Reminder: Mount Pleasant Schools Online Registration is Now Open

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, July 21st, 2025 at 8:16 am CDT

Mount Pleasant, Iowa — The Mount Pleasant Community School District would like to remind families that online registration for the 2025-2026 school year is now OPEN.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to visit the district’s website at www.mtpcsd.org to access the official registration letter, which outlines important steps and information needed to complete your child’s enrollment.

Early registration helps the district plan effectively for the upcoming school year, including classroom assignments, transportation, and meal services. Families should complete the online process as soon as possible to ensure a smooth start for students this fall.

If you have any questions or need assistance, contact your child’s school office or the district administrative office.

Don’t wait—head to www.mtpcsd.org today and get your student registered!

Danville City Council to Hold Public Hearing on Sewer Rate Increase Monday

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, July 21st, 2025 at 8:15 am CDT

Danville, Iowa – The Danville City Council will convene for its regular session this afternoon at Danville City Hall, with the meeting starting at 5:15 p.m. The session will open with a public hearing on Resolution 2025-26, which proposes a sewer rate increase. The hearing will include time for public comment before being closed and transitioning into the council’s regular business agenda.

Key Items on the Agenda:

  • Public Hearing – Resolution 2025-26: Sewer Rates Increase
    • Citizens will have the opportunity to provide input on the proposed increase to sewer rates.
  • June 2025 Sheriff’s Report
    • Council will review and potentially act on law enforcement activities reported for the month of June.
  • Grant and Financing Hearings Scheduled
    • Council will discuss setting two public hearings for August 4, 2025:
      • One regarding an AMI Grid grant application.
      • Another on a Loan and Disbursement Agreement with the Iowa Finance Authority, which would authorize up to $4.97 million in Sewer Revenue Capital Loan Notes to fund wastewater infrastructure improvements.
  • Fire and Public Works Updates
    • The Fire Chief and Building Inspector will present a report, including a driveway permit approval.
    • The Public Works Department will submit a written report, with the council expected to take action. Additional discussion may follow concerning a DNR report, if action is warranted.
  • Council Correspondence   
    • The council will also review and discuss a letter submitted by Bob and Janet Hesler.

The council encourages public attendance and participation. As allowed by Iowa Code 21.8, the meeting may be conducted electronically if necessary.

The next regular meeting of the Danville City Council is scheduled for Monday, August 4, 2025, beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Celebrate Iowa’s Countryside at the 16th Annual J40 Farm Crawl

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, July 21st, 2025 at 8:15 am CDT

Van Buren County, Iowa – Discover the charm of rural Iowa at the 16th Annual J40 Farm Crawl, happening Saturday, August 9, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. along scenic Highway J40 in the Villages of Van Buren County.

This self-guided tour spans 40 miles of the Historic Hills Scenic Byway, connecting visitors with farms, artisan shops, and family-owned businesses. Enjoy hands-on experiences, fresh local food, and genuine small-town hospitality.

Event highlights include:

  • Amish breakfast from 8:00 a.m.–Noon at Lebanon Amish School
  • Farm tours, flowers, livestock, and greenhouses
  • Horse-drawn wagon rides, live music, and artisan demos
  • Homemade goods—baked treats, cheese, mead, syrup, and more
  • Courtyard Market in Keosauqua featuring local vendors and handmade crafts

Popular stops include Bloom and Bark Farm, Milton Creamery, Miller’s Bakery, and Yoder’s Indian Creek Furniture.

“The J40 Farm Crawl is more than just an event—it’s an invitation to experience the slower, sweeter side of Iowa,” said Emily Starnes, co-coordinator and Executive Director of the Villages of Van Buren.

Admission is free. Visitors are encouraged to bring cash, wear comfortable shoes, and come ready for a day of food, fun, and fresh country air.

To view the full list of stops or download the event brochure, visit villagesofvanburen.com or follow J40 Farm Crawl on Facebook.

New London 4-H Hosting Sweet Corn Sale on July 22

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, July 21st, 2025 at 8:14 am CDT

New London, Iowa – Local families and sweet corn lovers alike will have something to look forward to this summer as the New London 4-H club prepares for its annual Sweet Corn Sale. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22 through Saturday July 26th beginning at 8:30 a.m. in New London Park.

Just 5$ a dozen

Each year, this fundraiser helps support 4-H youth development programs in the area. Funds raised go toward club projects, educational activities, and opportunities for young members to participate in regional and state fairs.

Shoppers are encouraged to arrive early, as the event is known to draw a crowd and sell out quickly. The locally grown sweet corn is harvested fresh and typically available by the dozen.

In addition to raising money for a good cause, the sale highlights the dedication and hard work of local 4-H members who help plant, tend, and harvest the corn themselves.

Moline Business Owner Charged with Forgery and Identity Theft in Iowa Insurance Fraud Case

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, July 21st, 2025 at 8:14 am CDT

Des Moines, Iowa – Dennis Flaherty, 74, of Moline, Illinois, and owner of Continental Fire Adjusters based in Bettendorf, has been charged with multiple felonies following an investigation conducted by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.

According to officials, Flaherty faces one count of Forgery, a Class D felony, and three counts of Identity Theft, classified as Class C felonies. The charges stem from an investigation that began in August 2024.

Criminal complaints allege that Flaherty forged the signatures of both his clients and their financial institutions on insurance proceeds checks. Authorities say he then deposited those checks into his business’s bank account without the knowledge or consent of the victims involved.

Flaherty was booked into the Scott County Jail on July 2, 2024, and later released after posting a $35,000 bond.

No further information has been released at this time. The Iowa Insurance Division encourages anyone with knowledge of insurance fraud to contact their Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

2025 Louisa County Fair Kicks Off with Changes Amid Flooding

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, July 21st, 2025 at 8:08 am CDT

Louisa County, Iowa – The 2025 Louisa County Fair began on Saturday with excitement and adjustments, as flooding at the fairgrounds forced several changes to the traditional schedule and venues.

The fair opened with Clover Kids exhibit talks and interviews, giving young participants the opportunity to showcase their projects and practice public speaking. However, heavy rainfall over the weekend left the Louisa County Fairgrounds flooded, resulting in cancellations and venue changes for Sunday’s activities.

Sunday’s church service and breakfast were canceled, and Family Night—along with the much-anticipated Fair Queen Coronation—was moved indoors to the Columbus Community High School gymnasium.

Plans for the rest of the week remain fluid, depending on how quickly conditions at the fairgrounds improve. As of now, the dog show is expected to begin this morning at 9:00 a.m., with livestock check-in scheduled for 5:30 p.m. that afternoon.

Tuesday promises a busy day at the fair, featuring the Poultry Show at 10:00 a.m. and the beloved Louisa County Cattlemen Dinner starting at noon.

Wednesday is packed with livestock events, beginning with the Sheep Show at 8:00 a.m., followed by the Goat Show starting approximately 30 minutes after the sheep judging concludes. Bucket bottle calf interviews will take place later in the evening.

Thursday highlights include the Beef Show at 9:00 a.m., the Rabbit Show at 2:00 p.m., and the thrilling Stock Car Races at 7:00 p.m.

On Friday, the Swine Show kicks off at 8:00 a.m., followed by the always popular Truck and Tractor Pull at 6:30 p.m.

Thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers making the 2025 Louisa County Fair possible, especially amid weather challenges. Be sure to follow KILJ for updates throughout the week.

2025 Des Moines County Fair Kicks Off July 22 with Livestock Shows

By Hayden Douglas · Monday, July 21st, 2025 at 8:06 am CDT

Des Moines County, Iowa – The 2025 Des Moines County Fair is set to run from Monday, July 22 through Sunday, July 28, bringing with it a full week of livestock competitions, youth activities, and classic fair fun at the fairgrounds. Campers are already arriving, and livestock check-ins are underway as the grounds come to life for this highly anticipated summer tradition.

Livestock shows begin Wednesday, July 23, with a busy lineup:

  • 8:00 a.m. – Rabbit Show
  • 9:00 a.m. – Bucket Bottle Interviews
  • 11:00 a.m. – Dog Show
  • 2:00 p.m. – Poultry Show

Thursday continues with even more fair favorites, including the swine show, dog agility demonstrations, and the always fun rabbit costume contest.

Friday’s spotlight event is the 4-H Beef Show, while Saturday kicks off with the sheep and lamb shows starting at 8:00 a.m.

Throughout the week, fair-goers can enjoy:

  • Kids’ games
  • Pedal pull contests
  • Local talent shows
  • And, of course, plenty of delicious fair food

A big thank-you goes out to the Des Moines County Fair sponsors for supporting this year’s live coverage. Be sure to tune in to KILJ Radio throughout the week for live updates and full 4-H and FFA show results from the 2025 Des Moines County Fair.

Sports, July 21st

By Slaten Swords · Monday, July 21st, 2025 at 6:43 am CDT

Postseason Baseball

Classes 1A and 2A will be heading to Merchants Park in Carroll, Iowa, to start their journey to the state championship today for Class 1A and tomorrow, July 22nd, for Class 2A. Here’s the matchups.

To start off the day in Class 1A, #8 Hillcrest Academy will square off against #1 Remsen St. Mary’s at 11 am. 

#4 Martensdale-St. Marys will compete against #5 Kee at 1:30 pm, followed by #2 Lynnville-Sully facing off against #7 East Buchanan. The night cap at 7 pm will be #3 Saint Ansgar taking on #6 Logan-Magnolia.

For Class 2A tomorrow, #1 Underwood will attempt to defend their first state title against #8 Cascade at 11 am.

#5 Mediapolis will play #4 Unity Christian at 1:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 1:15 pm. 

At 4:30 pm, #3 Van Meter will take on #6 Chariton and #2 Pleasantville and #7 West Lyon will end the night at 7 pm.

Class 3A and Class 4A will be heading to Lewis and Clark Park in Sioux City for a one-year layover before returning to Cedar Rapids next season. Here are the matchups.

In Class 3A, #1 Wahlert Catholic enters as the favorite as they take on #8 Boone to start today’s slate of games at 11:30 am. The winner of that matchup will face off against the winner between #4 Assumption and #5 Saydel. On the bottom half of the bracket, #2 Pella will compete against #7 Sergeant Bluff-Luton at 5 pm and #3 Bishop Heelan will have their showdown with #6 Carlisle.

Class 4A will get started on Tuesday morning with #6 Waukee attempting to upset #3 Iowa City High at 11:30 am. At 2 pm, #2 Johnston and #7 Prairie will square off, followed by #4 Waukee Northwest versus #5 Iowa City Liberty at 5 pm. #1 Sioux City East and #8 Bettendorf will be the night cap at 7:30 pm.

All-Southeast Conference Baseball Team

The Southeast Conference (SEC) released the All-Conference teams yesterday and Fairfield led the way, fielding five 1st Teamers, while Mt. Pleasant put up three on the 1st Team.

Fairfield successfully defended their SEC title this season, turning in a 13-2 conference record. Dain Burkhart was named 1st Team pitcher after leading the conference with eight wins and tossing the third lowest ERA with a 2.18. Additionally, his slash line of 0.391/0.496/0.427 percentages and 24 RBIs helped his campaign to be named SEC Player of the Year.

Luke Konczal and Cason Miller found a spot on the 1st Team Infield as Konczal led the conference with a 0.481 batting average and an 0.673 slugging percentage, clouting a league-high 12 doubles and Miller also touted a 0.600 slugging percentage with five doubles, two triples, and a home run as he knocked in 18 runs.

Lastly for the 1st Team, Aiden Westercamp found a spot for the outfield and Dayson Workman was named 1st Team utility. Westercamp held a conference-high 40 RBIs on nine doubles and a triple, while Workman yielded 29 walks for the third highest on-base percentage. 

Voss Richardson (pitcher), Zandrik Allison (catcher), and Ethan Bisgard (outfielder) were named to the 2nd Team, while Archer Kreuter and Jacob Crew were named Honorable Mentions.

Mt. Pleasant was headlined by sophomore 1st Team pitcher Grayson Lowery. Despite the limited experience entering the season, Lowery quickly grabbed onto the team’s ace status with a 1.98 ERA, conference best, striking out 41 and earning six wins. 

Payton Walker was named 1st Team catcher as he turned in a 0.386 season average with a 0.545 on-base percentage due to his 20 hit-by-pitches taken, leaving him two shy of the Mt. Pleasant school record held by Blake Heitmeier, who is the head coach of the state bound Carlisle Wildcats. 

After a slow start to the season, J.C. Sitar caught fire and finished the season with two home runs on a 0.411 batting average, 0.500 on-base percentage, and a 0.589 slugging percentage. He also collected 39 RBIs and 11 doubles, both ranked second in the conference. 

Zach Newton (pitcher) and Brayton Hutson (infielder) were named to the 2nd Team, while Liam Marshall and Cooper Coleman were named Honorable Mentions. 

Burlington’s Evan Hecox (pitcher), Logan Messer (infielder), Ian Mason (outfielder), Caden Zaugg (outfielder), and Fort Madison’s Tateum Schelich (utility) rounded out the 1st Team.

Postseason Softball

Class 4A will begin the state tournament today with #1 Xavier tasked with #8 Pella at 10 am. #4 Dallas Center-Grimes will play #5 ADM at 10:30 am. #7 North Scott will be looking for the upset against #2 Norwalk, while #3 North Polk will attempt to take down #6 Western Dubuque.

Class 5A will hold the early afternoon contests with #1 Waukee Northwest playing #8 Dowling Catholic. #4 Ankeny Centennial will continue their rivalry with #5 Valley at 3 pm. #2 Linn-Mar will compete against #7 Pleasant Valley at 4:45 pm and #3 Southeast Polk will act as the home team against #6 Cedar Falls.

Class 3A’s bracket will be split between today and tomorrow, July 22nd, with the top half of the bracket being the nightcaps with #1 Wahlert Catholic facing off against #8 Center Point-Urbana and #4 PCM linking up with #5 West Liberty at 7:30 pm.

Tomorrow, #7 Washington will attempt to spoil #2 Williamsburg’s trip to Fort Dodge at 10 am and #3 Albia will take on #6 Estherville Lincoln Central at 10:30 am.

In Class 1A, Wayne grabbed the #1-seed with a 25-2 record and they will face off against the #8-seed Highland. #4 Riverside and #5 Newell-Fonda will link up in the early evening matchup. 

With a 28-4 record, #2 Clarksville will square off against #7 Newman Catholic with the winner scheduled to face off against the winner between #3 Wapsie Valley and #6 St. Edmond. 

Over in Class 2A, #1 Van Meter enters as the favorite as the Bulldogs look to defend their Class 2A title with an opening round matchup against #8 East Marshall. Grabbing the #4 and #5 seeds were Durant and West Fort, respectively.

#2 Louisa-Muscatine will compete against #7 West Monona. Lastly, #3 West Lyon will take on #6 Cascade at 3 pm. 

All-Southeast Conference Softball Team

Washington picked up their first outright conference title since 2013 after rattling off a 14-1 record in SEC play as they compete for a state title. Helping them reach that point was Leighton Salazar as she earned Conference Player of the Year honors. The junior touted a slash line of 0.530/0.577/0.659, which held top marks in the conference, while collecting 34 RBIs. She also led the conference with 53 steals. 

Fairfield had three Trojans earn a spot on the 1st Team in Olivia Hollander, Leah Helmick, and Lilly Bergren. Helmick destroyed the ball with five home runs and 14 doubles on her way to lead the conference with 50 RBIs. Bergren held sneaky power with four home runs and two triples as she knocked in 29 runs. Lastly, Hollander hit for a 0.453 average and worked 21 walks to finish the year with a 0.567 on-base percentage. 

Faith Jones and Laney Norris were named to the 2nd Team and Haylee Eklund and Emma Septer were Honorable Mentions. 

Mt. Pleasant had Saige Burchett and Keagyn Coleman earn spots on the All-SEC 2nd Team. Coleman led the team with 20 RBIs as the sophomore finished the season batting above 0.300 and tossed out five runners from behind the plate. Burchett’s return to the diamond was gradual, but eventually the power returned as she slugged six doubles and rallied in 17 runs on a 0.267 batting average. 

Parker Coleman and Izzy Sloat were named All-SEC Honorable Mentions for the Panthers.

To finish out the 1st Team, Washington: Leighton and Isabella Salazar, Ella and Colbie Greiner, and Alyvia Anderson. Burlington: Ava Bradenburg and Keirah Wiseman. Keokuk: Ada Wood and Kylie Sisk. Fort Madison: Brylie Lorence.

Local Athletic Summer Camps

The WACO youth volleyball camp for 5th through 8th graders and the high school camp’s registration due date is Wednesday, July 23rd. 

Check out this link for other local summer athletic camps: School Summer Camps

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees smacked the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes over the weekend 15-4 to extend their winning streak to five. Caleb Klein hit a grand slam in the effort. The Bees will face off against the Normal CornBelters tomorrow, July 22nd, on the road at 6:30 pm.

The Clinton LumberKings had two of their three games postponed or canceled over the weekend, defeating the Thrillville Thrillbillies 10-1 in the one game they were able to get in. The LumberKings will resume their matchup against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers tomorrow, leading 7-5 in the top of the 5th inning, before starting game two of their doubleheader at 6:30 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1945 – At Shibe Park the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers play 24 innings and settle for a 1-1 deadlock.

1968 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Pecan Valley GC: Julius Boros (48) becomes oldest winner of a major; wins by 1 stroke from Bob Charles & Arnold Palmer.

1985 – British Open Men’s Golf, Royal St George’s GC: Scotsman Sandy Lyle wins his only Open title by 1 stroke from runner-up Payne Stewart; last time the event featured double cut (after 36 and 54 holes), introduced in 1968.