Work Session
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Consideration to Approve AFSCME Local #3865 Contractual Agreement (Motion)
5. Work Session
a. Legislative Update
b. 2024-2025 Calendar
c. FY25 Buildings and Grounds Projects Planning
6. Adjournment
FY25 Certified Budget Public Hearing
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of Agenda
4. FY25 Certified Budget Public Hearing (6:05pm)
a. Public Comments
5. Adjournment
High School Track and Field
The Mt. Pleasant girls team will compete at a meet in West Burlington tomorrow, March 26th.
Due to the projected rain, the Ruritan Relays at Pekin has been canceled. The WACO girls’ team will run tomorrow at West Burlington.
The boys’ meet at West Burlington tonight has been canceled.
The Mediapolis, Danville, Winfield-Mt. Union, and New London girls’ teams will compete in a relay tomorrow at West Burlington.
The Central Lee girls’ team will travel to Fairfield for a meet on April 2nd.
High School Soccer
The WACO boys’ team will open the season on Thursday, March 28th, against Fairfield on the road at 5 pm.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ and girls’ teams will take on West Liberty tonight at home with the girls’ game scheduled first at 5 pm.
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ will host Mediapolis tomorrow, March 26th, to start their season at 4:30 pm, while the boys’ will travel to Danville to play at 5 pm on the same day.
The Danville girls’ team will face off against Assumption tonight on the road at 5 pm.
The Mediapolis boys’ team will take on Burlington tomorrow on the road at 5 pm.
The Central Lee boys’ team will host Centerville on April 2nd and the girls’ team will travel to Mid-Prairie on the same day with both games starting at 5 pm.
High School Tennis
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host Davis County on Thursday, March 28th, at 4:30 pm and the boys’ team will travel to Davis County on the same day.
High School Golf
The WACO boys’ and girls’ teams will compete in a meet hosted by New London on April 2nd.
The Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ and girls’ teams will travel to Columbus to participate in a meet on April 4th.
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Washington Golf and Country Club on April 1st and the boys’ team will participate in a conference match at Fairfield Golf and Country Club on the same day.
Southeastern Community College
In baseball, SCC took on Northeast Community College over the weekend in a three-game series, with the Hawks taking both games of Saturday’s doubleheader but the Blackhawks winning yesterday’s high scoring affair.
The Hawks won game one 4-1 and game two 5-1 as SCC managed just 11 total hits between the two games. Kooper Shulte had the RBI in game one. Yesterday’s contest saw the offense catch fire as SCC won 15-7. Michael Farina smacked a home run as he totaled three RBIs along with Sheppard Graf. The Blackhawks will travel to face off against Des Moines Area Community College on Wednesday, March 27th, in a doubleheader.
The SCC softball team split their weekend doubleheader against Indian Hills Community College with the Blackhawks collecting game one 6-5, but falling in game two 14-6. Game one saw a two-run top of the seventh inning rally for the Blackhawks as Maggie Vasa and Lauren Summers each sent a ball over the outfield wall. Vasa and Ella Florey finished with two RBIs.
Game two saw Vasa and Summers go deep again as both finished with two RBIs, but they were unable to keep up with the home team’s production, falling in five innings 14-6. The Blackhawks will host Kirkwood Community College on Wednesday.
College Basketball
It was business as usual for the Iowa women’s team as the Hawkeyes trounced Holy Cross over the weekend 91-65 to advance to the round of 32. Caitlin Clark cashed in for 27 points and dished out 10 assists, while Kate Martin collected her own double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. The Hawkeyes will take on West Virginia tonight at 7 pm.
The Iowa State women’s team got out to a fast start against #2 Stanford, but the Cyclones found the game tied after four quarters. Unfortunately, Stanford would come out on top 87-81 in overtime. Emily Ryan was unstoppable with 36 points as she also grabbed nine rebounds. The Cyclones finished with a 21-12 record.
The #2-seed Iowa State men’s team’s defense secured their second round victory against Washington State over the weekend 67-56. Tamin Lipsey totaled 15 points. The Cyclones will face off against #3 Illinois on Thursday, March 28th, at 9:10 pm.
The Iowa men’s team saw Utah drain seven first half threes on their way to a NIT second round win over the Hawkeyes 91-82 yesterday. Patrick McCaffery led the scoring with 19 points followed by Josh Dix with 14 points. The Hawkeyes finished the season with a 19-15 record.
March Madness
The KILJ bracket challenge, sponsored by The Press Box and Wiley’s Interior Furnishings and Design, is officially underway with over 30 brackets submitted with the top three set to receive prizes.
Standings will be updated by the end of today.
This Day in Sports History
1934 – The Masters Tournament is held for the first time. Horton Smith becomes the inaugural Champion with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.
1972 – Chicago Blackhawks’ Bobby Hull becomes the 2nd NHLer to score 600 goals, with a goal in Boston assisted by his brother Dennis.
1986 – Kurt Browning becomes the first figure skater to land a quadruple jump.
Roger Roth, 89, of Washington, Iowa, passed away Monday, March 18, 2024, at his home surrounded by his family.
Roger was born in Goehner, Nebraska to Clarence and Katie (Widmer) Roth on November 14, 1934, the third son of five boys. Roger’s family settled on a farm one mile west of Olds, Iowa. He graduated from Olds High School in 1953 and attended Goshen College and Iowa Wesleyan. Roger was baptized in the Sugar Creek Mennonite Church and served in alternative service (1-W) as a conscientious objector in Des Moines, Iowa and Richmond, Indiana. Roger married Joanne (Roth) Roth in 1960 and raised their family on his family’s farm west of Olds.
Roger’s faith and church community were central to his life; he experienced a spiritual renewal in the 1970s. He was a founding member of Washington Mennonite Church and served on the boards of MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Association) and Parkview Home.
After retirement from farming, Roger built a home on a bluff overlooking a timbered creek bottom south of Washington, Iowa, adjacent to Crooked Creek Christian Camp (CCCC). In the 1970s, Roger would walk in this same timber and pastureland, then owned by his in-laws, when he had a vision of people gathered, praising the Lord among the trees. He shared his vision with a group of Mennonite church leaders seeking a location for a Christian camp. He would later serve as CCCC’s founding president of the board of directors from 1980-1992. It was his work with the creation of the Camp that he found most meaningful. Well-into his 80s, Roger could be seen on his dozer, tractor, or four-wheeler using his chainsaw to remove cedar trees, spraying for multiflora rose, and encouraging oak saplings.
Roger would go out of his way to share what he had with others and enjoyed being with people. He was a member of Wayland Lion’s Club and a regular at morning coffee in Wayland. He drove his Oliver 80 tractor in parades throughout southeast Iowa and was especially fond of old Cadillacs. He wintered in Sarasota, Florida with his wife, connecting with his cousins and brothers, making new friends, and establishing a second church home with Sarasota Community Church.
Roger was married to Joanne Roth for 63 years (d. Aug. 2023); the father of Kendra (Jeff) Landes of Iowa City, Erin Roth (Chris Giannella) of Baltimore, Maryland, and Tyler (Sarah) Roth of Goshen, Indiana; grandfather to Katelin Hamlin (Eric), Kelsey Mason (Jordan), Emma Headings (Zac), Grace Roth, Matthew Roth, Tillman Giannella and Matteo Giannella, and great-grandfather of six. Roger’s older brothers Dan and Junior, and youngest brother, Mervin preceded him in death. In addition to his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, he is survived by a brother Loren and sister-in-law Julie of South Bend, Indiana and his brother Dan’s wife, Donna of Lincoln, Nebraska, and his South African exchange student, Cheryl (Joseph) Smith and her family of Austin, Texas. Roger was a beloved uncle of more than twenty nieces and nephews and was one of 63 first cousins. He was a faithful member of Washington Mennonite Church and had many friends that were like family.
A memorial service is planned for 4:00 PM, Sunday, May 5, 2024, at the Washington Mennonite Church. the family will receive friends from 2:30 PM until service time at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to Crooked Creek Christian Camp https://www.crookedcreekcamp.org/ or Hospice of Washington County https://hospicewc.com/ in Washington, Iowa.
Sharon Beckler Blakley, 65 of Wayland, died Tuesday, February 27, 2024, as the result of an accident in Mesa, AZ while wintering in AZ.
A celebration of her life will be 11:00 AM, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Bethel Church north of Wayland. Visitation will be from 4-6:00 PM, Friday, April 5, 2024, also at the church. The Beatty-Peterseim Funeral Home is assisting with arrangements. A general memorial has been established in the name of Sharon Beckler Blakley.
Sharon was born April 25, 1958, in Albany, OR, the daughter of Delmer F. and Mildred (Unternahrer) Beckler. She graduated from WACO High School and Parson Cosmetology in Fairfield. She was united in marriage to Steve Blakely, they later divorced.
She was employed at Pizza Hut, Alco, the Lunch Box in Rome, Innovaire (Metromail), Mary Kay Consultant, Archer TV in Washington and drove Amish families in Brighton and Kalona. Sharon enjoyed traveling, knitting, gardening, flowers, the Wayland 4th of July parade and Old Threshers in Mt. Pleasant. Sharon’s greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren and family as that truly was what brought her great joy. She was a kind and loving person who saw the best in others.
Survivors include her sons, Jeremy (Chari) Beckler of Noble and Nathan Beckler of Wayland; siblings, Ardith “Ardie” (Tom) Frees of Riverside, Dean (Crystal) Beckler of Crawfordsville and Beverly Elmore and special friend James of Hedrick; 10 grandchildren, Jonathan, Alysan, Joshau, Taylor, Hemi, Landon, Lane, Lekeisha, Nathaniel and Ashlynn and 5 great-grandchildren Sophia, Aubree, Kaanan, Siege and Leightyn; ex granddaughter, Mercedes; ex daughter in law, Emily Beckler; children of her heart, Tiffany Ford and Chris Nelson and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Duane and brother-in-law Daniel Elmore.
High School Track and Field
The Mt. Pleasant girls team will compete at a meet in West Burlington on March 26th.
The WACO and Van Buren County boys’ teams will participate in a meet at Pekin on Monday, March 25th. The WACO girls’ team will run on March 26th at West Burlington.
The Mt. Pleasant, New London, Winfield-Mt. Union, Mediapolis, and Central Lee boys’ teams will participate in a meet on Monday at West Burlington.
The Mediapolis, Danville, Winfield-Mt. Union, and New London girls’ teams will compete in a relay on Tuesday, March 26th, at West Burlington.
The Central Lee girls’ team will travel to Fairfield for a meet on April 2nd.
High School Soccer
The WACO boys’ team will open the season on March 28th against Fairfield on the road at 5 pm.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ and girls’ teams will take on West Liberty on March 25th at home with the girls’ game scheduled first at 5 pm.
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ will host Mediapolis on March 26th to start their season at 4:30 pm, while the boys’ will travel to Danville to play at 5 pm on the same day.
The Danville girls’ team will face off against Assumption on March 25th on the road at 5 pm.
The Mediapolis boys’ team will take on Burlington on March 26th on the road at 5 pm.
The Central Lee boys’ team will host Centerville on April 2nd and the girls’ team will travel to Mid-Prairie on the same day with both games starting at 5 pm.
High School Tennis
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host Davis County on Thursday, March 28th, at 4:30 pm and the boys’ team will travel to Davis County on the same day.
High School Golf
The WACO boys’ and girls’ teams will compete in a meet hosted by New London on April 2nd.
The Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ and girls’ golf teams will travel to Columbus to participate in a meet on April 4th.
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Washington Golf and Country Club on April 1st and the boys’ team will participate in a conference match at Fairfield Golf and Country Club on the same day.
Mt. Pleasant
Pioneer Athletics awarded the Mt. Pleasant Community School District with the “2023 Fields of Excellence Award.” The program honors outstanding athletic fields and the hardworking field crews who diligently maintain them. Mt. Pleasant will receive a certificate of recognition and a “Fields of Excellence” banner to display at the football field.
Southeastern Community College
SCC baseball will host Northeast Community College today in a doubleheader.
The SCC softball team will travel to take on Indian Hills Community College today in a doubleheader.
College Basketball
The Iowa women’s team will take on Holy Cross today at 2 pm.
The Iowa State women’s team found themselves down 20 points at one point against Maryland, but Audi Crooks put up an all-time performance to end up winning 93-86. Crooks shot 18 of 20 from the field to finish with 40 points, which set three NCAA Championships single-game Iowa State records in points, field goals made, field goal percentage, and a freshman single-game all-time record. Additionally, Crooks toppled the freshman free throw record for the Cyclones, while also grabbing 12 boards. The Cyclones will face off against #2 Stanford tomorrow at a time to be determined.
The #2-seed Iowa State men’s team will take on #7 Washington State today at 5:10 pm.
The Iowa men’s team will face off against the #2-seed Utah tomorrow, March 24th, at 8 pm for the second round of the NIT.
March Madness
The KILJ bracket challenge, sponsored by The Press Box and Wiley’s Interior Furnishings and Design, is officially underway with over 30 brackets submitted with the top three set to receive prizes.
Standings will be updated at the conclusion of each round.
This Day in Sports History
1948 – 10th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Kentucky beats Baylor, 58-42; it’s the Wildcats’ first victory in their first title game.
1957 – 19th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Kansas, 54-53 (3 OT); Wilt Chamberlain of Kansas becomes the 4th player to be named tournament MVP despite not playing for the championship team.
1994 – Wayne Gretzky sets an NHL record with 802 goals scored.
The City of Mount Pleasant will hold the annual Spring Clean Up at the end of April. Spring Clean Up is a one-week opportunity for residents of Mount Pleasant to rid their homes of those unusual or large items that are too big to fit into a garbage bag for your regular garbage collection day. The collection work is done by WEMIGA WASTE. Spring Clean Up will be picked up on your normal garbage day. Please do not place items curbside until the week before Spring Clean Up.
SPRING CLEANUP SCHEDULE:
LANCE WEDNESDAY – Pickup April 22nd
LANCE THURSDAY – Pickup April 23rd
(Make-up day scheduled for April 26th)
WEMIGA WEDNESDAY – Pickup April 29th
WEMIGA THURSDAY – Pickup April 30th
(Make-up day scheduled for May 3rd)
GARBAGE STICKERS:
Please adhere stickers no earlier than the morning of your pickup date to ensure scavengers don’t take the adhered-to item. Pile size limited to equivalent to unit 6′ wide x 8′ long x 4′ tall, excludes separated metal pile. You are required to use ten stickers for your entire pile.
WHAT WE CAN NOT AND WILL NOT PICK UP:
THINGS WE WATCH FOR:
Leave the lids off your paint cans. If you have old paint cans and the paint is dry, we can take them. We cannot take wet paint of any kind. We can take all kinds of carpet. The carpet must be tightly rolled and tied to be collected.
QUESTIONS AND INFORMATION:
If you have any questions about the 2024 Spring Clean Up, please contact Public Works at 319-385-1480, Monday – Friday 7:00 am to 3:30 pm.
Make plans to attend the Sixth Annual Bonaparte Music Bonanza on Saturday April 6th. held in the gymnasium of the historic Bonaparte school building. Showtime is at 7 pm with doors opening at 5:30 Tickets at the door are $15.00 with no reserved seating. A Soup Supper will be in the cafeteria (for a free will donation). All proceeds from this event go toward the upkeep of the historic school building. The building is owned and operated by the non profit group Bonaparte Community Improvement Association (BCIA). The building has become a hub for many community events and activities.
Director Bonnie Cass states, “Every year the show just gets bigger and better. We are so fortunate to have such amazing local talent in Southeast Iowa. All of the people volunteer their time to put on a show that is geared for the entire family. If you’ve been to a show in the past, you’ll want to come back and see the new individuals and bands that have joined the cast for this year’s show.” The 2024 Music Bonanza will be performing music from a variety of genres and of course there will be a little comedy mixed in as well.
This year there are three new bands that will be performing. One of the bands is actually called The Band With No Name- this group of individuals have been performing at class reunions and even had some backyard performances. Full Course is a band of Van Buren high school students that have been performing in the area as well at Van Buren Community School District (VBCSD) high school basketball games. Some additional VBCSD students have formed the Van Buren Youth Praise Band. This group of young people play a variety of instruments and sing Christian praise music. They have been performing at many local churches and events.
Singing in this show for the first time are sisters Emily McIntyre and Melanie Norton. These two talented ladies have been singing and acting for many years as part of the Van Buren Community Players. In the recent presentation of Grease. Emily played the part of Rizzo and Melanie played the part of Marty.
Two other members of the cast also performed in Grease this month. Tom Allen played the part of Vince Fontaine and Isaiah Meek played the part of Sonny. Tom will be playing guitar and singing again. Isaiah is a multi talented young man that was recently selected into the University of Iowa Honor Band where he played French horn. Isaiah will be playing piano and singing a solo, as well as performing with the Full Course band.
Singer and songwriter Shannon Shepard joined the cast last year. He was such a delight to listen to and he even participated in some comedy acts with other members of the cast. He has quite a following on Spotify and YouTube. In 2019 he wrote, recorded and released a fun tailgating song called Cold Busch Latte. The song has been streamed almost 120,000 times on Spotify alone. Shannon formerly performed with Aces and Eights, a country band out of Washington, Iowa.
Kathy Dye from Donnellson brought her dynamic vocals to the show for the first time last year. She has been singing for the past 16 years at the Annual Montrose Watermelon Festival. She has been singing since the age of 5 at her church. She has appeared in the Keokuk Kardiac Kapers, Donnellson DEC Hands and at the Back Alley Band Fest in Keokuk. Kathy says, “being on stage is my home away from home.”
Heathers & Co. a band from Lee County composed of Heather Fuger singing lead vocals, Heather Madsen on keyboards, Lily Hayes on drums, guitar, and vocals, and Keating Hissem playing bass. They provide musical entertainment at several venues throughout the year with music from all genres and with some original songs written by Lily Hayes. All members of the group are in other bands, as well, including Hissem Family Campfire and Double Vision. Keating was a member of the former Ozone Ramblers.
There are many talented guitar players in the show. Brenda Hendrickson will be singing some additional gospel pieces accompanied by Joe Short on guitar. Brandon Cochenour will be accompanied by Michael Browning.
Melvin Green sings a solo every year and has fun with some of the cast members in comedy skits that make for a lot of laughs. Emcee for the show will be former KILJ radio personality, John Kuhens. He brings a little humor of his own to the show with his interviews with the performers.
