Discussion Continues on Potential Wind Turbine Farm in Henry County

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 at 12:11 pm CDT

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.

Previous coverage and additional information:

Henry County Proposed Site for 50-90 Wind Turbines

 

Salem Elementary Teacher Placed on Administrative Leave

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 at 12:09 pm CDT

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.

Mary Petersen

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 at 12:05 pm CDT

Mary Helen Petersen, 98, of Letts, passed away on Friday, January 26, 2024 at Colonial Manor.  Funeral Services will be 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Wapello.  Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservices.com.

Mary Helen Mehaffy was born on January 14, 1926, in Burlington, Iowa, the daughter of George and Fanny (Delzell) Mehaffy.  Mary Helen was a graduate of Mediapolis High School.  On April 12, 1947, she was united in marriage to Fred H. Petersen.  Mary Helen was a large antique collector.  She enjoyed attending flea markets and feeding the birds.

Mary Helen will be deeply missed by her children, Karen (Larry) Hogland of Allen, Texas and Terry (Bev) Petersen of Letts.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Fred on April 13, 2006; her son, Ted Petersen; siblings, Dorothy Ann Bergen, G. Junior Mehaffy and Bill Mehaffy.

K9 Axel Helps Catch Runaway Suspect

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 at 6:59 am CDT

On January 29th, Deputy Bell with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, deployed his K9 Axel on a track when two suspects fled on foot after wrecking their vehicle during a pursuit. One suspect was taken into custody a short distance away however the remaining suspect was still at large. Other law enforcement officers played one of the most crucial roles during the deployment by establishing a perimeter.

While tracking the suspect, K9 Axel gave a proximity alert by barking. Deputy Bell announced his presence and the presence of the police dog and the suspect ultimately surrendered without further incident.

Way to go, Deputy Bell and K9 Axel!

Sports, January 30th

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Fairfield tonight with game time scheduled for 7:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will have the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm. The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will host Burlington tonight at 7:30 pm.

The Danville girls’ team fended off Holy Trinity Catholic last night 56-49 to capture their 13th straight win. 

Danville will compete against West Burlington tonight with the girls scheduled to start the night at 6 pm. 

The Holy Trinity Catholic boys’ team defeated Mediapolis last night 56-29. Luke Hellige led the Crusaders in scoring with 24 points on the night.

Central Lee will compete against Holy Trinity Catholic tonight with game one scheduled for 6 pm. 

WACO celebrated their senior night in style with a sweep over Louisa-Muscatine with the girls winning 47-43 and the boys clobbering the Falcons 77-36. For the girls, Breanna Graber scored 14 points and Emma Wagler cashed in for 13 points. On the boys’ side, Chase Waterhouse led the team with 19 points in the winning effort. The Warriors will travel to Lone Tree tonight with game one at 6 pm.

Mediapolis will take on Van Buren County tonight with the girls game scheduled for 6 pm. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will take on Highland tonight on the road with the girls leading off the night at 6 pm. 

New London will host Burlington Notre Dame tonight with game one at 6 pm. 

Boys’ High School Basketball Rankings

Entering the top 10 for the first time this season in Class 2A 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 saw Winfield-Mt. Union drop a spot in the rankings to #4. The Wolves are 14-1 on the season with a perfect conference record as they will clash with West Burlington in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference Shootout this Saturday, February 3rd. 

High School Wrestling

Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union will compete in a dual tonight.

WACO will host a triangular today. 

New London and Mt. Pleasant will compete at districts on February 10th.

The girls’ state tournament will begin on Thursday, February 1st, with the morning session starting at 10 am. KILJ will be covering 16 wrestlers at the meet and updating as the day goes on. 

High School Bowling

Mt. Pleasant will travel to take on Keokuk today.

College Basketball

The #5 Iowa women’s team will face off against Northwestern tomorrow, January 31st, at 7 pm on the road. 

The Iowa State women’s team will compete against Oklahoma State tomorrow at 6:30 pm at home. 

The #12 Iowa State men’s team will travel to Baylor on Saturday, February 3rd, at 7 pm. 

The Iowa men’s team will take on Indiana tonight at 6 pm in a road matchup. 

Conference Player of the Week

Iowa’s Owen Freeman captured his seventh Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor. Freeman averaged 14.5 points and nine rebounds in his two contests last week and added four blocks on the defensive end.

Audi Crooks for the Iowa State women’s team garnered her third Big 12 Freshman of the Week award as she scored 26 points in each game and collected her fourth career double-double in the loss to West Virginia. 

This Day in Sports History

1936 – New owners of baseball’s Boston Braves survey newspaper journalists to pick a new team nickname; the team was known as the ‘Bees’ until 1940 but returned to the ‘Braves’ in 1941. 

1971 – The UCLA men’s basketball team starts their 88-game winning streak with a 74-61 win over UC Santa Barbara. 

2018 – Houston forward James Harden puts up the highest scoring triple-double in NBA history (60 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) as the Rockets beat the Orlando Magic 114-107 in Houston.

Search Warrant at Residence Brings Charges Against Two Montrose Men and Two Women

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 at 6:19 am CDT
The Lee County Narcotics Task Force reports the arrest of two Montrose men and two Montrose women on felony and misdemeanor drug charges.
Joseph Patrick Frank, age 46 of Montrose is charged with: Possession of < 5 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, a class C felony, Maintaining a drug house, an aggravated misdemeanor, Possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor, and an active arrest warrant for Failure to appear, a simple misdemeanor.
Julian Orion Frank, age 19 of Montrose is charged with: Possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver, a class D felony, Possession of THC wax with the intent to deliver, a class D felony, Iowa drug tax stamp violation, a class D felony, Maintaining a drug house, an aggravated misdemeanor, Possession of a controlled substance, a serious misdemeanor, and Possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor.
Amber Rena Meyers, age 43 of Montrose is charged with: Possession of < 5 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, a class C felony, two counts of Possession of a controlled substance, both are class D felonies, Possession of a controlled substance, a serious misdemeanor, and Possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor.
Carla Jo Mikolajczyk, age 69 of Montrose is charged with: Harboring a fugitive from justice, an aggravated misdemeanor, and Maintaining a drug house, an aggravated misdemeanor.
The charges came after a search warrant that was executed at a residence in Montrose. Investigators were following up on reports that Joseph Frank, who had an active warrant, was being harbored at the residence and was involved in the distribution of controlled substances.
The Lee County Narcotics Task Force was assisted by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Montrose Police Department, the Fort Madison Police Department, the State of Iowa Division of Narcotic’s Enforcement, and the Lee County Attorney’s Office.
The defendant’s in this case are 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.

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.