KILJ Radio owners Paul and Joyce Dennison were honored on Friday morning at the family tent on the Old Threshers Grounds. At a ceremony, the Dennison’s were awarded the Midwest Old Threshers “Golden Wheat” award. The President of the Old Threshers Foundation Board, Todd Mabeus, explained that the award was established 8 or 9 years ago and is a way to celebrate those who give financially, and volunteer “in a big way” at Old Threshers. 

Many volunteers were also recognized during the ceremony for their continued dedication to making the Old Threshers Reunion a great time for all. Thankyou to those who volunteer!

On August 30th, 2024, at 9:29 a.m. the Burlington Fire Department was dispatched for a house fire located at 622 S. 7th Street in Burlington. Upon arrival Burlington firefighters saw flames coming from the single-family residence.

The residence is owned by Kimberly Kienast which is under contract to sell to the current owners, Jayson Darrell and Joseph Evola. Mr. Darrell and Mr. Evola were not at home at the time of the incident. The residence did have working smoke alarms at the time of the incident. Five dogs were rescued and remain in healthy condition. Burlington Animal Control assisted with animals due to the residence now being uninhabitable.

Burlington Fire Department was assisted by Alliant Energy and Gas, West Burlington Fire Department, Des Moines County Sheriff Office, Burlington Police Department, Burlington Animal Control, and the American RedCross.

Fireground operations were completed, and all crews returned to service at 11:39 a.m.

The fire that occurred at 622 S. 7th has been classified as accidental and is not considered suspicious.

Firefighters in Fairfield responded to a fire late Wednesday which saw one person deceased. At approximately 11:27pm, units from the Fairfield Fire Department, Fairfield PD, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and Jefferson County Ambulance were dispatched to 51 S 12^th St in Fairfield for a structure fire.

Upon entry, the remains of one deceased individual was located. The identity of the individual is currently being withheld pending notification of family. The remains were sent to the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy to determine cause of death. The cause of the dire remains under investigation, however, an intentional fire is not suspected at this time.

KILJ received an update on the historic K-Line Flag Stop formerly located in Butch’s restaurant in Oakland Mills. Lynn Conrad and his crew started prepping the structure for the move Tuesday morning, little did they know at the time it would take an hour and a half to move the building from it’s previous home next to the Skunk River in Oakland Mills to its new home at the entrance to the disc golf course with the last 20 feet taking even longer at about 6 hours. With this progress the Flag Stop now sits on a platform ready to be dismantled and reassembled to stand in it’s former glory.

Several area law enforcement agencies partook in a campaign to combat human trafficking across the United States. Dubbed “Coast to Coast” with a grassroots effort involving 12 states with the common goals of identifying trafficking victims, offering these victims much-needed services, arresting traffickers, and making communities safer.

The Burlington Police Department, Ottumwa PD, and Wapello County Sheriff’s Office all took part in this operation on August 22^nd. Seventeen adults were contacted and offered food, lodging, medical services, drug rehabilitation, counseling/therapy, and childcare. Seven adults were contacted, detained, or identified during this operation.

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, and we celebrate with barbecues and road trips. But be aware as you hit the highways that the Labor Day holiday weekend is one of the deadliest times of the year in terms of drunk-driving fatalities.

It is imperative that we all do our part to end drunk and drugged driving.  Remember that it is never okay to drink/drug and drive.  Even if you plan to have only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or use a ride serve to get home safely.  If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement.  Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive?  Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.  These are small tasks that can make a BIG difference to save lives.

Expect increased law enforcement presence on the roads this Labor Day weekend, as they do their part in keeping our roads safe by removing impaired drivers. Remember, drive sober or get pulled over.