RAGBRAI® LI announces the full route for the 51st ride across the state.

Thirty-five communities make up the pass thru and meeting towns on this year’s route. They join the eight overnight towns that were announced in January. The communities will host riders enroute to their final destinations each day.

“I’m excited for this year’s full route.” said Matt Phippen, RAGBRAI Ride Director. “It combines iconic views of Iowa with communities that have proven they can provide world class hospitality and experience for the riders.”

We will expand gravel options from one day to seven days in 2024. Connected to the road routes the gravel options range from 2 to 14.5-mile sections and total 53 miles for the week. Riders will experience all grades of gravel, epic rollers and climbs, and pass by the historic Holliwell Covered Bridge in Winterset, Chief Wapello’s Gravesite and Memorial Park in Agency and endless breathtaking views.

“We moved from a one-day option to a seven-day option to showcase all the great gravel that Iowa has to offer,” said Phippen. “I love gravel and think this year provides more scenic views and ways to ride gravel that I’m excited for riders to experience.”

The southern route is roughly 434 miles and 18,375 feet of climb. That makes it the eighth shortest and hilliest route on record. An anticipated 20,000 plus registered riders, with participants from all 50 states and over 17 international locations are expected this year.

Registration is open through May 15 at RAGBRAI.com/ragbrai–li–registration. Day by day details and important dates are listed below.

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Day-by-Day Details:

 

Day 0: Glenwood

Saturday, July 20 

RAGBRAI Expo

Location: Downtown Glenwood

Time: 12pm-9pm

 

Day 1: Glenwood to Red Oak

Sunday, July 21

THEME DAY: Tire Dip, Mile of Silence, Gravel  MILEAGE: 41.9 miles ELEVATION: 2,435 ft.

 

Gravel Option: 

Miles: 7.6 miles

Elevation: 638 ft

 

Route:

Glenwood * Silver City * Henderson – Meeting Town * Emerson * Red Oak

 

Day 2: Red Oak to Atlantic

Monday, July 22

THEME DAY: Hometown Pride Jersey Day, Gravel

MILEAGE: 40.7 miles

ELEVATION: 1,702 ft

 

Gravel Option: 

Miles: 3.7 miles

Elevation: 250 ft

 

Route: 

Red Oak * Elliott * Griswold – Meeting Town * Lewis * Atlantic

 

Day 3: Atlantic to Winterset

Tuesday, July 23

THEME DAY: College Jersey Day, Gravel  MILEAGE: 82 miles ELEVATION: 4,519 ft.

 

Gravel Option: 

Miles: 4.5 miles

Elevation: 339 ft

 

Route: 

Atlantic * Wiota * Cumberland * Massena * Fontanelle * Greenfield – Meeting Town * Orient * Macksburg * Winterset

 

Day 4: Winterset to Knoxville

Wednesday, July 24

THEME DAY: RAGBRAI Jersey Day, Gravel MILEAGE: 75 miles ELEVATION: 3,041 ft.

 

Gravel Option: 

Miles: 9.5 miles

Elevation: 708 ft

 

Route: 

Winterset * St. Charles * St. Marys * Indianola – Meeting Town * Milo * Lacona * Melcher-Dallas * Knoxville

 

Day 5: Knoxville to Ottumwa

Thursday, July 25

THEME DAY: I Ride 4 Day, Gravel MILEAGE: 62.9 miles ELEVATION: 2,502 ft.

 

Gravel Option: 

Miles: 4.6 miles

Elevation: 223 ft

 

Route:

Knoxville * Attica * Lovilia * Albia – Meeting Town * Eddyville * Chillicothe * Ottumwa

 

Day 6: Ottumwa to Mt. Pleasant

Friday, July 26

THEME DAY: Karras “Century” Loop, Mr. Porkchop Jr. Day, Gravel MILEAGE: 84.8 miles ELEVATION: 3,160 ft.

 

Gravel Option: 

Miles: 8.4 miles

Elevation: 218 ft

 

Route: 

Ottumwa * Agency * Eldon * Selma * Libertyville * Fairfield – Meeting Town * Pleasant Plain  * Brighton * Wayland * Trenton * Mt. Pleasant

 

Day 7: Mt. Pleasant to Burlington

Saturday, July 27

THEME DAY: Tire Dip

MILEAGE: 46.5 miles

ELEVATION: 1,016 ft

 

Gravel Option: 

Miles: 14.5 miles

Elevation: 295 ft

 

Route: 

Mt. Pleasant * Mediapolis * Kingston * Burlington

 

IMPORTANT DATES: 

• Registration price increase on April 15, 2024
• Registration closes on May 15, 2024
• RAGBRAI L Pre-Ride June 1-8, 2024
• RAGBRAI L Expo – Saturday, July 20 o     Time: 12pm-9pm  o       Date: Saturday, July 20 o     Location: Glenwood, Iowa
• RAGBRAI L July 21-27, 2024 o    Day 0: Glenwood o        Day 1: Red Oak  o          Day 2: Atlantic o      Day 3: Winterset o        Day 4: Knoxville o          Day 5: Ottumwa o             Day 6: Mt. Pleasant  o    Day 7: Burlington

 

REGISTER for RAGBRAI

• Weeklong rider registration ($200/$225/$250) is closes May 15.
• Daily wristband registration ($45/$50 per day) is closes May 15.
• Weeklong nonrider registration ($40/$45/$50) is closes May 15.
• Additional information about RAGBRAI can be found at com/about/general–information
• Specific questions can be addressed to info@ragbrai.com.
• Information about registration can be found at https://ragbrai.com/ragbrai–li–registration/

 

The Wapello Fire Department is getting a new firetruck.

After being authorized $325,000 from the Wapello City Council due to damage from their former ladder truck, the department got to work. However, increasing costs of fire apparatus and demand made it awfully difficult to find what they were looking for. Spending months combing through every used aerial apparatus listing, all the acceptable ones were too expensive. That’s where Facebook comes in. Scrolling through the popular interface, a used aerial was found in Texas for less than $200,000.

Firefighters traveled to Texas and spent over 6 hours performing a detailed inspection and found that the truck was acceptable. Purchasing it for just $175,000, the truck arrived yesterday morning. According to the department, a ladder truck equivalent to this one would be 1.8 million dollars if purchased new today. Photos are posted on their Facebook page, Wapello Fire and Rescue, if you’d like to check the truck out for yourself.

 

Gasoline prices have dropped for the first time in weeks, now averaging $3.27 per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline after dropping 6 cents this week from last. This also makes them 3 cents cheaper than a year ago, and 28 cents less than the national average.

Diesel prices have continued their trend of minimal movement, lowering by a single penny for a statewide average of $3.77, which is 7 cents less than 12 months ago. The current Iowa diesel price is 26 cents lower than the national average of $4.03.

Natural gas prices missed the memo and rose 12 cents at the Henry Hub reporting site and are currently prices at $1.84/MMbtu.

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

Henry County Supervisors
Vote for two
Dan Cook (Republican)
2332 210th St
Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641
319-931-0093 dan.cook88@yahoo.com
Steven B. Detrick (Republican) 1730 Hickory Hill Ln PO Box 194
Salem, IA 52649
563-340-0732 detrickstevenb@gmail.com
David Muhs (Republican)
2217 Dakota Ave
Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641
319-931-0663 muhsd@yahoo.com
Chad A. White (Republican)
1855 200th St
Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641
319-931-2802 t566white@gmail.com

Henry County Auditor

Vote for one

Robin D. Detrick (Republican)
2207 323rd St
New London, IA 52645
319-931-6079 rdetrick42@gmail.com

Henry County Sheriff
Vote For One
Richard A. McNamee (Republican)
1898 305th St
Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641
319-931-1862 richmc444@hotmail.com

Nearly half a century after her remains were discovered, the identity of the young woman previously known as “Lincoln County Jane Doe” has finally been unveiled. Through a multi-agency partnership leveraging the latest forensic DNA technologies, her name and origins have been determined, bringing long-awaited answers in a case that had gone cold for over four decades.

In March 1978, human remains were discovered in the Mississippi River near Elsberry, Missouri. Lincoln County Missouri authorities retrieved the body and transported it to the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office. An autopsy revealed the victim to be a white female who was believed to be between the ages of 30-40. The cause of death was identified as drowning. No signs of trauma were present, and the manor of death was classified as ‘undetermined’. Based on the level of decomposition, it was estimated that she had died approximately four months prior to discovery.

Few clues were available to identify the victim at that time. She was wearing a cat’s eye ring and had a tattoo that appeared to say “Dee” on her left forearm. Despite extensive efforts by investigators at the time, the woman’s identity could not be established. She was laid to rest in the Troy Missouri City Cemetery, memorialized by a headstone marking her grave as ‘Lincoln County Jane Doe’. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) in 2009 as UP5295.

The pivotal breakthrough in the case came in October 2023, when the remains were exhumed through a collaborative effort involving the Lincoln County Coroner’s Office, local and regional partners, and the Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) Anthropology faculty and students. SEMO’s osteological and dental analysis revealed that the victim was likely a teenager at the time of her death – significantly younger than the initial estimate between 30-40 years old from the 1978 autopsy report.

SEMO Anthropology professor Jennifer Bengtson and her undergraduate students applied chemical analyses to the poorly preserved remains. They identified and selected the most promising samples to submit to Othram for DNA extraction. Despite the challenging condition of the evidence, Othram’s Genome Sequencing aided in the successful extraction of DNA. A comprehensive genealogical profile was built and Othram’s genealogy team was able to generate new leads.

With this new information, the Lincoln County Coroner’s Office was able to make contact with an individual who stated they had a close family member matching the description of Jane Doe who had mysteriously disappeared from Ottumwa, Iowa in late 1977.

Upon having this preliminary information suggesting a potential match; the Lincoln County Coroner’s Office contacted the Wapello County Iowa Sheriff’s Office. Wapello County Sheriff’s Office Investigators began looking into the disappearance and worked to obtain a familial DNA reference sample from the potential family member. The Wapello County Sheriff’s Office submitted the DNA sample to Othram and subsequent testing confirmed a match. After 46 years “Lincoln County Jane Doe” was finally reunited with her family when she was identified as 15-year-old Helen Renee Groomes from Ottumwa, Iowa.

On April 1st, Wapello County Sheriff’s Office Investigators traveled to Troy, Missouri and interviewed Helens family, traveled to Helen’s gravesite, examined her autopsy report, and consulted with the Lincoln County Coroner’s Office and SEMO Anthropology Director Dr. Bengston.

The Wapello County Sheriff’s Office is currently trying to find all the missing pieces to this 46 year old puzzle. However very limited information is currently known about her disappearance. Helen and her family lived in Ottumwa, Iowa but frequently traveled to stay with family in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Wapello County Sheriff’s Office would like to speak with anyone that has information related to the disappearance of Helen or who might have been friends with her in 1977. Please contact the Wapello County Sheriff’s Office Investigation’s unit with any information.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously by emailing crimetips@wapellocounty.org

Iowa has approximately 585 Cold Case’s; this case serves as a perfect example of the necessity to follow through and continue them. It’s important to remember that every victim deserves justice and every family needs answers. In Helens case a group of professionals passionate about their work pursued new techniques and modern technology to send Helen home to her family