Names Added to Henry County Veteran’s Memorial

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, May 18th, 2026 at 8:45 am CDT

The Avenue of Flags and Henry County Veterans Memorial Committee are proud to announce that 10 names have been added and engraved to the Memorial since the last Veterans Day. The total is now 1,550 names.  The following have been added to the Memorial:

  • Charles Lawrence Haffarnan: USA
  • David H. Carrick: USA
  • Ed Jones: USN
  • L. Pete Turbett: USMC
  • Gerald A. Snyder Jr.: USMC
  • Harry W. McGuire: USN
  • Kenneth Lloyd Fischer: USN
  • Leo S. Prottsman: USA
  • Vincent D. Mahoney: USA
  • Marvin Cecil Crull: USA

The names will be announced during the Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 25th beginning at 10:30am in the gym at Mt. Pleasant High School.

Dianne Norene Roth

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, May 18th, 2026 at 6:45 am CDT

Dianne Norene Roth was born on September 23, 1931, in Wayland and passed quietly, surrounded by her family, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at her residence in Mount Pleasant. She was the daughter of Max and Wilma (Boshart) Kauffman. Dianne attended Wayland High School, graduating in 1950. On December 31, 1950, at Wayland Mennonite Church, where she was baptized as a child, she married her high school sweetheart, James Joseph Roth.

They spent 12 years farming the Kauffman homestead south of Wayland and raising their first four daughters. She also worked at the Sale Inn Cafe. In 1963, they moved to Mount Pleasant, where she worked at Seifert’s as a bookkeeper for 28 years. During this time, they welcomed their fifth daughter. With a strong community spirit and dedication to many organizations, Dianne was a member of TTT and Ladies Night Out in Wayland. After moving to Mount Pleasant, she joined First United Methodist Church and was very active as a leader in Youth Fellowship, the Mission Committee, and various other church committees. She started The Lunch Bunch, worked many years at the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion carousel, and volunteered at HCHC. Dianne and James spent endless hours at their Osage Beach summer home hosting family and friends.

She is survived by her five daughters: Suzann (John) Krieger of Mount Pleasant; Sheila (Rick) Swetnam of Kansas City; Sharon (Steven) Mitchell of Asheville; Sally (Scott) Kaufmann of Waimea; and Sara (Paul) Maher of Mount Pleasant. There are 16 grandchildren: Mike (Staci) Krieger, Kim (Wyatt) Hadley, Kesh (Robert) Greiner, Brandon (Heather) Yaley, Danica (Aaron) Tolen, Blake (Katy) Swetnam, Rachel (Steven) Richison, Chenoa (Victor) Roth, Kevin (Cheri) Mitchell, Zachariah Kaufmann, Sophia Kaufmann, Greg (Rebekah) Kaufmann, Angie Kaufmann, Joshua (Karla) Maher, Erin (Will) Maher, and Megan (Ryan) Joseph; and four step-grandchildren. She is also survived by 34 great-grandchildren, seven step-great-grandchildren, seven great-great-grandchildren, and twin brothers, Robert (Pam) Kauffman of Crystal Lake and William Kauffman of Manitowish Waters.

Dianne was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, James; son-in-law Carl Kaufmann; sister-in-law Barbara Kauffman; and infant great-granddaughter, Maelani Rose Hadley. All are thankful for the time they were able to spend with mother, grandmother, sister, and friend.

A memorial funeral service for Dianne will be held at 11AM on May 26th, 2026 at the First United Methodist Church, 309 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant. The Rev. Court Fischer, Senior Pastor, will officiate. Burial will be in the North Hill Cemetery, rural Wayland. The family will receive friends from 10-10:45 AM on the 26th at the church. Those may sign the register and pay their respects from 12 Noon to 7PM on Sunday, May 24th at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant.

Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to Every Step Hospice, First United Methodist Church or the North Hill Cemetery. Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com

Sports, May 18th

By Slaten Swords · Monday, May 18th, 2026 at 6:23 am CDT

High School Boys’ Tennis

Fairfield hosted the Class 1A District 4 singles and doubles competition over the weekend and Mt. Pleasant’s duo of Sawyer Fulton and Max Heater was able to generate a 2nd place finish, along with Fort Madison’s Rowan Benda to punch their ticket to the state tournament in Waterloo. The tournament is scheduled for May 27th. 

The team tennis tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 20th, with Mt. Pleasant traveling to Assumption and Fairfield taking on Central DeWitt on the road. 

High School Track and Field

The Iowa High School State Track and Field meet is scheduled to start on Thursday, May 21st, and run through Saturday, May 23rd with KILJ providing updates throughout the three-day event.

Southeast Iowa will have plenty to cheer about and many opportunities to do so when it comes to these athletes that qualified for the maximum four events. 

In Class 1A, Danville’s Alaina Gourley will run the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter run, and the 4×400 and sprint medley relays. London Franklin for New London will sprint the 100-meter dash, look to defend the title in the 4×100 meter relay, also compete in the 4×200 meter relay, and participate in the long jump. Lastly, Van Buren County’s Lincoln Bainbridge will take on the 400 and 800-meter events along with joining the 4×400 and distance medley relays.

Over in Class 2A, Avery Dietz of Mediapolis will jump in the 4×400, 4×800, and distance medley relays, while also competing in the 800-meter run.

For Class 3A, Keokuk’s Ryan Bair will look to show off the speed in the 100 and 200-meter dashes along with the 4×100 and sprint medley relays. Mt. Pleasant’s Avery Fedler might only be a freshman but she will be competing in the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter run, the 1500-meter run, and the sprint medley relay. Additionally, Kynlee White will participate in four relays: the 4×100, 4×200, sprint medley, and shuttle hurdle and Alex Scott will run the 4×100, 4×200, sprint medley, and the 100-meter dash. Lastly, Washington will have Iris Dahl running in 800 and 1500-meter runs along with the 4×400 and distance medley relays and Leighton Messinger will take on the 400-meter hurdles, the 4×200, the 4×400, and the distance medley relays. Lauren Drahota will compete in all four relays for the Demons.

For a full list of our state qualifiers, follow this link: State Qualifiers List

High School Soccer

The Burlington Notre Dame girls’ team will take on Keokuk tonight at 5 pm on the road.

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host Ottumwa tonight at 4:30 pm, while the boys’ team will make up their contest against Clear Creek Amana on Wednesday, May 20th, on the road.

The Central Lee girls’ team will face off against West Branch tonight at 5 pm. 

The Washington girls’ team will take on Fort Madison tonight at 4 pm at home.

The Fairfield girls’ team will play Mediapolis tomorrow, May 19th, at 5 pm on the road.

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will travel to Washington tomorrow at 5 pm.

High School Postseason Soccer

In Class 1A Substate 5, The WACO boys’ team will travel to Mediapolis tonight at 7 pm.

Danville will host Wapello tonight at 5:30 pm with the winner advancing to play Burlington Notre Dame on May 27th. 

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will face off against Highland tonight at home at 7 pm for Class 1A Substate 6 play.

The Central Lee boys’ team will take on Knoxville on the road tonight at 7 pm for Class 2A Substate 5 play.

In Class 2A Substate 4, The Washington boys’ team will compete against Central DeWitt for their first round matchup tonight at 7 pm at home.

The Fairfield boys’ team will host Mid-Prairie tonight at 5 pm for the first round of postseason action.

High School Golf

The Fairfield and Washington boys’ teams and Brody Engle of Mt. Pleasant will travel to Pella for their District meet tomorrow, May 19th.

The Winfield-Mt. Union, WACO, and Danville boys’ teams along with Holy Trinity Catholic’s Max Kruse and Wapello’s Cully Fry will head to Oskaloosa Golf tomorrow for their Class 1A District showdown hosted by Sigourney.

The Mediapolis boys’ team will host their Class 2A District Meet tomorrow at Heritage Oaks with Central Lee competing.

The Wapello girls’ team will host the Class 1A Region 5 finals at Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club on Wednesday, May 20th, with Winfield-Mt. Union, Van Buren County’s Sophia Jirak, and Hailey Wellington of Columbus making the trip.

The Mid-Prairie girls’ team will host the Class 2A Region 5 finals with Burlington Notre Dame’s Alexandria Booten competing on Wednesday. 

The Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield girls’ teams will be heading to Edmundson Golf Course on Wednesday for the Class 3A Region 3 meet. 

The Washington girls’ team will travel to Stone Creek Golf Club for the Class 3A Region 4 meet on Wednesday.

High School Baseball

Wapello will host West Burlington tonight at 6:30 pm.

Winfield-Mt. Union will take on Burlington at 6 pm tonight at home.

Fairfield will compete against Grinnell tonight at 5:30 pm at home.

Van Buren County will face off against Lone Tree tomorrow, May 19th, with the doubleheader starting at 5:30 pm.

Mediapolis versus Fort Madison scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled. 

Mt. Pleasant will have their home opener on Wednesday, May 20th, at 7 pm against Grinnell. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

High School Softball

West Burlington/Notre Dame will travel to Wapello tonight at 6:30 pm.

Columbus will tangle with Lone Tree at home tomorrow, May 19th, at 7 pm.

Local Summer Athletic Camps

Mt. Pleasant girls’ basketball is offering up a camp for any girls’ basketball players entering 3rd through 12th grades from June 23rd through the 25th located at the Mt. Pleasant High School Gym. The camp will focus on the fundamentals and introduce team concepts employed by the high school’s system.

If you would like to sign-up, then follow this link and fill out the form: https://kilj.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/mp-girls-bball-camp.pdf  

Winfield-Mt. Union is encouraging students entering 3rd through 8th grade to stay active this summer with their Wolfpack Performance Training program that will feature 12 dates throughout June and the beginning of July from 9 am to 9:45 am to build speed and agility. 

If you would like to sign-up, then head over to KILJ’s Facebook page and use their QR Code. 

College Baseball

Iowa ended the regular season with a 15-9 victory over Purdue this past weekend. The Hawkeyes will square off against Illinois tomorrow, May 19th, to start the Big Ten tournament from Omaha, Nebraska.

This Day in Sports History

1897 – William Joyce (New York Giants) set a record when he hit four triples in one game.

1933 – The first major league All-Star Game was announced. It was to be played on July 6 at Comiskey Park as part of the Chicago World’s Fair. 

1988 – In the Oakland Athletics’ 39th game of the season, pitcher Dave Stewart breaks a major league record, committing his 12th balk of the season in a 4 – 1 loss to the Red Sox. Stewart will extend the record with 16 balks during the year. 

Larry Allen Wixom

By Allison Jacobs · Monday, May 18th, 2026 at 6:11 am CDT

Larry Allen Wixom, 83, of Winfield, Iowa, died Thursday, May 14, 2026 at Henry County Health Center emergency room. Larry was born January 29, 1943 in Burlington, Iowa, to Francis A. and Elizabeth Houtz Wixom. He attended Burlington High School where he got his GED. He served in the United States Navy for 20 years, stationed in Vietnam for 2 years, and then the Philippines, where he met his wife, Teresita Ibanez. They eloped with a chaperone, and were married April 1, 1974. Following his Navy career, Larry worked at the IAAP for 25 years. During that time, he worked production and was a group leader. He enjoyed casino poker, Texas Hold ‘em, gin rummy, fishing, backgammon, cribbage and especially spending time with his grandchildren.

Larry is survived by his wife of 52 years, Terrie, daughters; Robin (Bruce) Jordan of Richmond Virginia, Sheri (Roy) Davis of King, North Carolina, Pamela Worrell, Chesapeake, Virginia, Jennifer (Jay) Hummell, Caddo Mills, Texas, and twins Lora Wixom (Lewis Jones) and Lorinda Wixom (Robby Nace) of Washington, Iowa, grandchildren; Matthew, R.J., Jessica, Bailey and Holly, Hailey, Mason, Miriam, Rae, Janie, and Jolie; 4 great grandchildren, sister Jacklyn Brown, Belle Plaine, Iowa, sister-in-law Betty Wixom, New London, Iowa, half-brother Jerry Hudson, half-sister Sherry Hudson, numerous nieces and nephews, and Terrie’s younger sister Susanna “Mila” (Jerry) Wilson, Frankenstein, Missouri, who they adopted and brought with them from the Philippines.  He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Francis DeWain Wixom and Wendell “Lonnie” Wixom, half-brother Terry Hudson, and brother Gary Wixom in infancy.

Visitation will be at Elliott Chapel, New London, beginning at noon, on Saturday, May 23, with the family receiving friends from 1pm-3pm. Military rites by the Henry County Honor Guard will be held at 3pm.  According to his wishes, his body has been cremated and inurnment will be held at a later date at Burge Cemetery, rural New London. A memorial has been established for the Winfield Fire and Rescue. Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

May 18, 2026 – May 24, 2026

By Lisa Grilliot · Sunday, May 17th, 2026 at 5:42 pm CDT
05/18/26
Matt Mitchell
05/18/26
Mark Mitchell
05/19/26
Amy Hellweg
05/19/26
Mark Burns
05/20/26
Katie Detrick
05/20/26
Marilyn Ridinger
05/21/26
Ally Allworth
05/21/26
Carla McNamee
05/21/26
Graham Hultman
05/21/26
Cindy & Brian Smith *Anniversary
05/22/26
Maggie Fitzpatrick
05/22/26
William Kinney
05/22/26
Elijah McGohan
05/23/26
Lura Stark
05/23/26
Paul Boles
05/23/26
Trudy Rich (60th)
05/23/26
Doug & Peggy Fraise *Anniversary
05/23/26
Bill & Pam Vantiger *Anniversary (45yrs)
05/24/26
Ann Sartorius
05/24/26
Rick & Jan Williamson *Anniversary

HCHC Diabetes Education Classes/Registration

By Lisa Grilliot · Sunday, May 17th, 2026 at 12:01 pm CDT

The Henry County Health Center Diabetes Education is hosting a CGM Support Group.  The class is scheduled for Thursday, May 21 from 2pm – 3pm in Suite 25 at the hospital in Mt. Pleasant.  HCHC Diabetes has earned Iowa State Certification. It has also been awarded recognition from the American Diabetes Association.  The next HCHC Diabetes Education Diabetes Support Class is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, 2026, from 8:30am – 2:30pm.  Please register in advance for this program by calling 319-385-6518.  The deadline for the registration is Friday (5/22/26).

Utility Bill Scam

By Lisa Grilliot · Sunday, May 17th, 2026 at 12:00 pm CDT

Utilities United Against Scams is cautioning consumers to be aware of a scam involving your energy bill.  A caller states that you have overpaid your utility bill, and you will be asked to provide banking or credit card information to receive a refund.  That is a scam.  In reality, your utility company will credit any overpayment to your account or mail you a check.  They will not request your banking information to issue the refund.