Marilyn Reed

By Yorke Prough · Friday, August 30th, 2024 at 3:29 pm CDT

Marilyn Williams Reed, 95, of Danville, died Sunday, August 25, 2024 at Klein Unit, West Burlington, Iowa.  She was born January 6, 1929 in rural Danville to Clair A. and Helen Howard Williams.  She was a 1946 graduate of Danville High School; a 1949 BA graduate of the University of Iowa; and a 1976 MA graduate of the University of San Francisco.  On August 16, 1951 she married Joseph Doyle Reed in Taft, California.

Marilyn taught elementary classroom and vocal music for thirty-seven years, most of those in Antioch, California.  After retiring from teaching, she was a trained volunteer at the Lodi Women’s Center serving women victims of domestic violence and rape.  She was a member of the Union Baptist Church in Rio Vista, California where she taught Bible studies and sang in the choir.  She had a strong faith in her Lord Jesus Christ which drove her passion to serve others.  Later she was a member of Harmony Bible Church, rural Danville where she was involved in the choir, Burlington Jail, and Mt. Pleasant Women’s Prison Ministries.  She also enjoyed reading, gardening, and traveling in the United States and abroad.

She is survived by her husband of seventy-three years of Danville; sons Rock (Angela) Reed of Alpharetta, Georgia and Russ (Diane) Reed of Danville; six grandchildren, Amy, Ben, Paul, Alex, Brook and Lindsey; and nineteen great-grandchildren.  Her parents and sister Frances Carson preceded her in death.

According to her wishes, her body has been cremated and the family will gather at a later date to celebrate her life.  Elliott Chapel, New London, is assisting the family and online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Fire at Burlington Residence Classified as Accidental

By Yorke Prough · Friday, August 30th, 2024 at 3:29 pm CDT

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.

One Deceased in Fairfield Fire

By Yorke Prough · Friday, August 30th, 2024 at 3:28 pm CDT

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 12th 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.

K-Line Flag Stop Finds New Home in Oakland Mills

By Allison Jacobs · Friday, August 30th, 2024 at 9:20 am CDT

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.

Area Law Enforcement Partakes in “Coast to Coast” Campaign in Effort to Combat Human Trafficking

By Yorke Prough · Friday, August 30th, 2024 at 8:56 am CDT

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 22nd. 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.

Drive Sober This Labor Day

By Yorke Prough · Friday, August 30th, 2024 at 8:03 am CDT

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.

City of Burlington Unable to Pickup Storm and Tree Debris Following Storms

By Yorke Prough · Friday, August 30th, 2024 at 7:57 am CDT
Below is a press release from the City of Burlington regarding storm and tree debris following the devastating storms on Tuesday evening.
“It is with a heavy heart that the City of Burlington must inform residents that the city will not be able to pick up storm and tree debris from private yards and property. We understand the frustration this may bring but be assured that the primary focus of city staff is to keep our city clean and safe.
This decision is made due to limited resources and staffing. We understand that many residents have been significantly impacted by the recent storm, and we are committed to assisting our community within our capacity.
Des Moines County recently received a storm-related emergency declaration. However, this declaration includes resource assistance from the State of Iowa and offers individual private assistance to residents, but it does not extend to municipal debris removal services.
To assist residents in disposing of their storm debris, we encourage residents to utilize the Des Moines County Regional Landfill, which is currently accepting storm-related debris. The landfill is prepared to manage the increased volume and will provide services to help our community recover from the storm. Burlington residents may take brush, limbs, and branches up to 8″ in diameter to the DMCR Landfill. Show proof of residency and a current water bill stub indicating trash fees are paid to the City, and the City will pay the disposal fee.
We understand the challenges posed by this situation and appreciate the cooperation and resilience of our residents. The City’s primary focus is on public safety and emergency situations and all available resources are directed to this ongoing effort.
For more information on storm debris disposal, please contact the Des Moines County Landfill at Southeast Iowa Regional Landfill at 319-753-8722. We also encourage residents to stay informed by following the City of Burlington’s official website and social media channels for further updates.”

Sports, August 30th

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

High School Football

Mt. Pleasant will travel to Fairfield tonight at 7:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm. 

Danville will host Lynnville-Sully tonight at 7 pm.

New London will square off against Easton Valley tonight at 7 pm.

Winfield-Mt. Union will face off against Central City tonight at 7 pm at home. 

Central Lee will take on Van Buren County tonight at 7 pm at home.

West Burlington/Notre Dame will take on Wapello tonight at 7:30 pm at home. 

Mediapolis will travel to compete against Columbus tonight at 7 pm. 

WACO will travel to take on Coon Rapids-Bayard tomorrow, August 31st, at 3 pm.

High School Volleyball

Fairfield hosted a triangular match last night and split their contests. The Trojans swept WACO 25-16 in set one and 25-12 in set two to begin the night. Claire Thompson led the team with four kills, while Ally Rinner tallied three kills for the Warriors. However, the script was flipped against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont as the Trojans fell 25-13 and 25-12. Faith Jones totaled 20 assists across the two contests.

The Warriors dropped their contest against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 25-10 in set one and 25-5 in set two. Kinsey Hildebrand finished with 11 assists through the two games as Carlee Lunsford led the offense against the Rockets with two kills.

Fairfield will travel to Burlington on Tuesday, September 3rd, at 7:15 pm. 

WACO will face off against Cardinal on Thursday, September 5th, at 5:30 pm at WACO in the first game of a quad with New London and Fairfield making the trip.

West Burlington and Danville made the trip to Burlington for a quad and the Falcons exited with an undefeated record. The Falcons swept the Bears 25-17 and 25-18 and Wapello 27-25 and 25-11. Burlington put up a fight after falling in the first set 25-23 by winning the second set 25-23; nevertheless, West Burlington would pick up the win with a 15-5 score in the final set. 

Van Buren County and West Burlington will hit the road tomorrow, August 31st, to compete in a tournament at Central Lee with the day starting at 9 am.

Central Lee dropped the first set against Fort Madison last night 25-18, but the Hawks put it together and cruised past the Bloodhounds 3-1 with scores of 25-20, 25-15, and 25-21. Kenna Sandoval collected 18 assists and two aces, while Kylie Fortune led the team with three aces and tied Taylor Jones with 12 kills apiece.

Winfield-Mt. Union started the year off with a resounding win against Keokuk, sweeping the Chiefs 25-23, 25-14, and 25-22. Kellee Milks led the team with 11 kills and five aces as Madisen Kellogg finished with 18 assists. The Wolves will look to move to 2-0 on Tuesday at 7:30 pm at home.  

Mt. Pleasant split their season opener last night in Ottumwa, falling to the hosts in straight sets 25-11 and 25-15; but rallying back from a first set loss to Davis County 26-24 to win game two 2-1 with a 15-11 final in the third set. The Panthers rallied late in the final two sets, winning the final six points in the second set and six of the final seven points in the final set, including a pair of kills to end the game for Addison Clark. Mt. Pleasant will travel to Grinnell for a tournament tomorrow with the first game starting at 9 am.

Holy Trinity Catholic and Burlington Notre Dame will travel to Bondurant-Farrar tomorrow for a tournament.

Mediapolis will get their season rolling on Tuesday at Wapello for a tournament. 

Danville will compete in a tournament at Burlington Notre Dame on Saturday, September 7th. 

High School Cross Country

Van Buren County traveled to Albia last night for their first meet of the season and the boys’ and girls’ teams each had two top ten finishers. On the girls’ side, Rylee Philips raced to a 5th place finish with a time of 22 minutes and 56 seconds to lead the team and Kayley Snowgren grabbed a time of 23 minutes and 43 seconds, good enough for 9th place. 

 The boys’ team took 2nd place with 50 points as Lincoln Bainbridge’s 2nd place time of 17 minutes and 42 seconds paced the squad. Landry Loeffler secured 6th place with a time of 18 minutes and 49 seconds for the Warriors. 

Van Buren County, Danville, New London, and Fairfield will travel to Ottumwa to compete in a meet on Thursday, September 5th, at 5:30 pm. 

Southeastern Community College

The volleyball team will host the Jimmy John’s Tournament, starting today against Allen County Community College at 2 pm. 

College Football

The University of Iowa will officially kick off the season tomorrow, August 31st, at home against Illinois State at 11 am. Tune in to KILJ 105.5 FM to listen to the game. 

Iowa State will take on North Dakota tomorrow at 2:30 pm at home. Tune in to KILJ 98.5 FM or AM 1130 to listen to the game.

Drake’s game against the Quincy Hawks was ruled a no contest last night after severe weather paused the game at halftime with the Bulldogs leading 10-0. Luke Bailey found Tim Nesslage in the endzone for the only touchdown of the game. Drake will compete against Eastern Washington next Saturday, September 7th, at 6 pm on the road. 

This Day in Sports History

1913 – The Phillies lead the Giants 8-6 in top of 9th when fans in the centerfield bleachers try to distract the Giants and the Umpire forfeits the game to the Giants, which leads to a riot. The forfeit is later overruled.

1984 – Red Sox Jim Rice grounds into a record 33rd double play en route to 36.

1997 – The first WNBA Championship: the Houston Comets beat the NY Liberty. Cynthia Cooper led the postseason, averaging 28 points per game.