InMotion Traveling to Keokuk for Power City Classic

By Yorke Prough · Friday, February 9th, 2024 at 8:42 am CDT

The Mount Pleasant InMotion show choir travels to Keokuk tomorrow for their second competition of the season. After a very successful home invitational last weekend, it seems excitement surrounds the group as they continue their charge this season.

The group, comprised of freshmen through seniors, and led by director Makenzie Kauffman-Ho is sure to put on a great show. According to the program, you can catch InMotion at 1:50pm on Saturday at the Keokuk High School. They are sandwiched between the only other 3A groups, Springfield and Fort Madison.  Tickets are $10 for adults and children under 5 are admitted for free.

Sports, February 9th

By Slaten Swords · Friday, February 9th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

Girls’ Basketball Regional Pairings

The first round of Class 1A Regionals tipped off last night across Iowa and here’s how our local teams fared. 

Class 1A Region 7 produced a contentious conference showdown between Danville and Burlington Notre Dame and despite the Nikes battling back from an 8 to 0 deficit to tie the game at halftime, the Bears outscored the Nikes 20 to 8 in the third quarter to win 65-55. 

It was a battle of the seniors as the Bears had Jaeda Molle cash in for 18 points, tally a couple key steals, and was a vacuum on the offensive glass. Head Coach Matt Morris talked about her performance after the game. Kenna Furnald added 19 points for Danville. 

For Burlington Notre Dame, Lauren Krieger finished her career with over 1,000 points after an 18 point performance to complement six steals. Taryn Stephens finished with 11 points and Nadiya Jones scored 7 points. Head Coach Cory Stephens discussed the leadership of the seniors after the game. 

Danville will travel to Lone Tree on Tuesday, February 13th, after the Lions clobbered Winfield-Mt. Union 73-14 last night. 

In Class 1A Region 8, WACO took down Hillcrest Academy 44-32 last night. Brenna Graber led the way with 15 points while Emma Wagler finished with 14 points in the win. The Warriors will travel to Montezuma on Tuesday at 7 pm. 

#15 Holy Trinity Catholic breezed past New London last night 80-14. The Crusaders will host English Valleys on Tuesday at 7 pm. 

For Class 2A Region 6, Van Buren County hits the road to face off against Pleasantville tomorrow at 7 pm. Columbus will host West Burlington on February 13th at 7 pm.

In Class 3A Region 1, Mediapolis will host Central Lee tomorrow at 7 pm.

In Class 3A Region 5, Fairfield will take on the top seed Solon on the road and Washington will host Davis County. Both games will take place tomorrow at 7 pm.

In Class 4A Region 1, Mt. Pleasant will hit the road to take on Oskaloosa for the second time this season as Oskaloosa won that matchup 55-17. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

The winner of this game will take on #1 Clear Creek-Amana, who boasts a 20-0 record. 

On the bottom half of the bracket, it will be a Southeast Conference matchup between Fort Madison and Burlington. These two have traded games this season with the Grayhounds winning round one 47-39 and the Bloodhounds taking the most recent contest 58-48. 

The winner will be tasked with a road matchup against Keokuk. The first-round is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, February 14th, at 7 pm.

Boys’ Basketball District Matchups

District play is set to begin tonight for the Class 1A preliminary round. All games will start at 7 pm. Here’s our local matchups.

In Class 1A Substate 5: District 9, New London and Columbus are set to rumble tonight at New London in the preliminary round with the winner moving on to play the top seed, #5 Winfield-Mt. Union. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call.

The first-round games will be played on Monday, February 12th, and Danville will take on Sigourney at home. Burlington Notre Dame will host Wapello and WACO will face off against Pekin at home.

In District 10, Holy Trinity Catholic holds the top spot and will compete against either Seymour or Tri-County on Monday at home.

Class 2A, Substate 4 District 7 will be headlined by the undefeated #8 West Burlington Falcons. Central Lee and Louisa-Muscatine will compete on Monday with the winner moving on to face off against the Falcons.

On the bottom half of the bracket, Mediapolis will host Van Buren County on Monday with the winner to move on and travel to West Branch on Thursday, February 15th, for the second-round matchup.

The brackets for classes 3A and 4A will be released on Monday with their first-round matchups taking place on February 19th.

High School Basketball

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team lost to Burlington last night 64-48. The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will travel to Fairfield tonight to face off against the Trojans at 7:30 pm.

The Mediapolis boys’ team picked up a win to end the regular season against Tipton last night 63-47. 

High School Wrestling

New London and WACO will travel to Wilton to compete in districts. Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union will wrestle at Solon, while Mt. Pleasant will travel to Fairfield with Burlington Notre Dame, Keokuk, and Mediapolis also in attendance. Districts will take place tomorrow, February 10th, at 10 am.

High School Bowling

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will be heading to Oskaloosa on Monday, February 12th and the boys’ team on Tuesday, February 13th, to compete in the state qualifying meet. Burlington and Keokuk will also be making the trip.

College Basketball

The #2 Iowa women’s team’s offense was firing on all cylinders as the Hawkeyes defeated Penn State handily 111-93. Hannah Stuelke was unstoppable, shooting 17 of 20 from the field to finish with 47 points. Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin each finished with double-doubles. The Hawkeyes will face off against Nebraska on the road Sunday, February 11th, at noon.

The Iowa State women’s team will compete against Oklahoma tomorrow, February 10th, at 6 pm at home.

The #14 Iowa State men’s team will host TCU tomorrow at 1 pm.

Ben Krikke’s 22 points was not enough last night as the Iowa men’s team fell on the road to Penn State 89-79. The Hawkeyes will search for a win on Sunday at home against Minnesota at 2 pm. 

This Day in Sports History

1971 – Satchel Paige is nominated to the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

1980 – Rick Barry of the Houston Rockets is the first in NBA history to score eight 3-pointers in a game. 

1988 – New Hampshire begins an NCAA record 32-game losing streak at home (ends Feb 1991).

Margaret Johanson

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, February 8th, 2024 at 1:53 pm CDT

Margaret Anna Johanson, 85, died Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at New London Specialty Care in New London after an extended illness with stiff person syndrome.

Margaret was born June 21, 1938, as the second oldest of seven children to Philip A. and N. Lucile (Pontzius) Evans on a farm outside of Winfield. She graduated from Olds High School in 1956. On June 24, 1959, she was united in marriage to her high school sweetheart Marvin Johanson in Memphis, Missouri. They were blessed with 64 years of marriage. They made their home in the Brighton community. Margaret worked at the calendar factory in Washington before opening an auto repair shop with her husband. Later moving to Washington where she operated a daycare. She greatly enjoyed spending time with family, square dancing, playing cards and watching Jeopardy daily with Marvin and their dachshund Maci.

Margaret is survived by her husband Marvin of Mount Pleasant; son Wayne (Barb) Johanson of Muscatine; grandchildren: Amber (Isaac) Schulte, Fauna (Mike) Fry Jr., Josh Lemon, Jordan Lemon, Levi (Kayla) Lemon all of Muscatine; and numerous great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents Philip and Lucile Evans; brothers, Edward Evans, William (Corky) Evans, Morris Evans, Ralph (Bingo) Evans; and sisters, Lucile Self and Phyllis Plummer.

Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, February 16, 2024, at the Olson-Powell Chapel and Crematory in Mount Pleasant. Pastor Earl Swigart will officiate. Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until time of service on Friday. A memorial fund has been established for PAW Animal Shelter in Fort Madison. The Olson-Powell Chapel and Crematory is caring for Margaret and her family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com

Pilot Grove Savings Bank Announces Acquisition of Wayland State Bank

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, February 8th, 2024 at 10:35 am CDT

A merger between two banks in our area has been made official.

Pilot Bancorp, Inc., the holding company of Pilot Grove Savings Bank, announced the signing of an agreement to merge Wayland State Bank with Pilot Grove Savings Bank.

This agreement is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval which is anticipated to occur in the 2nd quarter of 2024. The completed merger is expected to take place during the 3rd quarter of 2024.

This will create an estimated combined asset value of just shy of one billion dollars, at $942 Million. Wayland State Bank operates banks in Wayland, Winfield, and Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Matt Morrison, Pilot Grove Savings Bank President and CEO commented, “We are delighted to welcome Wayland State Bank into the Pilot Grove Savings Bank family. It is rare to find a bank whose dedication to customer service and traditional banking values mirrors that of Pilot Grove. Our like-minded approach can only serve to produce a seamless transition for both the employees and customers.”

Wayland State Bank has been committed to the community, customers, and employees, for over 90 years. Led by a dedicated and progressive board of directors, they have become aware that more opportunities are available to enhance the value of Wayland State Bank to their communities.

They are very fortunate to join forces with a partner that allows us to fulfill that vision. “Pilot Grove will enable us to combine our strengths to form a team of community minded, experienced bankers who share a common value in providing innovative financial solutions and pledging our resources to promote agriculture, small business and home ownership,” CEO Robert Meyer said. “Our top priority is to make this transition as seamless as possible for our customers and employees.”

“The Pilot Grove team is excited to work with the employees and customers of Wayland State Bank,” Morrison said. “Banking rural Iowa communities is not only a specialty of Pilot Grove Savings Bank but a commitment. We are confident everyone will appreciate our focus on successful banking relationships and community growth.”

About Pilot Grove Savings Bank:

Pilot Grove Savings Bank was established on May 12, 1911, when 23 investors collectively pooled $10,000 to form the foundation of the bank. Beginning in a modest building on the sole street in Pilot Grove, Iowa, the institution’s journey has been marked by resilience and growth. Over the decades, the Home Office in Pilot Grove witnessed significant expansions, reflecting the bank’s commitment to accommodating its expanding services. Branch offices sprouted in neighboring towns, with notable additions in Houghton (1980), Donnellson (1983), West Point (1992), Mount Pleasant and Packwood (2000), Winfield (2004), Fort Madison (2011), Keokuk (2013), Fairfield (2014), and West Burlington (2020). Today, with over 100 employees, Pilot Grove Savings Bank remains steadfast in its founding values of trust, loyalty, and commitment, poised to embark on a new chapter through this merger with Wayland State Bank.

Beware of Scam Calls During Tax Season

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, February 8th, 2024 at 10:33 am CDT

Scammers work awfully hard to take your money during tax season. Do not give out any personal information over the phone, which includes your bank account information.

A general rule of thumb, if you get a call that sounds too good to be true, it more than likely is.

Computer scams are ramping up in popularity as well. Make sure not to give out information or purchase gift cards as a form of payment.

According to the IRS website, scammers often impersonate the IRS by phone, email, or even in person. There are multiple ways to stay vigilant against these schemes.

The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. Typically, the IRS first mails a paper bill to a person who owes taxes.

If you are suspicious of a potential scam, please report these to the IRS. Do not click on any links, reply, or take any other actions that may put you at risk. There are specific ways to pay taxes. The agency will not leave pre-recorded, urgent, or threatening messages on an answering system. They will never threaten to bring in police, call for immediate payment with a prepaid debit card, gift card, or wire transfer, or ask for checks to third parties. Finally, the IRS will not demand payment without giving the taxpayer an opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.

Criminals can fake or spoof caller ID numbers to appear to be anywhere in the country. Scammers can even spoof an IRS office phone number or the numbers of various local, state, federal or tribal government agencies. Again, report scam calls to the IRS.

For more information:

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tips-to-help-taxpayers-spot-and-avoid-tax-scams

Sports, February 8th

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, February 8th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host Burlington tonight at 7:30 pm. The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will travel to Fairfield tomorrow, February 9th, at 7:30 pm.

The Mediapolis boys’ team will take on Tipton tonight at 7:30 pm at home.

The Central Lee boys’ team will face off against Davis County tonight at 7:30 pm on the road. 

Girls’ Basketball Regional Pairings

Regional basketball is set to begin for Class 1A tonight and classes 2A and 3A will begin on Saturday, February 10th. Here’s a look at our local matchups.

In Class 1A Region 7, Lone Tree will host Winfield-Mt. Union. 

Danville will take on Burlington Notre Dame with the Bears acting as host. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

Both games are set to begin at 7 pm tonight with the winner of the two games competing against one another. 

In Class 1A Region 8, WACO will face off against Hillcrest Academy at home and New London will travel to #15 Holy Trinity Catholic. KILJ AM 1130, 98.5 FM, and kilj.com will be covering the Crusaders and Tigers. Both games are scheduled to start at 7 pm tonight.

For Class 2A Region 6, Van Buren County hits the road to face off against Pleasantville on Saturday at 7 pm. Columbus will host West Burlington on February 13th at 7 pm.

In Class 3A Region 1, Mediapolis will host Central Lee on Saturday at 7 pm.

In Class 3A Region 5, Fairfield will take on the top seed Solon on the road and Washington will host Davis County. Both games will take place on Saturday at 7 pm.

The Regional brackets for classes 4A and 5A were released and Class 4A Region 1 is the place for Southeast Iowa basketball.

Mt. Pleasant will hit the road to take on Oskaloosa for the second time this season as Oskaloosa won that matchup 55-17. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

The winner of this game will take on #1 Clear Creek-Amana, who boasts a 20-0 record. 

On the bottom half of the bracket, it will be a Southeast Conference matchup between Fort Madison and Burlington. These two have traded games this season with the Grayhounds winning round one 47-39 and the Bloodhounds taking the most recent contest 58-48. 

The winner will be tasked with a road matchup against Keokuk. The first-round is scheduled to begin on February 14th at 7 pm.

Boys’ Basketball District Matchups

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) has released the brackets for District play set to begin tomorrow, February 9th, for the Class 1A preliminary round. All games will start at 7 pm. Here’s our local matchups.

In Class 1A Substate 5: District 9, New London and Columbus are set to rumble tomorrow at New London in the preliminary round with the winner moving on to play the top seed, #5 Winfield-Mt. Union. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call.

The first-round games will be played on Monday, February 12th, and Danville will take on Sigourney at home. Burlington Notre Dame will host Wapello and WACO will face off against Pekin at home.

In District 10, Holy Trinity Catholic holds the top spot and will compete against either Seymour or Tri-County on Monday at home.

Class 2A, Substate 4 District 7 will be headlined by the undefeated #8 West Burlington Falcons. Central Lee and Louisa-Muscatine will compete on Monday with the winner moving on to face off against the Falcons.

On the bottom half of the bracket, Mediapolis will host Van Buren County on Monday with the winner to move on and travel to West Branch on Thursday, February 15th, for the second-round matchup.

The brackets for classes 3A and 4A will be released on Monday with their first-round matchups taking place on February 19th.

High School Wrestling

New London and WACO will travel to Wilton to compete in districts. Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union will wrestle at Solon, while Mt. Pleasant will travel to Fairfield with Burlington Notre Dame, Keokuk, and Mediapolis also in attendance. Districts will take place on Saturday, February 10th, at 10 am.

High School Bowling

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will be heading to Oskaloosa on Monday, February 12th and the boys’ team on Tuesday, February 13th, to compete in the state qualifying meet. Burlington and Keokuk will also be making the trip.

College Basketball

The #2 Iowa women’s team will host Penn State tonight at 8 pm.

The Iowa State women’s team will compete against Oklahoma on Saturday, February 10th, at 6 pm at home.

The #14 Iowa State men’s team will host TCU on Saturday at 1 pm.

The Iowa men’s team will face off against Penn State on the road tonight at 6 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1936 – First-ever NFL Draft: the Philadelphia Eagles select Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago as the first pick. The first Heisman trophy winner opts not to play in the NFL.

1945 – Paul Brown agrees to coach the new American football expansion team in Cleveland, which would later be named the Cleveland Browns after their coach.

1960 – Boston Celtic Bill Russell becomes the first NBA player with 50 rebounds in a game with 51.

Father and Son Squabble Leads to Injury, Death for Dad

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, February 8th, 2024 at 6:17 am CDT

A disturbance broke out around 7:23pm on Monday, January 22nd in Keokuk. Officers with the Keokuk Police Department arrived on scene to 416 Burke Street just three minutes later.

A thorough investigation revealed that 84-year-old Gary L. Rockenbach received injuries during a physical altercation with his son, Craig L. Rockenbach. Allegedly, the assault took place after a disagreement over food.

The Lee County Ambulance Service arrived on scene at 7:31 after being requested by the officers, and Gary was transported to a medical facility at that time.

Craig Rockenbach was arrested at 7:34 p.m. for Assault Causing Bodily injury, a serious misdemeanor. He was transported to the Lee County Jail.

One week later, the Keokuk Police Department received additional information in regard to the internal injuries that Gary Rockenbach suffered. The Lee County Attorney’s Office was given this new information, and the original charge was amended and changed to Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury, a class C felony.

Gary Rockenbach succumbed to his injuries in a medical facility and the police department was made known on February 1st. This is an ongoing investigation, and an autopsy has been requested to determine the cause of death.

An arrest is merely an accusation supported by probable cause and all defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted in a court of law.

Gas and Diesel Price Both Fall – Weekly Fuel Report

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, February 8th, 2024 at 5:53 am CDT

The price of regular unleaded gasoline fell 4 cents, averaging $2.83 across Iowa according to AAA.

Crude Oil Summary

  • The price of global crude oil fell this week on the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) by $1.82 per barrel and is currently priced at $73.82.
  • Brent crude oil fell $2.54 and is currently priced at $79.14.
  • One year ago, WTI crude sold for $77.14 and Brent crude was at $82.92.

Motor Fuels

  • As of Wednesday, the price of regular unleaded gasoline averaged $2.83 across Iowa according to AAA.
    • Prices fell 4 cents from last week’s price and are down 47 cents from a year ago.
    • The national average on Wednesday was $3.15, up 1 cent from last week’s price.
  • Retail diesel prices in Iowa fell 3 cents this week with a statewide average of $3.54.
    • One year ago, diesel prices averaged $4.22 in Iowa.
    • The current Iowa diesel price is 40 cents lower than the national average of $3.94.
  • Wholesale ethanol held steady and is currently priced at $2.16.
  • The current Des Moines Terminal/Rack Prices are $1.97 for U87-E10, $2.27 for Unleaded 87 (clear), $2.49 for ULSD#2, $2.77 for ULSD#1, and $1.79 per gallon for E-70 prices.

 

Heating Fuels

  • Propane prices averaged $1.59 per gallon statewide.
  • Home heating oil prices averaged $2.94 per gallon statewide.
  • Natural gas prices fell 15 cents at the Henry Hub reporting site and are currently priced at $1.97/MMbtu

 

Tips for saving energy on the road or at home are available at energy.gov and fueleconomy.gov.