Meeting Cancellation Notice from Henry County Supervisors Due to Potential Special Election
The Henry County Board of Supervisors has announced a meeting cancellation.
The Board reports the 1:30 p.m. meeting originally scheduled for today, Friday, February 13, 2026, has been cancelled due to a possible call for a special election for the position of Henry County Attorney.
No additional details have been released at this time. Residents with questions can contact the Supervisors Office.
Local Scam Alert
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a scam targeting local families.
On February 12, 2026, authorities discovered that scammers have been impersonating the Sheriff’s Office by calling relatives of incarcerated individuals and requesting bail bond money over the phone.
Officials emphasize that the Sheriff’s Office will never call and ask for bail bond money on behalf of inmates. Bail bonds must be posted in person either at the Sheriff’s Office or at the Henry County Courthouse.
Anyone who receives a suspicious call like this is urged not to provide any personal or financial information and to report the incident to their local law enforcement agency immediately.
Incident at Des Moines County Jail Leads to Additional Charges for Burlington Man
The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office has released details about an incident involving an inmate at the county jail.
According to Sheriff Kevin Glendening, deputies responded at approximately 9:44 a.m. on February 10, 2026 to the Des Moines County Correctional Center to assist with moving an inmate identified as Charles Lee Weddington, 32, of Burlington.
Authorities say Weddington was given verbal commands to approach his cell door to be handcuffed but refused to comply. When deputies opened the cell door and issued additional commands, Weddington allegedly threw an object and striking a deputy. He then charged at deputies and threw a punch.
Officials say Weddington continued to resist and fight, and a taser was deployed. During the struggle, Weddington allegedly attempted to disarm a deputy of the taser. He was eventually handcuffed and removed from the cell.
One deputy sustained an injury to his right hand during the incident.
Weddington has been charged with interference with official acts causing bodily injury, disarming a peace officer, and assault on persons in certain occupations.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Mediapolis Man Assaults Nurse
A Mediapolis man has been arrested following an assault on a nurse earlier this month
On February 5, 2026, deputies with the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 142 North Orchard Street in Mediapolis for a report of a nurse who had been assaulted by a resident.
Authorities say Erik Creighton Bienfang, 28, of Mediapolis allegedly struck the nurse in the face and choked them, causing bodily injury. Deputies also learned that prior to the assault, Bienfang reportedly locked himself in a room with the nurse and refused to allow them to leave.
Following the incident, Bienfang fled the residence on foot but was located a short distance away and taken into custody without further incident.
He was transported to the Des Moines County Correctional Center and charged with false imprisonment and assault on persons in certain occupations causing bodily injury.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Iowa State Penitentiary Inmates Charged with Attempted Murder
Two inmates at the Iowa State Penitentiary are facing attempted murder charges following a nearly fatal assault on two staff members last month.
According to court records, Dennis Lane Lawson, 29, and Anthony Sebastian Bauer, 23, have each been charged with two counts of attempted murder, Class B felonies, and one count of possession of a weapon in a correctional institution, a Class C felony.
A criminal complaint states that at approximately 9:37 a.m. on January 21, 2026, the two inmates were participating in the prison’s long-term restricted program when the assault occurred. Two counselors were providing classroom instruction and were in the process of handing out homework when Bauer and Lawson allegedly attacked.
Authorities believe the assault was coordinated. Both inmates reportedly produced improvised shiv-type weapons, described as sharpened objects fashioned from available materials, and used them to strike one counselor in vital areas including the neck, throat, head, back, and sides in what investigators describe as an apparent attempt to kill.
When the second counselor intervened, that staff member was also allegedly attacked and struck multiple times in similar areas.
The assault ended only after multiple correctional officers responded and forcefully gained control of both inmates.
Both counselors were transported to Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center for treatment. A press release from the Iowa Department of Corrections says both have since been released from the hospital.
Bauer is currently serving a 50-year sentence after pleading guilty in 2021 to second-degree murder and three counts of reckless use of a firearm in connection with a fatal New Year’s Day 2021 shooting in Sioux City.
Lawson is serving a 15-year sentence after pleading guilty in 2021 to second-degree robbery, willful injury causing serious injury, and felon in possession of a firearm in connection with a 2020 shooting in Sioux City.
Preliminary hearings for both men are scheduled for 11 a.m. February 20, 2026 at the North Lee County Courthouse and will be held via Zoom.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation. Assisting agencies include the Lee County Attorney’s Office and the Fort Madison Police Department.
Sports, February 13th
Girls’ Regional Basketball
The Class 1A Regionals tipped-off last night with Classes 2A and 3A getting ready for action tomorrow, February 14th, at 7 pm. Here’s how our local teams fared.
In Class 1A Region 4, New London fell to Lone Tree last night, 50-8. The Tigers finished the season with an 0-22 record.
Wapello used a second-half surge to push past Burlington Notre Dame last night, 38-27. Macy Kuntz led the way with a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The Nikes collected a 2-17 record for the year.
Wapello will make the trip to Lone Tree on Tuesday, February 17th, at 7 pm.
Over in Region 6, WACO rallied back from an early 10 to 3 deficit in the first quarter to take a two-point lead into halftime, a lead they kept through the 3rd quarter and partially into the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, Pekin proved to be too much, as the Panthers went on a 19 to 7 run in the 4th quarter to beat the Warriors, 51-43, behind Abby Guise’s 18 points. WACO head coach Mitchell Drey talked about the effort shown by his squad,
“You know, this season we kinda talked about playing as a team for the entire game, and I think tonight we did. That fourth quarter, I know Pekin jumped up, Pekin’s a good team, they had a bunch of really good shots in that fourth quarter, but I think we forced them into their shots, and they just hit it, that’s what good teams do. And I think for us, we played super hard through all four quarters, 32 minutes of basketball, and everybody on the bench was ready to go when their number was called, and I think that’s the greatest way to play basketball.”
Drew Graber cashed in for a team-high 11 points for WACO. Despite finishing the year with a 7-14 record, there’s excitement brewing around this team that returns everyone that played last night,
“Yes we do, we got a lot of young talent, we got a lot of girls coming back, we have a really good junior class that’s now technically a senior class in basketball, and then we got a lot of young talent, I mean freshmen, sophomores, we were missing two sophomores, we got banged up, Tegan Egli and Josie [Dykstra], and then we have some good talented freshmen, you saw two of them tonight, Javen [Davis] and Abby Waterhouse. We have a lot of talent, now this summer [it’s about] game reps, now they know what game reps feel like in season and what it feels like when it’s that win or go home, that changes a lot of stuff, and so having that kind of experience with this younger group is super exciting as a coach to have.”
Winfield-Mt. Union lost to Highland last night, 64-35. The Wolves ended the season with a 3-19 record. The Huskies will host Keota on Tuesday after the Eagles clobbered Hillcrest Academy, 57-27.
Holy Trinity Catholic tied their second-best offensive output this season last night but came up short, losing to North Cedar, 53-49. The Crusaders finished the season with a 5-16 record.
In Class 2A Region 8, Van Buren County will host Columbus.
Danville will take on West Burlington at home on Tuesday.
For Class 3A Region 5, the Southeast Conference will meet up in Washington as the Demons will face off against Fairfield.
In Region 6, #8 Mediapolis will get another swing at Central Lee at home.
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) released the Class 4A and Class 5A brackets yesterday with their first-round showdowns slated for Wednesday, February 18th, at 7 pm. Here’s our local matchups.
For Class 4A Region 4, Mt. Pleasant will be looking to avenge an early season loss when they travel to Oskaloosa. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.
Burlington will make the trip to North Scott.
In Region 6, Fort Madison will host Keokuk in a Southeast Conference rivalry matchup.
Boys’ District Basketball
The Class 1A district bracket is scheduled to start tonight with the preliminary round. The first round for Classes 1A and 2A is scheduled for Monday, February 16th, with all games tipping-off at 7 pm.
Class 1A Substate 5 District 9 is where most of our local teams were placed with #3 Notre Dame grabbing on to the top seed.
To start off the bracket, New London will host Highland tonight with the winner advancing to play the Nikes. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.
On Monday, Winfield-Mt. Union and Danville will square off in the #4-#5 seed contest with the Wolves getting to host.
Holy Trinity Catholic will take on WACO at home. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.
Over in Substate 5 District 10, Wapello will travel to Hillcrest Academy on Monday.
In Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, Central Lee earned the first round bye and will take on the winner between West Burlington and Cardinal with the Falcons getting to host.
On the top half of the bracket, Van Buren County will hit the road to play Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont to open the first round.
In Substate 5 District 10, Columbus will face off against Durant on the road and Mediapolis will host Louisa-Muscatine for their first round showdowns.
The Class 3A and Class 4A brackets will be released on Monday.
High School Basketball
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will hit the road to take on Fairfield tonight with tip-off at 7:30 pm.
High School Wrestling
The boys’ district wrestling meets are scheduled for tomorrow, February 14th.
In Class 1A, New London and WACO will make the trip to Lisbon, while Van Buren County, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, and Wapello will travel to Sigourney.
For Class 2A, Fairfield and Fort Madison will wrestle at Centerville. Burlington Notre Dame, Mediapolis, Keokuk, and Washington will compete at Williamsburg. Lastly, Mt. Pleasant will journey up to Central DeWitt.
Only the top-two place winners from each weight class will advance to the state tournament.
High School Bowling
The girls’ state bowling meet wrapped up yesterday and Louisa-Muscatine rallied back from an 0-2 deficit to defeat Davis County for the Class 1A state title. For the Class 3A individual championship, Skye Jungwirth of Bettendorf bowled a 223 to best Michelle Wilson of Des Moines Lincoln’s 173 to walk away with the hardware.
The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released the state qualifying meet assignments for the boys’ teams and Central Lee will host West Burlington, while Fairfield will travel to Monticello in Class 1A.
In Class 2A, Clinton will play host to Burlington, Keokuk, and Mt. Pleasant.
Both meets are scheduled for Monday, February 16th, at 10 am.
Southeastern Community College
The women’s basketball team will look to bounce back tomorrow, February 14th, against Iowa Lakes Community College at 1 pm at home.
The men’s basketball team will travel to Indian Hills Community College tomorrow at 7 pm.
The men’s and women’s wrestling teams will travel to North Iowa Area Community College for the District Championships on Sunday, February 15th.
College Basketball
The Iowa State women’s team will tip-off at 1 pm on Sunday, February 15th, at home against Kansas State.
The #15 Iowa women’s team will make the trip to Nebraska on Monday, February 16th, at 11 am.
The Iowa men’s team will be tasked with hosting #13 Purdue tomorrow, February 14th, at 4 pm.
The #5 Iowa State men’s team will look for redemption against #9 Kansas at home tomorrow at noon.
This Day in Sports History
1923 – The first fully all-Black and Black-owned professional basketball team, The Renaissance, was organized. Commonly called The Rens, the team was founded by Robert L. Douglas, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 1972.
1932 – A 2-2 final round tie with the US is good enough for Canada to clinch its fourth consecutive Olympic ice hockey gold medal at Lake Placid; Canadian center Walter Monson is tournament top scorer with 11 points.
1983 – The World Boxing Council became the first to cut matches from 15 to 12 rounds.
Southeastern Community College is offering free help for students and families who need assistance completing the FAFSA.
SCC will host two Financial Aid Workshops later this month to help individuals planning to start college this spring navigate the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process. Staff will be available to walk attendees through the form and answer questions about financial aid.
The first workshop will take place Wednesday, February 18th, from 3 to 6 p.m. at SCC’s West Burlington campus in Room 361. The second session is set for Wednesday, February 25th, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Keokuk campus in Room 419.
The workshops are free and open to students of any age or income level, no matter which college they plan to attend. No pre-registration is required. Assistance will be provided on a first come, first served basis. Students under the age of 24 are asked to attend with at least one parent or guardian.
To complete the 2026 to 2027 FAFSA, students and parents should bring their Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, 2024 federal and state tax returns, W-2 forms, bank statements, records of assets and investments, documentation of any untaxed income, and current account balances. Non U.S. citizens should also bring their A-Number.
Students who cannot attend either workshop can schedule an appointment for FAFSA assistance year-round by contacting Mack Turner at 319-208-5026.
For more information, call 319-208-5026 or visit scciowa.edu.