Each year the members of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce are invited to nominate a person for Citizen of the Year. Nominees should be citizens living and/or working in the Mount Pleasant area who have had a significant impact on the community through their volunteer and charitable activities.
Also seeking nominations for Community Impact Award. Nominees for the Community Impact Award should be a business, non-profit organization, or event in the Henry County area. The award will be given on the basis that made Henry County community a better place to work, live and play in the past 12 months.
Both awards will be presented at the MPACC’s Annual Banquet on March 21, 2024. If you would like to nominate someone for either award, please contact the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance office by February 15, 2024.
Following incorporation and re-opening last October, the Board of Directors of the Harlan-Lincoln House, Inc. 101 West Broad, Mount Pleasant held its first annual meeting January 30, 2024. The Board elected four new directors. These are Kimn Hassenfritz, Debra Rodgers, Dr. John Bennett and Amy Frantz. Continuing directors are Tricia File, Pat White, Lea Bradley, Paul Juhl, Lynn Ellsworth and Elizabeth Garrels.
One of the responsibilities of the Board of Directors is to share with the public the relevant heritage of the Senator James Harlan and President Abraham Lincoln families. With that meaningful legacy in mind, the first event of the new year will be in Mount Pleasant’s downtown Union Block (111 W Monroe) on Presidents’ Day, February 19. To accommodate attendees’ schedules, the same presentation “Conversations with a Lincoln Collector” will be at noon and 6:30 p.m. by Lincoln researcher, Ethan Afshani from Buffalo, NY. He will share Lincoln knowledge, interspersed with his experiences and artifacts as a Lincoln collector.
The Harlan-Lincoln House, Inc., P.O. Box 251, Mount Pleasant, IA is a designated 501[c](3) public charity also listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
West Burlington, IA- The search for a new athletic director for Southeastern Community College (SCC) has ended as the Blackhawks will be led by a familiar name in Joe O’Brien.
O’Brien left SCC back in 2004 after he coached the men’s basketball team to three national championships during his 8 years at the helm. When he left the Blackhawks had only five sports, now the program touts 14 and according to O’Brien,
“…plans to add even more.”
O’Brien is looking to lay the groundwork for program expansion with a great possibility of adding a new men’s and women’s wrestling programs with a new multi-purpose facility set to be completed this fall.
Simply, O’Brien is ready to get to work,
“Now I have an opportunity to lead the next generation of coaches and players as we work together to build winning programs.”
There will be a welcome reception for Joe O’Brien on Thursday, February 1st, at 3 pm in the Loren Walker Arena at the West Burlington campus. The event is open to the public.
Jason Lee Turpin, 49, of Farmington, Iowa, passed away at 11:33 p.m. Monday, January 29, 2024, at his sister’s home in rural Revere, Missouri.
He was born on January 30, 1974, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the son of Claude, Jr. and Sheila (Mendenhall) Turpin.
He is survived by his children: Sharraden (Daniel Price) Turpin, Dustin (Ashley) Turpin, Cheyanna Turpin; five grandchildren; his mother: Sheila Turpin and sister: Kynda (Ricky Arnold) O’Tool. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father.
Jason worked for Chem Gro. He was a member of the Farmington American Legion. He enjoyed four wheeling, hunting, camping and being outdoors.
His body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation.
Per his wishes there will be no services.
A memorial has been established in his memory and can be mailed to the family at: Schmitz Funeral Home, P.O. Box 56, Donnellson, Iowa 52625
Schmitz Funeral Home of Farmington is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.
A public hearing was held at the Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, January 30th, to discuss the ordinance discussing wind and solar energy.
Updated map detailing those who have agreed to potentially placing a wind turbine on their property
Greg Moeller, the chairman, read the entirety of Title 6, Chapter 2, Article 11-2 through 11-6 Alternative Energy Overlay District Ordinance. Afterwards, a public hearing was held where the public let their concerns known.
A citizen let the board know that he believes windmills will hurt wildlife and livestock in the area. Another mentioned how the possible 650ft tower is taller than the St. Louis Arch.
An RWE representative spoke up, revealing that the height of the windmill depends on the manufacturer. The taller the windmill, the less they will need to put in Henry County. It seems the smallest mentioned was around 500ft tall, while the largest is 650ft.
Somebody asked the question that many were thinking, “do we have any say?” It must be stated clearly that this was simply a public hearing and reading of the ordinance. Joe Buffington, the Planning and Zoning Director, said that 95% of this ordinance already exists, and that they just tweaked small things. There will be multiple meetings on this. The Planning and Zoning Commission will have many meetings, and then recommend to the Board of Supervisors if they believe it should be recommended. Then, the Board of Supervisors will hold public hearings and 3 readings for the actual approval. This is NOT a done deal.
Supervisor Chad White let the room know that he would like to see public hearings held at different times of the day, because he knows that many people interested in this work at 9:00am.
A concerned citizen made sure that the board knows he wants local labor for this potential project. If it is to go through, he wants the jobs to be open for people living in our county and surrounding area, rather than allowing the work to be given to others not in or area.
Someone who lives on the county line of Henry and Washington brought up how those who live just into Washington County will see the turbines without reaping any of the benefits. This same citizen also wanted to bring up the fact that quality of life will be impacted. She said that she wants to hear the birds, not turbines.
Moeller finished with saying that in his 11 years as a supervisor, he has never seen this many people at a meeting. The room was completely full, standing room only, while many more stood in the lobby. He urged the public to go to the public hearings. An RWE representative mentioned how they will gladly hold another town hall for this, after one was held in October of 2022.
February 15th is the date for the first reading of the ordinance.
There will be many more questions and answers provided as these discussions continue.
The public has been told they can reach out to the Henry County Supervisors, detailing how they feel about the potential wind farm project in Henry County. Their email is supervisors@henrycountyiowa.us
Additional photos of community members who have signed contracts are listed below.
An investigation has begun into a Salem elementary school teacher. According to an anonymous source, multiple children were treated inappropriately by a teacher. Instances of this include the teacher using an angry voice with students, correcting students in front of peers, keeping children from going to recess, and even grabbing children.
Currently, the teacher has been placed on paid administrative leave. The principal reached out to parents on Friday, January 26th, to let them know of what had happened. Our source reveals that one specific incident occurred on Wednesday, January 24th, in which a student was grabbed by this teacher. It seems like this investigation is currently ongoing.
The district statement “While the District cannot share details due to student privacy laws, we can confirm that we are investigating an incident that occurred between a teacher and a student. The District takes student safety and well-being seriously, and we’ll be following all applicable law and District policy concerning investigation of this matter.”
These are all just allegations brought forth from a concerned parent in the community. Nothing has been proven at this moment regarding the teacher in question.
