Mark your calendars for June 25-27th as the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference 2024 will take place at Iowa State University. The theme this year is “Explore the Jungle of Opportunities” in what should be an unforgettable journey. Registration opens on April 1st through 4HOnline. Stay tuned for more details, updates, and the chance to be part of this youth opportunity.
The following link provides more information: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/iowa4hyouthconference
The Festival of Lights 2023 saw 6,880 vehicles through December 31st, which is 701 vehicles more than 2022. Prior to COVID, 5,000 vehicles was the highest amount of traffic in a single year, with 9,000 vehicles in 2020 due to the virus.
The volunteers counted license plates and noticed vehicles from 33 different states and 70 counties. 5.6% of vehicles came from Illinois, while 2.1% bore a Missouri license plate. Some people chose a more unconventional form of transportation through the lights. 72 horse drawn wagon rides were offered to the public, with those tickets being sold out very quick.
220 sponsors made 2023 Festival of Lights possible with 160 displays. November 19th and 20th saw the “walk thru” nights bring in 1,400 paid admissions, which doubled from the previous year.
While we may have gotten lucky with relatively good weather in December, it seems that white Christmas might be arriving a couple of weeks late. NWS out of Quad Cities is reporting signals for a strong wintry system in our area for next week. While reports are preliminary, they are suggesting this storm will hit next Monday afternoon and persist through Tuesday night. There are uncertainties on snowfall totals, but it appears that this system could bring strong winds, which could lead to blowing snow. Stay tuned to KILJ in the coming week to stay informed on this potential storm.
The Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center was home to great joy and excitement on New Year’s Day, with Braxton Johnson being welcomed into the world. He is the hospital’s first baby born in the new year. Born at 4:08pm on Monday, January 1st, Braxton is the son of Tressa and Korbin Johnson of Mount Pleasant. He weighed 8 lbs. 15.8 oz. and was 22” long and was delivered by Dr. Anne Grieves. Congratulations to Tressa and Korbin!
High School Basketball
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ and boys’ teams both started the new year with a win as the Panthers swept New London last night. The girls’ game started slow with the Tigers keeping in a one-point game until the Mt. Pleasant defense started forcing turnovers and winning the transition game to come away with the win 47-32. Hailey Parrott and Abby Carthey combined for 12 steals as the Panthers checked off head coach Curt Watson’s goals for the game. Carthey led the team with 19 points as Olivia Hester led the Tigers with 11 points, which included three three-pointers.
In the boys’ game, Mt. Pleasant could not miss as the Panthers took down New London 87-42. Four Panthers finished in double-figures with Payton Hagans scoring 25 points, followed by Christian Stacy with 17 points, and Nate Stroud and Avin Truong each cashing in for 10 points. Brendan Richey buried a couple three-pointers to finish with 13 points for the Tigers as Brigham Porter scored 10 points. Head Coach Eric Rawson talked about picking up that first win after the break. The Panthers will host Fairfield on Friday, January 5th, with the girls leading off the night at 6 pm.
New London will travel to face off against Burlington Notre Dame on Friday with the girls’ game scheduled at 6 pm.
The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ comeback attempt came up short against Hillcrest Academy last night as the Ravens won 56-48. Malia Yoder for Hillcrest Academy finished with a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. The #6 Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team cruised past Hillcrest Academy 72-35. The Wolves will take on Lone Tree on Friday at home with the girls’ team leading off the night at 6 pm.
The WACO boys’ team needed overtime, but got the job done against Louisa-Muscatine with a 63-61 victory. The WACO girls’ team clobbered Louisa-Muscatine last night 61-23. Naomi Egli and Emma Wagler each cashed in for 18 points in the winning effort. The Warriors will compete against Pekin on Friday at home with the girls’ game going at 6 pm.
The Holy Trinity Catholic boys’ team rang in the new year with a win over Fairfield 69-44. Luke Hellige led the effort with 26 points, followed by Layne Rung with 18 points. The Crusaders will take on Central Lee on January 5th in a road matchup.
Van Buren County will compete against Columbus tomorrow, January 4th, at home with the girls playing at 6 pm.
Mediapolis will travel to take on Van Buren County on January 5th with the girls’ game scheduled for 6 pm.
Danville will face off against West Burlington on January 5th with the girls leading off the night at 6 pm in a road matchup.
High School Wrestling
The WACO boys’ team will compete in a meet at Washington tomorrow, January 4th.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, Mt. Pleasant, and WACO girls’ teams will compete at a tournament on January 5th at Highland.
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ teams will participate in a competition tomorrow at Sigourney.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will wrestle on January 6th at Highland in a tournament.
New London will compete in a quad at Cascade tomorrow.
High School Bowling
Mt. Pleasant will take on Washington tomorrow, January 4th.
College Basketball
Yesterday Caitlin Clark was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the 23rd time in her career, tying the conference record with former Hawkeye Megan Gustafson. The senior then buried a three-pointer from the halfcourt logo at the buzzer to give the Hawkeyes a 76-73 win over Michigan State. Clark finished the game with 40 points. Iowa will travel to take on Rutgers on Friday, January 5th, at 5 pm.
The Iowa State women’s team will face off against Kansas tonight at home at 6:30 pm. KILJ AM 1130 or kilj.com will have the call.
For the Cyclones, Audi Crooks recorded her second Big 12 women’s basketball Freshman of the Week honors. The freshman dominated against Oklahoma State with 21 points and seven rebounds. Crooks is averaging 16.6 points and six rebounds per game.
The Iowa State men’s team will travel to Oklahoma on Saturday, January 6th, at 5 pm.
The Iowa men’s team had #21 Wisconsin on upset alert as the game was tied at halftime at 32, but the Badgers would prove to be too much as they downed the Hawkeyes 83-72. Tony Perkins scored a game-high 25 points for Iowa as Owen Freeman collected a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Hawkeyes will compete against Rutgers at home on Saturday at 11 am.
This Day in Sports History
1981 – Golfer Johnny Miller wins the sport’s first $1 million tournament when he beats Seve Ballesteros in a playoff in the inaugural Million Dollar World Challenge at Sun City, South Africa.
1983 – Dallas running back Tony Dorsett sets an NFL record with a 99-yard touchdown run in a Cowboys’ 31-27 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. There were only 10 Cowboys on the field.
1993 – “The Comeback”, quarterback Frank Reich leads the Buffalo Bills back from a 32-point deficit to defeat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime in a wild card playoff game; the second largest comeback in NFL history.
College Basketball- The University of Iowa women’s basketball team is off to one of their best starts in program history as the #4 ranked Hawkeyes are 13-1 entering tonight’s conference matchup with Michigan State. A big reason for their success has been senior phenom Caitlin Clark.
Clark just nabbed her 23rd Big Ten Player of the Week honor, which ties the conference record held by former Hawkeye Megan Gustafson.
Clark dominated over the winter break with wins over Loyola Chicago and Minnesota. Against the Ramblers, the senior tallied her 13th career triple-double and against the Gophers she cashed in for 35 points and 10 assists as she is now the career record holder in assists in both Iowa’s and Big Ten’s history.
Making headlines in Ames is Audi Crooks as she recorded her second Big 12 women’s basketball Freshman of the Week honors. The freshman dominated against Oklahoma State with 21 points and seven rebounds. Crooks is averaging 16.6 points and six rebounds per game.
The Cyclones take on Kansas tomorrow at home at 6:30 pm.
Ahead of the 2024 Legislative Session, Representative Jeff Shipley (R-Fairfield) has been added to the Iowa House Labor and Workforce Committee.
“I’m ready to get to work on the Labor and Workforce committee this session,” Shipley said. “The workforce crisis is one of the most important issues facing our state and local economy. Iowa must address immediate workforce needs while also fixing this generational problem for the long term. Our overall success depends on growing our population and providing a high quality of life for young families. I’m looking forward to digging into these important topics and building consensus on solutions to move Iowa forward.”
In addition to his new role on Labor and Workforce, Shipley also serves on the Public Safety Committee and the Justice Systems budget subcommittee. He also serves as Vice Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee. This past summer, Shipley was also added to the State Children’s Behavioral Health Systems Board.
Rep. Shipley has also stated student discipline and children’s mental health to be a legislative priority, along with increasing salaries for teachers and Department of Corrections employees.
The 2024 Legislative Session begins on January 8th, 2024. You can send Rep. Shipley your 2024 Iowa Legislative priorities at jeff.shipley@legis.iowa.gov, or call/text 319 432 3108.
