Trevor M. Coughlin, 32, of Mt. Pleasant, died Tuesday, March 26th.
Funeral arrangements are pending at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mount Pleasant.
Online condolences may be directed to wwwkimzeyfh.com
Louise Unkrich – Pending
Shirley Brobston
Shirley Anne (Fleming) Brobston, 76, returned peacefully to her heavenly home on March 26, 2024 in Franklin, Tennessee. 
Graveside services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 30, 2024, at Maple Hill Cemetery, Birmingham, Iowa with Pastor John D. Boatman officiating. Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield is assisting the family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: American Cancer Society or the Alzheimer’s Association. Cards for the family may be mailed to Brobston Family, 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Suite 900-538, Franklin TN 37069. Online condolences may be made to Shirley’s family at www.behnerfh.com.
Shirley was born February 17, 1948 in Fairfield, Iowa to William and Wilma (Turner) Fleming. She married the love of her life Robert Richard Brobston in Fairfield on November 7, 1965. During their 55 years of marriage, they raised two children, Kimberly and Sean.
Shirley was a devoted Christian, wife, and mother. She exemplified compassion, and selflessness, continuously prioritizing the needs of others over her own. She loved spending time with her family and was ever-present to pray, listen, help, and offer comfort in any possible manner. She would even bring smiles to family and friends faces by cooking or baking their favorite dishes from scratch. She found joy in nurturing flowers, birds, and researching family genealogy to uncover and learn about descendants from generations past.
Shirley began her secretarial career in Clinton, Iowa from 1976 through 1980. In 1980, they moved to Hamilton, Illinois where they became members of the First Baptist Church in Keokuk, Iowa. There she continued serving as the secretary of First Baptist Church for over 28 years, retiring in November 2016. She loved serving God and the members of the church. Her musical ability was known through her years of singing in the church choir, performing solos, and playing the piano. For a decade, she and her husband also hosted a weekly Bible study in their home.
She will be deeply missed by her children, Kimberly Newlon of Hamilton, Illinois, and Sean Brobston of Franklin, Tennessee; son-in-law, Neil Newlon; daughter-in-law, Danielle Brobston; six grandchildren, Brianna Newlon, Megan (Brandon) Nott, Jonathan Newlon, Zachary Brobston, Grace Newlon (great-granddaughter Elena), Ethan Brobston; one brother, Mark (Celeste) Fleming of Keokuk, Iowa; one sister, Randi (Ray) Larson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; sister-in-law, Gail Fleming of Tipton, Iowa; nieces, nephews, and extended family and friends. Shirley was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Richard Brobston (August 8, 2021); her parents, William and Wilma Fleming (Fairfield, Iowa); brother, Gary Fleming (Tipton, Iowa), and sister, Sandy (Fleming) Olinger (Reno, Nevada).
“Mom, you embodied values which today appear out of fashion – your faith in God, your decency, your honesty, your absolute selflessness, your complete disinterest in ego and materialism. Your pain is gone, and you have earned your eternal rest. We will continue your resolve and do our best to follow your example.
We love you and we will miss you terribly until we meet again.”
In loving memory,
Your family
1st Reading of Temporary Moratorium Read at Henry County Supervisors Meeting
The Henry County Supervisors met on Tuesday morning for a long meeting.
First on the agenda was Jake Hotchkiss, who presented the IDOT budget and the 5 year program.
With over 30 people in the room, and plenty more packed like sardines in the hallway, board chair Greg Moeller read the 1st Reading of the Resolution #5-2024 Establishing a Temporary Moratorium on the Rezoning of Land to the Alternative Energy Overlay District.
This moratorium, if fully passed, will expire on Sunday, March 2nd, 2025. It can be extended or terminated earlier depending upon satisfactory resolution of the issues laid out in the resolution.
It seems all three supervisors agreed that they would like the wind energy discussion to slow down, and believe this temporary moratorium will allow the Planning and Zoning Committee time to do what they need to do.
There will be a 2nd and 3rd reading for this, on March 28th and April 2nd respectively.
Below is a photo of the resolution…
Marie Hammes
Marie Anna Hammes, 104, a resident of Fairfield, passed away Sunday, March 24, 2024 at Addington Place in Fairfield. 
A rosary will be recited at 4:15 p.m. Monday, April 1, 2024 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Fairfield with visitation for family and friends from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Funeral services and Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at St. Mary Catholic Church with Fr. Nick Adam as celebrant. Burial will be at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery near Harper, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Camp Courageous or St. Mary Catholic Church. Cards and memorials may be mailed to Jim Hammes, P.O. Box 933, Fairfield, Iowa 52556. Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield is assisting the family.
Marie was born September 14, 1919 in Richland, the daughter of Robert F. and Rosa (Adam) Greiner. She married Norbert Joseph Hammes, November 28, 1940 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Keota. They were married for 78 ½ years before he passed away, July 3, 2019.
Marie enjoyed time with family and friends, traveling, gardening, flowers, knitting, baking, playing cards, crossword puzzles, and playing solitaire on her iPad.
Those left to honor her memory include her children, Jim Hammes of Fairfield, Rose (Dave) Bollei of Tiffin, Carol Vorhies of Monticello, John (Rhonda) Hammes of Fairfield, Barb (Jim Deutsch) Hammes of Fairfield and Mary (Tony) Webb of Batavia; 16 grandchildren, John (Amy) Peiffer, Ann Peiffer, Jeff (Brenda) Hammes, Laurie Haman, Shelly Schmit, Lonnie Bollei, Sue (Todd) Manternach, Chris (Randy Harris) Vorhies, Bill (Megan) Vorhies, Trent (Crystal) Hammes, Gavin (Amanda) Hammes, Angie (Chuck Hunt) Hughell, Mandy (Jeremy) Pohren, JJ (Carissa) Hughell, Darin (Amanda Pichler) Webb and Logan (AJ) Webb; 38 great-grandchildren; 7 great-great grandchildren; sister, Dorothy Weber of Washington; and sister-in-law, Frances Greiner of Washington.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; son, Steve Hammes; daughter-in-law, Rita Hammes; son-in-law, Dan Vorhies; great-granddaughter, Kaylynn Bollei; siblings, Sr. Madeline Mary, Edward, Marjorie, and Robert.
Online condolences may be made to Marie’s family by viewing her obituary at www.behnerfh.com.
Mt. Pleasant School Board Discusses Budget, Pay Increases, and 24/25 Calendar
The Mount Pleasant Community School Board met yesterday evening for a packed schedule. One board member was absent. Starting things off was a Public Hearing for the FY25 Certified Budget, which was largely spearheaded by Ed Chabal.
Contrary to previous years, there must be two public hearings, so unless you were one of the few in attendance last night, you’ll have another chance to listen on April 8th.
Revealed during the public hearing, for FY25 the district is collecting over $260,000 less than the prior year. This is partly due to the fact that the district is currently in a good financial situation.
During the special session, the board discussed a contract with AFSCME, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. After a proposal was accepted by AFSCME on March 1st, changes for FY25 are coming for paras, custodians, and maintenance. Para-educators will see a $1 raise, as well as seeing the para-education stipend increase from $0.50 to $0.70. Custodians and maintenance will also see a $1 an hour raise thanks to a step increase.
The 2024/2025 calendar has seemingly caused headaches, as the board and superintendent have tried to concoct the best schedule. State law requires school districts to begin no earlier than August 23rd. As a result, the proposed first day of class will be a full day on Friday, August 23rd. According to Superintendent John Henriksen, “everything else generally looks the same.” Christmas break will end on a Thursday, with students coming back for a full day on Friday, January 3rd. This helps to make sure that the last day of school will be in May, which currently is set for Thursday, May 29th. A full week of Spring break is during the week of March 17th-21st.
Henry County Public Health Sensory Friendly Improvements Including Mural
Henry County Public Health is making their immunization room more sensory friendly with grant funding from the University of Iowa Health Care. The first thing everyone will notice is an underwater themed mural painted on two of the walls by local painter Annie Guldberg. The colorful mural full of sea creatures should help distract all kids by giving them something fun to focus on. In addition, parents will now have the option to ask for sensory aids on the health questionnaire. So far options include dimming the lights, using a sound machine, weighted lap blankets, plush vibrating ball pillows, or fidget toys. The waiting room has also been enhanced with light filters and an activity table. More items will be added based on patient feedback and available funding. 
“We know that getting shots can be scary for children, especially children with disabilities, so we hope these changes will help improve the overall experience,” states Kelly Carr, Community Outreach Coordinator.
Public Health is located at 106 E. Jackson Street in Mt. Pleasant and immunization clinics are held Tuesdays 9-11am, Wednesdays and Thursdays 1-4pm, and the 1st and 3rd Thursday 1-6pm.
This project is funded by a mini grant from the ON TRAC project of Iowa’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). This project and these mini grants are funded by the Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) Community Based Transition Grants. If you have any questions call 319-385-0779, email publichealth@henrycountyiowa.us, or visit Facebook.com/HealthyHenryCounty.
Keokuk School District Receives 1/4 Million for School Safaety
The Keokuk Community School District was awarded a $250,000 School Safety Improvement Grant from the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. 
“I am pleased that we are able to upgrade our security cameras,” Dr. Kathy Dinger, KCSD superintendent, said. “Through this grant we will be able to add this additional level of security to our district for the safety of our students and parents.”
The Grant has been approved for $50,000 per school building and the district plans to use the funds for new security cameras for each building. To be awarded the grant, KCSD provided the scope of work, milestones and the budget, which was then approved by the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
“It is important to continue to make improvements on our security measures for the safety of our schools,” Clint Wray, Keokuk School Board president, said. “Another improvement that we’ve made recently is through our agreements with local law enforcement that provides remote access to the KHS security cameras for the officers in case of an immediate concern or emergency.”
The funds come from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) and is awarded by the U.S. Department of Treasury. Funding through this federal program is for minor capital improvements for security enhancements from the approved categories.
PHOTO CAPTION: The door cameras are among the security cameras that will be updated within the scope of work that will be completed through the School Safety Improvement Grant.