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.

“Operation Prom” New London High Students to Participate in Immersive Accident Scene

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 7:42 am CDT

The New London Community School District released a letter to parents regarding a new event for high school students.

On March, 27, 2024, New London High School is hosting “Operation Prom,” for all 9th-12th grade students. This will be an immersive event that brings the realities of prom season to life. Students will have the opportunity to see the realities of what takes place at an accident scene.

Students will be part of a simulated accident and emergency response, providing a hands-on experience of the potential consequences of risky behaviors. As well as students and law enforcement, medical personnel, firefighters, life flight crews, and funeral home representatives will be on-site to interact with students.

The training will focus on smart decision-making, safety, and understanding the consequences of choices made during celebratory events.

Operation Prom is designed to create awareness and foster responsible decision-making among our teens during prom season. A way for parents to get involved is by supporting your teen’s participation and discussing the importance of responsible choices.

If you have any questions, need more information, or you would like to opt your student out of the learning opportunity please feel free to contact Mr. Kracht or Mrs. Wagner at 319-367-0500.

Some of the material may be graphic in nature since it will be a simulated accident scene.

Domestic Disturbance in Mt. Pleasant Between Teenagers

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 7:41 am CDT

On February 21st, 2024, at approximately 11:14 PM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a domestic disturbance at 1801-43 Green Valley Drive, Mount Pleasant. An investigation into the incident determined Emanuel Nunez-Villarreal, 19, of Mount Pleasant and Tessany Jackson, 18, of Mount Pleasant, got into a physical altercation causing personal injury to one another. During the investigation, Law Enforcement was able to determine Tessany was eight weeks pregnant.

Emanuel was arrested and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault of Pregnant Person w/Intent to Inflict Serious Injury. Tessany was arrested and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault – Injury or Mental Illness.

Sports, March 5th

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 6:38 am CDT

Boys’ State Basketball

A defensive battle was expected between two of the top defenses in Class 1A, but no one expected #4 Winfield-Mt. Union to quite manhandle #5 Lynnville-Sully the way they did in the first and fourth quarters to win 54-37. The Wolves jumped out to a 7 to 2 lead at the end of the first yet the Hawks stuck around, trailing 32 to 26 heading into the fourth quarter. Winfield-Mt. Union, helped along by Carter Loyd’s 12 second half points, exploded on offense with a 17 to 0 run to seal the win. Head coach Klay Edwards did not have any grand speech for his team entering the final quarter.

Cam Buffington shot 9 of 16 from the field to finish with a game high 21 points as he also grabbed nine rebounds in the win. Buffington talked about how important this win was for the community. Coach Edwards echoed a similar sentiment as the team will compete against North Linn tomorrow, March 6th, at 5:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:15 pm.

In other Class 1A Quarterfinal contests, #8 Woodbine hung around with #1 North Linn for three quarters but the Lynx were too strong as they buried seven threes as a team and shot 53.1% for the game to win 75-59. Mason Bechen led the way with 25 points in the game. Landon Blum was the leading scorer for Woodbine with 23 points as he made seven threes by himself.

On the bottom half of the bracket, #2 Marquette Catholic was on upset alert against #7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck, but Marquette Catholic pulled out the win 45-36 in a defensive battle. Eli Scott led the Defenders with 14 points. 

In the final Class 1A game of the day, #3 Lake Mills defeated #6 North Union 58-50. Four starters for the Bulldogs finished in double figures as Aiden Stensrud collected a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds in the win. 

#2 Marquette Catholic will face off against #3 Lake Mills tomorrow at 7:15 pm. 

Class 2A had the top half of the bracket compete against one another last night and #1 Western Christian ran past #8 Regina Catholic 56-34. Kaden VanRegenmorter finished with a double-double as he cashed in for 19 points and grabbed 10 boards in the win. 

To round out the night, #4 West Burlington and #5 Treynor had the most competitive game with both teams going on streaks throughout the game. 

The Cardinals held the lead for most of the game until the Falcons outscored Treynor 25 to 18 in the third quarter to lead 53 to 50 entering the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Treynor would have the final run to win 73-63 as the Cardinals put up 23 points, which included going 12 of 13 from the free throw line, while limiting West Burlington to just 10 points. Mason Watkins scored 22 points in the loss as Quincy Collins had a nice game with 14 points. The Falcons finished the season with a 22-1 record. 

#1 Western Christian will take on #5 Treynor on Thursday, March 7th, at 10:30 am. 

Class 2A will finish their quarterfinal matchups and Class 3A will complete their quarterfinal matchups today as well.

College Basketball

The #3 Iowa women’s team heads into the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, March 8th, with a 26-4 record. 

The Iowa State women’s team heads into the Big 12 Tournament on March 7th with an 18-10 record. 

The #6 Iowa State men’s team will suit up for a home matchup against BYU on Wednesday, March 6th, at 8 pm.

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

This Day in Sports History

1955 – Second ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: North Carolina State beats Duke, 87-77.

1973 – Yankees pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson became the centerpiece of media attention after the two decided to swap wives. The bizarre trade took place in the summer of 1972 before it was made public ahead of the 1973 season.

1985 – NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy is 1st to score 50 goals in 8 straight seasons.

Multiple Arrests Reported over Weekend in Henry County

By Yorke Prough · Monday, March 4th, 2024 at 2:35 pm CDT

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrests of three people over the weekend.

On Friday at approximately 10:50 PM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office observed a vehicle travel 65 M.P.H. in a 55 M.P.H. posted speed zone within the 2200-grid of Racine Avenue, in rural Mount Union, Iowa. A traffic stop was initiated on the vehicle, identifying the driver as Barbara Damerval, 62, of Winfield, Iowa.

Barbara was arrested and charged with Operating While Under the Influence. She was also given a written warning for speed.

Two nights later, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on a car which was being operated by Ryan Lilly, 24, of Keokuk, Iowa.

Ryan was arrested and charged for Driving While License Denied or Revoked.

On March 3rd, 2024 at approximately 12:29PM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a possible vehicle crash in the 3100 block of Benton Avenue.  An investigation into this report determined Clayton Gerdin, 23, of Solon, had been driving northbound on Benton Avenue in a UTV when he lost control of the vehicle.  Gerdin was subsequently arrested and charged with Operating While Intoxicated, 2nd Offense, an aggravated misdemeanor, and Failure to Maintain Control, a scheduled violation.

Boys’ State Basketball: Winfield-Mt. Union Advances to the Semifinals

By Slaten Swords · Monday, March 4th, 2024 at 2:34 pm CDT

Des Moines, IA- The closest game of the quarterfinals tends to be the 4-seed versus 5-seed game and for three quarters the Winfield-Mt. Union and Lynnville-Sully contest was close. The Wolves went on to win 54-37 after a dominating fourth quarter.

Head coach Klay Edwards said the strength of his squad rested on their defense and the Wolves were tenacious to say the least, limiting the Hawks to just two points in the second quarter and 37 for the whole game against a team that usually puts up 64 points a game.

The first quarter was a slog for both offenses with Winfield-Mt. Union scoring only 7 points on 23.1% shooting from the field. Cam Buffington caught fire in the second quarter as he had 13 points at halftime, but the Hawks had battled back to make it a 21 to 18 lead at half for the Wolves.

Corder Noun Harder carried the Hawks in the first half, but much like the team in the second half went quiet with only 5 of his team leading 14 points coming in the second half.

Buffington continued his dominate performance in the second half as every one of his shots, no matter how acrobatic, fell as he finished with 21 points and nine rebounds. Buffington talked about amazing it feels to represent the community,

“Yeah, it means everything to me. One thing I told the whole team, you know what being at the Dome for football and you know, a lot of us are on the state track teams, you know, like we’ve performed, like at every major state event. So, I mean, we could come in here, you know, no nerves to just play, you know? And that’s what a lot of I mean Coach should just come in. Just play loose, just have fun.”

Yet, entering the fourth quarter the Wolves nursed only a 32 to 26 lead after Lynnville-Sully was able to hang around. That prompted a 17 to 0 run in the fourth quarter after Carter Loyd scored all 12 of his points in the second half and Jake Edwards went 3 for 4 from downtown to finish with 9 points in the game.

Abram Edwards helped lead the defensive charge with four of the team’s nine blocks as he also cashed in for 9 points. For coach Edwards it reminded him of Abram growing up and working on his post moves on the homemade court.

A feeling of family and community permeated throughout everyone’s talk after the game and for coach Edwards it was nice to bring home a win,

“You know it’s been a while since we’ve had somebody back up here and not just for Winfield, but I think for like Southeast Iowa, we’ve had. We’ve had teams get up here a decent amount here recently and nobody could just come away with a win. There’s been some good games, but just just the fact that we represent southeast Iowa, the Super Conference, the North Division and you know, bring back a win to Southeast Iowa. It feels really good.”

Winfield-Mt. Union will now take on #1 North Linn on Wednesday, March 6th, at 5:30 pm in the Class 1A semifinals. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will have the call with the pregame show at 5:15 pm.

Total Points

WMU: Buffington 21, Loyd 12, J. Edwards 9, A. Edwards 9, Hemsworth 3

L-S: Noun Harder 14, Miller 9, Sieck 6, Van Dyke 5, Maston 3