out of the area that you have specified.

Help protect your family by being informed.

Continue reading “The Importance of Knowing Your Neighbors”

Evelyn “Johnny” Cox

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 at 9:51 am CDT

Evelyn “Johnny” W. Cox, 94, of Keosauqua, IA passed away on Monday, September 2, 2024 at the Keosauqua Health Care Center in Keosauqua, IA. Funeral services will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, September 9, 2024 at the Cranston Family Funeral Home in Keosauqua, IA with Pastor Mary Kathryn Hart officiating. Burial will be held in the Fellows Cemetery immediately following the service. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Memorial contributions in Evelyn’s honor may be directed to the Riverview Country Club Keosauqua or to the Fellows Cemetery Association. Friends may leave online condolences at www.cranstonfamilyfuneralhome.com.

Farmers Making Harvest Preparations – Weekly Crop Report

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 at 8:00 am CDT

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“September is always a busy month as farmers are beginning to make harvest preparations while also seeding cover crops and chopping silage,” said Secretary Naig. “As this year’s crop heads toward maturity, the outlook for the first half of September indicates the continuation of warm and dry conditions.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

The State experienced hot conditions and scattered rain this past week. Iowa farmers averaged 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 1, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Activities included preparing for the fall harvest and hay cutting.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 20 percent short, 76 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 3 percent very short, 19 percent short, 75 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus.

Corn in the dough stage or beyond reached 94 percent this week. Sixty-one percent of the corn crop reached the dent stage, 5 days behind last year and 1 day behind the five-year average. Corn mature reached 10 percent, 2 days behind last year but 1 day ahead of the five-year average. Corn condition rated 77 percent good to excellent. Soybeans setting pods reached 95 percent. Soybeans coloring reached 18 percent, 4 days behind last year and 2 days behind the five-year average. Soybean dropping leaves began at 2 percent. Soybean condition was 77 percent good to excellent.

The State’s third cutting of alfalfa hay reached 88 percent, 1 week behind last year but 1 week ahead of the five-year average. Pasture condition rated 64 percent good to excellent.