Justin Rodgers

By Yorke Prough · Monday, February 19th, 2024 at 5:56 am CDT

Justin Rodgers, 46, of Winfield, died unexpectedly Friday, February 16, 2024, at Henry County Health Center.

Justin was born August 17, 1977, in Mount Pleasant, the son of David L. and Joan (Rich) Rodgers. He graduated from WACO High School in 1996, and Kirkwood Community College in 2011, with an Associate of Science Degree. Justin worked for Boshart Sales in Wayland for the past 10 years. He was a member of the Finley United Methodist Church. Justin was passionate about John Deere tractors, leading to a collection of toy tractors. Dogs were his best friend. He enjoyed gardening, fishing, and spending time outdoors. Most of all, Justin loved to spend time with his nieces and nephews.

Justin is survived by his parents Dave and Joan Rodgers of Mount Pleasant; two brothers Tyler (Angie) Rodgers of Mount Pleasant, Craig (Jessica) Rodgers of Des Moines; six nieces and nephews Ganon, Myar, Gradon, Alice, Hendricks, Bryant; grandmothers, Mary Rich of Wayland and Norma Rodgers of Mount Pleasant; and five aunts, Sandy (Jim) Hasler of Craig, CO, Kathy (Randy) Seberg of Mount Pleasant, Carol (Dennis) Hulseberg of Wellman, Robin (Scott) Fisher of New London, Tracy Rodgers of Des Moines, and many cousins.

He was preceded in death by his grandfathers Donald Rich, Cleo Rodgers; a cousin Rob Wells, and his beloved labradors Yukon and Hayden.

Funeral Service will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday, February 23, 2024, at Olson-Powell Chapel & Crematory. Burial will follow in the Finley Cemetery. Visitation will be held 12:00 – 7:00 p.m.  Thursday, February 22, where the family will greet friends beginning at 5:00 p.m. A memorial fund has been established for All God’s Creatures to honor his love of dogs. The Olson-Powell Chapel & Crematory is caring for Justin and his family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com

February 19, 2024 – February 25, 2024

By Allison Jacobs · Sunday, February 18th, 2024 at 3:58 pm CDT
02/19/24
Holly Jones
02/19/24
Jason Warner
02/19/24
Victoria Wilson
02/19/24
Barb Donnelly
02/20/24
Dean Aicher
02/20/24
Jean Barker
02/20/24
Lisa Dunn
02/20/24
Mason Fraker
02/20/24
Nadine Martin
02/20/24
Joseph Syfert
02/20/24
Kathy Goff
02/20/24
Belinda Allen
02/21/24
Scott McCarty
02/22/24
Nichole Franklin
02/22/24
Samuel Van De Berg
02/23/24
Martha Settles
02/24/24
Jeff McGohan
02/24/24
Scott Boles
02/24/24
Marilyn Vincent
02/24/24
Kendra Seibert
02/25/24
Tim Jacobs
02/25/24
Kyle Noble

Boys’ Prep Wrestling: Final Results from the 2024 State Tournament

By Slaten Swords · Sunday, February 18th, 2024 at 10:51 am CDT

Des Moines, IA– The 2024 Boys’ State Wrestling Tournament is over, and 42 state champions have been crowned across three classes and three team titles have been handed out. Here’s how our local wrestlers fared on Championship Saturday and the top team rankings.

The consolation bracket started early yesterday and starting with Class 1A, Gage Samo of WACO lost to Dallas Canoyer of Earlham by a 5-1 decision, sending him to the 5th place match. In a matchup against Cooper Hinz of Jesup, Samo and Hinz battled but it would go Hinz’s way by a 2-1 decision. Samo claimed 6th place.

In Class 2A, Carter West of Burlington Notre Dame defeated Jayson Stevens by a 6-0 decision to advance to the third-place match. He would go on to win the bronze of the 113-pound weight class by a 2-0 decision victory over Jon Gonzalez of West Marshall.

In the 126-pound weight class, CJ Davis of Burlington Notre Dame got a chance at the bronze after taking down Amare Chavez of South Tama County by an 8-2 decision; unfortunately, Landen Davis of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont would narrowly escape with a 3-1 decision win. Davis finished in 4th place.

Washington’s Aaron Boone defeated Mason Avila of Decorah to get to the third-place match in the 132-pound weight class but, ultimately, fell to Matt Beam of Glenwood by a 6-4 decision to finish in 4th place.

Nile Sinn of Williamsburg pulled off a sudden victory over Dirk Boyles of Burlington Notre Dame in the 150-pound weight class to take 7th place. Boyles finished in 8th place.

The 157-pound weight class featured Cason Miller of Fairfield taking down Karson Kolbert of NH/TV by a 2-1 decision, propelling him to the third-place match. Taylor Mahler of Hampton-Dumont-CAL would defeat Miller by a 3-0 decision. Miller claimed 4th place.

Advancing to Class 3A, Fort Madison had two wrestlers finish in the top 10. Nolan Riddle, 157-pound weight class, pinned Abe Bushong of Southeast Polk to take on Cinsere Clark of Valley for third place. Riddle would lose by a 7-3 decision to take 4th place.

Isaac Thacher battled for 7th place against Kolby Gibbons of Johnston, but Thacher would come up short, losing by a 3-1 decision to nab 8th place in the 190-pound weight class.

Championship Matches

This left four of our local wrestlers ready for the chance to exit Des Moines as an individual state champion.

In Class 1A, Louden Huisenga of WACO and MaKade Bloker of North Butler-Clarksville entered the 190-pound weight championship matchup undefeated. Unfortunately, Huisenga would fall by a 9-3 decision final to finish in 2nd place.

In Class 2A, Fairfield’s Cael McCabe lost to Klayten Perreault of Mt. Vernon by a 7-1 decision to finish as the runner-up in the 106-pound weight class.

The 132-pound weight class featured a rematch from earlier in the season as Kaiden Dietzenbach of Burlington Notre Dame was attempting to avenge his 9-2 decision loss to Kade Blume of Roland-Story in the Cliff Keen Independence Invitational. It was not meant to be, as Blume would go on to win by a similar decision final. Dietzenbach, a junior, has now finished in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place at the state tournament.

Lastly, Russel Coil of Columbus/Winfield Mt. Union fell to Mac Muller of Osage by an 8-3 decision to claim 2nd place in the 285-pound weight class.

Team Scores
Class 1A
Don Bosco (repeat): 183.5
Alburnett: 152
Wilton: 144

Class 2A
Osage (repeat): 128.5
Mt. Vernon: 110
Union: 95
Burlington Notre Dame: 79.5

Class 3A
Southeast Polk: 221.5
Bettendorf: 160
Fort Dodge: 119

We thank all of our sponsors for allowing us to cover the 2024 State Tournaments.

Fort Madison Man Found With Meth, Firearm

By Yorke Prough · Sunday, February 18th, 2024 at 8:23 am CDT
The Lee County Narcotics Task Force reports the arrest of a Fort Madison man on felony and misdemeanor drug charges.
John Allen Scott Jr, age 46, of Fort Madison is charged with: Possession of more than 5 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver while in possession of a firearm; a class B felony, Possession of a firearm by a felon, a class D felony; Iowa drug tax stamp violation; a class D felony, Maintaining a drug house; an aggravated misdemeanor, and Possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor.
The charges came after a search warrant was executed at a residence in Fort Madison where the defendant, John Scott, was found to be in possession of illegal narcotics and a firearm.
The Lee County Narcotics Task Force were assisted by the Fort Madison Police Department and the Lee County Attorney’s Office.
The defendant in this case is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The Lee County Narcotics Task Force is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Justice and the funds administered by the Iowa Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy.

Lynn Riley

By Yorke Prough · Sunday, February 18th, 2024 at 8:20 am CDT

Lynn Riley, 65, of New London, died Wednesday, February 14, 2024 at her home, surrounded by her family.

Lynn was born October 26, 1958 in Keokuk, Iowa. She was the daughter of Donald and Shirley (Foley) Glover. She graduated from Central Lee High School in 1977 and from Iowa Wesleyan College in 1982. On August 25, 1984, Lynn was united in marriage to Karl Dennis Riley at the First United Methodist Church in Mt. Pleasant.

Lynn had a lengthy career in children’s education. She started a Daycare in the basement of the New London Presbyterian Church. She then accepted a position as an elementary school teacher for the Winfield/Mt. Union School District, teaching 3rd grade for 20 years. Following her full-time teaching career, Lynn became a substitute teacher for the Danville and New London School districts.

Lynn was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Mt. Pleasant and served on the church’s Board of Trustees. She served as a director for the New London Library Board and on the New London Fire Department Auxiliary. Lynn was active in the Black and Gold Booster Club, New London Little League and the New London Music Boosters.

Lynn enjoyed the outdoors, unless the Dallas Cowboys Football Team was on TV, as she was a huge Cowboy fan. Christmas and snowmen were not just seasonal, as they were a big part of Lynn’s life year-round. Christmas music could often be heard, and Christmas décor could be found wherever Lynn was. Family was most important to Lynn, but they all quickly learned their place when granddaughter Addy appeared on the scene. Addy was her treasured pride and joy.

Those thankful for sharing in Lynn’s life include her husband Karl of nearly 40 years of New London; 3 children – Cale Riley of Mt. Pleasant, Kelsey Bradley and her husband Josh of Mt. Pleasant and Jordan Riley of Danville; her mother, Shirley Glover of Mt. Pleasant; her sister, Ann Glover of Mt. Pleasant and, of course, her granddaughter Addy Bradley of Mt. Pleasant.

Her father Donald Glover precedes Lynn in death.

The funeral service for Lynn will be 11:00 AM on Saturday, February 24th at the First United Methodist Church, 309 North Main Street, Mt. Pleasant. The Reverend Court Fischer, Senior Pastor, will officiate. Friends may come to the church from 12 Noon to 8 PM on Friday, February 23rd. The family will be present to receive friends from 4-7 PM on the 23rd.

Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the family. The Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant, is caring for Lynn and her family. Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com.

 

Craig M. Peck

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, February 17th, 2024 at 6:37 am CDT

Craig M. Peck, 72, a resident of Fairfield, passed away, Thursday, February 15, 2024 at his home.

Visitation for family and friends will be Tuesday, February 20, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield. A memorial service will follow at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Gabriel Claussen officiating. Burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery in Fairfield. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Craig was born April 11, 1951 in Ottumwa, the son of Glenn and Jennie (Sterner) Peck. He married Dixie Garrels, May 4, 1974 in Kahoka, Missouri.

Craig worked as a welder for ACCO Babcock in Fairfield. He enjoyed hunting, watching Iowa Hawkeye football, and cherished his time spent with his grandchildren.

Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Dixie; daughters, Brandi Peck of Whitsett, North Carolina and Kimberli (Jason) Sands of Dunn, North Carolina; step-son, Kelly Nicholson of Adair, Iowa; grandchildren, Ashlyn and Jenyka Sands, Cassie and Keenan Nicholson; four great-grandchildren; and his sister, Connie (Larry) Harryman of Fairfield.

He was preceded in death by his parents

Online condolences may be made to Craig’s family by viewing his obituary at www.behnerfh.com

Sports, February 17th

By Slaten Swords · Saturday, February 17th, 2024 at 6:25 am CDT

Girls’ Regional Basketball

In Class 1A Region 7, Danville has now won 19 games in-a-row after defeating Lynnville-Sully last night 51-50 after the Bears had found themselves down by as many as 16 during the game. Danville will take on Calamus-Wheatland on Wednesday, February 21st, at 7 pm at Muscatine High School. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

In Class 1A Region 8, #15 Holy Trinity Catholic’s comeback fell short against Montezuma last night in the regional semifinal 60-44. The Crusaders were outscored 27 to 5 in the second quarter as the Braves made eight threes in the first half. Seniors Natalie Randolph and Mary Kate Bendlage combined for 31 points as head coach Tony Johnson discussed their contribution to the Crusaders program. Holy Trinity Catholic finished with a 20-3 record on the season.

For Class 2A Region 6, Columbus fell to North Mahaska 61-22 last night. The Wildcats finished the season with a 15-6 record. 

In Class 3A Region 1, Mediapolis will face off against Mt. Vernon tonight at 7 pm in Mt. Vernon.

In Class 4A Region 1, Keokuk will host Fort Madison tonight at 7 pm with the winner taking on either Clear Creek-Amana or Oskaloosa in the Regional Championship.

Boys’ District Basketball

Starting in Class 1A Substate 5 District 9, Burlington Notre Dame and Winfield-Mt. Union will face off on Tuesday, February 20th, at 7 pm at Mediapolis High School. KILJ AM 1130, 98.5 FM, and kilj.com will be on the call.

In Substate 5 District 10, Holy Trinity Catholic will face off against North Mahaska on Tuesday at 7 pm at Ottumwa Evans Middle School. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call.

Class 2A, Substate 4 District 7, West Burlington will take on West Branch at West Liberty High School on Tuesday at 7 pm.

For Class 3A Substate 5, Mt. Pleasant will hit the road to take on Keokuk. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. Washington will face off against Clear Creek-Amana and Fort Madison faces off against Williamsburg. 

In Class 3A Substate 4, Fairfield will take on Marion on the road.

In Class 4A Substate 3, Burlington snatched the sixth seed and will travel to Davenport, West for their first-round matchup. 

The first round for classes 3A and 4A will begin on Monday, February 19th, at 7 pm.

High School Wrestling

Championship Saturday will begin today and we have 13 local wrestlers competing. In Class 1A, Louden Huisenga is looking to end the season with a perfect record and the 190-pound championship. Gage Samo is vying for third place in the 113-pound weight class. 

In Class 2A, Burlington Notre Dame’s Kaiden Dietzenbach, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union’s Russel Coil, and Fairfield’s Cael McCabe will all be competing for a state championship.

Class 3A will see Fort Madison’s Nolan Riddle and Burlington’s Braxton Hutchinson looking to finish in third place, while Isaac Thacher will wrestle for 7th place.

High School Bowling

The state tournament will begin on Monday, February 19th, as the Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will have Addie McGehearty, Bethany Drury, and Kya Goodrich competing as individuals. 

College Basketball

The #4 Iowa women’s team will travel to take on #12 Indiana on Thursday, February 22nd, at 7 pm.

The Iowa State women’s team will face off against #5 Texas today at 3 pm on the road. 

The #10 Iowa State men’s team will host Texas Tech today at 11 am.

The Iowa men’s team will take on #20 Wisconsin today at 1:15 pm at home.

This Day in Sports History

1974 – 16th Daytona 500: Richard Petty becomes the first driver to win back-to-back titles at Daytona; his 5th Great American race.

1998 – The USA Women’s Ice Hockey Team beats Canada and wins the first Olympic Gold medal.

2012 – Approximately 70 ancient Olympic artifacts are stolen from the Archaeological Museum of Greece.

Boys’ Prep Wrestling: Two Local Wrestlers Vying for a Chance at Third Place in Class 3A

By Slaten Swords · Saturday, February 17th, 2024 at 12:11 am CDT

Des Moines, IA- Day three of the 2024 Boys’ wrestling state tournament is in the books and championship Saturday is set, here’s how our local wrestlers from Class 3A performed.

Burlington’s Braxton Hutchinson defeated Coby Fiser of Bondurant-Farrar by sudden victory to start the day then pinned Elijah Hyet of Dubuque Hempstead to move on in the consolation bracket in the 106-pound weight class. He will wrestle Dylan Munson with the winner moving on to the third-place match.

Fort Madison saw Nolan Riddle, 157-pound weight class, pick up two wins by fall in the consolation bracket against Dominic Tigner of Norwalk and Wyatt Vlasek of Prairie to keep his 3rd place hopes alive. Riddle will compete against Abe Bushong.

In the 190-pound weight class, Isaac Thacher pinned Wyatt Young of Cedar Rapids Washington in his first match of the consolation bracket but fell to Jackson Van Kley of Pella by a 6-0 decision. Thacher will wrestle Kolby Gibbons of Johnston for 7th place.

KILJ will update as the tournament progresses.