Sports, March 6th

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 at 6:46 am CDT

Boys’ State Basketball

The 2024 state tournament continued yesterday and Class 2A experienced the biggest upset of the tournament.

#2 Hudson faced off against #7 Grundy Center and despite the seeding, the Spartans held a 41 to 36 lead entering the fourth quarter. But, the Pirates utilized going to the line 25 times and sinking 20 of those free throws to win 55-51. Camden Davis collected a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

#3 Underwood had entered the tournament with an undefeated record, the Eagles are no longer undefeated after losing to #6 Unity Christian yesterday 59-55. The Knights rushed out to a 15 to 8 lead at the end of the first quarter and were able to keep the Eagles from flying away with the game. Dylan Bosma led the scoring with 25 points.

#2 Hudson will take on #6 Unity Christian tomorrow, March 7th, at 12:15 pm.

Class 3A completed their quarterfinal matchups yesterday and #1 Decorah started their tournament with a stomping of #8 Williamsburg 66-42. The Raiders were held to only six points total in the second and third quarters. Ben Bockman nailed five three-pointers in the win as he finished with 29 points.

In the highest scoring matchup of the tournament through two days, #4 Assumption defeated #5 Ballard 84-73. Four players for the Knights finished with double figures as Kayvion Hodges cashed in for 19 points and grabbed 12 boards in the win.

#1 Decorah will face off against #4 Assumption tomorrow at 2 pm.

#3 Moc-Floyd Valley’s 27 point first quarter provided enough momentum for the Dutchmen to defeat last year’s champion #6 Bondurant-Farrar 67-50. Jesse Van Kalsbeek was a one man wrecking machine with 37 points, 14 rebounds, and five steals in the winning effort. 

#2 Waverly-Shell Rock and #7 Pella experienced the first overtime of the tournament in the last game of the night as the Go-Hawks’ Noah Frazell made the game-winning free throw with a second left to win 65-64. Cole Marsh was the leading scorer and rebounder for Waverly-Shell Rock with 17 points and 14 boards.

#3 Moc-Floyd Valley will compete against #2 Waverly-Shell Rock tomorrow at 3:45 pm.

The Class 4A quarterfinals will commence today and the Class 1A semifinals will round out the night as #1 North Linn will face off against #4 Winfield-Mt. Union at 5:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:15 pm.

High School Track and Field

The Mt. Pleasant and Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ teams ventured up to the University of Northern Iowa to compete in the Dickinson Relays yesterday and here’s the top performers.

For the Panthers, Jenna Schwartz finished in 48th place after leaping 4’6” in the high jump. Josie Gilmore finished in 50th place.

Ja’Kiyah Sanders and Bailey Jalas finished with an identical leap of 13 feet 4.25 inches in the long jump.

Ella Ensmiger heaved the shot put 35 feet 2.25 inches to grab 13th place. English finished in 28th. 

The relay teams ran well with the team of Sanders, Jalas, Courtney Raub, and Kynlee White finishing in 14th place with a time of 1:53 in the 4×200. The 4×800 relay team of Aliya Graber, Alexis Wagner, Pru Callaway, and Monroe James ran a time of 11:23 to earn 28th place. Lastly, Natalie Freeman, White, Wagner, and Raub grabbed 25th place in the 4×400 relay with a time of 4:37.

The Wolves were led by Kaelyn Townsley’s 50th place finish in the 200 meter dash with a time of 29.08 seconds. The 4×200 meter relay team of Josie Nelson, Tessa Huston, Schlee, and Aurey Meeker finished with a time of two minutes, which was good enough for 47th place. 

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 on Friday, 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 will suit up for a home matchup against BYU tonight at 8 pm.

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

Big Ten Player of the Year

For the third year in a row, Caitlin Clark nabbed Big Ten Player of the Year. She is only the second player in Big Ten history to achieve this honor in back-to-back-to-back years–Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport. Clark leads the nation in assists with 8.6 per game and scoring, with 32.3 points per game. She also earned First Team honors.

Big 12 Honors

Audi Crooks was a unanimous selection to the Big 12 First Team. Crooks broke the Cyclones’ freshman scoring mark after averaging 18.3 points per game. She earned Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season and Freshman of the Week four times. 

This Day in Sports History

1945 – George Nissen of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, receives a patent for the first modern trampoline.

1954 – First ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: NC State beats Wake Forest, 82-80 (OT).

1982 – NBA highest scoring game: San Antonio beat Milwaukee 171-166 (3 OT).

Remains of Missing Keokuk Man Thought to Be Found in Missouri

By Yorke Prough · Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 at 6:15 am CDT

A deceased body was located near Alexandria, Missouri, which detectives believe are the remains of a missing Keokuk man. The remains, which were found in a secluded tree line, are thought to be those of 37 year old Lane Miller of Keokuk. Miller was reported missing on January 8th, 2024.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Clark County Coroner Edwin Wilson, Lee County Sheriff Stacey Webber and Detective Chad Donaldson, Keokuk Police Department Detective Steve Dray, and Alexandria Mayor Franklin Shipley. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Lane Miller.

Volunteer to Clean Skunk River This Summer!

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 8:21 pm CDT

Have you ever wanted to clean a river? Well, now you can. Iowa Project AWARE (A Watershed Awareness River Expedition) is an annual volunteer-driven initiative dedicated to cleaning up and preserving Iowa’s waterways. This year, volunteers from across the state will come together to remove trash and debris from the Skunk River, spanning 75.6 miles from Keokuk County to Des Moines County, while raising awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship and water quality protection. To date, the project has removed over 489 tons of garbage out of Iowa waterways!

The event will feature a week-long cleanup effort, educational workshops, and recreational activities aimed at engaging participants of all ages and backgrounds. Volunteers will have the opportunity to make a positive impact on their communities while enjoying the natural beauty of the Skunk River and surrounding areas. Registered volunteers can enjoy delicious catered meals daily!

Registration will open on March 20th, 2024.

For more information about Iowa Project AWARE and how to get involved, please visit our website at https://www.iowaprojectaware.org/ or contact Charlie Berggren by phone at (319) 241-6577 or by email charlie@iowaprojectaware.org.

Mary Hunger – Pending

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 2:05 pm CDT

Mary Hunger of Washington, formerly of Mt. Union, died Sunday, March 3,

2024 at her home surrounded by family.  Arrangements are pending at Elliott Chapel, New London

Henry County Supervisors Discuss Changes to Alternative Energy Overlay Ordinance

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 2:00 pm CDT

A Tuesday morning Henry County Supervisors meeting saw plenty of citizens in attendance.

While the Henry County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss provided a weekly update, it wasn’t him that most citizens were there for. While wind energy was not officially on the agenda, it is the topic that everybody seems to be interested in right now.

A request for guidance from the county attorney was sent in by the supervisors regarding the ordinance for Alternative Energy Overlay. To be safe, they would like to know what their legal responsibilities are.

It is supervisor Lindeen’s hope that by this Thursday they will have a concise document detailing the changes that the board wants to see from the ordinance. They would then present this to Joe Buffington, the Planning and Zoning Director. The Planning and Zoning Commission would meet to discuss the new proposed changes to the ordinance, and then discuss further with the Board of Supervisors. It must be stated that this ordinance is not final.

Lindeen also mention that the county will continue working on this ordinance in an orderly manner. What pace that is, he is unsure.

The Planning and Zoning Commission has a meeting for Tuesday, March 12th, at 6:00pm at the Henry County Courthouse. This work session is open to the public.

The supervisors are still taking emails from citizens regarding the proposed wind energy project in Henry County. Their email is supervisors@henrycountyiowa.us

Bruce Andre

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 11:20 am CDT

Bruce W. Andre, 82, a longtime resident of Fairfield, passed away on February 29, 2024, at the University of Iowa Medical Center Downtown in Iowa City surrounded by his wife, Portia, and family. 

A celebration of Bruce’s life will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at the Fairfield Golf and Country Club in Fairfield, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association.

Bruce was born on September 26, 1941, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Wilbur and Louise (Hatfield) Andre. On August 21, 1965, he married Portia Gonzalez at the First United Methodist Church in Fairfield.

Bruce taught middle school social studies at the Cardinal School District for 36 years. Bruce was an active member of the Fairfield Area Community Theatre, where he played many roles over the years, including the King in Fairfield’s production of The King and I. He was also an active member of the First United Methodist Church choir and the Masonic Lodge. Bruce enjoyed spending time with his family at their cabin in Wisconsin and watching his grandchildren participate in their activities. Bruce was also a long-time member of the Iowa Air National Guard, retiring after 27 years as a Senior Master Sergeant.

Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Portia; his children, Heidi Bowman of Fairfield and Mike Andre of Arlington Heights, Illinois; his grandchildren, Baylee, Brynna, Blair, Brittan, Abby, Kiley, and Brooke; his great-granddaughter, Jovie; and his brother, Rex (Virginia) Andre of Minnetonka, Minnesota. Bruce and Portia were also foster parents to 97 children over the years.

Bruce was preceded in death by his parents.

If you would like to offer condolences to Bruce’s family, please visit his obituary at www.behnerfh.com.

Henry County Supervisors Meeting Agenda 03/07

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 11:09 am CDT

Henry County Supervisors

100 E Washington St  Ste 202

Mt Pleasant IA  52641

Fax:  319-385-3601

 

Chad White, Member            Marc Lindeen, Vice-Chairman        Greg Moeller, Chairman    

           319-385-0759                                 319-385-0760                                  319-385-0761________                       

 

AGENDA

 

March 7, 2024

Approve Agenda

Approve Minutes

 9:00 Monthly Department Head Meeting

10:00 Work Session for Final Changes for

Amendment to Solar & Wind Energy Ordinance

Other County Business as time allows

 Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates

Bleed Control Kits Provided to All County Schools

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 11:06 am CDT

Henry County Sheriff Richard McNamee is proud to announce that the Henry County Sheriff’s Office started a county-wide “School Safety Project”.  The project was led by Henry County Deputy Sheriff/ New London School Resource Officer Carlos Lopez, whose initial goal was to provide school safety kits for the New London Community School District, then additionally for all the classrooms in Henry County.  To accomplish this goal, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Mt. Pleasant Community School Foundation to begin submitting grant applications.

This project has been supported by the Mount Pleasant Police Department, the New London Police Department, the Winfield Police Department, the Wayland Police Department, Henry County Emergency Management, Henry County EMS, New London Community School District, Mt Pleasant Community School District, Winfield-Mount Union Community School District, WACO Community School District, and the Mount Pleasant Christian School.

The current goal of the “School Safety Project” is to protect our children,  grandchildren, and school staff in their classrooms by placing medical bleed control kits in all classrooms/staff rooms at every school in Henry County. The bleed control kits will allow students and staff to have the ability to be proactive in taking steps to save lives in the event of an active attack.

It is important to note that training on the bleed control kits will be done at all schools.  The bleed control kits contain lifesaving medical supplies.  This training provides valuable medical education that can be taken through adulthood.

Medical supplies are being purchased for the bleed control kits.  Donations are still being accepted.  Donors will be recognized in each school building and through media sources.

As of today, we have received grants from the Henry County Health Center Foundation, Enhance Henry County, Hoaglin Foundation, and donations from the Walmart Distribution Center, Beck’s Superior Hybrids, the City of New London, and the New London Municipal Utilities.

To donate, drop-off a check made out to the Mt Pleasant Community School Foundation at Two Rivers Bank or the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.  Indicate on the memo line that the donation is for “School Safety Project”.  For more information, contact Deputy Carlos Lopez at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office 319-385- 2712.