Bright Future for Mt. Pleasant Youth Wrestling

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, March 7th, 2024 at 11:29 am CDT

Mt. Pleasant, IA- The Mt. Pleasant Youth Wrestling Club saw nine wrestlers place at state over the course of the last two weeks and here’s a recap of their success.

At the end of February, district champions Levi Evans, Jaxton Kremer, and district runner-up Aven Beauchamp earned the right to wrestler at the AAU grade school state championships at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Kremer would advance all the way to the semifinals before finishing in 8th place at the 180-pound weight class.

Early March saw ten wrestlers compete at the Super Pee Wee state championships, where 1,500 kindergarteners through second graders attended to wrestle, and seven Mt. Pleasant girls competed at the Iowa AAU girls’ state championships.

On March 2nd for the Super Pee Wee state championships, Kamden Ettinger grabbed 7th place in the kindergarten 55-pound weight class and Braxton Hamilton earned 8th place in the kindergarten 60-pound weight class. Joseph Howard, Cooper Mason, and Greyson Beelman were also state qualifiers.

On March 3rd, Jayden Maher, Kolton Kruger, Karter Ettinger, Kenai Mason, and Liam Grandinetti also participated in the Super Pee Wee state tournament with Ettinger finishing in 8th place in the second grade 68-pound weight class.

At the Iowa AAU girls’ state tournament, Bianca Russo placed in 8th as Josyln Swinscoe and Klara Shelby each finished in 5th place. Milli Norton grabbed 3rd place and Cece Aranda earned 2nd place. Angela Reyna and Karli Swinscoe were state qualifiers.

Nick Ettinger, the head coach of the Mt. Pleasant Youth Wrestling Club, thanked all of the wrestlers, parents, coaches, and community members who supported the team as he discussed how resilient his team was.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this team! These kids showed a lot of heart this entire season and the results show how great they are. Our ability to face adversity in tough matches was one of the biggest factors of our success and I attribute that to the grit of our athletes.”

There’s plenty of reasons to be excited about the future of the program as TrackWrestling currently has the Mt. Pleasant Youth Wrestling Club ranked 23rd in the nation for distinguished club rankings.

Keokuk High Career Expo Sees Close to 100 Speakers

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, March 7th, 2024 at 8:29 am CDT

Keokuk High School students had the opportunity to explore a multitude of career paths at the KHS Career Expo on March 6. About 100 speakers and recruiters offered a diverse range of career options and connected the students to professionals from various industries.

“It has been enlightening and given me so many options to think about,” Zach Atterberg, KHS Sophomore, said. “I liked the trades one the most.”

Each student chose seven topic sessions out of the 25 available options to participate in a small group and interacted closely with professionals. The options included law, agriculture and conservation, animal care, art, automotive, criminal justice, manufacturing, event planning, finance, design, healthcare, media, technology, utilities/infrastructure, trucking, trades, and many more. Some of the speakers provided hands-on opportunities such as exploring an ambulance, fire truck and they were able to use virtual reality to explore several fields, including trucking and more.

“It was a good opportunity for all of us, especially students who didn’t know what they wanted to do,” Kendra Boatman, sophomore, said. “Also all of us could see the different job opportunities that are especially in our area. The Food & Drink session was my favorite.”

Speakers were from several regional companies, municipalities, and nonprofits, and included the Iowa Judicial Branch, Liberty Utilities, Lee County Conservation, Roquette America, Freeze Dried U.S.A., WGEM, Keokuk Veterinary Hospital, JJ Nichting Company, Joy Painting Restoration, Klingner & Associates, Iowa State Penitentiary, Keokuk Municipal Waterworks, Winegard Company, Climax Molybdenum Co., Quincy Medical Group, Edward Jones, Connection Bank, Lee County Emergency Medical Services, Hoerner YMCA, RePete Candle & Coffee Bar, Blue Umbrella Bakery, Lee County Health Department, Heartland Pathways Counseling, Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, Yuppy Puppy Pet Parlor, Elston Auto Repair, The Hidden Tower, 1884 On the Bluff, Henniges Automotive, Keokuk Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Department, Keokuk Fire Department, AirEvac, and more.

“I think it was a huge success, the kids were excited to talk to the different professionals and showed an interest in several areas,” Jen Roederer, KHS Vice Principal, said. “They started talking about professions that would like to go into and colleges that they would like to attend.”

Wayland Resident Runner Up in Keep Iowa Beautiful Photography Contest

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, March 7th, 2024 at 8:25 am CDT

A resident of Wayland was recently honored as a runner up in the Keep Iowa Beautiful Annual Photography Contest. Sharon Scarff of Wayland posted a picture to the “Iowans in Action” category, capturing a farmer working long into the night.

The photography contest has five total categories for photographers to participate in. Iowa Cities, Iowa Landscapes, Iowa Water, Iowa Wildlife, join Iowans in Action as the options.

To view all of the categories and photos: https://keepiowabeautiful.org/photography-contest/winners/

Sports, March 7th

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, March 7th, 2024 at 6:35 am CDT

Boys’ State Basketball

The 2024 state tournament continued yesterday as the Class 1A championship game was set and Class 4A experienced an upset in the quarterfinals.

#4 Winfield-Mt. Union struck first against #1 North Linn as the vaunted Wolves defense held a team that averaged nearly 79 points a game to just seven first quarter points to lead 9 to 7 entering the second quarter. However, as head coach Klay Edwards talked about after the game, the tide flipped.

Mason Bechen led that charge for the Lynx as he scored 10 of his 32 points in the second quarter including a buzzer-beating three pointer to give North Linn a 28 to 23 lead at halftime. The Wolves attempted to keep the game close in the second half with Jake Edwards knocking down five threes and Cam Buffington finishing with 12 points, but the Lynx shot 53.3% from the field in the second half to win 67-51. Edwards led the way with 17 points as Abram Edwards and Carter Loyd chipped in 9 points. Winfield-Mt. Union finished the season 21-3 and coach Edwards knows this senior class will still be competing for titles. 

For the bottom half of the bracket, #2 Marquette Catholic and #3 Lake Mills played in a thriller that saw the game tied at 57 with less than ten seconds remaining. That’s when Marquette Catholic’s Kannon Still nailed a jumper with six seconds remaining to win 59-57. Still cashed in for 13 points as Spencer Roeder collected a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

#1 North Linn will take on #2 Marquette Catholic tomorrow, March 8th, at 1 pm.

Moving on to Class 4A, #1 Cedar Rapids Kennedy handled business against #8 Dallas Center-Grimes 66-45. Joseph Bean was the top scorer for Kennedy with 18 points in the contest.

#5 Ankeny took down #4 Dubuque Senior 60-47 yesterday as Carson Johnson was unstoppable for the Hawks, totaling 26 points and four steals in the win. Cash Schoolen was the only other Hawk to finish in double figures.

#1 Cedar Rapids Kennedy will face off against #5 Ankeny tonight at 5:30 pm.

Despite the contentious atmosphere surrounding the matchup between #2 Valley and #7 Johnston, the Dragons never led in the game with Valley winning 64-57. Curtis Stinson nailed 8 of his 10 free throws to finish with the game high 22 points in the win.

The biggest upset of yesterday’s slate was #6 Bettendorf controlling the tempo of the game against #3 Cedar Falls to win 65-56. Caden Wilkins was all over the court for the Bulldogs as he collected a 20 point, 13 rebound double-double in the win.

#2 Valley will compete against #6 Bettendorf tonight at 7:15 pm.

The Class 2A semifinals will start out the day followed by the Class 3A semifinals with Class 4A to round out the night. 

High School Track and Field

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will compete at Iowa State today for an invitational with the girls’ team running tomorrow, March 8th.

The WACO boys’ and girls’ teams will travel to Central College on March 14th 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. 

College Basketball

The #3 Iowa women’s team grabbed the 2-seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will take on either Wisconsin or Penn State in the quarterfinal round at 5:30 pm tomorrow, March 8th. 

The Iowa State women’s team earned the 4-seed in the Big 12 Tournament and was awarded with a double bye into the quarterfinals. The Cyclones will play on Saturday, March 9th, at 11 am.

The #6 Iowa State men’s team finished with a perfect record at home this season with a 68-63 win over #20 BYU last night. Tamin Lipsey (19 points) and Curtis Jones (18 points) combined for 37 points in the win. The Cyclones will travel to take on Kansas State on Saturday at 1 pm.

The Iowa men’s team will celebrate senior night on March 10th against Illinois at 6 pm.

Iowa Women’s Basketball

The Athletic has named Caitlin Clark the National Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Clark became the first player to finish first in both assists and scoring in back-to-back seasons as she became NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in their 93-83 win against Ohio State last Sunday.

This Day in Sports History

1982 – NCAA Tournament Selection televised live for the first time.

1986 – Wayne Gretzky breaks own NHL season record with 136th assist.

1988 – Jim Abbott, a one-handed pitcher, wins the 58th James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States, becoming the first baseball player to win the award.

Planning and Zoning Meeting Canceled After Advice from County Attorney’s Office

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, March 7th, 2024 at 6:12 am CDT

After advice from the County Attorney’s Office, the upcoming Planning and Zoning Commission meeting scheduled for March 12th has been canceled. The time and date of the next meeting will be posted as soon as the information is available. The meeting was sure to have conversation about wind energy and the ordinance which is being tweaked.

The Henry County Supervisors will meet this morning at 9:00am in the first-floor meeting room of the Courthouse. Here, they will meet with all department heads to discuss the prior month. Then, at 10:00am the supervisors will have a work session for the final changes for amendment to Solar and Wind Energy Ordinance. This meeting is open to the public.

Mt. Pleasant School Board Site and Policy Committee Meeting Agenda 03/07

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 at 3:48 pm CDT

Site and Policy Committee Meeting | 03/07/2024 – 05:00 PM

Mt. Pleasant CSD – Central Office | 1010 East Washington Street, Suite 102
SITE COMMITTEE

  1. FY25 Buildings and Grounds Proposed Project List
  2. HS HVAC Upgrade Update
  3. Transportation/Central Receiving/Buildings and Grounds Facilities Update

POLICY COMMITTEE

  1. Open School Board Policy Series 600 Educational Program for Review
  2. School Business Official Hiring Process Update
  3. 2024-2025 School Calendar Update
  4. Overnight Trip Request – State Science Fair, April 4 & 5, Ames, Iowa
  5. Legislative Update

The meeting is open to the public and patrons are welcome.

City Compost Site Opening Next Week

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 at 1:30 pm CDT

The City Compost Site located southwest of Saunders Park at the end of Yocum Lane and Hoaglin Drive will open on Wednesday, March 13th, 2024. It will remain open Wednesdays 1:00pm – 6:00pm and Saturdays 8:00am – 5:00pm through the summer weather permitting. For more information call 319-385-1480.

 

Drive Sober This St. Patrick’s Day

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 at 1:29 pm CDT

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and with that, drunk driving. Whenever holiday’s come up, people decide to make bad choices regarding drinking and driving.

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) is partnering with law enforcement across Iowa March 13-21 to remind drivers: Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the United States extend as far back as the American colonial period. Today, it’s one of our nation’s most popular holidays, celebrated with festivals, parades, and parties. These celebrations frequently feature themed cocktails and green pints, and the amount of alcohol consumed is higher than average. People are more likely to make poor decisions as a result, including driving while intoxicated.

Because St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday, the GTSB anticipates alcohol consumption will increase throughout the weekend. We ask everyone to celebrate responsibly. Last March, there were 26 traffic fatalities on Iowa roads. Almost 40% of those occurred the week of St. Patrick’s Day (March 11-19, 2023).

GTSB also reminds drivers to watch for pedestrians. An increase in alcohol consumption and pedestrian traffic can be a dangerous combination. If you’re on foot, cross streets in well-lit areas and use the crosswalks.

If you find yourself drunk and stranded with your vehicle, give the keys to a sober driver who can safely drive you home. Remind your friends to never get in the vehicle with a drunk driver. If you have a friend who is about to drive drunk, take away their keys and help them get home safely.