There was a pursuit that swept through Mt. Pleasant in the early evening hours on Monday, October 2^nd. At approximately 6:44pm, the Mt. Pleasant Police Department engaged in a high-speed pursuit in the 1400 block of highway 34. Preliminary reports suggest that this chase made its way north as it continued to the Trenton area. The Henry County Sheriff’s Office assisted in this pursuit. KILJ will bring updates to this case as they are made available.

The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation has been notified it will soon be receiving a $158,914 state award to advance community-based philanthropy throughout Henry County.

The award comes by way of the County Endowment Fund which was established by HF 2302 in the 2004 Legislative Session.  The purpose of this legislation is to provide financial support to encourage the creation and development of community foundations and civic philanthropy throughout Iowa.

Under terms of the legislation the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation will direct 75 percent of the award to foundation grantmaking activities and 25 percent will be placed in the Foundation’s permanent endowment. This allocation ratio provides the opportunity to assist local projects immediately as well as help build an endowment for the future of the county.

Since its establishment in 2004, the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation has awarded over $1,771,000 in grants to over 60 county organizations and charities.  Together these awards have leveraged over $12,000,000 in new projects for Henry County. 

The permanent endowment of the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation is now $636,603.  We encourage local individuals and institutions to learn more about the benefits of working with our foundation.

To request an application or any questions related to contributions, gifts and grantmaking can be directed to Lora Roth, Administrator for the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation at 319-385-8728 or lora@kilj.com.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“With an assist from a burst of summer-like weather, combines are rolling across Iowa,” said Secretary Naig. “Despite cooler temperatures arriving later this week, forecasts show mostly dry conditions through early October, which should allow harvest to continue at a steady pace.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

Crop Report

Warm and dry weather prevailed throughout much of Iowa this week resulting in 5.7 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending October 1, 2023, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities for the week were primarily harvesting corn and soybeans.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 28 percent very short, 45 percent short, 26 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 36 percent very short, 43 percent short, 20 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Corn maturity reached 92 percent this week, 8 days ahead of last year and 13 days ahead of the 5-year average. Corn harvested for grain reached 16 percent statewide, 4 days ahead of both last year and the average. Moisture content of field corn being harvested for grain was 20 percent. Corn condition improved slightly to 51 percent good to excellent. Soybeans dropping leaves was 87 percent this week, 5 days ahead of both last year and the average. Soybeans harvested reached 24 percent, 1 day ahead of last year but equal to the average. Soybean condition improved 2 percentage points to 49 percent good to excellent.

Pasture condition rated 15 percent good to excellent. Livestock producers have continued to haul hay and water to their livestock on pasture.

Weather Summary
Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Late-season warmth persisted across Iowa during the reporting period with positive departure approaching 12 degrees over portions of northern Iowa; the statewide average temperature was 69.1 degrees, 9.6 degrees above normal. A quiet storm track also limited rainfall over much of the state with many stations reporting no measurable totals.

Clouds gradually decreased through Sunday (24th) afternoon with westerly winds and highs in the upper 70s and low 80s. Thunderstorms formed in eastern Iowa after sunset but quickly dissipated by midnight; several stations in Dubuque County reported more than 0.50 inch with 0.56 inch near Dubuque to 2.40 inches in Peosta. Winds died down into Monday (25th) morning as lows bottomed out in the 50s with patchy fog in northern Iowa. Another wave of showers and thunderstorms associated with a cut-off low in Minnesota pushed into northern and eastern Iowa during the evening hours; a more concentrated cluster re-fired in the northeast corner towards daybreak on Tuesday (26th). Scattered thundershowers continued on the backside of the low-pressure center for most of the day as high temperatures remained seasonal in the upper 60s to low 70s over most of Iowa. Showers and thunderstorms finally dissipated during the nighttime hours with rainfall total highest in the northeast; Decorah (Winneshiek County) measured 1.05 inches while Waukon (Allamakee County) reported 3.93 inches. Almost 60 stations farther west observed at least 0.20 inch with a statewide average of 0.15 inch. Ample low-level moisture allowed dense fog to form before sunrise on Wednesday (27th) before burning off as the sun heated the surface through late morning. Afternoon temperatures hovered in the low to mid 70s under partly cloudy skies and variable winds. Light and spotty showers dotted northeastern Iowa during the evening hours as winds shifted to the east; Waukon recorded an additional 0.35-inch total.

Fog formed across Iowa’s eastern three-quarters into Thursday (28th) with morning temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s. Winds shifted to the southeast through the day with afternoon temperatures from the upper 60s northeast to mid-80s southwest. Starry skies held into Friday (29th) with lows in the 60s over western Iowa; conditions in eastern Iowa were several degrees cooler with patchy fog. Gusty southerly winds pushed highs into the low to mid 90s in western Iowa as low to mid 80s were observed east. Isolated severe-warned thunderstorms fired in extreme northwestern Iowa, leaving behind 0.90 inch of rainfall in Sioux City (Woodbury County). Saturday (30th) was an unseasonably hot day across Iowa with highs in the 90s statewide under sunny skies; the statewide average high was 92 degrees, 22 degrees above normal. Light southeasterly winds continued into Sunday (1st) morning with clear skies and lows ranging from the mid-60s east to mid-70s west.

Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation across much of Iowa to 4.28 inches in Waukon. The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.21 inch while the normal is 0.70 inch. Little Sioux (Harrison County) reported the week’s high temperature of 97 degrees on the 30th, 25 degrees above normal. Audubon (Audubon County) reported the week’s low temperature of 44 degrees on the 29th, a tenth of a degree below normal.

On September 29, 2023, Thein Maung, 47, of Ottumwa, was sentenced to twelve years in prison after pleading guilty to forty-nine fraud- and tax-related charges. Phyo Mi, 21, of Ottumwa, was sentenced to nine years in prison after a jury convicted her of sixteen fraud-related charges. In all, Maung and Mi’s fraud resulted in nearly $4 million in losses to the Internal Revenue Service, Iowa Workforce Development, and numerous Iowa citizens.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at trial, for several years, Maung and Mi ran a fraudulent tax-preparation business out of their family’s Ottumwa home. In exchange for a cash fee, Maung and Mi would prepare and file their customers’ tax returns. Maung and Mi primarily catered to immigrants and refugees who worked at meat-packing facilities in Iowa and who had little or no ability to read, write, or speak English.

Without their customers’ knowledge or approval, Maung and Mi included fraudulent items on their customers’ federal tax returns, like false claims for residential energy credits, business-expense deductions, or moving-expense deductions for members of the United States Armed Forces. The effect of Maung and Mi including fraudulent items on the tax documents was to increase the refunds their clients received and increase Maung and Mi’s customer base. In all, from 2018 to 2022, Maung and Mi caused over 1600 tax returns to be filed from their residence. Those returns claimed over $3.5 million in fraudulent residential energy credits.

It is estimated that from 2018 to 2022, Maung and Mi received over $200,000 in cash fees from their customers. In addition, on their customers’ returns, Maung and Mi sometimes directed that portions of the fraudulent refunds be sent to financial institution accounts accessible to Maung and Mi. As a result, Maung and Mi obtained nearly $50,000 in fraudulent tax refunds.

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Maung and Mi also offered to help customers with applying for unemployment benefits from Iowa Workforce Development. Without their customers’ knowledge or approval, Maung and Mi submitted materials to Iowa Workforce Development directing that their customers’ benefits payments be sent to financial institution accounts that Maung and Mi had access to. Maung and Mi obtained nearly $70,000 in fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits payments be sent from Iowa Workforce Development to their accounts, instead of to eligible claimants.

At sentencing, Chief United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose described Maung and Mi’s fraud as being elaborate and extensive, involving layers of subterfuge, and victimizing hundreds of vulnerable immigrants and refugees with little education and limited English fluency.

Following their prison terms, Maung and Mi will be on supervised release for three years. There is no parole in the federal system.

“This sentence should send a strong message to any return preparers who are looking to cheat innocent taxpayers and the U.S. government that a prison cell awaits them,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock, IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), St. Louis Field Office. “Maung and Mi preyed on people who were vulnerable. CI special agents do not take this kind of fraud lightly. Our law enforcement partners worked diligently to help us bring these two to justice.”

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.

The investigation was conducted by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Ottumwa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Essley and Laura Roan prosecuted the case.