One Last Look at Iowa Wesleyan This Weekend

By Yorke Prough · Monday, October 30th, 2023 at 7:58 am CDT

This coming weekend, the public has the opportunity to view the Iowa Wesleyan campus buildings one last time.

All Iowa Wesleyan campus buildings, including Hershey Hall, will be open to the public with the following exceptions: Old gym, Nemitz suites, Harlan-Lincoln House.

On Saturday, November 4th from 9:00am-5:00pm, and Sunday the 5th from 11am-3pm, these buildings will be open to allow the community to do one final walkthrough. This is strictly an open house, so citizens are able to take photos, but no items may be taken.

The Raymond J Chadwick library will have open doors on Friday, November 3rd and Saturday the 4th from 9:00am-5:00pm.

Books will be given away to the public those hours on a first come, first served basis.

The library will not be open Sunday, November 5th, so make to go there on Friday or Saturday if you’d like to view it one final time.

Volunteers are needed to ensure that these open buildings are secure. If you are able to volunteer, please email Steve.freymark@gmail.com

If you’d like to hear music from the Chapel, the Southeast Iowa brass quintet will perform on Saturday, November 4 at 2pm for approximately 45 minutes.  The public is encouraged to attend, and admission is free.

The alumni council has set up a website: Iowawesleyanalumni.org

Woman Strangled in Domestic Abuse Assault Case Friday Evening

By Yorke Prough · Monday, October 30th, 2023 at 7:55 am CDT

Des Moines County Deputies dealt with a domestic abuse assault on Friday night.

Just before 8:00pm on October 27th, deputies were dispatched to 4496 Sulivan Slough Road for a report of a domestic abuse assault. Upon arrival, deputies found the victim, who told them that she was kicked and strangled to the point of having difficulty breathing.

The victim did have marks on her neck consistent with being strangled. The victim told deputies that the suspect was Scott Mattson.

Scott Elder Mattson, age 48, of Burlington, IA was placed under arrest for domestic abuse assault impeding airflow and causing bodily injury, a D Felony. Mattson was transported to the Des Moines County Correctional Center.

A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Sports, October 30th

By Slaten Swords · Monday, October 30th, 2023 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Football

For 8-player, #1 Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to take on #7 Don Bosco for the quarterfinal round this Thursday, November 2nd. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will have the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

For Class 2A, #10 Mediapolis will take on #4 Monticello at home this Friday, November 3rd.

In Class 3A, Mt. Vernon and Williamsburg will face off this Friday with the winner moving on to the semifinals.

High School Volleyball

Holy Trinity Catholic grabbed the #3 seed and will take on #6 Don Bosco for the first round of the state tournament tomorrow, October 31st, at 8:25 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will have the call with the pregame show at 8:05 pm. 

The Crusaders will have a meet and greet tonight at 5:30 pm.

The other matchups for Class 1A include: #1 Ankeny Christian facing off against #8 Newell-Fonda, #4 BCLUW competing against #5 Saint Ansgar, and #2 Boyden-Hull taking on #7 St. Albert. 

Cross Country

Class 2A and 3A competed over the weekend at the state meet and Mediapolis finished in 6th place as a team for Class 2A boys; Des Moines Christian took the team championship. Owen Schmidgall’s 9th place finish with a time of 16 minutes and 22 seconds anchored the Bulldogs. Logan Rosas was the next Bulldog to finish in 24th place with a time of 16 minutes and 53 seconds. Will Schmidgall took 33rd, Solomon Zaugg grabbed 50th place, and Simon Wendel finished in 113th place. 

For the Class 2A girls, Kaitlyn Kipp of West Burlington-Notre Dame finished with a time of 20 minutes and 33 seconds, earning her 46th place. Des Moines Christian captured the team crown to sweep Class 2A.

For the Class 3A boys, Micha Rees’ 4th place finish with a time of 15 minutes and 47 seconds helped lead the Demons to a 5th place finish as a team. Andrew Rees raced to a 41st place finish with a time of 16 minutes and 56 seconds and Tyler Alderton took 48th place. Gilbert finished with the team championship with a score of 57. 

Jacob Shottenkirk of Fort Madison finished in 34th place with a time of 16 minutes and 49 seconds. 

For the Class 3A girls, Avery Rump and Iris Dahl continued their close competition with Rump besting Dahl by three seconds to finish in 4th place for the Bloodhounds and Dahl in 5th place for the Demons. 

Carley Seeley of Fairfield took 66th place and Paetyn Wiegand grabbed 86th place for the Bloodhounds.

College Football

Iowa State University extended their win streak to three after defeating Baylor over the weekend 30-18. Cartevious Norton rushed for two touchdowns and was a part of a committee that ran for 162 yards. Rocco Becht tossed a touchdown to Jayden Higgins and finished the game with 238 passing yards. The Cyclones will celebrate their homecoming this Saturday, November 4th, against Kansas, as the Cyclones are locked in a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12.

Iowa will travel to face off against Northwestern at Wrigley Field this Saturday at 2:30 pm. 

For the Hawkeye broadcast, tune in to KILJ 105.5 FM. For the Cyclone broadcast, tune in to KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130.

This Day in Sports History

1954 – The Rochester Royals and Boston Celtics play in the first NBA game to use the 24-second shot clock; the Royals win 98-95.

1974 – “The Rumble in the Jungle”: Muhammad Ali KOs George Foreman in the 8th round in Kinshasa, Zaire; regains the world heavyweight boxing title with the famous “rope-a-dope” tactic.

2016 – The Oakland Raiders break the single game record for most penalties in an NFL game with 23 in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Gary Hart

By Yorke Prough · Monday, October 30th, 2023 at 5:54 am CDT

Gary D. Hart, 86, of Mt. Pleasant passed away on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at Savannah Heights in Mt. Pleasant.

Gary was born on July 21, 1937, in rural Mt. Pleasant, the son of Ronald and Bertha (Mills) Hart.  He was united in marriage to Sandra K. Schroeder on November 10, 1972.  She preceded him in death on August 2, 2015.  Gary was a ‘jack of all trades”; there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.  For many years he worked for different construction companies running heavy equipment.  In his younger years he and his brother were miners in Wyoming.  He enjoyed his time outside either riding his Harley, horses, trapping, fishing and hunting.  He was a member of the Lockridge Saddle Club. Gary was known for watching westerns and falling asleep in his recliner.  

He is survived by his children, Tina (Jason) Nichting of Lockridge, Jeremy (Amy) Hart and April (Adam) Johnston, all of Mt. Pleasant, eight granddaughters, and his sisters,  Janet Young, Joan Millard, Berta  (Larry) Pearson, Ginger Robertson and Cherry (Frosty)  Hermanstorfer, along with several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, one grandson and three brothers, Gene, Ronnie and Ted.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Mt.Pleasant.  Burial will follow in the Oakland Mills Cemetery.  Friends may call after 2 p.m. on Friday at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant where the family will be present from 5 to 7 p.m. that evening.  A memorial has been established in his memory.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for his arrangements.

October 30th, 2023 – November 5th, 2023

By Allison Jacobs · Sunday, October 29th, 2023 at 9:17 am CDT
10/30/23
Shyanne Johnston
10/30/23
Samantha Becker
10/30/23
Courtney Smith
10/31/23
Reece McNamee
10/31/23
Sheila Sammons
10/31/23
Nicole Syfert
10/31/23
Lindsay Honts
10/31/23
Ryan Duffie
11/01/23
Logan Borders
11/01/23
Megan Borders
11/01/23
Lindsey Lees
11/01/23
Bradley Wesley
11/02/23
Benjamin Bower
11/02/23
Donald Davidson
11/02/23
Sawyer Goettsche
11/02/23
Keelyn McNamee
11/03/23
Julie Brown
11/03/23
Jacob Kruse
11/03/23
Megan Denning
11/04/23
Dorothy Brickey
11/04/2
Susan Haffarnan
11/04/23
Madison Flowers
11/04/23
Darren Hanna
11/04/23
Jerry Keeley
11/04/23
Owen Denning - 12
11/05/23
Ron & Karla Denning - Happy Anniversary

Sports, October 28th

By Slaten Swords · Saturday, October 28th, 2023 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Football

#10 WACO had control for most of the game last night against #7 Don Bosco, but three long touchdown passes late in the game gave the Dons the advantage in a 28-20 win. 

The Warriors found the scoreboard first with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Clayton Miller to senior Colton Leichty after the defense stopped the Don offense on the opening drive. Kaiden Knaack tied the game late in the first quarter with an 18-yard scamper. This led to an over five-minute drive for WACO, ending in a 3-yard touchdown for senior Reece Oswald. 

Hunter Hughes and Joel Meyer each captured an interception to keep Don Bosco off the board until a 50-yard touchdown pass from Knaack to Ben Belew tied the game with 2:51 remaining in the third quarter. The Miller-Leichty connection struck again to start the fourth quarter with a 49-yard touchdown pass to take the lead, but a missed extra point gave WACO a 20 to 14 lead. 

Don Bosco responded with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Ty Christensen and a 41-yard touchdown pass to Belew again to give the Dons the lead and eventual win as the defense ended up with an interception and a couple of fourth down stops. The Warriors end the season with an 8-2 record.

Cam Buffington continued running through opposing defenses as the senior totaled 150 rushing yards and four touchdowns as #1 Winfield-Mt. Union dumped Moravia 34-6. Jake Edwards found Abram Edwards through the air for the Wolves final touchdown of the night. The Wolves will travel to take on Don Bosco for the quarterfinal round next Thursday. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will have the call.

#10 Mediapolis shut out Camanche last night to win 27-0. The Bulldogs will take on #4 Monticello at home next Friday. 

In Class 3A, Fort Madison lost to Solon 50-7 and West Delaware defeated Assumption 58-45.

In Pod C, Mt. Vernon crushed Independence 50-6 and Williamsburg defeated Humboldt 23-0. The Mustangs and Raiders will face off next Friday. 

High School Volleyball

Holy Trinity Catholic grabbed the #3 seed and will take on #6 Don Bosco for the first round of the state tournament on October 31st at 8:25 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will have the call with the pregame show at 8:05 pm. 

The other matchups for Class 1A include: #1 Ankeny Christian facing off against #8 Newell-Fonda, #4 BCLUW competing against #5 Saint Ansgar, and #2 Boyden-Hull taking on #7 St. Albert. 

Cross Country

Class 1A had their state meet run yesterday and here are the results. 

For the boys, Danville finished in 5th place as a team with Jackson Shacklett finishing in 20th place with a time of 16 minutes and 55 seconds. Carter Fesler grabbed 28th place with a time of 17 minutes and 4 seconds. Isaac Shinn took 51st place, Noah Horn finished in 74th place, and Nick Powell grabbed 104th place. 

Lincoln Bainbridge of Van Buren County raced to a time of 16 minutes and 13 seconds, which earned him 5th place. Kohlby Newsom finished in 19th place for Winfield-Mt. Union with a time of 16 minutes and 54 seconds. 

For the girls, Alaina Gourley of Danville, a sophomore, finished in 66th place with a time of 21 minutes and 1 second. 

Class 2A and 3A will compete today. For the Class 2A boys, Mediapolis will be competing as a team with Grant Kennedy, Mason Lindeen, Logan Rosas, Owen Schmidgall, Will Schmidgall, Simon Wendel, and Solomon Zaugg all running for the Bulldogs. 

For the Class 2A girls, Kaitlyn Kipp of West Burlington-Notre Dame will be running as an individual.

For the Class 3A boys, Fort Madison’s Jacob Shottenkirk will be running as an individual and Washington will be competing as a team. 

For the Class 3A girls, Avery Rump and Pateyn Wiegand of Fort Madison will be running as individuals. Additionally, Iris Dahl of Washington and Carley Seeley of Fairfield will be running as individuals. 

College Football

Iowa will enjoy their bye week.

Iowa State University will be back in action today at 2:30 pm against Baylor. 

For the Cyclone broadcast, tune in to KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130. 

This Day in Sports History

1934 – Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates play first of only four penalty free games in NFL history; Dodgers wins 21-3 at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn.

1962 – NY Giant Y. A. Tittle passes for 7 touchdowns vs Washington(49-34).

1997 – The NBA announces the hiring of Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer as the first women to officiate a major-league all-male sports league.

Local High School Football Scores (Playoffs)

By Slaten Swords · Saturday, October 28th, 2023 at 1:18 am CDT

Class 3A

Solon 50, Fort Madison 7

West Delaware 58, Assumption 45

Mt. Vernon 50, Independence 6

Williamsburg 23, Humboldt 0

Class 2A

Mediapolis 27, Camanche 0

Monticello 45, Jesup 0

8-Player

Don Bosco 28, WACO 20

Winfield-Mt. Union 34, Moravia 8

Fort Madison Community Thanksgiving Dinner

By Yorke Prough · Friday, October 27th, 2023 at 4:16 pm CDT

With the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner, the Fort Madison Community Thanksgiving Dinner Committee is busy preparing for another great meal.

The 2023 Fort Madison Community Thanksgiving Dinner will take place on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, and will be carry out, delivery and dine in! The committee will again serve meals from the Fraternal Order of the Eagles Aerie 1287 located at 4821 Avenue O Suite #4 and invite you to dine in with them from 11 am – 1 pm.

Volunteers will be needed to help deliver meals to those who are unable to get out. Deliveries will be made from 10 am – 1 pm on Thanksgiving Day.  Carry out meals can be picked up at the Eagles Club between 12 – 2 pm. Free-will donations are accepted as well as canned good items for the Food Pantry.

All meals will need to be ordered ahead of time by calling the Thanksgiving Hotline at 319-316-8204 beginning November 6th until November 21st.

“We are excited to invite community members to dine with us again. This event is all about giving our community a chance to enjoy Thanksgiving with others. Our volunteers are what help make this event so successful. We’ll be needing delivery drivers again as well as people to help on the service lines. Volunteers will also be needed on Wednesday for prep.” states Chamber Director Savanna Collier.  If you’d like to volunteer, please call the Turkey Hotline at 319-316-8204 starting November 6th to sign-up.

The committee appreciates the efforts of the greater Fort Madison businesses for sponsoring and volunteers that help make this free event happen. Monetary donations are greatly appreciated and can be sent to “Community Thanksgiving” at 614 7th Street, Fort Madison, IA. They especially would like to thank the Eagles Club for the use of their space and the Iowa State Penitentiary for their help in the preparation of the food. It is the goal of the group to see that no one is overlooked this Thanksgiving, so getting the word out to community members in need and to those who may not have a family to share a holiday meal with is of utmost importance!