Special Gift Donated to K9 Mack of Lee County Sheriff’s Office

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, June 20th, 2024 at 10:38 am CDT

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office received good news as they were told that K9 Mack will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Mack’s vest is sponsored by Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Hobbs, Des Moines, IA – EOW 12/12/23”. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., established in 2009, is a 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. This potentially lifesaving body armor for four-legged K9 officers is U.S. made, custom fitted, and NIJ certified. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. has provided over 5,627 vests to K9s in all 50 states at a value of $6.9 million, made possible by both private and corporate donations.

The program is open to U.S. dogs that are at least 20 months old and actively employed and certified with law enforcement or related agencies. K9s with expired vests are also eligible to participate. There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. accepts tax-deductible contributions in any amount, while a single donation of $985 will sponsor one vest. Each vest has a value of $1800.00, weighs an average of 4-5 lb., and comes with a five-year warranty. For more information, or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts donations at www.vik9s.org, or you may mail your contribution to P.O. Box 9, East Taunton, MA 02718.

 

Tara Hillyer

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, June 20th, 2024 at 10:26 am CDT

Tara Gail Hillyer, 49, of Middletown, died Sunday, June 16, 2024, at her home.

Born May 18, 1975, in Mount Pleasant, she was the daughter of William and Linda Simmons Farr. On October 24, 1998, she married Steven P. Hillyer at Saints Mary and Patrick’s Catholic Church in West Burlington.

She was a graduate of Mount Pleasant High School. She attended Dayton’s School of Hair Design.

Tara was a hair stylist for many years at A Cut Above in Burlington. She was a United States Postal Carrier delivering for the rural routes covering West Point.

Tara enjoyed the outdoors; camping, fishing, working in her garden and planting flowers on the deck. She liked to spend time on the river and with her animals. She was a great cook, but never gave out her recipes. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family and the numerous vacations they took.

Survivors include her husband, Steven Hillyer of Middletown; two children Cade Hillyer and Alivia Hillyer both of Middletown; mother, Linda Farr of Mount Pleasant; three siblings Lynette (William Lyon) Farr, Brian (Carol) Farr and Marla Farr all of Mount Pleasant; two sisters-in-law, Kim (Brian) Wolbert of Eldridge and Jan (Bill) Lippert of Burlington; brother-in-law, Kenneth (Hope) Hillyer of Middletown; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, father, brother and great niece.

Visitation will be from noon until 7:00 PM with the family to receive friends from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM Friday, June 21, 2024 at Prugh Funeral Service, 3940 Division Street.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

A memorial has been established for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Diesel and Unleaded Each Rise 3 Cents Across Iowa – Weekly Fuel Report

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, June 20th, 2024 at 8:30 am CDT

$3.18 is the average price across Iowa for a regular unleaded gallon of gasoline, according to AAA. This is a 3 cent rise from last week and a 12 cent drop from this time last year. This price creeps closer to the national average, which held steady this week at $3.45.

Diesel prices also rose 3 cents, for a statewide average of $3.52, which is 9 cents cheaper than last year, and 28 cents lower than the national average.

Natural gas prices fell 13 cents at the Henry Hub reporting site and are currently priced at $2.88/MMbtu.

Tips for saving energy on the road or at home are available at energy.gov and fueleconomy.gov.

Help Make Mount Pleasant Home Sweet Home Ahead of RAGBRAI

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, June 20th, 2024 at 8:30 am CDT

RAGBRAI is right around the corner and it’s hard to escape hearing about it. The route through Mount Pleasant was announced earlier this week, and while houses along that route should certainly expect a large amount of riders, so should almost every house in town.

Have you ever wanted to make your house the best looking one on the block? Maybe there is a project you’ve been pushing back and waiting for a long weekend to complete. Whatever it is, now is the time to spruce up your home and yard. Every street, corner, and park should represent what Mount Pleasant is all about, Home Sweet Home.

Whether it’s crafting colorful banners, planting beautiful flowers, placing an extra chair or two in your yard or simply adding a touch of Mt. Pleasant to your storefront, every little bit counts!

Looking for help or ideas for decorating? Send a message to the Mount Pleasant RAGBRAI Facebook page for inspiration!

Sports, June 20th

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, June 20th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Baseball

Winfield-Mt. Union and West Burlington participated in a thrilling contest last night that saw the Wolves score four runs in the bottom of the 7th to force extras just for the Falcons to put up a run in the top of the 8th inning to eventually win 7-6. Isaac Beard and Emry Watson each totaled two RBIs for the Falcons, while Riley Kaalberg crushed a home run and tallied three RBIs for the Wolves. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow for first pitch at 5:30 pm. 

New London will stay at home to take on West Burlington tomorrow, June 21st, at 5:30 pm. 

Van Buren County clobbered Wapello last night 18-4. Izaak Loeffler slugged two doubles and brought home three runs for the Warriors. Van Buren County will compete at the Moravia Triangular on Saturday, June 22nd, at 10 am. 

Mediapolis handled Highland last night 14-3. The Bulldogs will take on Danville tonight at 5:30 pm on the road. 

Central Lee’s late surge cemented the win for the Hawks over Hillcrest Academy yesterday 7-1. Cory Jones notched four RBIs for the Hawks as Blake Davis tallied 10 strikeouts and the win on the mound. Central Lee will travel to Danville tomorrow at 5:30 pm. 

Burlington Notre Dame demolished Regina Catholic last night 14-1. The Nikes will face off against Mediapolis tomorrow at 5:30 pm on the road. 

Mt. Pleasant will host 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. 

High School Softball

West Burlington squashed Winfield-Mt. Union last night 20-1. Logan Kelley swatted a home run and grabbed four RBIs along with Shona Andersen for the Falcons. West Burlington will take on New London tomorrow, June 21st, at 7 pm on the road. 

New London lost to Louisa-Muscatine last night 11-1. 

Van Buren County was shut out by Wapello last night 4-0 as Ada Boysen fanned 17 Warriors to earn the complete game win. Van Buren County will face off against Holy Trinity Catholic tomorrow at 7 pm at home. 

Mediapolis was handled by Highland last night 10-0. Avery Crear went 2 for 3 with a double for the Bulldogs. Mediapolis will face off against Danville tonight on the road at 7 pm.

Mt. Pleasant fell to Cardinal last night 11-1. The Panthers will take on Fairfield tonight at home at 7:30 pm. 

Fairfield and Washington continued their rain out game from last Thursday and the Trojans appeared poised to pull off the upset, leading 2 to 0 for three innings. Nevertheless, the Demons got the offense rolling to win 7-2. Faith Jones nabbed the lone RBI for the Trojans, while Colbie Greiner smacked a home run for Washington to total two RBIs. 

Central Lee walloped Hillcrest Academy last night 16-0. The Hawks will take on Holy Trinity Catholic tonight in a doubleheader with game one at 5:30 pm. 

WACO will travel to Winfield-Mt. Union tonight at 6 pm. 

High School Softball Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their fifth edition of the softball rankings and our local teams experienced a shakeup.

Class 4A saw Burlington fall out of the top 15 after a shaky seven games since the injury of their senior star Sydnee Plummer. The Grayhounds have surrendered 31 runs in their past seven games after allowing 14 runs in their first 11 games of the season.

In Class 3A, Washington returned to their #8 spot in the rankings after an 8-2 loss to Centerville curtailed what could have been a 15-game winning streak. The Demons tout a team ERA of 2.41, while Leighton Salazar is batting 0.571 on the year with 25 RBIs.

Central Lee advanced a spot in the rankings to end the week #14. Kenna Sandoval and Shana Buford have led the bats this season with slugging percentages over 1.000. Jayln Hawk touts an ERA of 2.23.

High School Cross Country

Mt. Pleasant’s optional summer runs officially get underway this week. The runs are a great way to get in shape and to run with others. The runs are available for 7th through 12th graders and will often be led by upperclassmen as coaches may not be present for every run.

On Mondays and Wednesdays the runs will start at 6:30 am at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre and on Tuesdays and Thursdays they will be at Saunders Park by the swimming pool at 7 pm. 

If you have any questions, contact Coach Murray at 319-850-0867. 

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees continued their matchup from June 13th against the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp and despite entering the game with the lead the Pistol Shrimp exited with the win 12-11. 

Game two also did not go the Bees way as they fell 3-2. Jackson Lindquist smacked a home run in the losing effort. 

Burlington will host the Normal CornBelters tonight at 6:30 pm. 

Clinton will take on Pistol Shrimp tonight at home at 6:30 pm. 

This Day in Sports History

1949 – Tennis star Gussie Moran shocks Wimbledon by wearing a short dress “to look good” and “move more freely on the court.”

1968 – Jim Hines becomes the first person to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds.

2018 – FIFA World Cup: Cristiano Renaldo heads a goal against Morocco to become the all-time leading European goalscorer (85) in international competition.

Prep Softball: Washington sits atop the SEC with one full series to go

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, June 19th, 2024 at 4:33 pm CDT

Mount Pleasant, IA- The race for the softball Southeast Conference (SEC) crown features two of the best teams in their respective classes getting ready to clash for their three-game series next week, but there’s plenty of other meaningful matchups to discuss.

At the top of the conference standings, #7 in Class 3A Washington is a perfect 10-0 against other SEC opponents having outscored their foes by 93 runs. Their series against Keokuk will be interrupted tonight with a rescheduled game against Fairfield.

The Demons offense has impressed thus far, scoring 10 or more runs in nine of their conference showdowns. Add in a team earned-run-average (ERA) of 2.48 and the Demons are a tough squad to surmount.

Players to Watch: Isabella Salazar, Ella Greiner, and Alyvia Anderson

Burlington had been neck-and-neck with Washington, but a freak injury to senior star Saydee Plummer has led to a slew of losses for the Grayhounds: 2-4 in their last six games. Understandably, Plummer rocked a 0.81 ERA and 0.412 batting average before the injury.

Their struggling offense has been exposed during this streak, scoring four runs or less in half of their contests. This led to a 3-1 loss to Fort Madison in game one of their Monday doubleheader this week before they answered with an 11-1 thrashing in game two.

The Grayhounds (9-1 in SEC play) will need to exit with the win tomorrow against the Bloodhounds to have an opportunity to defend their conference title.

Players to Watch: Kylee Hill, Lillian Hand, and Aubrey Hesler

Fort Madison sits tied with Keokuk in terms of record at 4-6, but the Bloodhounds have a -1-run differential compared to a -33-run differential for the Chiefs. In their head-to-head matchups, Keokuk boasts a 2-0 record, winning 7-4 in game one and 9-7 in game two.

Despite committing seven errors between the two games, Keokuk hit over 0.300 in game one and nearly 0.470 in game two. The Bloodhounds held the lead in game two at one point, but their defense and pitching struggled.

The Chiefs will attempt to upset the Demons tomorrow, while Fort Madison will look to win the series against Burlington.

Players to Watch (Keokuk): Ada Wood, Ellianna Brewer, and Suzie Whitaker

Players to Watch (Fort Madison): Gabrielle Ruble, Lauryn Helmick, and Alivia Holmes

Fairfield entered this week without a win against an SEC opponent (not in a tournament setting). After Monday’s handling of Mt. Pleasant, the Trojans escaped the cellar and tout a 2-8 mark in conference play with a -38-run differential.

In their eight losses, the Trojans managed only 21 runs but in their two games against the Panthers the offense woke up and scored 24 runs. Pitching has been the biggest question mark since the Trojans saw their ace Coty Engle graduate last year, their staff ERA is 6.67.

The Trojans will take on the Demons tonight before finishing their series against the Panthers tomorrow.

Players to Watch: Laney Norris, Savannah Hollander, and Leah Helmick

Mt. Pleasant is one of, if not the youngest roster in the state of Iowa as the Panthers routinely start four 8th graders and a freshman. The inexperience has led to some growing pains as the Panthers are 2-17 on the year overall and 1-9 in the conference.

Offense has been the biggest issue for the Panthers as they have been shutout in seven of their losses and managed just five runs in their past six games. There have been bright spots this season with such as holding Burlington to a 2-2 tie until the 5th inning.

Mt. Pleasant will be looking for revenge against Fairfield tomorrow and their first season of multiple conference victories since 2020.

Players to Watch: Emma Starr, Chaley Cook, and Kynlee White

Prep Baseball: SEC Conference Outlook with Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield Battling for the Crown

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, June 19th, 2024 at 3:08 pm CDT

Mount Pleasant, IA- The Southeast Conference baseball season is rapidly wrapping up and the race to the top of the standings is heating up, so it seems to be a perfect time to investigate the matchups tomorrow, June 20th, and how the standings will be affected.

At the top of the standings, Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield will have their rubber match in Mt. Pleasant after the two split their Monday night doubleheader, 9-3 in favor of the Trojans and 12-7 for the Panthers.

Mt. Pleasant started their conference run with sweeps of Washington and Keokuk, while Fort Madison took a game from Fairfield, but the Trojans responded with sweep of Burlington. Washington and Burlington would defeat Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant, respectively, to keep the standings consistent.

The series between Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield has been consistently competitive as the record in the last ten matchups sits at 5-5, including five one-run finishes. As it stands, Mt. Pleasant is 8-2 in the conference with a +26-run differential, while Fairfield is 7-3 at +28.

KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm and first pitch at 7:30 pm.

Players to Watch: Dain Burkhart and Aiden Kreuter (Fairfield), Payton Hagans and Carson Andreasen (Mt. Pleasant)

After being swept by Fairfield, Burlington has responded by going 3-1 in their last four conference showdowns, including narrow wins over Fort Madison last Monday 8-7 in game one and 7-4 in game two. Logan Messer had four RBIs between the two wins.

Since a 4-3 conference win over Washington, Fort Madison has dropped their last seven games, allowing 75 runs in that stretch and scoring just 14.

Despite the recent success or lack thereof, both teams are locked at 5-5 records in the conference with the Bloodhounds holding a run advantage in run differential (+2 versus +1). Burlington will look to make it seven consecutive wins against Fort Madison.

Players to Watch: Luke Hellige and Hunter Cresswell (Fort Madison), Noah Krieger and Gabe Robinson (Burlington)

The last matchup will be Washington’s attempt to escape the conference cellar for the first time since the 2021 season. The Demons helped themselves out by upsetting Fairfield 5-4 on June 10th and defeating Keokuk 15-11.

Keokuk has been able to knock off wins against the Grayhounds and Bloodhounds before winning game one of the doubleheader 7-2. Heading into the matchup Keokuk is 3-7 with a -22-run differential and Washington is 2-8 with a -35-run differential.

From June 26th of 2017 to June 13th of 2022, Washington won 17 games in a row over Keokuk. Since then, Keokuk has gone 6-2, averaging 8.5 runs per game.

Players to Watch: Caleb Zieglowsky and Luke Beenblossom (Washington), Brenton Hoard and Blake Chase (Keokuk)

5 Ways to Beat The “Grandparent Scam”

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, June 19th, 2024 at 10:51 am CDT

The “Grandparent Scam” is a type of fraud that targets older adults by pretending to be a grandchild or other family member in need of help.

Scammers may call and claim to be in an emergency, such as needing money for medical expenses or bail.

Here are 5 tips to protect yourself from this scam:

1.) Don’t give out any personal or financial information. If the person is indeed in jail, you can contact the county or municipality to arrange payment. If the person needs car repairs, talk directly to the shop owner and call them at their business number.

2.) Don’t answer questions like “Do you know who this is?” You may accidentally give them a name that they were previously unaware.

3.) DO ask questions! Ask the caller personal questions that only a real grandchild could answer, such as a favorite birthday gift or family vacation memory. Birthdates and addresses can be easily obtained on the Internet so do not ask simple questions like that.

4.) DO verify the story. After you hang up, call the grandchild’s parents or other relatives to confirm the story.

5.) DO trust your instincts. Many older adults doubt themselves or their memories and end up falling victim to a crime.