Fairfield Community School District Hosts Hygiene Closet Donation Drive

FAIRFIELD, IA — From Monday, October 13th through Friday, October 24th, the Fairfield Community School District is hosting a Hygiene Closet Donation Drive to support community members in need.

The district emphasizes that everyone deserves access to hygiene products, regardless of income, and this drive will help maintain the supply at the community hygiene closet located at Fairfield High School. All items collected will be available for free to individuals and families in the community.

Items needed include:

  • Feminine hygiene products

  • Shampoo and conditioner

  • Laundry detergent and sheets

  • Toilet paper

  • Body wash and bar soap

  • Paper towels

  • Deodorant

  • Dish soap

  • Hair brushes and combs

  • Sponges

  • Toothbrushes and toothpaste

  • Wipes

  • Diapers (all sizes)

  • Body lotion

  • Razors

  • Hand soap

For additional information or questions, please contact Bethany LaRose at 641-209-6747 or 970-852-5563, or via email at bethany.larose@fairfieldsfuture.org

William “Sam” Wellington

William “Sam” Wellington, 77, of Williamsburg, Iowa, formerly of New London, died Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at Compass Memorial Healthcare in Marengo, Iowa. He was born January 5, 1948, in Burlington, Iowa, to Billy Gene and Linnea Marie Walker Wellington. Sam married Cathy Lovelock Wellington in Mt. Pleasant on September 15, 1973.

Sam graduated from New London High School in 1966, then Parsons College, Fairfield, in 1970. He was an engineer for Motorola, Mt. Pleasant, for 24 years, retiring in 2005, and a Special Education Associate for 5 years at Clark Elementary, New London. He was a member of the New London United Methodist Church and served on the City Council. Hobbies included fishing, antiquing, golfing, gun collecting, yard sales, and he especially loved time when his family was all together.

Sam is survived by his wife Cathy, and two sons; Skye (Tiffany) Wellington, and Jesse (Stephanie) Wellington, both of Williamsburg; and three grandchildren who he adored, Hayden, Esther, and Oliver. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will begin at noon on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at Elliott Chapel, New London with the family greeting friends from 4:00-7:00 PM. According to his wishes, his body has been cremated and a private family burial will be held at Burge Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established for the Salvation Army.

Elliott Chapel, New London, is assisting the family and online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com

Joyce Elaine Bauer Gilleard

Joyce Elaine Bauer Gilleard, 85, of New London, Iowa, died Thursday, October 9, 2025, at New London Specialty Care. She was born September 10,1940, in Burlington to Arthur Emil and Dorothy Aretha Judd Bauer. She married Gale Gilleard in 1959; they later divorced.

Joyce graduated from Danville High School and was a supervisor at the IAAP in Middletown for many years. She was of the Christian faith and a member of the New London Women’s Club and New London Women’s Bowling League. She enjoyed puzzles, playing rummy with her sisters, reading, and drinking tea and eating peach rings.

She is survived by two daughters; Terry (Jeff) Johnson and Wendy (Lonnie) Jones both of New London; three grandchildren, Whitney Greenleaf, Lance Jones, and Eli Johnson; six great-grandchildren, Lana, Jocelyn, Beckham, Cash, Liam, and Lydia; several nieces and nephews; and her loving companion, Max Kirkpatrick of New London.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Gene Bauer and Ralph Calhoun; and three sisters, Evelyn Sines, Linda Allen, and Lois Mohnike.

A celebration of her life will be held at 3pm, Saturday, October 18, at Burge Cemetery, with a potluck immediately following at the New London Country Club.

In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established for EveryStep Hospice and All God’s Creatures. Joyce’s family would like to thank the wonderful EveryStep staff for the excellent care and compassion they showed during her final journey.
Elliott Chapel, New London, is assisting the family and online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com

Prep Cross Country: WACO Boys’ Team and Van Buren County Girls’ Team Take Home SEISC Titles

Kalona, IA- The traffic by Hillcrest Academy was heavier than usual last night as 15 teams made the trip to Kalona to run at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) meet and the #4 WACO boys’ team and #8 Van Buren County girls’ team showed why they were ranked by grabbing the team titles.

The Boys’ Race

The WACO boys’ team tabbed 73 points as they had three Warriors finish within the top 10.  Jude Dykstra grabbed the individual conference title with a time of 16 minutes and 47 seconds, while Locken Henderson turned in a 7th place time of 17 minutes and 36 seconds. Garrett Landau also finished with a sub-18 minute time for 9th place.

Mediapolis had Simon Wendel and Will Schmidgall anchor the Bulldogs with Wendel finishing with a silver medal time of 17 minutes and 3 seconds and Schmidgall taking 4th place, but the team finished back in 5th place.

Van Buren County’s Lincoln Bainbridge clocked a time of 17 minutes and 10 seconds, which was good enough for 3rd place. The Warriors took 4th place as a team.

Columbus did not have a runner finish in the top 10 but a strong team performance put the Wildcats in 3rd place, Victor Tovar led the charge with a 12th place finish followed closely behind by Ryan Villa in 14th place.

Notre Dame/West Burlington’s Cavin Denney collected an 8th place time of 17 minutes and 40 seconds, while Isaac Shinn of Danville took 15th place with a time of 18 minutes and 15 seconds.

Notre Dame/West Burlington collected 152 points for 7th place followed by Central Lee and Danville. Winfield-Mt. Union, Holy Trinity Catholic, New London, and Wapello rounded out the 15 teams.

Central Lee’s top runner was Austin Fogarty, who turned in a 28th place performance. Brayden Cline took 46th place for Winfield-Mt. Union, Natan Berman claimed 49th place, Jay Ellison finished in 51st place, and Wapello’s Will Parson nabbed 62nd place.

The Girls’ Race

Van Buren County’s team performance has been impressive this season as the team collected 59 points for the victory. Kayley Snowgren’s set the team’s time at 21 minutes and 25 seconds, which was good enough for 9th place.

Central Lee finished in 4th place as a team followed by Danville, Columbus, and Mediapolis, respectively. Aubree Bunnell of Central Lee rounded out the top 10 with a time of 21 minutes and 40 seconds.

The Bears got a 7th place finish by Alaina Gourley with a time of 21 minutes. Lastly, Iris Garza claimed 12th place with a time of 21 minutes and 57 seconds for the Wildcats. Evie Schmidgall led the Bulldogs with a 26th place finish.

Pekin’s Chloe Glosser finished with the individual conference title.

Individually, WACO’s Josie Dykstra took home the silver with a time of 20 minutes and 10 seconds, while Hannah Ritter of Notre Dame/West Burlington grabbed 5th place with a time of 20 minutes and 46 seconds.

Additionally, Irelynn Kelley of New London grabbed 59th place and Winfield-Mt. Union’s Ashlyn Bender took 62nd place. Lastly, Elizabeth Parson snatched 63rd place.

Up Next

The Class 1A and 2A boys’ and girls’ state qualifying meet is scheduled for October 23rd.

$148,961 Award for the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation

Henry County, Iowa – The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation has been notified it will soon be receiving a $148,961 state award to advance community based philanthropy throughout Henry County.

The award comes by way of the County Endowment Fund which was established by HF 2302 in the 2004 Legislative Session. The purpose of this legislation is to provide financial support to encourage the creation and development of community foundations and civic philanthropy throughout Iowa.

Under terms of the legislation the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation will direct 75 percent of the award to foundation grant making activities and 25 percent will be placed in the Foundation’s permanent endowment. This allocation ratio provides the opportunity to assist local projects immediately as well as help build an endowment for the future of the county.

Since its establishment in 2004, the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation has awarded over $2,000,000 in grants to over 65 county organizations and charities. Together these awards have leveraged over $15,000,000 in new projects for Henry County.

The permanent endowment of the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation is now $844,219. We encourage local individuals and institutions to learn more about the benefits of working with our foundation.

To request an application or any questions related to contributions, gifts and grantmaking can be directed to Lora Roth, Administrator for the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation at 319-385-8728 or lora@kilj.com

Grant Application 2025

Sports, October 15th

High School Volleyball

West Burlington ended the regular season with an eight-game winning streak and a senior night victory sweep over Van Buren County last night (25-21, 25-23, 25-19). Senior Baylee Woodsmall had 41 assists, while Kaylee Webb laced 18 kills, two blocks, and two aces in the winning effort. Clara Box collected 11 kills for the Bulldogs. 

West Burlington finished the regular season with an 18-15 record, while Mediapolis tallied a 14-15 record. 

WACO fell to Pekin last night in four sets (15-25, 25-17, 18-25, 14-25) to finish the regular season with a 6-17 record. 

Columbus defeated Hillcrest Academy last night in four sets (25-23, 25-18, 24-26, 25-14). Senior attackers Kennedy Woepking (19 kills) and Jessica Del Rio (13 kills) combined for 32 kills, while Del Rio notched eight aces for the night. The Wildcats head to Washington tomorrow, October 16th, at 7:15 pm. 

Wapello’s senior night was a success as they captured a dominant four set victory over Louisa-Muscatine, surrendering just 31 points in their three set wins (25-16, 21-25, 25-7, 25-8). Mila Jordan was unstoppable with 18 kills and three aces, both team highs. The Arrows finished the regular season with a 23-11 record. 

Fairfield will celebrate their senior night tomorrow at 7:15 pm against Albia. 

Danville will host an Invite tomorrow with Burlington Notre Dame and Mt. Pleasant making the trip. 

Mediapolis will host a tournament tomorrow at 5 pm with #2 Holy Trinity Catholic participating. 

Postseason Volleyball

Regional Volleyball for Classes 1A and 2A starts on Monday, October 20th, at 7 pm with a majority of our teams competing within the same regional.

In Class 1A Region 2, #2 Holy Trinity Catholic has the top seed and a bye into the second round. The Crusaders will play the winner between Winfield-Mt. Union and Pekin with the Wolves acting as the host.

Burlington Notre Dame will take on WACO at home on Monday. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. The winner will play the winner between Wapello and New London on Wednesday, October 22nd. 

In Class 2A Region 8, Danville will host Cardinal on Monday at 7 pm. The winner will advance to play Regina Catholic on Wednesday. Van Buren County will take on West Burlington at home on Wednesday to draw out the top half of the bracket. 

High School Cross Country

The Southeast Iowa Super Conference ran last night and the WACO boys’ team claimed the conference championship with 73 points, while the Van Buren County girls’ team collected the title with 59 points. 

Starting on the boys’ side, WACO’s Jude Dykstra grabbed the individual conference championship with a time of 16 minutes and 47 seconds, while Locken Henderson turned in a 7th place time of 17 minutes and 36 seconds. 

Mediapolis had Simon Wendel and Will Schmidgall anchor the Bulldogs with Wendel finishing with a silver medal time of 17 minutes and 3 seconds and Schmidgall taking 4th place, but the team finished back in 5th place. 

Van Buren County’s Lincoln Bainbridge clocked a time of 17 minutes and 10 seconds, which was good enough for 3rd place. The Warriors took 4th place as a team. Columbus did not have a runner finish in the top 10 but a strong team performance put the Wildcats in 3rd place, Victor Tovar led the charge with a 12th place finish.

Notre Dame/West Burlington’s Cavin Denney collected an 8th place time of 17 minutes and 40 seconds, while Isaac Shinn of Danville took 15th place with a time of 18 minutes and 15 seconds. 

On the girls’ side, Van Buren County was led by Kayley Snowgren’s time of 21 minutes and 25 seconds, which was good enough for 9th place. 

Central Lee finished in 4th place as a team followed by Danville, Columbus, and Mediapolis, respectively. Aubree Bunnell of Central Lee rounded out the top 10 with a time of 21 minutes and 40 seconds. The Bears got a 7th place finish by Alaina Gourley with a time of 21 minutes. Lastly, Iris Garza claimed 12th place with a time of 21 minutes and 57 seconds for the Wildcats. 

Individually, WACO’s Josie Dykstra took home the silver with a time of 20 minutes and 10 seconds, while Hannah Ritter of Notre Dame/West Burlington grabbed 5th place with a time of 20 minutes and 46 seconds. 

The Class 1A and 2A boys’ and girls’ state qualifying meet is scheduled for October 23rd.

Mt. Pleasant will host the Southeast Conference meet tomorrow, October 16th.

High School Football

#8 Mt. Pleasant returns home to square off against #3 Solon at 7:30 pm on Friday, October 17th, with the winner claiming the District Championship. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm.

Mediapolis will host Central Lee on Friday at 7 pm.

WACO will take on #4 Iowa Valley on Friday at 7 pm on the road. 

Fairfield will compete against Keokuk at home on Friday at 7:30 pm. 

West Burlington/Notre Dame will tangle with #6 Mid-Prairie at 7 pm on Friday. 

Second place for Class A District 5 will be up for grabs when Danville travels to Wapello on Friday at 7 pm. 

Columbus will host Pekin at 7 pm.

Winfield-Mt. Union will face off against Belle Plaine on Friday at 7 pm. 

Southeastern Community College

The men’s and women’s soccer teams will host Iowa Central Community College today with the women playing first. 

The volleyball team will take on Iowa Central Community College tonight at 7 pm at home. 

College Football

Iowa will face off against Penn State on Saturday, October 18th, at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM will be on the call. 

Iowa State is on a bye week.

This Day in Sports History

1884 – Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourn pitches his 60th win of the season for the MLB Providence Grays in 8-0 win over the Quakers at Philadelphia.

1925 – MLB World Series: the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Senators 9-7 in Game 7 at Forbes Field for 4-3 series victory; the Pirates became the first team to recover from 3–1 deficit in a 7-game series.

1988 – Oklahoma broke its own NCAA record for most net rushing yards in a game, going for 768 yards on the ground in a 70-24 win over Kansas State.

Two Juveniles Injured in Fort Madison Bicycle-Vehicle Collision

Fort Madison, Iowa — On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at approximately 4:44 p.m., the Fort Madison Police Department responded to a motor vehicle accident involving an electric bicycle and a passenger car at the intersection of 20th Street and Avenue E in Fort Madison. 

According to the Iowa State Patrol crash report (Case No. 2025024565), a 2020 Honda Civic driven by 19-year-old Jordyn Burch of Fort Madison was traveling eastbound through the intersection when a 2025 Kepin electric bicycle, operated by a 9-year-old male and carrying a 12-year-old male passenger, entered the intersection heading southbound and failed to stop. The electric bike struck the front driver’s side of the vehicle, ejecting both juveniles from the bicycle. 

Both young riders sustained injuries. The 9-year-old was airlifted by Air EMS to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, while the 12-year-old was transported by ground ambulance to Fort Madison Community Hospital. Neither was wearing a helmet or seatbelt at the time of the crash. The driver of the Honda Civic was uninjured. 

Both vehicles were towed from the scene by Dunkin Towing. 

The collision remains under investigation by Trooper J. Gronewold (Post 13) of the Iowa State Patrol, with assistance from the Fort Madison Police and Fire Departments, Lee County EMS, AirEvac, and Dunkin Towing. 

Authorities remind the public of the importance of observing traffic signs and using proper safety equipment when operating or riding bicycles and electric bikes. 

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Kidsymphony: A John Williams Halloween Brings Movie Magic to Southeast Iowa

Get ready for a Halloween celebration filled with capes, candy, and cinematic magic! The Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra invites families to enjoy “Kidsymphony: A John Williams Halloween,” a delightful costume concert perfect for children of all ages. Tickets range from $0 to $5, making it an affordable and unforgettable family outing.

Under the direction of Maestro Bob McConnell, the orchestra will bring to life some of the most iconic movie scores ever written by legendary composer John Williams — including themes from Superman, E.T., and Star Wars.

Children (and parents!) are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite Halloween costumes. After the 45-minute concert, families can meet the musicians and explore their instruments up close. The event will also feature a festive costume photo booth and tasty treats to enjoy, creating a full afternoon of fun and imagination.

The concert will travel across Southeast Iowa on November 1–2, with performances scheduled as follows:

  • November 1 – 11:00 AM: Bridge View Center, Ottumwa

  • November 1 – 2:00 PM: Chapel Auditorium, Mount Pleasant

  • November 1 – 4:30 PM: The Capitol, Burlington

  • November 2 – 2:00 PM: Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, Fairfield

  • November 2 – 4:30 PM: Washington High School, Washington

So grab your lightsabers, capes, and candy buckets — and get ready for a musical adventure that soars to infinity and beyond!

For more information or directions to each venue, visit the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra’s website.