Northeast Animal Hospital Celebrated as Nominee for 2026 Small Business of the Year by Mount Pleasant Chamber

By Kadie Johannson · Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 at 12:39 pm CDT

The celebration of Small Business Week continues in Mount Pleasant, as another Small Business of the Year nominee is recognized by the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance.

Today’s spotlight turned to Northeast Animal Hospital, where community members gathered to honor the clinic’s commitment to both animal care and community involvement.

Led by veterinarian Dr. Travis J. Van De Berg, the practice has built a reputation for compassionate, high-quality care. Supporting daily operations is office manager Chris Van De Berg, who helps oversee a team that reflects a strong connection to the local community.

Their staff includes graduates of Iowa Wesleyan University, along with local high school interns gaining hands-on experience in veterinary medicine. The clinic’s focus on mentorship and education is helping inspire the next generation of animal care professionals.
When asked about his practice and his nomination of 2026 Small Business of the Year by the Chamber Alliance, Dr. Travis had this to say:

 

Northeast Animal Hospital is one of four finalists being honored throughout the week as part of Small Business Week celebrations. Other finalists include Jane Anne Boutique, The Shop DeWitt Built, and Mount Pleasant Tire & Service. The events will culminate Friday morning at the Chamber’s Small Business Breakfast, where the Small Business of the Year winner will be announced and be featured on KILJ’s Generation Gap program with Paul and Kadie live at 9 am.

The recognition highlights not only business success, but also the role local employers play in developing talent and strengthening the Mount Pleasant community; a role Northeast Animal Hospital certainly plays very well. Congratulations to the Van De Berg’s and the entire team at Northeast Animal Hospital on this recognition.

Here’s more of the full interview with Dr. Van De Berg:

New London Superintendent Among Finalists for Central Lee Superintendent Position

By Allison Jacobs · Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 at 12:04 pm CDT

The Central Lee Community School District is moving forward in its search for a new superintendent, announcing three finalists for the position.

The candidates include Dr. Chace Ramey, Stacey Schmidt, and Chad Wahls—who is currently serving as superintendent of the New London Community School District.

The search was conducted in partnership with McPherson and Jacobson, with the school board reviewing applicants before narrowing the field to three.

Dr. Ramey currently serves as deputy superintendent in the Iowa City Community School District, bringing experience in operations, school improvement, and policy development within a large district serving more than 14-thousand students.

Stacey Schmidt is the director of student services for the Atlantic Community School District, where she oversees programs including special education, gifted and talented, and at-risk services, along with fiscal planning and compliance.

Chad Wahls, familiar to many in our listening area, currently leads the New London Community School District, where he oversees district operations, budgeting, facilities, and long-term planning, along with building strong community partnerships.

Formal interviews with the finalists are scheduled for Friday, May 8th, with the Central Lee School Board expected to make a final decision following that process.

The new superintendent will take over leadership of the Central Lee Community School District on July 1st of 2026.

New London Alum Jake Kadel to Join Iowa State’s Burgeoning Women’s Wrestling Program

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 at 11:02 am CDT

Ames, IA- Iowa State University will be adding women’s wrestling to the program ledger in 2027-28 under the direction of Alli St. John, a two-time World Wrestling Championships silver medalist whose husband is an assistant coach for the men’s program. St. John will be bringing a former Tiger along with her as Jake Kadel was announced as her first staff hire yesterday, May 4th.

Kadel, a New London alum, went 189-13 in his career with the Tigers that included four trips to state, which ended in three bronze medals and one silver. He then wrestled at the University of Iowa where he accumulated a 28-20 career record.

But once a Tiger always a Tiger, Kadel was hired to join Iowa Wesleyan’s men’s and women’s wrestling staff from 2020-2023, including a head coach stint for the final season before the university’s closure. That 2022-23 season produced 11 national tournament qualifiers, which saw five earn All-America status, including a national champion in Adaugo Nwachukwu.

After Iowa Wesleyan’s closure, he was quickly hired by William Penn University to head the women’s wrestling program. He turned a program that finished outside of the top 30 at the NAIA National Championships into a program that finished 4th twice and as runner-up this past season in his three seasons leading the Statesmen.

“I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to work alongside coach Alli St. John and the rest of the staff at Iowa State University,” Kadel said. “I’ve been fortunate to follow her career as an athlete, and I have tremendous respect for what she brings to the sport.

“I look forward to investing in the student-athletes and building on the already strong wrestling tradition at Iowa State. I’d also like to thank the Iowa State administration for their continued investment in women’s wrestling, and Coach St. John for her belief in me.”

As a program builder, Kadel directed nine national champions and 18 All-Americans across his three seasons at William Penn. Additionally, William Penn captured their first Heart of America Athletic Conference team title in program history, which included five individual champions. The Statesmen were 27-13 in dual action, as well.

“I am excited to have Jake join our program as an assistant coach,” St. John said. “He brings a wealth of wrestling knowledge, experience building a women’s program and recruiting acumen with him to Ames, and he was one of the first people I had in mind when I started to build out my staff. What he was able to build at William Penn was amazing and his athletes saw great success on the mat and in the classroom.”

If you think that the jump from NAIA to Division I might be too much for Kadel, here is an excerpt from his Tiger Nation episode from October in 2022,

“We have high expectations for our program in general. We have a good chunk of our staff, we all wrestled at the Division I level, so that’s kind of how we run our program is like a Division I program. The expectations are high, and the kids know that, but we just got to put our athletes in the best position to reach their goals whether that be academically or athletically. Obviously, our goal is to win…”

Henry County Supervisor Candidates to Participate in Primary Election Forum May 12

By Allison Jacobs · Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 at 10:41 am CDT

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa — Voters will have an opportunity to hear directly from candidates running for Henry County Supervisor during a Primary Election Forum scheduled for Tuesday, May 12.

The forum will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Heatilator Auditorium, located at 307 E. Monroe Street in Mount Pleasant.

Candidates expected to participate on the Republican side include Joseph Buffington, Graig Stauffer, Reg Roth, Kevin Glaha, Phillip Grandinette, and Heidi Zenk.

The event is designed to give attendees insight into each candidate’s priorities and positions on issues facing Henry County ahead of the upcoming primary election.

The forum is open to members of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce as a benefit of membership. It is being hosted by the Chamber’s Alliance Government Relations Committee.

For those unable to attend in person, KILJ will provide live coverage of the forum on 105.5 FM and will stream the event online at KILJ.com.

This forum offers a valuable opportunity for local residents to stay informed and engaged in the decision-making process that impacts the future of Henry County.

Mt. Pleasant Middle School Track and Field Team Setting School Records Before the End of the Season

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 at 10:36 am CDT

Keokuk, IA- The Mt. Pleasant Middle School girls’ 7th and 8th grade teams competed in Keokuk last Friday, May 1st, and personal records were achieved, school records were broken, and a trophy was taken back to Mt. Pleasant as the Panthers gear up for the end of the spring season.

The 8th grade girls’ team highlighted by two new school records collected the team title and the 7th/8th grade combined trophy. Hailey Schadt broke a 15-year-old 100-meter hurdles record with a time of 15.88 seconds to grab the win. She then tied the 200-meter hurdle record with a time of 29.43 seconds for another gold medal.

Kya Heaton was busy as well with a gold medal finish in the 200-meter dash before joining Peyton Duplessis, Millie Wellington, and Aria Lane to take the 4×100 meter relay then Sofia Hall, Dani Wagner, and Schadt to claim the 4×400 meter relay.

On the 7th grade side, the distance medley relay team of Lucy Baxter, Catherine Clifton, Brinlee Lane, and McKinley Mason turned in a season best time and Addison Striegel eased to the win in the discus with her throw of 79 feet and 11 inches being 15 feet further than second place.

The Panthers will head to Fort Madison tonight before competing in their conference meet on Monday, May 11th, in Fairfield.

Sports, May 5th

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 at 6:42 am CDT

High School Track and Field

Fairfield hosted the Brookhart-Crew Relays last night and the boys’ team claimed the team title with 123 points, while the Mt. Pleasant girls’ team ran away with the gold, accumulating 176 points. 

On the boys’ side, the top four teams were separated by a meager 10 points. West Burlington/Notre Dame’s Landry Haberichter won the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.7 seconds. Logan Hamma joined the top of podium with a first place time of 57.63 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. Kellan Porter soared 6 feet and 3 inches to win the high jump. The Falcons also won the distance medley relay.

Silas Hulett of Mt. Pleasant snatched the gold in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4 minutes and 34 seconds. Keegan Heaton took the 110-meter hurdles with a mark of 16.16 seconds. Hoang Quang leapt 19 feet and 9 inches to win the long jump. 

Fairfield’s Eli Hoffman won the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.92 seconds. The Trojans nabbed the 4×100 and shuttle hurdle relays. Washington’s Greyson Hartman swept the throwing events with tosses of 64 feet and 6.5 inches in the shot put and 166 feet and 7 inches in the discus. 

On the girls’ side for Mt. Pleasant, Alex Scott claimed the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.36 seconds. Linzy Striegel sprinted to the win in the 400-meter dash. Delaney Anderson glided to the victory in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.67 seconds. In the field events, Izzy Sloat leapt 17 feet and 3 inches for a dominant gold medal performance and Ella Ensminger tossed the shot put 37 feet and 11 inches for the victory. The Panthers won the 4×100, the 4×200, the sprint medley, and the shuttle hurdle relays.

Washington’s Jaedyn Moore claimed the 200-meter dash. Iris Dahl cruised to the win in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes and 20 seconds. Leighton Messinger took the 400-meter hurdles with a mark of 1 minute and 7 seconds. The Demons picked up a victory in the 4×400 meter relay. 

Fairfield’s Elyse Setterstrom collected the lone victory for the Trojans with a heave of 113 feet in the discus. 

Danville and New London competed in the Highland Relays last night and the New London boys’ team finished in 2nd place with 78 points.

The Tigers’ boys’ team had Riley Raines win the 800-meter and 1600-meter runs. Additionally, New London won the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 43.03 seconds. The Danville girls’ team nabbed the silver medal in the 4×800 and the sprint medley relays.

The Southeast Iowa Super Conference Meet is scheduled for Thursday, May 7th, at WACO High School. 

The Southeast Conference will meet in Keokuk for their conference showdown on Thursday. 

High School Soccer

The Burlington Notre Dame girls’ team fell to West Branch last night, 3-1. The Nikes will travel to Wapello on Saturday, May 9th, at 10 am.

Mt. Pleasant split their night with Washington as the girls’ team fell 10-0 and the boys’ team remained unbeaten in conference play with a 4-0 victory over the Demons. 

Mt. Pleasant will face off against Fort Madison on Thursday, May 7th, with the girls’ team playing at home at 4:30 pm and the boys’ team hitting the road for a 5 pm start time. 

Washington will compete against Fairfield on Thursday with the boys’ team at home and the girls’ team playing on the road with both games slated to start at 5 pm.

The Fairfield girls’ team lost to Keokuk last night, 3-1. The Fairfield girls’ team will host Burlington tonight at 4:30 pm and the boys’ team will take on Ottumwa at 7:30 pm on the road. 

The WACO boys’ team clobbered Highland last night, 10-2, as Niles Reichenbach and Tristan Luitjens each scored four goals. The Warriors will travel to Columbus on May 12th at 5 pm.

The Wapello girls’ and boys’ teams had their matches canceled last night. 

Mediapolis will travel to Wapello tonight with the girls’ teams leading off at 5 pm.

The Danville boys’ team will host Hillcrest Academy for their senior night tonight at 6:30 pm.

Central Lee will face off against Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union on the road tonight with the girls’ teams playing at 5 pm.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will host Williamsburg on Saturday at 10:30 am.

High School Golf

The Washington boys’ team held an invitational yesterday and the Demons led the way for our local teams, finishing in 4th place with a team score of 324, with Mediapolis taking 5th place for a score of 327. Mt. Pleasant claimed 12th place, while Fairfield and Danville snatched 16th and 17th place, respectively. 

Despite taking 4th place as a team, Rajan Roth led the field with an impressive round of 69 for the Demons. Mt. Pleasant’s Brody Engle also finished in the top 10 with a 6th place score of 75. Mediapolis had Max Griffin and William Worrall slot themselves in 13th and 14th place, respectively, as they each shot 80s. Danville’s Mattix Furnald took 44th place and Fairfield’s Archer Kreuter claimed 59th place. 

The Southeast Conference boys’ teams will have their conference meet tomorrow, May 6th, at Deer Run Golf Course. 

The Washington girls’ team hosted their invitational yesterday and the Demons finished in 4th place with a team score of 422, while Lisbon ended up on top of the standings. 

The Demons were led by Adalyn Long’s card of 92, which was good enough for 7th place. Mediapolis and Danville took 5th and 6th place, respectively. The Bullettes had Bri Spears shoot a 97 for 11th place, while Aubrey Nahorny claimed a 118 for 26th place for the Bears. 

The Washington girls’ team will compete in the Tigerette Invitational on Friday, May 8th.

The Keokuk girls’ team hosted their invite yesterday and took home the win by nearly 20 strokes over 2nd place Mt. Pleasant and Van Buren County, who each finished with a team score of 379. 

Van Buren County’s Sophia Jirak finished with the course lead, shooting a 73 for the round. Central Lee’s Lily Smith shot a 105 to lead the Hawks. 

The Van Buren County girls’ team will hit the road to take on Fairfield on Thursday, May 7th.

The New London girls’ team will participate in the Grayhound Invite today along with Burlington Notre Dame, Danville, and Fairfield. 

The Southeast Iowa Super Conference boys’ teams will meet for their conference showdown tomorrow at Flint Hills Golf Course.

The WACO girls’ team will travel to English Valleys for a meet on Friday.

High School Boys’ Tennis

Mt. Pleasant finished on top of the conference regular season standings after beating Burlington last night, 7-2. Max Heater, Grayson Walker, Charlie Syfert, and Carter Gehling picked up victories in their singles matches, while the Panthers swept the doubles competition. 

Fairfield shutout Keokuk last night, 9-0. 

The Southeast Conference tournament is scheduled for Thursday, May 7th, in Fairfield. 

Southeastern Community College

The baseball team earned the #1-seed and a bye in the Region 11 Division II tournament; they will take on the winner between Des Moines Area Community College and Northeast on Friday, May 8th, at 3:30 pm at Merchants Park in Carroll, Iowa.  

The #2 softball team will host a best of three-game series against #3 Indian Hills Community College for the Region 11 Division I tournament tomorrow, May 6th, at 2 pm.

College Baseball

The Iowa baseball team will host St. Thomas tonight at 6 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1904 – Cy Young pitches the first perfect game in “modern” baseball as the Boston Americans beat Philadelphia Athletics, 3-0.

1973 – 99th Kentucky Derby: Ron Turcotte aboard Secretariat wins in 1:59.4 – fastest Kentucky Derby ever.

1995 – Last basketball game at Boston Garden; the Celtics get eliminated from the playoffs by the Orlando Magic, 95-92.

Salem City Council Meeting 5/5/26

By Lisa Grilliot · Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 at 6:04 am CDT

The City of Salem City Council will meet at 5:30pm on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in the Community Center, 201 S. Main Street.  This meeting is open to the public.

 

MP Ordinance Committee Meeting 5/5/26

By Lisa Grilliot · Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 at 6:03 am CDT

The City of Mt. Pleasant Ordinance Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 9:00am in the City Administrator’s Conference Room at city hall.  Several ordinances are on the agenda for consideration, including allowing four wheelers within city limits.  This meeting is open to the public.