Jeffrey Quick

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, March 14th, 2024 at 2:19 pm CDT

Jeffrey Lynn Quick, 66, a resident of Fairfield, formerly of Lockridge, passed away Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at his home surrounded by family.

Visitation for family and friends will be 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Sunday, March 17, 2024 at Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield. Funeral services celebrating his life will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 18th at the funeral home. Burial will follow at New Sweden Lutheran Chapel Cemetery in Lockridge. Memorials may be made to Everystep Hospice or New Sweden Chapel.

Jeff was born April 18, 1957 in Fairfield, the son of Donald LeRoy and Marilyn Joyce (Myers) Quick. Jeff was a graduate of Fairfield High School in 1976. He married Becky Laux. They later divorced. Jeff married his sweetheart, Brenda (Ewing) Oliver, October 11, 2008 in Lockridge.

Growing up on a farm, Jeff learned the importance of hard work. He always loved tractors, both John Deere and Allis-Chalmers, and continued to work on the family farm until his parents sold the farm. Throughout his life, Jeff worked for Dexter, Rockwell, Jefferson County Hospital, and Van Buren County School District. His hobbies were working on cars, especially rebuilding motors and transmissions, woodworking, and spending time in the garage. After retirement, he enjoyed watching westerns, drag racing, and sitting on the porch watching “the squirrels, the girls, the traffic, and the trains”.

Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Brenda; children, Mitchel (Craig) Ash of West Liberty, Iowa, Becky Oliver of Fairfield, and Nathan (Michelle) Oliver of Belle Plaine, Iowa; grandsons, Toby and Nolan Oliver; brother, Kevin Quick of Ottumwa; sisters, Rhonda Black of Fairfield, and Kelly (Joe) Foreman of Fairfield; many nieces, nephews, and cousins; the Laux family; and his beloved cats, Zoey and Abbey, and his granddog, Keera.

He was preceded in death by his parents; mother-in-law, Sharon Ewing; former in-laws, Phillip and Mary Laux; and former brother-in-law, Jerry Story.

 

Arctic Glacier Facility Closed in West Point

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, March 14th, 2024 at 11:17 am CDT

The Arctic Glacier Premium Ice facility in West Point has closed down after being purchased from an out of state buyer. A company from Ohio, Home City Ice, has bought out the facility.

With over 100 locations across the Midwest, Northeast, and South, they have been in operation since 1893 and owned by the same family for a century.

Sticker Buy Back Program for Mt. Pleasant Residents

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, March 14th, 2024 at 10:02 am CDT

Mount Pleasant City Hall has announced a trash sticker buy back program for those with leftover green stickers. A credit will be issued on utility bills of those who bring their excess stickers to City Hall at 307 E Monroe St, 2nd floor. Please bring your Mt. Pleasant Utilities account number with you so that they can ensure the credit is applied to the correct account.

Spring Cleanup WILL utilize the sticker program for this year, so if you plan to utilize Spring Clean-up you may want to hang on to those stickers.

Budget Statement and Information from Henry County Auditor’s Office

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, March 14th, 2024 at 9:58 am CDT

Property owners in Iowa will soon receive a new mailing which will contain information about the proposed property tax rates for the next fiscal year. Iowa Code 24.2A requires that a budget statement be mailed to property owners after March 20 of each year. The budget statement will include information regarding school, county, and city proposed tax rates as well as information about scheduled public hearings regarding the proposed tax rates.

The budget statement will include the following information:

  • Date, time, and location of public hearings to consider proposed property tax rates for    next fiscal year
  • Phone number and website (if applicable) for each associated taxing authority
  • Current, effective, and proposed tax rate information
  • Comparison of current, effective, and proposed tax rates
  • How current taxes levied by the school, county and city are distributed
  • Comparison of how taxes would be distributed in the current and proposed budget years

Additional information regarding the budget statement will be made available online at https://dom.iowa.gov/property-taxes on or after March 20, 2024.

Henry County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Man for Suspended License and Contraband

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, March 14th, 2024 at 9:48 am CDT

On March 13th, 2024, at approximately 8:12 PM, James Gerald Griffin Jr, 56, Burlington, was stopped for a traffic violation near US 34 and 260th Street.  It was found that Mr. Griffin’s driver’s license was suspended in Iowa.  Mr. Griffin was arrested for Driving With a Suspension and he was taken to the Henry County Jail.

Upon being booked into the Henry County Jail, and during the book-in process, Mr. Griffin’s clothing was searched and laundered.

During this time, items believed to be contraband were located.  Griffin was additionally charged with Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Institution, a class D felony.

Gasoline and Diesel Prices Both Rise Small Amounts

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, March 14th, 2024 at 6:47 am CDT

Gasoline prices are on the up once again, according to AAA. This week the price of regular unleaded gasoline rose 3 cents. The average for a gallon of gas in Iowa is $3.17 now. This is 6 cents cheaper than 12 months ago and 33 cents less than the national average.

Diesel prices also rose, but there’s not much to complain about as it rose to $3.78 a gallon, one cent higher than last week. Thankfully, this is 14 cents less than last year and 26 cents less than the national average.

  • Propane prices averaged $1.59 per gallon statewide.
  • Home heating oil prices averaged $3.18 per gallon statewide.
  • Natural gas prices fell 25 cents at the Henry Hub reporting site and are currently priced at $1.68/MMbtu

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

Field Fire in New London on Wednesday

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, March 14th, 2024 at 6:45 am CDT

Just after 11:00 am yesterday, many agencies responded to an area in the 3200 Block of Nebraska Avenue in New London for a field fire. The New London Fire Department was joined by Mount Pleasant Fire and Rescue and Salem Fire in fighting this field fire.

Sports, March 14th

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, March 14th, 2024 at 6:39 am CDT

High School Track and Field

The Mt. Pleasant and Van Buren County boys’ teams will compete at Central College tomorrow, March 15th, while the Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will run on Saturday, March 16th.

The WACO and Central Lee boys’ teams and the WACO girls’ team will travel to Central College today to start their season.

The Winfield-Mt. Union and New London boys’ teams will travel to Danville on March 18th to get the season rolling. 

The New London, Central Lee, and Van Buren County girls’ teams will travel to Columbus for their first meet of the year on March 18th. 

The Mediapolis boys’ team will travel to Washington on March 21st for a meet. The girls’ team will compete in a relay on March 26th at West Burlington.

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.

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Last night’s episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook provided a recap of the girls’ and boys’ basketball postseason. Winfield-Mt. Union’s boys’ head coach Klay Edwards expressed the emotion that comes at the end of the season. You can listen to the full episode by following this link: Postseason Basketball Recap.

College Basketball

The #2 Iowa women’s team will wait for Selection Sunday on March 17th to find out their seeding for the women’s National Championship.

The Iowa State women’s team will wait for Selection Sunday to see where they end up for the women’s National Championship bracket.

The #7 Iowa State men’s team will compete against Kansas State tonight at 6 pm in the Big 12 tournament. The Cyclones will be led by All-Big 12 First Team and All-Defensive Team honoree Tamin Lipsey and All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Newcomer Team honoree Keshon Gilbert.

The Iowa men’s team grabbed the 7th seed in the Big Ten tournament and will take on the #10-seed Ohio State tonight at 5:30 pm.

March Madness

The NCAA men’s basketball season is winding down as teams are battling for position and the opportunity to be crowned National Champion in this year’s March Madness bracket.

KILJ, with the help of The Press Box and Wiley’s Interior Furnishings and Design, will be hosting another bracket challenge, but things will be done a little differently this year. March 17th marks Selection Sunday with the brackets being released after 5 pm central time.

A printable bracket will be posted to KILJ’s Facebook page after Selection Sunday for you to fill out. You can either bring your bracket out to our station or email it to sports@kilj.com. The four play-in games will not count towards your final score. Brackets are due by the end of the day March 20th.

For a full list of rules and prizes follow this link: KILJ Bracket Challenge 

This Day in Sports History

1962 – Red Wings’ forward Gordie Howe becomes the second player in NHL history to score 500 career goals in Detroit’s 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers.

1972 – NBA’s Cincinnati Royals, plagued by poor home attendance, announce they are moving the franchise to Kansas City. They renamed the team to “Kings” to avoid confusion with the baseball team.

2017 – World’s oldest golf club Muirfield in Scotland, votes to admit women as members for the first time in 273 years.