Area high school students put their technical skills to the test during the 2026 Southeast Iowa Skills Throwdown, held Friday, April 10th at Southeastern Community College.

Students competed in hands-on challenges in welding, construction, auto technology, and CAD. Participants were not told what tasks they would face ahead of time, and instructors were required to step back, leaving students to rely entirely on their own knowledge and problem-solving abilities.

Fort Madison Dominates Team Events

Fort Madison High School stood out in the competition, earning first place in both team categories.

The construction team included Colt Blanchard, Nolan Lamb, Karson Dixon, and Owen Menke. The auto technology team featured Karsen Durbin, Oliver Schelick, Conner Blindt, and Cade Blind. Instructors Jeff Gerdes (auto technology) and Michael Schinstock (construction) oversaw the programs.

Individual Winner in Welding

In the individual welding competition, Brookelyn Fenton of Mediapolis High School took top honors.

Regional Participation

Students from across southeast Iowa participated in the event, representing:

• Burlington High School
• Fort Madison High School
• Keokuk High School
• Mediapolis High School
• Mount Pleasant High School
• New London High School
• Winfield-Mt. Union High School

The Skills Throwdown highlights the importance of career and technical education, giving students the opportunity to demonstrate real-world skills in a competitive environment.

Registration is now open for the 2026 Henry County Fair Queen Contest, with organizers encouraging eligible contestants to sign up early for scholarship opportunities.

The contest will be held Wednesday, July 15th, during the Henry County Fair, and is open to participants who live in, attend school in, or take part in a 4-H club within Henry County.

Contestants ages 16 through 21 who register by May 8th will automatically receive a 50-dollar early-bird scholarship, which will be awarded on the day of the crowning.

All registration forms must be submitted by Monday, June 8th at 11:59 p.m.

The Henry County Fair Queen Contest is designed to help young participants ages 8 through 21 build confidence, develop leadership and life skills, and gain experience in public speaking, interviews, and community involvement.

Organizers say they are looking forward to welcoming contestants and continuing the tradition of celebrating leadership and achievement among Henry County youth.

Pilot Grove Savings Bank is warning customers about scam calls currently circulating in the area.

Scammers are spoofing bank phone numbers and posing as legitimate financial institutions in an attempt to obtain confidential information from customers.

They remind customers that the bank will never call to ask for sensitive information, including account numbers, debit card numbers, online banking credentials, PIN numbers, or security codes.

Anyone who receives a suspicious call is urged to hang up immediately and contact the bank directly using a trusted phone number rather than returning the call.

Customers who have concerns or believe they may have received a fraudulent call can contact the bank at 888-283-2265 for assistance.

Bank officials are also encouraging residents to spread the word to help protect others in the community from potential fraud.

Henry County Veterans Affairs Director Roger Pittsenbarger delivered his monthly update to the Henry County Board of Supervisors on Thursday, April 2nd, highlighting both local services and recent legislative developments.

During the month of March, the Henry County Veterans Affairs Office handled 220 phone calls and 19 in-office visits, continuing to provide support to veterans throughout the county.

Pittsenbarger also reported meeting with State Representative Taylor Collins to discuss Senate File 2466, a proposal that would have reorganized Veterans Affairs offices and changed their funding structure. Pittsenbarger voiced opposition to the measure, and Collins ultimately voted against it. The bill did not pass.

A separate measure, House File 1000, keeps the current system in place while providing each Veterans Affairs office with a $10,000 allocation, along with access to a $250,000 grant opportunity.

Locally, Pittsenbarger reported that Henry County veterans are receiving more than $762,000 in monthly benefits, totaling around 9 million dollars annually — a number that continues to grow.

He also highlighted ongoing outreach efforts, including a free veterans breakfast held every third Friday, offering fellowship and guest speakers.

Community support remains strong, with nearly 300 people attending the recent Vietnam Veterans dinner held March 28th at the VFW in Mount Pleasant.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Apr. 13, 2026) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“April has been a particularly wet month as the Midwest remains locked into an active storm track. We expect the wet weather to continue over the next several days. I encourage Iowans to stay weather aware this week, as multiple rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms are possible,” said Secretary Naig. “Though the rain may slow fieldwork, it is helping recharge soil moisture. We have seen substantial improvement in drought conditions in southern Iowa.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

Crop Report

Corn planting in Iowa reached 1 percent complete for the week ending April 12, 2026, which is 1 percentage point behind last year, when 2 percent of the crop had been planted. No soybean planting has been reported, which is 1 percentage point behind 2025, when 1% of the crop had been planted. There were 2.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending April 12, 2026. This is 3.3 days less than last year, when there were 5.9 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture conditions across Iowa were rated 3 percent very short, 11 percent short, 70 percent adequate, and 16 percent surplus.

Weather Summary

Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Much of southern Iowa received above average rainfall during the first full week of April as several waves of showers and thunderstorms transited the state. Drier conditions prevailed across Iowa’s northwest corner. Temperatures were near to slightly below average at most stations; the statewide average temperature was 45.0 degrees, 1.3 degrees below normal.

Sunday (5^th) afternoon was pleasant with mostly sunny skies, westerly winds and temperatures in the 50s. Clouds overspread much of southern Iowa into Monday (6^th) with morning temperatures holding in the upper 30s and low 40s. Clear skies farther north allowed temperatures to drop to near freezing. Gusty northerly winds built in through the day with highs in the low 40s northwest to mid 50s southeast. Showers streamed across southwestern Iowa later in the evening and overnight into Tuesday (7^th) bringing localized higher amounts into the early afternoon; Corning (Adams County) collected 1.01 inches while 1.36 inches was reported in Creston (Union County). Several peripheral stations observed more than 0.50 inch with totals dropping off northeast and southwest. Conditions remained overcast across the state with temperatures holding in the 40s under blustery southeasterly winds. Skies cleared by daybreak on Wednesday (8^th) as a low pressure center moved along the Iowa-Minnesota border. Wind speeds increased significantly during the day with 52 mph wind gusts reported at municipal airports in Ames (Story County) and Marshalltown (Marshall County). Overall sustained winds were above 30 mph at most stations as a cold front dropped through the state. Light showers formed along the surface boundary with much of eastern Iowa registering up to 0.10 inch.

Thursday (9^th) began chilly over northern Iowa with lows in the upper 20s and low 30s. Morning conditions were over 20 degrees warmer in the southeast. Light to moderate showers formed over southern Iowa as a warm front lifted across the Iowa-Missouri border. The front transitioned to a stationary boundary as an upper-level disturbance and ample moisture allowed for moderate to locally heavy rainfall into the evening hours from isolated, embedded thunderstorms. Much of the state’s southern half reported at least 0.75 inch of rainfall with nearly 120 stations registering at least an inch. The highest totals were found in central Iowa with 1.52 -1.64 inches at several Des Moines (Polk County) gauges to 1.78 inches in Dallas Center (Dallas County); the statewide average rainfall was 0.71 inch. Winds turned northerly behind the system as clouds cleared into early Friday (10^th) afternoon. Daytime temperatures rose into the 50s as winds gradually shifted to easterly with increasing clouds in western Iowa towards sunset. Another disturbance brought showers into western Iowa after midnight, which were reinforced by a northeasterly moving warm front. The area of showers spread and increased as it moved through southern Iowa with additional development into northern Iowa. Most stations that received measurable amounts observed under 0.40 inch.  Higher rain amounts varied from 0.50 inch in Melrose (Appanoose County) to 0.78 inch in Lineville (Decatur County). Portions of northeast Iowa also saw totals over 0.50 inch with 0.54 inch in Decorah (Winneshiek County) to 0.61 inch in Elma (Howard County). Rain cleared the state by nighttime with strong southerly winds and partly cloudy skies on Sunday (12^th) morning.

Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 0.04 inch at Sioux City Airport (Woodbury County) to 2.30 inches in Creston. The statewide weekly average rainfall was 0.87 inch; the normal is 0.77 inch. Davenport (Scott County) reported the week’s high temperature of 77 degrees on the 8^th, 20 degrees above normal. Several stations reported the week’s low temperature of 16 degrees on the 7^th, on average 15 degrees below normal. Four-inch soil temperatures on Sunday were in the low to mid 50s statewide.

Henry County Supervisors addressed staffing changes and a growing backlog of public records requests during their meeting Monday, April 13 at 10 a.m.

The board unanimously approved two motions related to the County Attorney’s Office, both passing on a 3-to-0 vote.

As part of those actions, Assistant County Attorney Steven Giebelhausen announced his resignation, effective April 30th, under an employment separation agreement. Giebelhausen, who has served in the role for six years, will receive three months of regular salary through July 31st, along with benefits and a payout for unused vacation time, totaling just over $26,400.

Supervisors also approved hiring a part-time, temporary outside attorney to help manage public information requests. The position will pay $45 per hour, for up to 34 hours per week, and will not include benefits.

The move comes as the county attorney’s office faces staffing shortages and a significant backlog of work in relation to outstanding Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. County Attorney Wilson says the office is currently dealing with four to six outstanding Freedom of Information requests, some of which have been granted extensions through the Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB). She noted that one request alone involves between 7,000 and 8,000 pages of documents that still need to be reviewed and redacted.

Wilson plans to hire attorney Ed Harvey to handle the FOIA-related workload. Attorney Giebelhausen noted that any outside attorney would be required to withdraw from active state cases to comply with Iowa law, and Attorney Wilson assured the supervisors that the process is currently underway.

Supervisors emphasized the need to balance ongoing county business with meeting public records requirements. Although not listed on the agenda, Board Chair Chad White allowed for public comment and the meeting adjourned.