Back to School Safety Reminders

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, August 12th, 2024 at 10:01 am CDT

With back to school right around the corner, safe walking tips from the Henry County Iowa Sheriff’s Department include avoid distractions, use sidewalks or walk against the flow of traffic, and remember to cross streets at intersections. Also remember safe riding tips when riding your bike. Always wear a helmet, obey all traffic laws, and ride with the flow of traffic.

Speaking of back to school, there is a Mount Pleasant Community School District School Board Meeting tonight in the media center at the High School beginning at 6 p.m. This meeting is open to the public.

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Rose Ann Marie “Rose” Broeg

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, August 12th, 2024 at 9:59 am CDT

Rose Ann Marie “Rose” Broeg, 65, of Burlington passed away on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in West Burlington.

Rose was born on December 2, 1958, in Burlington, the daughter of Richard and Mary (Garrett) Broeg.  She had a daughter and two sons whom she loved “bigger than the moon and hotter than the sun”. Rose was a resident of the Walton House of Hope Haven, where she spent her time watching movies, gossiping with other residents and doing puzzle books.  She was particularly good at finding the names of her children in the word searches.  Rose loved pizza dates and would never turn down a trip to the Dairy Queen.  She was a member of the Sunnyside Baptist Church and looked forward to church services each week.  Rose faced life’s challenges with strength, courage and resiliency.  Rose will be remembered as a compassionate mother, great sister and a dear friend.

Rose is survived by her children, Dez (Lily) Broeg, of Aurelia, Iowa, Martan Broeg, of Mt. Pleasant and Mattie Broeg, seven grandchildren, her brothers and sisters, Richard (Mary) Broeg, of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, Michael Broeg, of Harrison, Arkansas, Thomas Broeg, of Edgewood, Kentucky, Mary (David) Wagner of San Jose, California, Janet Ramsdell of Burlington, Sandy (Don Verkruyse) Broeg of Burlington and Carole Miller, of Payson, Arizona, along with several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, a sister, Linda Szabady and two brother-in-law’s, Todd Miller and Ron Ransdell.

A celebration of Rose’s life will be held at a later date.  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 her arrangements.

Joyce Elaine Schindler

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, August 12th, 2024 at 8:57 am CDT

Joyce Elaine Schindler, 83, of Fairfield, passed away with family by her side August 9, 2024. She was born in Berwyn, Illinois, and graduated from York Community High School in Elmhurst, Illinois. She worked in Chicago for several years before relocating to the Bay Area. There she completed her Associate’s Degree from the College of San Mateo. One of her jobs in the 1960s was at TWA, which sparked a lifelong passion for travel, including a notable trip to the USSR during the Cold War. Joyce loved to attend the San Francisco Opera, try out new restaurants, and contribute her time to charity work as a clown.

In her 50’s, Joyce embraced a new chapter by completing her college education and answering a calling to become a Deaconess. She graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana in 1994 and was consecrated as a Deaconess. She then spent time in New York and St. Louis serving at Lutheran nursing homes, before settling in Fairfield to be near her immediate family.

After moving to Fairfield, she became involved in Fairfield’s First Lutheran Church, including singing in the choir. As a deaconess she also visited nursing homes and homebound church members to spend time and give communion.

While Joyce’s favorite subject in school had always been art, it wasn’t until retirement that she picked up quilting, pastels, watercolors, pottery, jewelry making, and more. She also became very active with the Sac and Fox Lapidary Club, and greatly enjoyed trying new recipes and spending time with her friends and family.

Joyce is survived by her brother, Richard Schindler (June) of Fairfield; her niece, Melinda Perez and family of Charlottesville, Virginia; and her niece, Suzannah Nevas (Isaac) of Fairfield.

Funeral services celebrating her life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, August 15, 2024 at Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield. A visitation will be 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. prior to services, and a reception at her family’s home will follow afterwards. The funeral service will be streamed online for those who cannot attend in-person. Contact Suzannah at suzannahnevas@gmail.com to receive a link with instructions. The burial will be held the following day, August 16th at 1:00pm at Chapel Hills Gardens in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.

Joyce asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to First Lutheran Church in Fairfield, or the Lutheran Diaconal Association, 1304 LaPorte Ave., Valparaiso, IN 46383.

Sports, August 12th

By Slaten Swords · Monday, August 12th, 2024 at 6:38 am CDT

High School Football

Mt. Pleasant participated in a camp last Friday with West Liberty, working frames with both the offense and defense and head coach John Bowlin thought his offensive line played physical and his quarterbacks saw the field well.

Danville hosted their team camp last week. Head coach Cody Thompson talked about what his staff worked on during the first week of August,

“Our main focus, what it was to install the basics of our offense and our and our defense, and then put a heavy emphasis on fundamental technique. You know, we’re going all the way back to step one. As you know, proper footsteps on our blocking schemes. You know how to run the correct route. Learning our route tree and then applying those to our basic system that we’re going to be running this year.”

Practice officially gets underway across the state of Iowa today.

WACO will host practice from 5 pm to 8 pm tonight and for head coach Chad Edeker it’s the aspect he loves the most about coaching,

“The most is when it hits 5:00 pm and get to step on the field and actually practice. You know the planning of the practice and all the clerical work stuff behind it is, is the stuff that’s the pain, you know, just getting out on the field and working with the kids and and watching them improve and see them do the stuff we’re asking is, you know, is the fun part.”

Van Buren County will have their practice this week starting at 7 am and going to 10 am. 

Winfield-Mt. Union’s “Meet the Players” will take place on Wednesday, August 21st, at 6:30 pm.

High School Volleyball

WACO will practice tonight from 5 to 8 pm. The student-athlete needs a current physical and concussion form. 

Van Buren County will have their practice starting at 4:30 pm. 

High School Cross Country

New London will start practicing today at 9 am and runners must have a current physical and signed concussion form. Junior high runners are encouraged to join the high school practices for extra conditioning as their first practice is scheduled for Friday, August 23rd, at 4 pm. Head coach Bridget Swails talked about who is going to lead this young squad,

“So, we’re a very young team. I have just freshmen in high school running. So, I have one female. Her name is Irelynn Kelly. And so, I look to her. I had her in junior high track because I also coach that. So, I looked for her to be a leader and showing the kids what to do in terms of the stretches as we do them. They’re similar version of what we do. And then also freshman Nathan Bergman, who also ran cross country and junior high and I’ve coached. Last few years, so those two are the main leaders. But I also have, I mean they’re all freshmen, so they’re all learning what to do, but those are the two that I had all through junior high that I think will lead the team.”

Fairfield will officially get underway at 7:45 am today at Waterworks.

Mt. Pleasant will start their team camp today. 

Van Buren County will start their practice at 4 pm at the track.

High School Baseball

Burlington Notre Dame placed three players on the 2024 Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State Academic team. Spencer Brent and Caden Schwenker were named to the First Team and Dylan Kipp was tabbed to the Second Team. The seniors were selected by a panel of coaches as they demonstrated outstanding academic, moral, and athletic characteristics.

College Football

The University of Iowa will officially kick off the season on Saturday, August 31st, at home against Illinois State at 11 am.

Iowa State will take on North Dakota on August 31st at 2:30 pm at home.

This Day in Sports History

1879 – First National Archery Association tournament (Chicago).

1950 – First international game by an NFL team, New York Giants beat CFL’s Ottawa Rough Riders, 20-6 at Ottawa’s Lansdowne Stadium.

1994 – Members of the Major League Baseball Players Association go on strike leading to cancellation of the World Series for only the second time in MLB history (1904); labor dispute.

No Injuries in Burlington Fire

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, August 12th, 2024 at 5:59 am CDT

The Burlington Fire Department says that no one was injured in a fire that occurred Saturday, August 10th.

According to a news release, at 11:42 AM Saturday, the Burlington and West Burlington Fire Departments responded to a reported fire at the Midtown Motel, 2731 Mt. Pleasant Street.

Firefighters arrived three minutes later to find smoke coming from a single-story utility room.  The fire was called in by a citizen passing by, and the owner was not there at the time.

The cause of the fire is undetermined, and not considered suspicious.

Damages to the structure were estimated at $10,000.

Burlington Man Sentenced to 12 1/2 Years for Distribution of Meth

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, August 12th, 2024 at 5:57 am CDT

Last week, 27-year-old Michael Bernard Hicks Jr. of Burlington was sentenced to 12 and a half years in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine. Court documents and evidence presented during sentencing established that Hicks Jr. had distributed more than three kilograms of meth in southeast Iowa to confidential informants and undercover officers from October 2022 to October 2023. All of these transactions occurred while Hicks Jr. was on probation for a state conviction for possession with intent to deliver meth. Following his 150 month incarceration, Hick’s Jr. will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

This sentence was handed down by the federal court for the Southern District of Iowa. The initial case was investigated by the Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task Force and Iowa Department of Safety Division of Narcotics Enforcement.