LaVelle Oscar Hibbs

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, January 29th, 2024 at 5:19 pm CDT

LaVelle Oscar Hibbs, 94, of New London, died Sunday, January 28, 2024 at his home surrounded by his family.  He was born June 17, 1929 in Sheridan, Missouri, the son of Leonardis Oscar and Elva Edna Lantz Hibbs.

LaVelle was a 1947 graduate of Sheridan High School.  Immediately after graduation, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Marines, taking his basic training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.  He served as a Clerical Typist in Honolulu, Hawaii from November 1947 until November 1949, returning to Camp Pendelton, California.  He was honorably discharged as a Sargeant after five years of service.  On February 20, 1966, he married Berdita Mae Mosbey in Trenton, Missouri.  He retired from the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown, and for 38 years worked at H and R Block during tax season. He was a member of the New London Presbyterian Church where he served as an Elder, was treasurer of the New London Lions Club, member of the New London VFW Post #7641, Dollars for Scholars, and Dover Museum.  LaVelle loved his family, sipping coffee and Coors Banquet and a smoke, Casey’s, Old Threshers, fires, his Ford Ranger, hot weather and talking about the weather, visiting with anyone anywhere, and selling wreathes for the Lions Club.

LaVelle is survived by his wife Berdita; daughters LaVita Hibbs and Berdelle (Scott) Severson of New London; stepson Mike (Lori) Jarvis of Franklin; daughters Paulette, Michelle, Brenda and Connie; son Mark; and many loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his parents, six siblings and three step-sons.

According to his wishes, his body has been cremated and private family burial will be in Burge Cemetery, New London with Military Rites by the Henry County Honor Guard.  On Saturday, February 3, at 1:00 PM in Friendship Hall of the Presbyterian Church, New London, a Time of Reflection will be held with the family receiving friends immediately following until 3:00 PM.  In LaVelle’s honor “Cheers and Beers” will begin at 4:00 PM at the New London VFW Post #7641, 802 East McKinley Street.  In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established to the New London Presbyterian Church, VFW, and Fire Department, and Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice.  Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com

Burlington Notre Dame with 7 Ranked Wrestlers in New IAwrestle Top 12

By Slaten Swords · Monday, January 29th, 2024 at 4:59 pm CDT

Prep Wrestling- IAwrestle has updated their rankings with the girls getting ready to compete in their state tournament, while the boys are finishing up their regular season and districts scheduled to start on February 10th.

On the girls’ side, Tatum Wolford of Wapello is ranked 8th in the 155-pound weight class. The senior enters the tournament with a perfect 37-0 record on the season.

For Class 1A on the boys’ side, WACO has two wrestlers ranked in the top 12 with Gage Samo ranked 11th in the 113-pound weight class and Louden Huisegna is ranked 3rd in the 190-pound weight class after claiming the conference title last Saturday.

New London also has two wrestlers ranked in the top 10 with Kane Foreseen and Michael Raines both ranked 9th in their respective weight classes.

Zach Harbison of Wapello is ranked 10th in the 138-pound weight class.

In Class 2A, Burlington Notre Dame is ranked 4th as a team with 7 ranked wrestlers, which is the most in Class 2A.

The 106-pound weight class features a lot of local talent with Cael McCabe of Fairfield ranked 2nd followed by Colt Boyles of Burlington Notre Dame in 5th, and Dakota Aney of Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union rounding out the top 12.

For the Nikes, Carter West is ranked 5th in the 113-pound weight class. CJ Davis is ranked 4th in the 126-pound weight class. Kaiden Dietzenbach held on to the #2 slot for the 132-pound weight class. Kael Cook rounds out the list for the 138-pound weight class. Blake Wilson is ranked 8th in the 144-pound weight class, while Dirk Boyles enters at the #10 spot in the 150-pound weight class.

Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union has Ty Scorpil ranked 9th in the 126-pound weight class and Russel Coil ranked 3rd in the 285-pound weight class after he grabbed the conference championship.

For the Southeast Conference, Washington has two wrestlers ranked as Aaron Boone is ranked 6th in the 132-pound weight class and Chase Greiner has the 10th in the 157-pound weight class. Fairfield also has Cason Miller ranked in the 157-pound weight class as the 7th best wrestler.

For Class 3A, Burlington is led by Braxton Hutchinson in the 106-pound weight class as he is ranked 4th.

Fort Madison has two wrestlers ranked in Nolan Riddle and Issac Thacher. Riddle is 9th in the 157-pound weight class and Thacher ranks 7th in the 190-pound weight class.

IHSAA Boys’ Basketball Rankings: West Burlington is the New Team on the Block

By Slaten Swords · Monday, January 29th, 2024 at 4:29 pm CDT

IHSAA- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released their newest boys’ basketball rankings, and the top teams are still undefeated, but now two local teams have found themselves in the top 10.

In Class 4A, Cedar Rapids Kennedy is still the team to beat boasting a 14-0 record. Iowa City West and Valley are ranked #2 and #3, respectively. Ankeny was kicked out of the top 10 with Norwalk replacing them at the #10 spot. Sioux City East jumped up the rankings from 10th to 4th after three straight victories.

The top four teams stayed locked in Class 3A with Clear Lake sitting atop the standings and an undefeated Solon team is still #4. Assumption has gone from #10 to #6 and Bishop Heelan is no longer in the top 10 with Marion taking over the vacancy at #8.

West Lyon is still the king of Class 2A with a 16-0 record with Western Christian and Hudson finding the podium at #2 and #3, respectively. #4 Underwood still touts an undefeated record at 17-0. Entering the top 10 for the first time this season is #10 West Burlington with a perfect 14-0 record. The Falcons are led by a trio of guards in Brady Martin (17.2 points per game), Quincy Collins (14.5 points per game), and Mason Watkins (19.9 points per game). West Burlington averages 70 points per game, while winning by an average differential of 23 points.

Class 1A has Marquette Catholic clinging on to their top spot with an unblemished record, but Madrid leapfrogged North Linn and Winfield-Mt. Union in the rankings after big wins against Des Moines Christian and Earlham to be ranked #2. The Wolves are #4 with a 14-1 record. Winfield-Mt. Union and West Burlington seem poised to meet in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference shootout this weekend.

Henry County Supervisors Meeting Agenda January 30th

By Yorke Prough · Monday, January 29th, 2024 at 3:00 pm CDT

AGENDA

 

January 30, 2024

 

Approve Agenda

 

Approve Minutes

 

9:00 Jake Hotchkiss, Engineer Weekly Update.

Motion – IDOT agreement intersections south of Mt. Pleasant on Hwy 218

Motion – IDOT agreement intersections east of Mt. Pleasant on Hwy 34

 

9:20 John March, New London School Transportation Director for Bus Route Maintenance.

 

9:30 Zach James, Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission – Revolving Loan Fund.

 

10:00 Joe Buffington, P & Z, Public Hearing to Amend Title 6, Chapter 2, Article 11-2 through 11-6 Alternative Energy Overlay District.

Immediately following, Public Hearing to Amend Title 6, Chapter 1, Article 7-2, Adding Fees for Subdivision and Plates of Survey.

 

Other County Business as time allows

 

Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates

Henry County Proposed Site for 50-90 Wind Turbines

By Yorke Prough · Monday, January 29th, 2024 at 10:36 am CDT

Northern Henry County might soon become the sight for a large wind farm. RWE Renewables, a nuclear electric power generation company, has begun a wind study in our area to determine how many wind turbines would be added to the county. This study began in the summer of 2023, and is set to last for “one to two years” according to a Henry County Supervisor.

RWE is proposing 50-90 turbines in the northern part of the county. Each individual turbine is 650ft at the top of their revolution. Noise pollution is one common issue that has been raised in these discussions. For those a quarter of a mile away, the turbine noise can be likened to that of a constant refrigerator hum. Standing under the turbine at ground level will sound more like a jet plane taking off.

The company has been in contact with landowners to ask if they would allow wind turbines on their property. Landowners are allowed to decline. Each turbine needs at least 40 acres of space to operate.

It is difficult to determine just how big of an impact this will have in our county. The Planning and Zoning Commission first needs to rezone these areas as they are updating the commercial wind ordinance.

This project would, theoretically, generate funds for the county and property owners in the norther portion of Henry.

There is a map in the Henry County Courthouse showing all the landowners that have agreed to this project so far. This project would have a 30,000-acre footprint, while producing 200-300 construction jobs. The minimum amount in landowner payments that can be expected over the 35-year project is 77 million dollars. Meanwhile, 133 million dollars is the amount that Henry County and townships within the project area will receive.

There are many questions that will come with this potential project. RWE is responsible for the deconstruction/decommission of the wind turbines. The scope of this construction and size of these turbines is something we have not seen in our county.

The Henry County Board of Supervisors has the final say on this matter. There is an open meeting at 9:00 am on Tuesday, January 30th at the Henry County Courthouse. Joe Buffington with the Planning and Zoning Commission will be in attendance for a public hearing at 10:00 am.

It must be noted that there are many “unknowns” surrounding this project, with many conversations still to be had.

RWE Flyer

David Brower

By Yorke Prough · Monday, January 29th, 2024 at 7:49 am CDT

David Lamont Brower, 74, of Mt. Pleasant, died Friday, January 26, 2024 at his residence.

Dave was born August 1, 1949 in Ottumwa. He was the son of Harvey David and Dolores Eloise (Fattig) Brower. Dave grew up in Blakesburg, IA and graduated from Blakesburg High School in 1967. On August 18, 1993 in Mt. Pleasant, David was united in marriage to Martha Louise Schadt. Martha preceded Dave in death on March 5, 2018 in Mt. Pleasant.

For 33 years, Dave was employed at Case IH in Burlington. He was a repair technician at the end of the production line, correcting problems before the equipment left the line. He retired in 2002. In 1996, the company sent Dave to France to work on some of the equipment with which they were experiencing trouble.

Dave honorably served his country during the Vietnam War. He was inducted into the US Army from Ft. Des Moines  on September 11, 1969 and was honorably discharged on August 6, 1971 at Ft. Lewis, Washington.

While at Case IH, Dave was a member of the United Auto Workers Union. Dave enjoyed classic cars and attending car shows. He liked to cook and spend time with his family. For many years, Martha and he were members of the Gold Wing Touring Association. They loved getting on their Honda Goldwing motorcycle and attending Goldwing rallies across the nation.

Those thankful for sharing in Dave’s life include a son and his wife, Rob and Brenda Schadt of Mt. Pleasant; a sister, Rosemary Vandello of Ottumwa, several nieces and nephews and a host of other relatives.

In addition to his parents, parent-in-laws Jim & Bertha Schadt and wife Martha, Dave’s sister Linda Fine precedes him in death.

A funeral service for Dave will be held at 1:00 PM on Thursday, February 1 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mount Pleasant. Open visitation will be from 12 – 7 PM on Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to the family. Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com.

Jerry Bonser

By Yorke Prough · Monday, January 29th, 2024 at 7:47 am CDT

Jerry L. Bonser, 89, of Mt. Pleasant, died on Sunday, January 28, 2024 at his home in Mt. Pleasant. Jerry died on his 89th birthday.

Per his request, there will be no services.

Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com