Kyler Rugg

By Kadie Johannson · Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 at 11:21 am CDT

Kyler Rugg, 17, of Wayland, passed from this life on Friday, February 13, 2026, at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. A visitation will be held Friday, February 20, 2026, from 3 – 8 PM at the WACO High School gymnasium. Following visitation, cremation will take place and a celebration of his life will be held Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 1- 4 PM at the Eichelberger Main Office at 408 N. Way Drive, Wayland. A general memorial fund has been established. The Beatty Peterseim Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Kyler was born on July 9, 2008, in Washington, the son of Aaron and Dawn (Stauffer) Rugg. He was a senior at WACO High School, where he was very active in FFA (which he loved) and had played on the football team. Kyler owned and operated his own lawn care business, Rugg’s Lawn Care and Snow Removal, and worked for C & M Plumbing in Mt. Pleasant. He enjoyed fishing, tractors, singing 90’s country songs and giving hugs. He will be remembered for this quote: “Every day is a great day, but not everybody sees the great in that day.”

Survivors include his parents, Aaron and Dawn of Wayland; two brothers Karsen and Kolten; his girlfriend Sammy Helfrich of Brighton; their soon to be born son Benjamin Kyler James; his maternal grandparents: Jimmy and Gina Stauffer of Wayland, paternal grandparents Merle and Sherri Rugg of Wayland, maternal great-grandparents Curt and Janice Eddy of Wayland, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

Preceding Kyler in death were his maternal great-grandparents Edwin and Louise Stauffer, and paternal great-grandparents Doc and Helen Rugg and Dick and Frances Morrow.

Local Guide: Running for County Office in Henry County

By Kadie Johannson · Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 at 6:51 am CDT

With the 2026 general election coming up on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 residents interested in running for county office in Henry County are encouraged to start the process of filing their paperwork.

Several county positions will be on the ballot this year, including:

  • County Attorney
  • County Treasurer
  • County Recorder
  • Henry County Board of Supervisors – 1 open seat

Candidates must file nomination papers with the Henry County Auditor’s Office between Monday, March 2nd and Friday, March 20th by 5 p.m. To get on the ballot, candidates need to submit an Affidavit of Candidacy and a Nomination Petition with signatures from eligible voters.

There is no filing fee, but prospective candidates should check with the Auditor’s Office for the required number of signatures and any other qualifications. Nomination forms are available at the Henry County Auditor’s Office or on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website.

Filing early ensures your name appears on the ballot and gives you more time to campaign. The primary election will be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Click here for the Iowa Secretary of State’s Candidate’s Guide to the Primary Election June 2, 2026

For more information, contact Henry County Auditor Robin Detrick or Election Coordinator Heidi Shilling at the Henry County Auditor’s Office which is located at the courthouse in Mount Pleasant,100 East Washington Street, Suite 202 or at 319-385-0756.

Sports, February 17th

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 at 6:36 am CDT

Boys’ District Basketball

The first round of the Class 1A and Class 2A District brackets tipped-off last night and there was one upset amongst our local teams.

#4 Burlington Notre Dame, the top seed of the district, clobbered New London last night, 81-45. The Tigers finished the season with a 7-17 record.

In the #4-#5 seed contest, defense was on full display between Winfield-Mt. Union and Danville and it was the Bears who executed on the road, beating the Wolves 40-34. Isaac Egli led the team with 13 points in the loss. Winfield-Mt. Union ended the season with a 13-8 record.

Burlington Notre Dame will host Danville on Thursday, February 19th, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Down in Fort Madison, WACO outhustled Holy Trinity Catholic in the first half of play but the shots just were not falling for the Warriors, while the Crusaders hit five of an eventual ten three-pointers to exit with a 66-50 victory. Kellen Shelman finished the night with 15 points for WACO, as the Warriors collected an 11-11 record for the season.

Holy Trinity Catholic’s Layne Rung scored only eight points, but his spotlight allowed for Jack Ragar to finish the night with a game high 21 points. Crusader head coach John Hellige was pleased to see everyone else stepping up,

“Yeah, they were really keen on [Layne] Rung tonight. I thought he had a good game, even though he didn’t have his normal 20 points. He affected the game in a lot of other ways, and also allowed his teammates to get open. And [Jack]Ragar and the gang, they all stepped up and did a great job, filling that scoring void.”

Holy Trinity Catholic will travel to Pekin on Thursday for tip-off at 7 pm.

Over in Substate 5 District 10, Wapello fell to Hillcrest Academy last night, 58-47. Wapello finished the season with a 5-17 record. 

In Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, West Burlington handled Cardinal last night, 63-43. The Falcons will fly to Central Lee on Thursday at 7 pm.

On the top half of the bracket, Van Buren County lost to Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in a narrow 58-56 finish. The Warriors claimed a 6-17 record for the year. 

In Substate 5 District 10, Columbus could not keep up with Durant last night, losing 63-42. The Wildcats turned in a 9-13 record for the season.

Lastly, Mediapolis throttled Louisa-Muscatine to the tune of an 85-57 final. The Bulldogs will search for their first victory over Mid-Prairie since 2011 on Thursday at 7 pm on the road. 

The Class 3A and Class 4A brackets were released yesterday.

In Class 3A Substate 4, #5 Mt. Pleasant will venture to #4 Davenport Assumption for their first round matchup on Monday, February 23rd, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

Substate 5 houses the rest of our local teams with #8 Fairfield traveling to #1 Pella. #4 Burlington will host #5 Washington, while #3 Keokuk will take on #6 Fort Madison at home for a pair of Southeast Conference clashes. 

High School Basketball

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will travel to Pella tonight at 7 pm.

The Fairfield boys’ team will make the trip to Clear Creek Amana tonight at 7:30 pm.

Girls’ Regional Basketball

In Class 1A Region 4, Wapello will make the trip to Lone Tree tonight at 7 pm.

In Class 2A Region 8, Van Buren County will traverse to Regina Catholic tonight at 7 pm.

Danville will take on West Burlington at home tonight at 7 pm.

For Class 3A Region 5, Washington will face off against Tipton tomorrow, February 18th, at 7 pm on the road.

In Region 6, #8 Mediapolis will tangle with Davis County tomorrow at home at 7 pm.

For Class 4A Region 4, Mt. Pleasant will be looking to avenge an early season loss when they travel to Oskaloosa tomorrow. 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 tomorrow.

In Region 6, Fort Madison will host Keokuk in a Southeast Conference rivalry matchup tomorrow.

High School Bowling

The Iowa High School Athletic Association’s (IHSAA) 2026 state qualifying meets were held yesterday and for Class 1A the top team and four individuals qualified for state, while Class 2A qualified the top eight scores and best two team scores from each district. 

In Central Lee, Louisa-Muscatine claimed the top team spot, while West Burlington and the hosts finished in 4th and 5th place, respectively. The Falcons were led by DJ Davis as he produced 565 total pins, which tied for 10th place, while Central Lee’s Chad Barnhardt bowled for 559 pins. 

Fairfield traveled to Monticello and claimed 4th place with 2,747 pins. The hosts qualified as a team.

 In Class 2A, Clinton played host to Keokuk, Burlington, and Mt. Pleasant and the Chiefs led the charge for our local schools, taking 4th place with 3,022 pins, followed by Mt. Pleasant in 6th place and Burlington in 7th place.

Keokuk’s Chase Hemann was the lone state qualifier from the region, as his score of 659 pins was good enough for 5th place. Mt. Pleasant was led by Talon DeHart’s 552 total pins. Burlington’s Brady Britt finished with 514 total pins.

The Class 2A individual state tournament is scheduled for Wednesday, February 25th.

High School Wrestling

The 2026 Iowa High School Athletic Association’s State Tournament is scheduled to start tomorrow, February 18th, and KILJ will be providing updates for all 32 of our local wrestlers.

For a full breakdown of the district championships, follow this link: 2026 District Results

Southeastern Community College

The women’s basketball team will play Marshalltown Community College tomorrow, February 18th, at 5:30 pm on the road.

The men’s basketball team will travel to Highland Community College tomorrow at 7 pm.

College Basketball

The Iowa State women’s team will take on Arizona State at home tomorrow, February 18th, at 6:30 pm.

The #13 Iowa women’s team took down Nebraska yesterday, 80-67. Ava Heiden went off for a double-double, scoring 27 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The Hawkeyes will stay on the road to play Purdue on Thursday, February 19th, at 6 pm.

The Iowa men’s team will host #9 Nebraska tonight at 8 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the call.

The #6 Iowa State men’s team had some more Hilton Magic up their sleeve as they knocked off #2 Houston last night, 70-67, as they outscored the Cougars 17 to 4 in the final seven minutes of play. Justin Jefferson led the team with 12 points. The Cyclones will travel to BYU on Saturday, February 21st, at 9:30 pm. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will have the call.

This Day in Sports History

1974 – 16th Daytona 500: Richard Petty becomes the first driver to win back-to-back titles at Daytona; his 5th Great American race.

1998 – The USA Women’s Ice Hockey Team beats Canada and wins the first Olympic Gold medal.

2012 – Approximately 70 ancient Olympic artifacts are stolen from the Archaeological Museum of Greece.

Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center Offers Cancer Survivorship 101 Program

By Kadie Johannson · Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 at 6:20 am CDT

Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, West Burlington, will host A Time To Heal Survivorship 101, a nine-week program for cancer survivors. The program will start on Wednesday, March 4, and be held every Wednesday through April 29, from 3-5 p.m. in the conference room in the Family Medicine Clinic (Suite 159) in Mercy Plaza on the West Burlington campus.

This program is geared toward helping cancer survivors adjust to their “new normal” with specially trained facilitators. Participants will share their journey with other cancer survivors and their caregivers, gaining support and fellowship.  Topics include research-based advice on nutrition, exercise, intimacy, and reducing anxiety.

The deadline to reserve your spot in the Survivorship 101 Program is February 25, and can be made by calling the program coordinator at 319-768-4248.

This program is made possible by the Iowa Cancer Consortium and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services with funding from the Great River Health Foundation.

More about Great River Health Cancer Care:

Great River Health offers comprehensive cancer care. The expert team of oncologists, nurses, and support staff treats the whole person – body, mind, and spirit – offering comprehensive care tailored to each individual.

There are many types of cancer treatment, each tailored to the individual needs of the patient. The following services are offered locally at Great River Health:

  • Blood-product transfusions: chemotherapy, some types of cancer, and blood disorders may affect blood counts. Some patients need transfusions of whole blood or blood components such as red cells or platelets.
  • Bone marrow biopsies: bone marrow sample can confirm anemia, leukemia, and lymphoma.
  • Chemotherapy: or “chemo,” is the use of medication to kill rapidly growing cancer cells, slow their growth, and relieve cancer symptoms. There are many types of chemotherapy drugs, and sometimes several drugs are combined. A pharmacist mixes chemotherapy IV drugs in our cancer center. The process of receiving chemotherapy through an IV is called infusion. In some cases, oral chemotherapy drugs are prescribed.
  • Immunotherapy: this treatment bolsters a weakened immune system caused by cancer or other diseases.
  • Radiation therapy: this treatment helps kill cancer cells confined to one localized area, which is then blasted with radiation to kill the malignancies. This therapy may be enough to treat your cancer by itself, but usually, radiation therapy is combined with chemo and/or surgery.
  • Surgery: the first-line treatment for many forms of cancer is the surgical removal of a tumor before the cancer cells have a chance to spread. Usually, surgery is used with other treatment types to destroy any lingering cancer cells and destroy them completely. Biopsies are performed after surgery to stage and type your cancer to provide further diagnostic insight to your oncology team.

To find out more visit www.greatriverhealth.org

HCHC Soldiers & Sailors Board Meeting Agenda for Wednesday, 2/18/26

By Kadie Johannson · Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 at 6:15 am CDT

The Henry County Health Center Soldiers and Sailors Board of Trustees will meet Wednesday morning, February 18, 2026 at 7:30 a.m. in the HCHC Board Room.

The meeting will begin with a public hearing on the proposed action to approve the county tax budget for the health center.

Trustees will then move into their consent agenda, which includes approval of minutes from previous meetings and committees, along with the administrative memo and EMS report.

Under old business, the board will consider approval of the county tax budget, review financial and capital updates, receive a GRH update, and consider audit approval.

A hospital inspection discussion will take place, led by Trustee Joel Prottsman.

The board will also enter into executive conference in closed session pursuant to Iowa Code Chapter 21.5 to discuss strategic objectives, quality, and legal matters.

In new business, trustees will consider recommending and approving a new board member, approving over-budget capital expenditures, and reviewing operations from 2021-2025.

The meeting is open to the public, except for the closed session portion.

The next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

Salvatore “Sam” Baxter

By Kadie Johannson · Monday, February 16th, 2026 at 3:21 pm CDT

Salvatore “Sam” Mattia Baxter of Fort Madison died peacefully surrounded by his loving family on February 12, 2026, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Sam was born October 16, 1949 in Fort Madison, Iowa to Joseph Baxter of Fort Madison and Francesca Anna (DeGennaro) Baxter of Naples, Italy. Sam was a 1967 graduate of Aquinas High School. Upon graduation, Sam spent five years on the continent of Australia and loved to recount his time working on shrimp boats, bauxite mining, brick-making, and as a Honda motorcycle mechanic. Upon moving back to the United States he worked on everything from barges on the Mississippi River to locomotive engines at BNSF shops in Burlington, Iowa. Sam first married Jill Bentley, and they later divorced. On July 17, 1999, he married Linda Denning Hunold at St. Boniface in Farmington, Iowa. He retired in 2015 from BNSF as a railroad conductor.

Sam was curious, quick with a joke or a pun, and loved to tell stories to anyone who would listen. Fun loving at heart, he was always whipping up paper airplanes, word games, potato guns, or trebuchets for his grandchildren—who he adored and enthusiastically recounted stories about. A true Renaissance man, Sam could be found tinkering with his car or a home project, making jewelry, debating philosophy, or devouring historical programs. He was a talented guitar player and cartoonist. To say that Sam was a good cook would be an understatement and he passed that love of cooking on to his children.

Sam is survived by his loving wife of 26 years, as well as his children: Danielle (Ramy) Henin of Marion, Iowa and Benjamin (Emily) Baxter of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa; sister: Rosie (James) Helling of San Antonio, Texas, and sister: Teresa Roth of San Antonio, Texas. Sam was a “second dad” to Ben (Tracey Griser) Hunold of Farmington, Iowa, Sarah (Andrew) Stephens of Apple Valley, Minnesota, and Jennifer Hunold (Jake Winiski) of Troy, New York. He delighted in spending time with and hearing stories about his 11 grandchildren.

A visitation will begin at 12:00 noon on Monday, February 23, 2026, at Schmitz Funeral Home in Donnellson, where the family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 pm.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at Schmitz Funeral Home in Donnellson with Father Dan Dorau officiating.

Burial will be at St. John’s Cemetery in Houghton, Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. John’s Cemetery in Houghton, Iowa, The Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra (SEISO), or The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Schmitz Funeral Home of Donnellson is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.

Armed Standoff in Fort Madison Ends with Suspect in Custody

By Kadie Johannson · Monday, February 16th, 2026 at 2:11 pm CDT

The Fort Madison Police Department is reporting that a man is in custody following an armed standoff Sunday evening.

According to a press release issued February 15th, officers were conducting a civil standby at a residence in the 2100 block of Avenue L at approximately 5:10 p.m. when the situation escalated.

Police say Philip Hansen, age 41, entered a back room of the home, produced a handgun, and pointed it at an officer. The officer was able to safely retreat. Hansen then barricaded himself inside a bedroom.

Officers attempted to negotiate Hansen’s peaceful surrender, but authorities say he made verbal threats and refused commands.

Due to the elevated risk, additional agencies responded, including the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Lee County EMS, LeeComm, and the Fort Madison Fire Department. The surrounding block was secured and nearby residences were evacuated as a precaution.

After more than two hours of negotiations, a search warrant was obtained. The Lee County Special Response Team and the Iowa State Patrol Tactical Team deployed less-lethal chemical agents inside the residence. Hansen then surrendered without further incident. He was transported to the Lee County Jail and charged with Assault on a Peace Officer While Displaying a Dangerous Weapon.

Authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the public. As always, Hansen is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Six Children Escape Safely After Sunday Morning House Fire in Burlington

By Kadie Johannson · Monday, February 16th, 2026 at 7:19 am CDT

The Burlington Fire Department responded to a structure fire Sunday morning in Burlington.

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on February 15th, crews were dispatched to 1510 Smith Street. Firefighters arrived within four minutes and reported flames visible from the first floor extending into the second story of the two-story single-family home.

The residence, owned by Arya Enterprises, was insured at the time of the fire. Six children, ranging in age from two to eighteen years old, were inside the home when the fire broke out. All occupants were able to escape safely. Officials say the home was equipped with working smoke alarms.

The residence has been deemed uninhabitable, and damage estimates are still being assessed.

Assisting at the scene were the West Burlington Fire Department, Burlington Police Department, Alliant Energy, the American Red Cross, and Des Moines County Communications.

No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Any additional updates will be released by the Fire Marshal as they become available.