County Constituents Burning Questions Answered by Candidates for Henry County Supervisor at Chamber Forum

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024 at 6:41 am CDT

The Mt. Pleasant Chamber Alliance held a forum yesterday evening for the 4 candidates for the Henry County Supervisors. Dan Cook, Steve Detrick, David Muhs, and Chad White took turns answering questions sent in from the public. Despite the storms’ best efforts, with the power even going out for a considerable amount of time, the candidates rolled on with the forum.

A question was posed about tourism in our county, and how the county can grow that area, and Steve Detrick answered. He said that the communities in our county should get together and that there are underutilized parks that we should enhance and promote. The county consists of many communities, not just Mount Pleasant.

David Muhs answered a question regarding house File 718, which will see major budget cuts impact our county for the remainder of this decade. His idea is to be efficient and talk to our state legislators.

When asked what skills or traits he would contribute to the board, Dan Cook brought up the importance of working together as a team. He believes it is best to combine thoughts with the other supervisors and to have a stern set of values.

The hot topic of wind energy was always going to be put into a question, and Chad White was asked if he supports wind energy in Henry County. With an emphatic “no” he addressed the room by asking people to do their own research, calling wind a “cash grab.”

Afterwards, the four candidates stuck around to speak with citizens about important issues in the county. The airport in Mount Pleasant and the Amtrak are two underutilized resources in our county according to one constituent who spoke with some of the candidates afterwards.

If you would like to hear more from these candidates, head to KILJ.com and go to the special programming tab, where you can find a recorded forum.

Here is the link to the Chamber Forum: https://fb.watch/sdGHd7nopw/

Sports, May 22nd

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Soccer

In the boys’ Class 1A Substate 6 postseason bracket, Mediapolis will square off against West Branch on the road tonight at 7 pm with the winner advancing to the state tournament. 

In the girls’ Class 1A Region 1 bracket, Central Lee’s matchup against the #1-seed Assumption will be tonight at 5 pm on the road.

In the girls’ Class 2A Region 8 backet, Burlington Notre Dame will face off against Iowa City Liberty tonight at 5:30 pm on the road.

In the bottom half of the bracket, Fort Madison travels to Burlington tonight at 7 pm.

High School Tennis

Jana Isanta of Mt. Pleasant will participate in the girls’ Class 1A State Singles tournament on Friday, May 24th, in Iowa City. 

The boys’ Class 1A state singles and doubles tournament starts today. For Southeast Iowa, Fairfield’s Rumin Lou, the district champion, will face off against Christian Jensen of Lewis Central—the runner-up in the district seven tournament—in the first round today.

High School Golf. 

The girls’ Class 1A state meet will take place at the American Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown tomorrow, May 23rd, continuing into Friday, May 24th, with New London eyeing a team title. 

The Class 2A state meet will take place at Cedar Pointe Golf Course in Boone tomorrow with Olivia Hines of Mediapolis competing as an individual and Mid-Prairie participating as a team. 

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant will host Clear Creek Amana tonight at 7 pm.

West Burlington will host Burlington Notre Dame on Friday, May 24th, at 5:30 pm. 

Central Lee’s matchup against Louisa-Muscatine scheduled for last night has been postponed to tomorrow, May 23rd, at 5:30 pm.

Winfield-Mt. Union will host Hillcrest Academy tomorrow at 5:30 pm. 

New London will hit the road to face off against Van Buren County on Friday at 5:30 pm. 

Mediapolis will square off against Wilton tonight at 7:30 pm at home. 

High School Softball

Van Buren County will travel to take on New London at 7 pm on Friday, May 24th. 

West Burlington will participate in a tournament on Saturday, May 25th, at Louisa-Muscatine. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will compete against Hillcrest Academy tomorrow, May 23rd, at 7 pm at home. 

Mt. Pleasant will square off against Central Lee tonight at 7 pm at home. 

Mediapolis will face off against Danville on Friday at 7 pm on the road. 

Softball Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the preseason rankings and the Southeast Conference will have some stiff competition with two teams ranked in the top 15. 

In Class 3A, Washington ranks as the #7 team in the state as they finished last season with a 24-13 record. The Demons return their two best pitchers in Isabella Salazar, a junior, and Colbie Greiner, a freshman, along with their best hitter Leighton Salazar, a sophomore, as she hit 0.550 last season with 24 RBIs. Add in her prowess on the basepath with 24 steals and 58 runs scored and the Demons will be tough to beat.

In Class 4A, Burlington slides in at the #11 slot. Kylee Hill, fresh off her state championship in the shot put, will lead this squad as she crushed a conference leading 14 home runs last year in her 8th grade season, while slashing a 0.477 average. Saydee Plummer returns for her senior season in the circle as she collected a 1.24 ERA last season with 168 strikeouts. The Grayhounds will look to improve upon their 20-9 record last year. 

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Tune in to KILJ 105.5 FM or kilj.com tonight at 6 pm for a new episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook. This week’s school of focus will be Winfield-Mt. Union. This episode will be the last of this school year with the program set to return for the 2024-2025 school year. 

Southeastern Community College

SCC baseball will head to Oklahoma to compete in the 2024 NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series on Saturday, May 25th. The Blackhawks earned the #7-seed and will face off against #10 South Arkansas Community College in the first round at 4 pm. 

This Day in Sports History

1911 – Boston pitcher Cliff Curtis lost his 23rd game in a row, dating back to 1910, still the all-time record for consecutive losses by a pitcher.

1987 – Canadian Rick Hansen completes his ‘Man in Motion’ world tour in a wheelchair at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium, raising money for spinal cord research.

2003 – In Fort Worth, Texas, Annika Sörenstam becomes the first woman to play the PGA Tour in 58 years.

Mt. Pleasant Fire Department Awarded Grant for Radio Upgrades

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, May 21st, 2024 at 3:03 pm CDT

The Washington County Riverboat Foundation recently announced 24 different organizations as the recipients of their spring 2024 grant. The Mount Pleasant Fire Department is one that will benefit, being awarded $8000 which will be used for radio upgrades.

Also awarded a grant was Washington County Emergency Management, with just under $450,000 going towards replacing the outdoor warning sirens in the county. PAWS and More received the largest grant, at just over 2,400,000 dollars. They will be able to construct a brand-new facility in Washington.

The Washington County Riverboat Foundation is the nonprofit license holder for the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, which provides the entirety of its funding. For the Spring 2024 grant cycle, WCRF awarded 24 grants totaling $3,614,233.

Prep Boys’ Golf: 2024 State Golf Tournament Results

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, May 21st, 2024 at 3:00 pm CDT

Ames, IA- If this was Caddyshack and Carl Spackler was your caddy, we’d keep playing because the heavy stuff won’t be coming down for a while; however, the 2024 Boys’ State Golf Tournament is not a movie, and the weather has put an early end to the meet.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) decided before day two got underway that the tournament was to be concluded with the results based off the day one scores.

Class 1A

Winfield-Mt. Union had their squad finish tied for 6th place with Keota with a team score of 334 (+50). Carter Loyd led the Wolves as he shot 79 (+8) for the course, which was tied for 15th in the field. Cody Milks carded an 81, which was tied for 20th place.

Justin Knipfer finished tied for 38th with a 15-over par, while Konner Kinneberg finished 17-over for the course, which was tied for 40th. Grant Anderson and Max Edwards claimed 54th and 55th place, respectively.

Boyden-Hull claimed the team crown as the shot 16-over par for the course. The individual champion was Hamburg’s Keith Thompson as he carded a 70 (-2), with two birdies on the front nine. Chase Jahde of CAM took 2nd place and Austin Stene of Lake Mills tied with Carter Kleinwolterink of Boyden-Hull for 3rd place.

Class 2A

Beckman Catholic had a very successful day one, earning both the team title and the individual state championship. The Trailblazers snuck past the competition with a score of 22-over par.

Pella Christian, Grundy Center, and Columbus Catholic were all separated by one-stroke apiece as they finished 2nd through 4th, respectively.

Luke Harwick took the individual title, as he carded a 68 (-3). His card included six birdies, but three bogeys to go along with it. Axton Miller of OABCIG finished 2-under for the course and 2nd overall, while Cody Weaver of East Marshall claimed 3rd place as he shot a 70 (-1).

Class 3A

ADM finished as the top team with a score of 16-over par, while Waverly-Shell Rock and MOC-Floyd Valley claimed 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Washington finished in 5th place with a team scored of 33-over par.

Roman Roth was the top golfer for the Demons as he shot a 71 (-1) for the 18-hole course, which tied him for 3rd place. Luke Beenblossom shot an 82 as he was tied for 26th place. Drew Conrad carded an 83, while Rajan Roth finished with an 85.

Teague Mayer and Carson Brown earned 53rd and 55th place, respectively.

Easton Korell of ADM led the charge toward the first-place finish with an 18-hole score of 6-under par. Isaiah Zoske finished in 2nd place with a score of 68 (-4), while Parker Rodgers of Nevada and Carson Korver tied with Roth for 3rd place.

KILJ would like to thank Sparrow Building Services for allowing us to cover the 2024 Boys’ State Golf Tournament.

Mt. Pleasant City Council Meeting Agenda 05/22

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, May 21st, 2024 at 2:57 pm CDT

The Mount Pleasant City Council will meet in Regular Session on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at City Hall, 307 E. Monroe Street, second-floor meeting room at 5:30 p.m.

AGENDA

  1. Roll Call.
  2. Consent Agenda: To the Public — All items with an asterisk (*) are routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion and a roll call of the Councilmembers. There will be no separate discussion of items unless the Mayor, a Councilmember or citizen so request, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be considered in its normal sequence on the Agenda.
  3. Receive & file communications.
  4. Approve agenda.

*5. Approve minutes of previous meetings.

*6. Approve payment of bills.

*7. Receive report of Officers.

  1. Old Business-
    1. 5:30 p.m. Public Hearing to amend the 2023/2024 Budget.
    2. Resolution amending the 2023/2024 Budget.
    3. 5:30 p.m. Public Hearing on proposed drawings, specifications, and estimated costs for Eugene Way Street Improvements — 2024.
    4. 2nd reading on ordinance amendment for Flexible Business Space.
    5. Outdoor Sound Permit for Pressbox Grille & Bar at 1 110 W Washington Street.
    6. Renewal of a Special Class C Retail Alcohol License for Pizza Hut at 900 N Grand Avenue.
    7. Renewal of a Class E Retail Alcohol License for Mount Pleasant Food & Liquor at 309 W Washington Street.
  2. New Business-
    1. I st reading on ordinance relating to the regulation of commercial vendors and City streets during RAGBRAI.
    2. Approve the Hazard Mitigation Plan for Henry County Iowa.
    3. Resolution approving FYE 2025 salaries for full-time employees.
    4. Resolution approving FYE 2025 salaries for Volunteer Fire Department.
    5. Resolution approving FYE 2025 salaries for temporary and seasonal part-time employees.
    6. Resolution acknowledging the increase in Des Moines County Regional Solid Waste tipping fees, effective July l , 2024, and the resultant increase in sanitation collection rates as approved by city code 25-13 (l)(e).
    7. Approve revision of Mount Pleasant Fire and Rescue Standard Operating Guidelines.
    8. Resolution authorizing the City to submit an FAA state grant application to provide funding for the airport taxilane design and airport hangar design.
    9. Resolution approving task order #3 with McClure Engineering to provide engineering services related to the airport hangar design.
    10. Approve proposal from CMT to provide geotechnical services for the airport taxilane design and airport hangar design.
    11. Resolution approving the appointment to fill the vacant Ward IV Council Seat with a term to expire in December 2025.
  3. Public Forum.

Henry County Supervisors Meeting Agenda 05/23

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, May 21st, 2024 at 9:29 am CDT

Henry County Supervisors

100 E Washington St  Ste 202

Mt Pleasant IA  52641

Fax:  319-385-3601

 

Chad White, Member            Marc Lindeen, Vice-Chairman        Greg Moeller, Chairman    

           319-385-0759                                 319-385-0760                                  319-385-0761________                       

AGENDA

May 23, 2024

Approve Agenda

Approve Minutes

Approve Claims

9:00 Jake Hotchkiss, Engineer Weekly Update

Motion to Promote Employee to Office Manager

Approval of Holtcamp Rural Subdivision Section 12, Scott Township

Approval for Tipsy Travelers Liquor License

10:00 2nd Reading Consideration of EMS Essential Service Resolution

Terri Bain Trenton Business

Other County Business as time allows

 Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates

Superintendent Reports on Summer School, Grant, Bus Shuttles, and Public Hearing

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, May 21st, 2024 at 9:07 am CDT

May is typically the month many students and teachers look forward to, as it means the end of school. Speaking with the superintendent of the Mt. Pleasant Community School District, John Henriksen, he mentioned how graduation on Sunday went well, and wished the graduating class luck.

While they are embarking on a new adventure, some current students will need to take classes over the summer. Summer school will begin the week of June 3rd and will be three weeks of Monday through Thursday, 8:30am-11:30am. Due to the changing of elementary buildings to grade-alike, students enrolled in summer school that attend elementary schools will meet at the Middle School for summer classes.

Harlan Elementary was named as the recipient of a special grant, which will see $5000 go towards their library. They are one of 200 schools across 40 states throughout the country to benefit from the Laura Bush foundation this year. Many libraries will use this funding to update and diversify their collection.

Speaking of elementary schools, the grade-alike buildings are just about here, and the superintendent is sending out a letter later this week regarding the bus shuttles.

There is a public hearing this Thursday at the central office conference room beginning at 5:15pm. This meeting will see the school board discuss the plans for 1515 E Monroe.

Noon Optimist Club Introductory Meeting Next Week

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, May 21st, 2024 at 8:47 am CDT

The Noon Optimist club introduction has been pushed back one week, with the first meeting now scheduled for May 30th at 12:00. They will meet at the US Bank meeting room in the lower level, with elevator access.

Anyone is invited to attend, and you can learn more about the Optimist mission, along with the work they have already completed and their vision for the future. An RSVP is preferred to henrycountyoptimists@gmail.com or 641 799 9631. A light lunch will be provided along with drinks.