A Keokuk man was arrested on felony and misdemeanor drug charges following a traffic stop. The Keokuk Police Department conducted a stop in the 1400 block of Bank St. where the driver then fled on foot. Shortly after, he was apprehended and identified as Rick Keegan Tinder. He was found to be in possession of controlled substances as well as a firearm at the time of his arrest.

Rick Keegan Tinder, age 29, of Keokuk 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, Iowa drug tax stamp violation, a class D felony, and Possession of a controlled substance, a serious misdemeanor.

The Keokuk Police Department assisted in this investigation utilizing grant funding from the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau to conduct a joint law enforcement saturation project along with the Lee County Narcotics Task Force. Also assisting the investigation is 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.

Governor Kim Reynolds issued the following statement on the death of Bill Northey who served as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture from 2007 to 2018, and as Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2018 to 2021:

“Bill was a great leader whose work ethic and passion for Iowa agriculture was unmatched. Iowans and farmers around the country were fortunate to have such a rock-solid advocate and friend,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “Bill understood well our responsibility to be good stewards of the land and exemplified that calling throughout his career. But his life’s greatest role was as a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Bill will be missed. Kevin and I offer our deepest condolences and prayers to Cindy and their family.”

Gov. Reynolds has ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff immediately and remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of Northey’s funeral and internment.

Flags will be flown at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex. Flags will also be at half-staff on all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state.

Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

Free Help With Your FAFSA!

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Mount Pleasant High School

Tuesday February 27, 2024

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

High School Media Center

Students Bring your Laptop!

Parent and Student need to attend.

What to bring:

1) SSN’s for both student and both parents if married or remarried with names as shown on social security cards

2) dates of birth

3) emails addresses (both student and parents) that they can access on their cellphones (make sure to bring cellphones)

4) 2023 taxes (1040)

5) student should bring their driver’s license (if they have one).

Students and Parents MUST have a FSA ID before they can complete the FAFSA application.

Create FSA ID https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch

If you have questions please contact our school counselor Mrs. Sasha Steele – sasha.steele@mtpcsd.org

On February 3^rd, 2024, at approximately 10:54 p.m., Henry County Dispatch received a driving complaint of a dark colored passenger vehicle swerving all over the road on Highway 218, headed towards Mount Pleasant.  At approximately 10:59 p.m., the Henry County Sheriff’s Office intercepted the vehicle near mile marker forty-three on Highway 218 and performed a traffic stop. The traffic stop identified the driver as, Nelson Flores, 22, of Washington, Iowa.

Mr. Flores was arrested and charged with Use of an Electronic Communications Device, Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability, Open Container, and Reckless Driving. An Operating While Intoxicated investigation is still pending.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced today that the deadline to apply for Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant Program has been extended by two weeks, from February 9 at 12:00 p.m. to February 23 at 12:00 p.m. Initial interest in the grant program has been strong, however industry feedback expressed that a two week extension will provide more dairies with additional time to gather information to complete the application on ChooseIowa.com.

The Iowa Legislature authorized the grant program during the 2023 legislative session with the intent of helping smaller dairies and farmers increase on-farm dairy processing, reduce labor costs, and expand the selection of Iowa dairy products. The highly competitive grant will match up to $100,000 per project. The concept builds off the success of other recent Iowa cost-share grant programs, including the Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant and the Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Program, both of which are also aimed at increasing the availability of local food and boosting local processing capacity. The program has an initial overall budget of $750,000.

“The Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant Program will help Iowa dairy farms cost-share the addition of new on-farm processing equipment or labor-saving technology, both of which will ultimately lead to the availability of more Iowa dairy products for consumers to enjoy,” said Secretary Naig. “Because this highly competitive grant will create more markets, more consumer choice, and more economic opportunities in rural Iowa, it should come as no surprise that the initial interest from dairy farmers has been very promising. This two-week deadline extension will ensure more farmers can gather the information they need to get a strong application submitted by February 23.”

The cost-share grants could, for example, help dairies invest in pasteurization equipment, processing vats, packaging and labeling products, robots, health monitoring, automated feeding systems or cleaning assistance. The program funds are not eligible to cover start-up costs, advertising, public relations, salary/benefits/wages, existing debt or any expenses incurred prior to awarding the grant.

The following are example scenarios that would be eligible for the cost-share grants:

• Farmer A wants to purchase a $120,000 rotary cup filling machine to fill yogurt. Farmer A requests $60,000. Farmer A must have $60,000 of his own funding with either personal cash or financing to match.
• Farmer B is purchasing health monitoring equipment for his herd for $65,000. Farmer B is requesting $32,500. Farmer B must have $32,500 in funding with cash or financing for the match.
• Farmer C is purchasing two robotic milkers for $380,000. Farmer C can apply for up to $100,000. Farmer C must provide the remaining $280,000 to receive $100,000.

Successful applicants must be located in Iowa, have fewer than 50 employees, and be in good standing with pertinent regulatory agencies. Only dairies permitted and inspected by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship are eligible. Full details about the cost-share grant program, including financial matching requirements, application, eligibility and scoring are available on the Choose Iowa website.

Applications should be submitted through the online portal on the Choose Iowa website and are due by 12:00 p.m. on Friday, February 23, 2024. Grant recipients will be announced in April 2024. Questions about the Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Fund Grant Program may be directed to Choose Iowa Director Beth Romer at chooseiowagrant@iowaagriculture.gov.