Former Iowa State Representative and Congresswoman hopeful, Christina Bohannan, stopped by the Belle Center as part of the Rural Restoration Project, to hear directly from constituents on educational matters.

As a professor of Law at the University of Iowa, Bohannan spent the day traveling the Congressional District to better understand the needs of the people. As someone who grew up in a town of 700 people, she understands the need for rural schools, and wants more of a focus on building those up. She mentioned that education is something that needs investment, and the country does not want to fall behind other countries, such as China.

Some of the concerns brought up during the meeting include the school lunch program, with kids not getting enough food, more funding for mental health resources, such as mental health professionals servicing one building rather than multiple school districts at the same time. Success was also a key issue, with the idea of judging student success not on test scores, but on a variety of factors.

Bohannan made it clear that she does not support widespread student loan forgiveness, however, she would like to explore the idea of targeting certain loans. For example, if a teacher were to spend 5 years working in an area that was starved for educators, that person might see forgiveness.

Bohannan will be looking for a different outcome in her November rematch against Miller-Meeks.

The Henry County Attorney, Darin Stater, spoke in front of the Henry County Board of Supervisors on Thursday morning to discuss the handling of a criminal case which took place last spring in Henry County. There was disagreement between the Sheriff’s Office and the County Attorney on interpretation of a statement in the report. The county attorney did not pursue prosecution of the case and chose to place the officer mentioned on the Brady-Giglio list.

Because the County Attorney did not pursue the case further, Henry County Sheriff Rich McNamee spoke to the Henry County Supervisors and requested outside counsel on this case, which was something the county and Sheriff’s Department had done in the past on a number of cases. After their discussion, the Sheriff’s Department was operating under the assumption  they were given permission to pursue counsel. Furthermore, the Supervisors approved payments to the counsel totaling $3,200 between February 13 and May 21 of this year. However, County Attorney Stater explained to the Supervisors they did not follow proper procedure and file an official resolution with the assistance of the his office and therefore, they could not pay outside counsel as it was not approved properly. The County Attorney referenced a supreme court case from 2006, Stream vs Gordy, which proves to be similar to what was brought up at Thursday’s meeting.

It seems there was disconnect between the Board of Supervisors and the County Attorney on following procedure for expenditures, as one supervisor mentioned approval of these expenses even after County Attorney Stater said he advised against it in an email to the Supervisors in January. Stater mentioned that this is not a disagreement, but the law, and he asked for all three supervisors’ word that they would not approve future payments. He then assured them that he will look to get back onto the agenda as soon as possible and remain in contact.

While the Sheriff’s Department was working with outside counsel on the case over many months, Henry County Attorney Darin Stater also placed the deputy who wrote the report on this case on the Brady-Giglio list. According to the Iowa Legislature website, the Brady-Giglio list is a list compiled by a prosecutor’s office or a law enforcement agency containing the names and details of law enforcement officers who have sustained– confirmed– incidents of untruthfulness, criminal convictions, candor issues, or some other type of issue which places the officer’s credibility into question.

The deputy in question, Deputy Carlos Lopez, and Henry County Sheriff Rich McNamee asked Stater to reconsider and remove the deputy from the Brady-Giglio list. After allowing time for the Sheriff’s Department to provide additional information to the County Attorney’s office for reconsideration, Stater confirmed his decision to put the deputy on the Brady-Giglio list. It is important to note that Deputy Lopez remains a certified deputy in good standing with the Henry County Sheriff’s Department. His placement on this list does not charge him with any wrongdoing. County Attorney, Darin Stater, has sent the following information in response.  2024 Statement to KILJ re June 6 2024 BOS Meeting re Sheriff

*This article and headline were edited for clarity on 6/7/24 at 8:30 am.

The primary election is over but another one is right around the corner for Henry County residents and it promises to be an important one. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 10th, for a special election regarding the proposed EMS tax, which is a rate of 75 cents per 1000 dollars of assessed value. Townhall meetings have been promised in the future so that constituents have the opportunity to be informed.

Department heads from all over the county met with the Henry County Supervisors on Thursday morning for their monthly meeting and update.

Walt Jackson with Emergency Management made note of Iowa placing number one in a category that no one wants to be first in. By May, 81 tornadoes have ripped through the state, which puts Iowa in first place, with Texas hanging behind in 2^nd with 74. The governor has signed 18 disaster proclamations so far this year, with around 3/4ths of counties impacted by them. We certainly don’t want to see a tornado on the 26^th of July when RAGBRAI comes through Mount Pleasant for an overnight stop, but if we do, the Emergency Management department is finalizing a plan if things go awry.

The county auditor, Shelly Barber, mentioned the primary election vote totals, with only 8.7% of registered voters (1159 out of 13,326) in the county submitting a ballot. This is less than half of the voter turnout for the primaries 4 years ago. Barber only has a handful of monthly department meetings left, as Robin Detrick ran uncontested in the primaries. The canvass of votes will take place next Tuesday and the public is invited to the post-election audit on Wednesday. Jackie Myers with the County Attorney’s office spoke about new equipment that she hopes will cut down costs and allow for more remote hearings.

If you’re planning on attending a fireworks show this year, consider the annual evening in Sperry because this year, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is heading there. That’s right, July 5^th, join for an evening of fireworks, live music, delicious food, family fun, and the added treat of a photo opportunity with the legendary vehicle.

On June 5, 2024, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a multiple motor vehicle accident resulting in property damage.  An investigation determined Norma Werkheiser of Kewanee, Illinois was operating a maroon 2019 Toyota Highlander at the intersection of US Highway 78 and US Highway 218.  Werkheiser failed to yield the right of way from a stop sign causing a collision with Steven Bonar of Burlington Iowa who was operating a black 2015 Ram 1500 traveling northbound on US Highway 218.  Damage to both vehicle was in excess of $1,500 and Werkheiser was issued a citation for failure to yield the right of way.

Congratulations to Pat White who has received the Martha Hayes Preservationist of the Year Award during the Preserve Iowa Summit. The submission, which was written by Joy Lapp, calls White a dedicated volunteer and acknowledges her work on multiple historical organizations, such as her efforts to preserve Iowa Wesleyan memorabilia.

White, who has been called “Mount Pleasant’s Unofficial Historian” accepted the award on Thursday’s award ceremony, which saw multiple projects, including the Hotel Manning in Keosauqua, recognized for their preservation efforts.