Eleanore Swigart

By Yorke Prough · Monday, January 22nd, 2024 at 2:21 pm CDT

Eleanore Ann (Miller) Swigart, 84, of Mt. Pleasant was promoted to heaven on Sunday, December 24, 2023, to be with Jesus for Christmas.

A Celebration of Ellie’s life will be held on Saturday, January 27, 2024, with a Memorial Service at 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Calvary Baptist Church, followed by a time of food and fellowship until 2 p.m.   Memorials may be directed to Baptist Mid Missions/Bible International or to the Iowa Regular Baptist Camp at Ventura, Iowa.  Cremation has been entrusted to the care of Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for her arrangements.

Mt. Pleasant Students With the SEIBA Honor Band

By Yorke Prough · Monday, January 22nd, 2024 at 10:30 am CDT

Certain members with the Mount Pleasant High School band had the privilege of spending the day on Saturday with the SEIBA Honor Band. SEIBA, Southeast Iowa Bandmasters Association, encompasses 17 counties in Southeast Iowa. Students were selected through a rehearsal a few short weeks ago.

This proved to be a great experience for students, as they were able to work with seasoned conductors, meet other students, and experience the thrill of performing in facilities at the University of Iowa Voxman School of Music.

The high school band commissioned 2 new pieces and got to meet the composers too! Jolynn Keomanivong, a senior, was selected as the 3rd place winner of the Major Landers Scholarship. This award is given to students planning to major in Music Education at an Iowa College or University. According the Middle School band director, Mount Pleasant was well represented.

Once again, those students selected for the prestigious SEIBA were: Congratulations to: 8th graders Carly Mullin on Bass Clarinet, Swaylin Henderson on Clarinet, Chris Carapia-Segundo on Tenor Sax, and 7th grader Michael Gossen on Alto Sax.

From the highschool, 12th grader Drake Landau on guitar in the jazz band, 12th grader Jolynn Keomanivong as 1st chair tenor sax in the concert band, and 10th grader Elias Heaton on contra bass clarinet.

Marvin Jim” Schenk

By Yorke Prough · Monday, January 22nd, 2024 at 10:10 am CDT

Marvin “Jim” Schenk, 84, of Mount Pleasant, died Sunday, January 21, 2024, at his home.

Jim was born May 27, 1939, in Mount Pleasant, the son of Raymond and Frances (Craig) Schenk. He graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1959. On January 7, 1962, Jim was united in marriage to Barb Manning at the Open Bible Church in Mount Pleasant. He served in the United States Army for two years, where he was stationed in Germany. He worked in several factories, and retired from Metro Mail. Jim was a member of the Faith Christian Outreach Church. He enjoyed being outdoors doing yardwork and fishing. Jim was known to be humble, faithful, loyal and a hard worker.

Jim is survived by his wife Barb; son Jim Schenk of Mount Pleasant; daughter, Lorie McBrien of Los Angeles, CA; grandson, Bran

don McBrien of Los Angeles, CA; and adopted grandson Derek Brake of Mount Pleasant. He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers: Robert, Larry, Roger, and a sister Bonnie Thomas.

Funeral service will be held at 12:00 p.m. Thursday, January 25, 2024, at the Olson-Powell Chapel and Crematory. Pastor Gary Van Nyhuis will officiate. Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. until time of service on Thursday. A memorial fund has been established for Faith Christian Outreach Church. The Olson-Powell Chapel and Crematory is caring for Jim and his family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com

Mark Lofgren – District 48 Update

By Yorke Prough · Monday, January 22nd, 2024 at 9:56 am CDT

This Week in the Senate

The second week of this year’s legislative session was busy as we have quickly begun work on bills that have been set in motion. Several more subcommittees met this week and legislators are digging into the work before us. The Senate was not in session Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and Wednesday was Veterans Day at the Capitol. This is a day that provides us the opportunity to meet with the veterans that come to visit and to talk with them about issues and initiatives important to them. It is always humbling to listen to these brave men and women who have dedicated their lives in service for our country.

 

Changes to the Governor’s Proposal for AEAs

As I mentioned last week, the Governor has initiated a bill SF to make changes to our Area Education Agencies across the state. I appreciate all the messages I have been getting from my constituents on this issue, and it is evident that this is a topic that many Iowans care about. Because we are all dedicated to ensuring Iowa students have the best resources at their disposal and have the support they need to be successful in their education, it only seems right that we look at our AEAs and make sure that all of them are providing the support that is needed by our districts to carry out their task of educating our students.

On Thursday, the governor announced several changes to her proposed bill in an effort to achieve the goal of improving services to students with disabilities and improving student achievement. Since this bill has just begun the legislative process, we are still looking through the details of the legislation and getting feedback about how this would affect our districts. I want you to know that I am making every effort to learn more about our AEAs and have already spoken with and met with Shane Williams, Director of Educational Services for Mississippi Bend AEA.

I also spent part of this morning meeting with various staff members at Madison Elementary in Muscatine and Shannon Pasvogel, a Math Consultant for Mississippi Bend AEA. Everyone I spoke with was passionate about the partnerships with the AEA that have advanced teacher competencies, enhanced student learning and provided valuable resources for students, staff and families. I look forward to learning more about our AEAs in order to make an informed contribution to the discussions about the proposed legislation. Thank you to Principal Stephanie Zillig for the invitation to visit her school and for allowing me to also come for lunch with my favorite Kindergarten granddaughter, Mikayla!

Change Needed for the Statute of Repose

On Wednesday morning a subcommittee met to begin the legislative process on one of my bills for this session, Senate File 2035. SF 2035 has to do with adding an additional exception to the statute of repose in Iowa. The statute of repose is a limitation for how long a plaintiff has to file a lawsuit in a medical malpractice case. Current Iowa las limits a plaintiff to a maximum of six years with one exception (leaving a foreign object in the body). This bill adds a second exception to the six-year rule. In the event a medical provider conceals an act, omission, or occurrence that was the cause of injury or death, the time limit is waived.

This bill came about because of an Iowa constituent, Elizabeth Downey, reaching out to me about her 18+ year journey to seek justice for her mother, Linda Berry. After hearing her story, I felt compelled to attempt to bring about change for all Iowans regarding the statute of repose. I know that new legislation cannot take away the pain and suffering that this family has endured, but perhaps knowing that no other family in Iowa will have to go through what they’ve gone through will give them some peace of mind.

Elizabeth’s journey began when her mother had her first CT scan in 2004 and her medical provider failed to inform her of a mass. In 2006 another CT scan revealed the same mass and again, she was not informed of the mass. In 2009, five years later, a third CT scan was completed and she was told by her provider that her scan was normal, but she then received a call from a resident doctor that said she needed to come back as “not everything was OK”. They diagnosed her with colitis and prescribed an antibiotic. Unbeknownst to the family, this CT scan revealed that the mass on her kidney had increased in size since the 2004 and 2006 scans, but no one mentioned the mass once again. A fourth CT scan was necessary just two days later and at that point radiology recommended to Dr. Grossman, her care provider, that a follow up should be done to make sure the mass was not cancerous, yet still no one mentioned the mass to Linda.

Seven years later, in 2016, a fifth CT scan was necessary and it revealed the kidney mass. During discharge, a nurse mentioned the mass to Linda. According to the family this was the first time they knew about it. Linda was later diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and died from it in 2019.

Before her death, Linda had sued the hospital, medical provider and others for medical negligence and her family pursued the case after her death. A district court ruling dismissed the case on the grounds that the alleged concealment act and the alleged malpractice act were the same thing and because of that no action could be brought more than six years after the event. The family appealed their case to the Iowa Court of Appeals and it was allowed to proceed to the Supreme Court. However, the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the district court ruling based on current Iowa law. It was my honor to welcome Elizabeth Downey, daughter of Linda Berry, and her attorney, Molly Hamilton, to the subcommittee meeting where she testified to the members about the necessity for making this important change to Iowa law. I look forward to bringing this legislation to fruition so that all Iowans are able to seek justice when medical harm or negligence occurs.

Some of the Other Bills that Moved through Subcommittees this Week

SSB 3001 (Commerce) – Requires health insurance policies, plans, etc. provide coverage for “biomarker testing”. This is an analysis of an individual’s biological specimen to aid in diagnosis, treatment, management, or monitoring of a disease or condition.

SF 2003 (Education) – Requires elementary and secondary schools and licensed child care centers to include information on exemptions and requirements for exemptions regarding immunizations in any communication to parents or legal guardians from a school nurse, with registration documentation, and on the websites of the school or child care center.

SSB 3039 (Local Government) – Prohibits common interest communities and unit owners associations from forbidding the display of American flags on the exterior of a resident’s home.

Best regards,

Mark

City of New London Hiring Police Officer

By Yorke Prough · Monday, January 22nd, 2024 at 8:03 am CDT

The City of New London is currently accepting applications for the position of a full-time police officer. Applicants do not need to be Iowa Law Enforcement Academy certified at time of hiring.

Pay is $22.85-$26.97 per hour depending on qualifications. Applications may be obtained at the New London City Office, 112 W. Main St. or on the website at www.newlondoniowa.org. Application deadline is February 23rd, 2024.

Sports, January 22nd

By Slaten Swords · Monday, January 22nd, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

Mt. Pleasant’ matchup against Mid-Prairie scheduled for tonight has been canceled. 

Van Buren County will square off against Danville in a road matchup with the girls playing at 6 pm tomorrow, January 23rd. 

Central Lee and Burlington Notre Dame’s games tonight have been canceled. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will compete against Burlington Notre Dame tomorrow with the girls scheduled to play at 6 pm. 

WACO versus New London has been canceled for tonight. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will host WACO on Thursday, January 25th, at 6 pm, while the boys’ game against West Burlington scheduled for tonight has been canceled. 

Mediapolis versus Danville has been canceled for tonight. 

The Danville boys’ team’s strong third quarter performance, which saw the Bears outscore Davis County 19 to 8, helped elevate them to a 60-43 over the weekend.

Danville’s Athletics Hall of Fame

Danville brought back some legendary names over the weekend as they celebrated the two members of the 2024 Athletic Hall of Fame Class. The 2017-2018 girls’ track and field team was introduced first as this squad was the first track and field team to bring home a state championship as they collected four first place finishes, a second place finish, and a third place finish to help bring home the hardware. Head coach Natalie Ford talked about the honor after the event. 

Ken Laffoon, 2019 Iowa basketball coach Hall of Famer, was the last member of the 2024 class to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Laffoon was a two-time state championship winner with Danville as he finished with a career record of 508-181. The six-time Substate Coach of the Year talked about how the honor reflected the community more than himself. 

High School Wrestling

The WACO boys’ team participated in the Kurt Hinschberger Invitational over the weekend and Gage Samo took second place in the 113-pound weight class as he fell by a 6-2 decision. John McLaughlin grabbed 7th place with a win by fall. The Warriors will compete in a quad on Thursday, January 25th, at Pekin. 

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team hosted four teams over the weekend and picked up wins against Tipton, 43-30, North Scott, 54-12, and Southeast Polk, 69-12, but fell to West Liberty, 38-33. Against Tipton, Kason Dopler and Cael Phillips picked wins by major decision. Dakota Aney, Riley Kaalberg, and Ty Scorpil won by fall, while Jacob Nelson and Bowen Thomson won their matches by decision. 

Scorpil, Ian Estudillo, Nelson, Aney, Russel Coil, Dopler, and Cole Storm each won their match by fall against North Scott. Cael Phillips, Trevor Phillips, Sheaden Adams, and Cooper Buffington picked up their wins by decision. 

Against Southeast Polk, Dopler won his match by a 3-0 decision, while Cael and Trevor Phillips, Storm, Kaalberg, Buffington, Coil, Aney, Nelson, Scorpil, and Thomson won by fall. 

Storm, Kaalberg, and Nelson won by decision against West Liberty as Dopler, Coil, Aney, and Scorpil won by fall to help the Wildcats race out to a 33 to 21 lead. However, West Liberty would win the last three matches by fall to claim the dual. Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to compete in a triangular on Thursday at Lone Tree. 

New London will host a quad on Thursday. 

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team competed at the Williamsburg Raider Invitational over the weekend and finished in 7th place with 72 team points. The Panthers had five wrestlers finish in 5th place in their respective weight classes in Landon Beckler, Sawyer Fulton, Keegan Birdsell, Payton Walker, and William Birdsell. Ramzy Davis finished the weekend with a 3-3 record as he grabbed 4th place in the 150-pound weight class. Lastly, Lane Beckler grabbed five wins on the day as he finished on the podium in 3rd place for the 126-pound weight class, which nabbed him 17 team points. The Panthers will compete in a dual on Thursday at Burlington. 

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team participated in a tournament hosted by Louisa-Muscatine over the weekend and saw two runner-up finishes. Quinn Smith in the 130-pound weight class and Josie Nelson in the 140-pound weight class each claimed second place after falling in the championship match. 

The WACO girls’ team traveled to Colfax-Mingo over the weekend. Rylee Rice finished in 5th place after collecting a 3-2 record at the meet. Elyssa Graber finished with a 2-2 record with both wins coming by fall. 

The Mt. Pleasant, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, and WACO girls’ teams will compete at Alliant Energy Power House for Super Regionals on Friday, January 26th. 

High School Bowling

Mt. Pleasant’s match at Louisa-Muscatine has been postponed to tomorrow, January 23rd. 

College Basketball

The #2 Iowa women’s team saw their 15-game win streak snapped yesterday at the hands of Big 10 foe #18 Ohio State in a 100-92 overtime thriller. Caitlin Clark splashed home seven three-pointers as she cashed in for 45 points. The Hawkeyes will look to get back in the win column on Saturday, January 27th, at 1 pm in a home matchup against Nebraska. 

The #24 Iowa State women’s team will look to rebound on Wednesday, January 24th, against Kansas in a road matchup at 6:30 pm. 

The #24 Iowa State men’s team battled with #19 TCU in a top-25 conference showdown over the weekend as the Cyclones narrowly defeated the Horned Frogs 73-72. Iowa State forced a program-best 27 turnovers with Curtis Jones notching seven steals to go along with his 17 points. Keshon Gilbert led the way with 20 points. The Cyclones will host Kansas State on Wednesday at 8 pm. 

The Iowa men’s team’s was unable to keep up with #2 Purdue’s offense as the Boilermakers won handily 84-70 over the weekend. Tony Perkins was the main source of offense for Iowa as he finished with 24 points. The Hawkeyes will take on Maryland at home on Wednesday at 6 pm. 

This Day in Sports History

1983 – Houston is the first NBA team to be held scoreless in an overtime period as the Portland Trail Blazers outscore them 17-0 and win 113-96. 

2006 – Kobe Bryant scores 81 points in a 122-104 Lakers victory over the Toronto Raptors; second-highest game total in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game (1962). 

2018 – New Orleans Pelicans’ DeMarcus Cousins finished with 44 points, 24 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 132-128 double-OT win over the Chicago Bulls; first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1972) with 40 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists.

January 22, 2024 – January 28, 2024

By Allison Jacobs · Sunday, January 21st, 2024 at 3:48 pm CDT
01/22/24
Nathaniel Burden
01/22/24
Bob & Dorie Huddleston *Anniversary (52 yrs)
01/23/24
Jason Rich
01/23/24
Rodger Graber
01/23/24
Amanda Reynolds
01/23/24
Louise Gillespie - 89
01/23/24
Emma Hopper
01/23/24
Barney Sefton
01/24/24
Don Spenner
01/24/24
Kaydi Hummell
01/24/24
Lauren Allender
01/24/24
Allison Jacobs
01/24/24
Bradley Notestein
01/25/24
Jeff Lorenz
01/25/24
Kenna Smith
01/26/24
Gale & Dan Rupp - Happy Anniversary
01/26/24
Jenna Short
01/27/24
Vada Graber
01/27/24
Janet Lee
01/27/24
Don Kramer
01/27/24
Diana Smith
01/27/24
Angie Day Butcher
01/28/24
Morgan Crane
01/28/24
Karen Stevens
01/28/24
Kathy Hites
01/28/24
Randy Hites
01/28/24
Malcolm Alvine - 90
01/28/24
Nathan Wesely

Sports, January 20th

By Slaten Swords · Saturday, January 20th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

Mt. Pleasant was looking to spoil Fort Madison’s Friday night; instead, it was the Bloodhounds getting the last laugh with a sweep over the Panthers with the girls winning 45-22 and the boys squeaking out a 53-52 victory. The only source of offense in the girls’ game was Abby Carthey as the sophomore scored 15 of the 22 points in the contest to go along with two steals. Aijalynn Jenkins led the Bloodhounds with 12 points and six steals on the night. 

In the boys’ game, the first bucket of the game for the Panthers was a Payton Hagans three-point basket, which secured the senior his 1,000 career point in one of the few bright spots of the game for Mt. Pleasant. Head coach Eric Rawson talked about that moment after the game. 

Unfortunately, in a game of streaks, Fort Madison went on a 7-0 run to start off the fourth quarter with a five point lead and despite Mt. Pleasant battling back the Bloodhounds appeared to be one step ahead as a Hunter Cresswell three-point play sealed the final score after the Panthers couldn’t convert a last second shot attempt. Christian Stacy led the way with 16 points as four of the five starters finished in double figures for Mt. Pleasant. Coach Rawson knows this loss will sting but his team will be ready to bounce back. The Panthers will host Mid-Prairie on Monday, January 22nd, at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm. 

The Central Lee boys’ team poured on the scoring against Van Buren County as the Hawks took down the Warriors 90-57. Van Buren County will square off against Danville in a road matchup with the girls playing at 6 pm on Tuesday, January 23rd. Central Lee will travel to face off against Burlington Notre Dame on Monday with game one scheduled for 6 pm.

Holy Trinity Catholic celebrated their Homecoming in style as the Crusaders swept New London with the girls winning 65-22 and the boys’ taking their contest 77-39. Royalty dominated the night as Maddox Rung, Homecoming King, led the way with 23 points. Luke Hellige cashed in for 18 points as he became Holy Trinity Catholic’s all-time leading scorer. The Crusaders will compete against Burlington Notre Dame on Tuesday, January 23rd. 

The WACO girls’ team traded points with Columbus the entire night as the Wildcats snuck out with a 43-42 victory. The Warriors were led by Ella Huisenga’s 13 points as Lily Coil scored a game-high 19 points. In the boys’ game, WACO stormed past Columbus 81-34. Hunter Hughes drained five three-pointers as he cashed in for 33 points. The Warriors will take on New London on Monday with the girls’ starting the night at 6 pm on the road. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team were outscored 30 to 11 between the second and third quarters as Wapello won 50-32. Madisen Kellogg led the Wolves with 21 points and nine rebounds as Pacey Schlee tallied 9 points and five steals. The boys’ team clobbered Wapello last night 83-33. The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will host WACO on Thursday, January 25th, at 6 pm, while the boys’ team will face off against West Burlington on Monday at 7:30 pm at home. 

The Mediapolis girls’ team was led by Grace Holsteen’s 17 points as the Bulldogs breezed past West Burlington 63-15. The boys’ team had no such luck as the Falcons soared to a 69-52 final over the Bulldogs. Mediapolis will compete against Danville on Monday at 6 pm. 

The Danville girls’ team has now won 10 straight after taking down Burlington Notre Dame 60-52. The boys’ team could not keep up with the Nikes as Burlington Notre Dame won in decisive fashion, 61-36.

High School Wrestling

The WACO boys’ team will compete at a tournament today at Belle Plaine. 

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will host a meet today.

New London will travel to Louisa-Muscatine today for a tournament. 

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will compete at an invitational today at Williamsburg. 

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team’s next competition will be at Alliant Energy Power House for the state qualifying meet on Friday, January 26th. 

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will participate in a tournament hosted by Louisa-Muscatine today.

The WACO girls’ team will travel to Colfax-Mingo for a meet today.

High School Bowling

Mt. Pleasant will take on Louisa-Muscatine on Monday, January 22nd. 

New London

The New London Community School District will be searching for a new Activities Director after Emily Parks announced on Facebook that she will not be returning to the position when the next school year starts after three years at the helm.

Parks will still be involved in Tiger athletics as she looks to continue coaching softball and volleyball.

College Basketball

The #2 Iowa women’s team will face off against #18 Ohio State tomorrow, January 21st, at 11 am in a road matchup. 

The #24 Iowa State women’s team will look to rebound on Wednesday, January 24th, against Kansas in a road matchup at 6:30 pm. 

The #24 Iowa State men’s team will stay on the road to take on #19 TCU today at 1 pm. 

The Iowa men’s team’s will look to knock off #2 Purdue today at 1 pm in a home matchup. 

This Day in Sports History

1968 – The Houston Cougars defeat the UCLA Bruins 71-69 to win basketball’s Game of the Century and end UCLA’s 47-game winning streak. 

1989 – Pittsburgh center Mario Lemieux becomes just the 2nd player in NHL history to score 50 goals in less than 50 games; #50 in the 44th game as the Penguins lose 7-3 to the Jets in Winnipeg. 

2007 – Utah coach Jerry Sloan passes Larry Brown for 4th on the NBA’s all-time win list (1,010) after the Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls 95-85 at the United Center.