Burlington Woman Arrested After Traffic Stop

By Allison Jacobs · Friday, July 19th, 2024 at 6:26 am CDT
On July 16, 2024, at approximately 9:03p.m. Des Moines County Sheriff’s Deputies stopped a vehicle for an equipment violation at Central Ave. and Columbia St. in Burlington, IA. During the traffic stop deputies were given consent to search the vehicle. Deputies located methamphetamine inside of a coin purse where the backseat passenger had been sitting.
The backseat passenger was identified as Tina May Dalton, age 43, of Burlington, IA. Dalton was placed under arrest for possession of a controlled substance 3rd or subsequent offense, a D felony. Dalton also had an arrest warrant for a pretrial violation for possession of a controlled substance 3rd or subsequent offense. Dalton was transported to the Des Moines County Correctional Center.
A CRIMINAL CHARGE IS MERELY AN ACCUSATION AND THE DEFENDANT IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL AND UNLESS PROVEN GUILTY.
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Tracy L. Beasley

By Allison Jacobs · Friday, July 19th, 2024 at 6:24 am CDT

Tracy Lynne Prottsman- Beasley, of Mt. Pleasant passed away on July 16, 2024.

 She was born at the Henry County Memorial Hospital on December 12, 1962, the daughter of James and Mary Lou (Hoover) Prottsman. She spent her formative years growing up in Rome, Iowa. She loved being from the small rural community, and was proud to call herself a Romanite. She endeavored to keep close ties to the town and returned almost weekly.

 

 Tracy’s youth was spent playing with her close knit family, which included a large amount of cousins. She was particularly close to her cousins Nancy Amos and Nicki Boughton. Her first loves were writing and showing horses. She won numerous awards, including a State Farm Championship. She always had a deep love for animals, most recently, her beloved English Shepherd, Pippin, and was a member of the ES Society. 

 

 Tracy graduated from the Mount Pleasant Community High School in 1981. She received her B.A. in Spanish and Education at Iowa State University and Univerdad de cuidad de Mexico in 1984, and later received her Masters of Education from Drake University.  Tracy taught Spanish to all grade levels for 35 years. Her career began in DeWitt, Iowa, later teaching in Morning Sun, Iowa, and finally joining the Mount Pleasant Community School District where she worked the remainder of her years. She was a beloved educator who advocated for all her students, many of whom she remained in contact with after graduation. 

 

Tracy married her high school sweetheart, Jim Beasley in 1988. They had two children Michael and Jude. All three considered her their confidant and routinely sought her advice. She is also survived by her two brothers, Steve (Martha) Prottsman and Mike (Diane) Prottsman.  

 

She was proceeded in death by her parents, her brother, Tony Prottsman and uncle, Gene Prottsman.

Tracy loved working outdoors and after retirement started the Tombstone Cleaning Company. She could often be seen in local cemeteries with her supplies and Pippin. She will be missed by all whose life she touched with her compassion, knowledge, and humor.

 

Friends may call from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant on Thursday, July 25, 2024.  The family will be present from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Following the visitation there will be a gathering at the Mt. Pleasant Masonic Lodge from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. There will be music, food, and Spanish bingo.  All are invited to attend.  Memorials in her honor may be directed to All God’s Creatures.

 

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com. Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for her arrangements.

Henry County Board of Supervisors Meeting Report 7/18/24

By Kadie Johannson · Thursday, July 18th, 2024 at 4:36 pm CDT

The Henry County Board of Supervisors held their regular board meeting on Thursday, July 18 at the Henry County Courthouse*. With ten agenda items and a full room of department heads and citizens, the meeting began at 9 A.M. and moved along quickly. Here are the highlights:

Henry County Engineer (Secondary Roads)

During the Henry County Road Department’s weekly update, the Supervisors approved the hiring of two individuals and signed fuel contracts with Cobb Oil. Makayla Kruse will begin a full-time position as Office Assistant on August 1, 2024, and Kyle Leichty will begin as a part-time Equipment Operator on July 29, 2024.

If you live in the northern part of Henry County, you might see the paint crews out painting lines on the roads this week. Also, drivers should remember that W55 between Salem and Mount Pleasant remains closed. And just like the rest of us, this last week has involved cleaning up storm damage and clearing debris and fallen trees throughout the county.

Henry County Public Health

The Henry County Public Health’s new director, Katie Rueter, was in attendance to introduce herself and give an update. Public Health as seen an uptick in immunizations this month as families register and get ready for the upcoming school year. Note they will be offering a Back-to-School Health Fair for families on Tuesday, August 13 from 4 to 7 pm at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Mount Pleasant. Tune into KILJ next Thursday morning for a breakfast club with Rueter and learn more about Henry County’s new Public Health Director.

Henry County Treasury

The Supervisors reviewed the Annual Treasurer Report and the wages paid to county employees for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. No action or discussion on these matters occurred. The Iowa code requires each county to publish the Annual Treasurer Report in the local newspaper. Citizens may also request a copy to review by contacting the Henry County Auditor’s Office.

Henry County Attorney

Steven Giebelhausen, Assistant County Attorney, discussed recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests**. He noted there have been several FOIA requests from news outlets and private individuals recently and explained while the FOIA allows each agency to manage their own FOIA requests, the county attorney’s office has, in the past, worked with agencies to ensure compliance. Giebelhausen wanted to make the supervisors aware the Henry County Sheriff’s Department is not working with his office currently on these requests, which could potentially open the county up to litigation if FOIA is not followed properly on these recent requests. He also stated the county attorney’s office would be glad to assist the Sheriff’s Department with FOIA requests in the future if they changed their minds. No action or discussion was held.

Public Comments

Following last week’s meeting discussion regarding public comments, remarks from individuals were taken at the end of the meeting as requested by meeting attendees.

One individual in attendance commented on a recent law allowing individuals to conceal carry weapons inside of public spaces with or without a permit. Public spaces like the county courthouse, for example. They went on to bring up a new law just enacted that allows county attorneys to conceal carry in courtrooms. The concerned individual wanted to know how the supervisors plan to keep the citizens and county employees safe under these new laws and what training county employees had to go through to conceal carry. The supervisors mentioned some ideas and consulted the Assistant County Attorney Giebelhausen on the legality of their suggestions or if they would be compliant with the new law. Giebelhausen was not 100% certain of the Iowa Code surrounding this discussion. He plans to research the topic and get back to the supervisors.

Steven Giebelhausen, Assistant County Attorney, reiterated the comments section is not a Q&A, discussion, or “back and forth between the supervisors and the spectators.”  He reminded everyone the Iowa Code did not require the county supervisors to hold public comments during their meetings at all but that the Supervisors and the attorney’s office both agreed they should and want to allow comments from the public. Please

Rachel Lindeen, Executive Vice President of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance, updated the supervisors about Ragbrai coming to Mount Pleasant. She said, “We’re ready!” and thanked all the county departments who have been working hard and working together to make sure July 26th goes smoothly. She mentioned there will be no street closures in town when Ragbrai comes through except around the downtown. Roads will remain open and parking around the square is permitted until 4 P.M. on Thursday, July 25th. You may start to notice the set up for Ragbrai around town as early as Tuesday of next week.

Henry County Sheriff Rich McNamee was the last to comment. He read a 3-page prepared statement explaining the ongoing disagreement between County Attorney Darin Stater and himself regarding a particular string of cases that took place in 2022 and early 2023 to explain why he no longer would be working with the county attorney’s office on FOIA requests.

No other public comments were made, and the county supervisors adjourned their meeting at 9:45 A.M. The public is invited to attend their next regular meeting which will be Thursday, July 25th at 9 A.M. at the Henry County Courthouse.

*The Board of Supervisors meets regularly on Thursday mornings at 9 A.M. All meetings are open to the public unless, for purposes described in Code of Iowa Chapter 21, a closed meeting is necessary or advisable to protect the interests of individuals or the county. All persons are invited to take an active role in Henry County government. Agenda items need to be scheduled through Henry County Auditor’s Office. You may address the board without an appointment while they are in session during the Public Comment portion of the agenda.

**FOIA.gov explains the Freedom of Information Act as such: “Since 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement.”

Prep Softball: Burlington’s Saydee Plummer Runs it Back with Another SEC Player of the Year Award

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, July 18th, 2024 at 11:38 am CDT

Mt. Pleasant, IA- The Southeast Conference is officially done with the 2024 softball season, and they released their All-Conference teams. Burlington led the way in the rankings with a 13-1 record and All-Conference nominations with nine.

SEC Player of the Year

Saydee Plummer, Senior: Burlington

First Team

Saydee Plummer, Senior: Burlington

Lilly Hand, Freshman: Burlington

Keirah Wiseman, Junior: Burlington

Kylee Hill, Freshman: Burlington

Gabrielle Ruble, Senior: Fort Madison

Alivia Holmes, Freshman: Fort Madison

Lauryn Helmick, Senior: Fort Madison

Leighton Salazar, Sophomore: Washington

Bella Salazar, Junior: Washington

Suzie Whitaker, Senior: Keokuk

Ada Wood, Junior: Keokuk

Faith Jones, Sophomore: Fairfield

Emma Starr, Senior: Mt. Pleasant

Breakdown

Saydee Plummer led a ranked Burlington squad from the circle and at the plate. She sported a conference best 0.76 ERA and 0.55 WHIP. Her 174 strikeouts were 25 more than Ada Wood’s impressive second place mark of 149. Additionally, she notched 15 wins for the season.

Plummer also took a big step forward on offense with a 0.433 batting average, knocking three home runs and tallying 16 RBIs for the season.

Lilly Hand, who led the team in RBIs, was third in the conference with 32 RBIs. Most impressive was the fact that the freshman only struck out 11 times for the year.

Keirah Wiseman was a speedster on the diamond with 14 steals, which ranked 2nd, and scored 31 runs, which was 6th best. She also hit for average with 0.348 batting average.

Kylee Hill did not quite have the same power surge from the year before but her five home runs ranked 2nd in the conference, while her 0.362 batting average ranked 12th.

Interestingly, Fort Madison finished third in conference with an 8-7 record but had the second most First Team selections.

Gabrielle Ruble had a monster season with a slash line of 0.455/0.525/0.792, which ranked 2nd, 4th, and 1st, respectively. She also led the conference with seven home runs and 11 doubles.

Lauryn Helmick also saw success at the plate with a 0.381 average to go along with her 18 RBIs.

Lastly, Alivia Holmes will cause teams fits for the next couple of years as the freshman had the 6th best batting average in the SEC, 0.398, while bringing home 25 RBIs with a home run. Add in 11 steals and she will be a menace for the Bloodhounds for years to come.

The Salazar’s led Washington to a Class 3A top 15 ranking for the entire season and stood out in the conference rankings.

Bella Salazar had the 4th best ERA in the SEC, sitting at 2.67, and tossed 100 strikeouts on the season with 13 wins, which ranked 2nd in the conference.

Isabella Salazar followed up a co-SEC Player of the Year award last season with an almost identical statistical season for her sophomore campaign. She led the conference with a 0.524 average, brought home 29 runs on 10 doubles, scored 54 runs, and stole a conference best 36 steals—that was 22 more than second place.

Keokuk finished with a 7-8 conference record and Ada Wood would have made a great case for bringing home a pitching award. The junior finished with a 3.26 ERA, 5th in the SEC, with 149 strikeouts, which ranked 2nd in the conference. She also batted 0.430 with four home runs and 19 RBIs.

Suzie Whitaker batted 0.385 and scored 27 runs, both ranked in the top 10 of the SEC.

Faith Jones led the Trojans to a 4-11 conference record with the best batting average on the team at 0.340. She also brought home 18 RBIs, while committing only three errors on the season.

Lastly, Emma Starr finished her Mt. Pleasant career with a First Team All-Conference nod. Starr ended the season with a 0.341 average, nine RBIs, two triples, and a team leading seven doubles along with the team’s only home run.

Second Team

Madison Taeger, Senior: Burlington

Ava Bradenburg, 8th Grade: Burlington

Ava Fawcett, Freshman: Burlington

Ella Greiner, Junior: Washington

Alyvia Anderson, Junior: Washington

Colbie Greiner, Freshman: Washington

Brylie Lorence, Junior: Fort Madison

Elizabeth Tanner, Senior: Fort Madison

Savannah Hollander, Senior: Fairfield

Gracie Thompson, Junior: Keokuk

Keagyn Coleman, Freshman: Mt. Pleasant

Honorable Mentions

Burlington: Sophie Brown and Gemma Plummer.

Washington: Kendall Hinrichsen and Emery Walton.

Fort Madison: Taylor Johnson and Olivia Buckner.

Keokuk: Kylie Sisk and Kenadi Ames.

Mt. Pleasant: Lila Cook and Myah Starr.

Fairfield: Laney Norris and Olivia Hollander.

Academic All-Conference

Player Team

Sophie Brown Burlington

Madison Taeger Burlington

Keirah Wiseman Burlington

Saydee Plummer Burlington

Lilly Bergren Fairfield

Laney Norris Fairfield

Olivia Hollander Fairfield

Kenna Haynes Fairfield

Gabrielle Ruble Fort Madison

Katelyn Sissel Fort Madison

Lauryn Helmick Fort Madison

Taylor Johnson Fort Madison

Olivia Buckner Fort Madison

Ava Taylor Fort Madison

Taylor Huffman Fort Madison

Elizabeth Tanner Fort Madison

Brylie Lorence Fort Madison

Lexi Whaley Fort Madison

Suzie Whitaker Keokuk

Ada Wood Keokuk

Gracie Thompson Keokuk

Destiny Tedrow Keokuk

Macy Jones Mt. Pleasant

Emma Starr Mt. Pleasant

Alyvia Anderson Washington

Halle Cuddeback Washington

Ella Greiner Washington

Kendall Hinrichsen Washington

Lauren Hinrichsen Washington

Isabella Salazar Washington

Rylee Libe Washington

Brylie Lorence Fort Madison

2024 Washington County Bucket Bottle Calf Results

By Allison Jacobs · Thursday, July 18th, 2024 at 11:24 am CDT

Bucket Bottle Senior Champion – Grace Skelton

Bucket-Bottle Senior Reserve – Tate Bombei

Bucket-Bottle Intermediate Champion – Clayton Bartholomew

Bucket-Bottle Intermediate Reserve – Tessa Bombei

Bucket-Bottle Junior Champion – Lucas Bender

Bucket-Bottle Junior Reserve – Brinnley Stout

Harry Walker Above and Beyond – Clayton Bartholomew

 

Fort Madison Bridge to close next month for repair, work to last through November

By Allison Jacobs · Thursday, July 18th, 2024 at 11:12 am CDT

In the interest of public safety, the Fort Madison Bridge will temporarily close to automobiles for necessary repairs. Aug. 5 through Aug. 30, 2024, and again Sept. 16 through Nov. 22, 2024. Illinois State Route 9 between Niota, IL and Fort Madison, IA. BNSF will halt work during the Tri-State Rodeo in Fort Madison from Aug. 31 to Sept. 8 to allow for traffic across the bridge.

Maintenance work will include replacing floor beams and associated stringers at six different locations on both the east and west approach. Since the bridge is owned and operated by BNSF Railway, toll revenue collected on the bridge is paying for part of the maintenance with BNSF making up the remainder of the cost. No public dollars are being used. The public’s patience during this time is appreciated.

2024 Lee County Fair Dog Show Results

By Allison Jacobs · Thursday, July 18th, 2024 at 11:10 am CDT

Champion Pre – Novice A Handling – 1st Year – Lauren Capps

Champion Pre – Novice B Handling – Madison Hassman

Champion Novice Handling – Arabella McDowell

Champion Pre-Novice A Obedience – Oaklee Allgood

Champion Pre-Novice B Obedience – Ethan Capps

Champon Graduate Obedience – Madison Hassman

2024 Lee County Fair Small Pets and Rabbit Show Results

By Allison Jacobs · Thursday, July 18th, 2024 at 11:09 am CDT

Champion Commercial Rabbit – Valerie Smith

Reserve Champion Commercial Rabbit – Baylor Ferreira

 

Champion Fancy Rabbit – Henry Walljasper

Reserve Champion Fancy Rabbit – Shanna Buford

Grand Champion Overall Rabbit – Henry Walljasper

 

Champion Best of Fur – Normal – Baylor Ferreira

 

Champion Best of Fur – Satin – Paisley Anderson

 

Champion Best of Fur – Rex – Henry Walljasper

 

Champion Advanced Rabbit Showmanship – Sidney Gruntmeir

Champion Senior Rabbit Showmanship – Audrey Strudivant

Champion Intermediate Rabbit Showmanship – Baylor Ferreira

Champion Junior Rabbit Showmanship – Oaklee Allgood