New London Man Charged, Felon in Possession of a Firearm

By Allison Jacobs · Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 at 6:13 am CDT

February 27th at approximately 7:48 pm Des Moines County Sheriff’s Deputies stopped a vehicle at Osborn St. and Corse St. for expired registration. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Kendall Lee Watkins, age 29, of New London, IA. During the traffic stop a Deputy K-9 unit conducted an open-air sniff around the vehicle resulting in a positive alert to the odor of narcotics.

Deputies conducted a search of the vehicle where a loaded 9mm pistol was located after Watkins became agitated attempting to interfere with deputies. Watkins was placed under arrest for interference with official acts and felon in possession of a firearm.

A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Corey Walker Watsey

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, March 2nd, 2026 at 6:02 pm CDT

Corey Walker Watsey, 57, a resident of Fairfield, passed away Thursday, February 26, 2026 at his home.

A memorial gathering will be held from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation or Noah’s Ark.

Corey was born February 21, 1969 in Livermore, California, the son of Norman and Sandra (Asklar) Watsey. He was married to Jenifer Halverson, the mother of his two adult children, whom he later divorced.

Corey worked in telecommunications for LISCO in Fairfield for fifteen years and was a certified tower climber. He enjoyed music, singing, and dancing. He had a good sense of humor, and was very handy, creative, and artistic.

Those left to honor his memory include his children, Kelsey Watsey, Jadzia Watsey, and Isabel Everett; granddaughter, Leona Fern Watsey; his mother, Sandy Watsey; brother, Brad (Katherine) Watsey of Fairfield; niece and nephews, Erika, Joshua, and Roger Watsey; and great-nephews, Zaeden Watsey and Jackson Steinbeck.

He was preceded in death by his father.

Tina “Tinnie” Kay Nichols

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, March 2nd, 2026 at 5:44 pm CDT

Tina “Tinnie” Kay Nichols, age 58 of Winfield, died Monday, February 16, 2026, surrounded by family in her home after a 15-year battle with cancer. Visitation for Tina will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 9, 2026 at Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Winfield. Funeral Services will be 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at the funeral home. Burial will be in Crawfordsville Cemetery. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.

 

Tina the daughter of Virgil Leroy Jr. and Linda Kay (Flake) Nichols, was born December 28, 1967, in Iowa City. Though, Tina never married, she loved family and friends with her whole being, she graduated from Winfield Mt. Union High School. She loved her Iowa Hawkeyes football and Iowa Hawkeyes Women’s basketball. Tina enjoyed sewing, watching soaps and scary movies, spending time with her loved ones, making pictures and nightly videos for her favorite peeps, and collecting Chucky dolls. Though Tina lived a life full of love and laughter, her start to life was rough. Tinas was born at 2lbs with cerebral palsy and spent the first 4 months of her life in the hospital. Tina’s grandmothers gave her the nickname “Tinnie” because of her small size when she was born, a nickname that continued throughout her lifetime. Not only did Tina have multiple surgeries and go through several different treatments in her 15-year battle with cancer, but she was diagnosed with sleep apnea and diabetes as well. She truly was a fighter.

 

Survived by her mother, Linda Nichols of Winfield; one sister, LaWonna Nichols of Mt. Pleasant; three brothers, Virgil Leroy Nichols III and Kenneth Nichols, both of Winfield, and Gary (Hailey) Nichols of Olds. As well as a multitude of nieces and nephews.

 

Tina was preceded in death by her father; several aunts and uncles and both sets of grandparents.

Elaine DeFosse Enfield

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, March 2nd, 2026 at 5:37 pm CDT

Elaine DeFosse Enfield, a devoted educator and beloved friend, passed away peacefully surrounded by those who loved her.

Elaine was born on May 21, 1937, to Alice (Walberg) and Charles DeFosse. She graduated from Mediapolis Community High School in 1954. She continued her education at Cedar Falls Teachers College, where she earned her Bachelor of Mathematical Science degree.

Elaine dedicated 37 years to education, teaching junior high and high school in Marengo from 1956 until her retirement in 1993. Teaching was her calling, and she touched the lives of countless students. After retiring, she continued tutoring students in Mediapolis.

On September 15, 2005, she married Richard Enfield at Zion Lutheran Church in San Antonio. Through this marriage, Richard’s daughter, Tina Chapman, and his niece, Teresa Short, became a cherished part of Elaine’s life and remained faithful in visiting and supporting her over the years. Richard preceded her in death in 2010.

She was a faithful member of Immanuel Lutheran Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Donavon and James DeFosse; and her sister, Marlene Fleming.

She is survived by her sister, Jean (Dean) Kobus of San Antonio; her sisters-in-law, Barb DeFosse of Mediapolis and Nancy DeFosse; along with nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends.

A memorial has been established for Immanuel Lutheran Church in Elaine’s name.  Memorials may be sent to Elaine’s family in care of the Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral Home, P.O. Box 475, Mediapolis, Iowa 52637.

There will be no services at this time. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Elaine is in the care of Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Mediapolis, Iowa.

A life dedicated to teaching is a life that never truly ends.

Rallon L. Messer

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, March 2nd, 2026 at 11:07 am CDT

Rallon L. Messer, 85, of Mount Pleasant, died Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Rallon was born at home December 28, 1940, in North Dakota, the son of Monroe and Evelyn (Anderson) Messer. He graduated from Hannaford High School. Rallon served in the North Dakota National Guard. On April 27, 1968, he was united in marriage to Carol King in Mount Pleasant. Following their marriage the couple moved to Jamestown, North Dakota, before returning to Mount Pleasant in 1974, where they made their home ever since. Rallon farmed and worked at Goodyear for 27 years. He was a member of the Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church. Rallon enjoyed playing cards and square dancing with friends, doing word search puzzles, and tending to his garden. Rallon took pride in meticulously caring for his lawn.

Rallon is survived by his son Bryan of Mount Pleasant; three sisters Nita (Arden) Saxberg, Joyce McCarthy, Carolyn (Phillip) Messer Grage all of North Dakota; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife Carol; siblings Marvin Messer, Maynard Messer, Bernice Baker, Romaine Messer, Rodney Messer, Lyle Messer, and Connie Messer.

Funeral Service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the Olson-Yoder Funeral Home, with Pastor Jeff McPheron officiating. Burial will follow in the Forest Home Cemetery. Visitation will be held 1:00-6:00 p.m. at the Olson-Yoder Funeral Home, where the family will be present to greet friends from 4:00-6:00 p.m. A memorial fund has been established for Mt. Pleasant Veterans Hall. The Olson-Yoder Funeral Home is caring for Rallon and his family. www.olsonyoderfh.com

Sports, March 2nd

By Slaten Swords · Monday, March 2nd, 2026 at 6:36 am CDT

Boys’ District Basketball

In Class 1A Substate 5, #4 Burlington Notre Dame will be heading back to the state tournament for the first time in 15 years after defeating Calamus-Wheatland 63-53 over the weekend for the substate championship. Shay Stephens and Eli Oleson each collected 18 points in the winning effort. Nikes head coach Dan Kies knows this is a big moment for the Burlington community,

“Yeah, fantastic for me, and I was watching at that time, and it’s just been a battle. I mean, we’ve been close to getting there a couple times, and just to get over the hump is great, and I think it’ll be great for the school, great for the community to see another team from our area to get back there.”

The Nikes grabbed the #4 seed and will face off against #5 Bellevue on Tuesday, March 10th, with tip-off at 3:45 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 3:30 pm.

In Class 3A, #3 Keokuk will travel to #1 Pella for the Substate 5 championship tonight at 7 pm. 

Girls’ Postseason Basketball

For the Class 3A state tournament, #7 Mediapolis will square off against #2 Maquoketa for the state quarterfinals tonight at 8:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 8:15 pm. Head coach Todd Borrison talked about what makes his team so special,

“Well, they really love each other, and they take care of each other, and they play together as a team. And I said before, our strength, our superpower is our balance. And that balance starts, to be a team of truly balanced kids, you gotta really like each other, and you gotta know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And they really get the game, and they really, ultimately, they don’t care who gets any credit. They just like to win, and that makes it a fun group, and a group that you like to see be successful.”

The other Class 3A matchups include #1 Mt. Vernon taking on #8 Cherokee Washington, #4 Wahlert Catholic will face off against #5 Williamsburg, and #3 Des Moines Christian will tangle with #6 Forest City.

The Class 5A quarterfinals will start off the day at 10 am.

All-Southeast Iowa Super Conference Teams

The Southeast Iowa Super Conference released their All-Conference teams for boys’ basketball for the North and South divisions yesterday and Burlington Notre Dame swept the South’s Player and Coach of the Year honors.

Shay Stephens took home Player of the Year for the South Division after leading the conference in points per game, assists per game, and steals per game. Nikes head coach Dan Kies was named Coach of the Year. 

Joining Stephens on the First Team for the South Division was his teammate L.J. Harris. Mediapolis put three on the First Team in Max Griffin, Will Luttenegger, and William Worrall. West Burlington had Silas Lotzow and Ayden Figuereo named to the First Team. Lastly, Will Hayes of Central Lee and Holy Trinity Catholic’s Layne Rung nabbed a spot.

For the North Division, Pekin’s Cole Millikin was named Player of the Year and Hillcrest Academy’s Stephen Bender claimed Coach of the Year.

Finding a spot on the First Team for the North Division was Cody Milks of Winfield-Mt. Union, WACO’s Holden Hughes, Ellis Hills-Carrier of Columbus, and Wapello’s Justyn Faulkner. 

Middle School Wrestling

The 2026 AAU Kids State Wrestling Championships is in the books and Mt. Pleasant’s Eric Steele nabbed second place in the 125-pound weight class in the 3rd-4th grade division after going 4-1 for the weekend.

Southeastern Community College

The men’s basketball team walloped Marshalltown Community College over the weekend, 69-33. The Blackhawks will get a rematch against the Tigers in the first round of the Region 11 tournament on Wednesday, March 4th, at home at 7 pm.

The baseball team wrapped up the weekend with a 3-0 record, sneaking past College of DuPage, 7-6, and Southwest Mississippi Community College, 9-7, before dismantling the Bears again 12-1. The Blackhawks will compete on Friday, March 6th, with another match against Southwest Mississippi Community College. 

The softball team finished the Midwest Classic with a 3-1 record after stomping Neosho County Community College, 12-0, and Allen County Community College, 10-4. SCC will take on Black Hawk College on Friday in a doubleheader. 

College Basketball

The Iowa State women’s team routed Kansas State yesterday, 93-79, to secure the 7th seed and a first-round bye for the Big 12 tournament. Audi Crooks was unstoppable, logging a 41 point/13 rebound double-double in the win. The Cyclones will get back to action on Thursday, March 5th, at 5:30 pm. 

The #9 Iowa women’s team snatched the #2-seed and a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament after clobbering Wisconsin, 81-52. Ava Heiden clinched a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Hawkeyes will get ready for action on Friday, March 6th, at 5:30 pm.

The Iowa men’s team fell to Penn State over the weekend in heartbreaking fashion, 71-69, as the Nittany Lions nailed two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining in the contest. The Hawkeyes will square off against #3 Michigan on Thursday at 7 pm.

The #4 Iowa State men’s team suffered their first loss at home this season after losing to #16 Texas Tech over the weekend, 82-73. Joshua Jefferson collected 22 points in the effort. The Cyclones will look to bounce back tonight on the road against #2 Arizona with tip-off at 8 pm. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call.

This Day in Sports History

1962 – Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points, most ever by an NBA player in a single game, in Warriors’ 169-147 win over NY Knicks in Hershey; 36-of-63 from field, 28-of-32 from free-throw line.

1995 – Joe Mullen becomes the second NHL player to appear in 300 NHL games with 3 different teams when he plays for the Penguins in a 6-3 loss in Buffalo; Pittsburgh 379, St. Louis 301, Calgary 345.

2000 – The St. Louis Blues become just the 2nd team in NHL history to win 10 straight games on the road, with a 5-2 victory in Atlanta; they tied the mark set by Buffalo 1983-84.

Fredrick Lee “Fred” Jewett

By Kadie Johannson · Monday, March 2nd, 2026 at 5:52 am CDT

Fredrick Lee “Fred” Jewett, 78, of Mount Pleasant passed away on Friday, February 27, 2026, at the Henry County Health Center in Mount Pleasant.

Fred was born on October 3, 1947, in Mount Pleasant, the son of Franklin C. and Geraldine E. (Slusher) Jewett. In his younger years he played in a band called the Vagabonds. After meeting the love of his life, Pamela J. Edwards, they were united in marriage on February 14, 1970, in Mount Pleasant and had just celebrated 56 years of marriage.  Fred was a tool and die maker, working for different companies such as Heatilator Goodyear, Mount Pleasant Tool Works and Design Engineering of New London.  He enjoyed hunting, fishing, playing cards and was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan.  While working for Shop Services he had the opportunity to work on the Michael Jackson train.

Those thankful for sharing in his life include his wife, Pam, of Mount Pleasant, his children, Shelly (Jim) Smith of Mount Pleasant, Chris (Missy) Jewett of New London and Steve (Debbie) Jewett of Mount Pleasant, his loving grandchildren, Alyssa (Gannon) McGuire, Jenna Smith  (Will Mueller), Mahala Jewett (Daniel Brechtel), Xen Jewett (Anna Graf), Tierany (Vanessa) Jewett, Taven Jewett, Ashton Jewett, Tristan Jewett, Ethan Jewett and Serenity Jewett,  his loving great grandchildren, Gracelynn McGuire and Wynonna Jewett, and his brother, Gary Jewett of Mount Pleasant, along with several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Janet.

Friends may call after 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at the Murphy Funeral Home of Mount Pleasant where the family will be present from 4 to 7 p.m. that evening.  A graveside service will be held on Friday, March 6, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at the Forest Home Cemetery in Mount Pleasant. A memorial has been established to be determined by the family at a later time.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

The Murphy Funeral Home of Mount Pleasant is honored to serve the family with love, comfort and dignity as we celebrate the life of Fred Jewett.