John Campbell

By Yorke Prough · Friday, October 6th, 2023 at 5:58 am CDT

John W. Campbell, 74, of Wayland passed away at his home on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.  

Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 9, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant with Pastor Steven English officiating.  Burial will follow in the North Hill Cemetery, Wayland.  Friends may call after 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant where the family will be present from 4 to 7 p.m. that evening.  Memorials may be directed to the American Heart Association, Wayland Fire and Rescue or to the North Hill Cemetery in his memory.  John’s car buddies are welcome to bring their cars and honor John by driving them to the cemetery in his honor.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for his arrangements.

Kenneth Simmons

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, October 5th, 2023 at 3:25 pm CDT

Kenneth Eugene Simmons, 75, of New London, died Wednesday, October 4, 2023. He was born May 23, 1948 to Virgil Berthel and Henrietta Lee Simmons Hennessee. He married Virginia Ronk Bench and they later divorced.

He attended New London High School before serving in the United States Army stationed in Panama.  He was a member of New London Christian Church. For thirty-five years he worked as a draftsman at CECO and retired from IAAP in Middletown.

Kenny loved tinkering in his garage, woodworking, house remodeling, keeping his yard pristine, going to Hardee’s for coffee with the gang, and visiting pawn shops; but mostly enjoyed raising his twin granddaughters and spending time with them and his great-granddaughters.

Survivors include his granddaughters that he raised; Annie (Josh) Pence of Red Oak and Kaity Bench of Danville; great-granddaughters Kaidyn and Makenzie; his loving partner of nearly fifteen years, Linda Peterson of New London and her children and grandchildren; sister Connie Tarrence of New London; nieces and nephews, Mike Raines, Jodi Jackson, Jana Fallon, Ken Bunkley, and Mike Bunkley; and his beloved dog, Otis. He was preceded in death by his parents and sisters Joann and Carol.

Visitation at Elliott Chapel, New London, will begin at noon on October 16, 2023 with the family receiving friends from 5:00 – 7:00 PM. A memorial has been established for the New London High School Industrial Technology class. Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Finance Committee Meeting Agenda

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, October 5th, 2023 at 3:24 pm CDT
Published Meeting
10/6/2023, 3:00 PM
Finance Committee Meeting
Mt. Pleasant CSD – Central Office | 1010 East Washington Street, Suite 102
Add to your calendar: Google | Outlook (.ics) | Yahoo
Meeting Agenda
1. FY23 Year End Financial Reports
2. Limited English Proficiency Weighting
3. Fall 2023 Enrollment
4. November 7 School Board Election Information
5. Nov. 13 Regular School Board Meeting – IWU Property Due Diligence Executive Summaries and Environmental Reports
6. Nov. 27 Special Session School Board Meeting – Organizational Meeting/Seat New Members
 
 

Football: Mt. Pleasant Versus Keokuk Time Change

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, October 5th, 2023 at 3:08 pm CDT

Keokuk, IA- Tomorrow’s week 7 district matchup between Mt. Pleasant and Keokuk will now start at 7 pm instead of the originally scheduled time of 7:30 pm.

The game will still be taking place at Calvert Stadium at Keokuk High School. KILJ will be on the call with the Hagge Insurance Pregame Show at 6:45 pm.

Henry County Board of Supervisors Urge Residents of the County to Contact Legislators Over Drastic Budget Cuts

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, October 5th, 2023 at 12:06 pm CDT

The Henry County Board of Supervisors met on Thursday, October 5th, for their monthly department head meeting. The main discussion point came with the possibility of needing to decrease funding by 1.3 million dollars in the next four years. By 2028, the general basis levy, which is currently set at $4.83, will need to be at an even $3.50.

Henry County is one of 36 counties across Iowa that has their levy set higher than the newly proposed $3.50. Interestingly, most of these counties are in the southern portion of the state and happen to be mainly rural areas.

The Supervisors urged the department heads to closely monitor their budget for the upcoming four years and discern how best to make cuts.

This would demand a very steep cut in Henry County’s funding. In the past 11 years, the funding has increased 15%. Now, they are required to decrease 27.5% in just four years.

So, what does this mean for the citizens of Henry County? Many current services offered to us might be cut due to this House File 718. While it may just seem like a number on paper, the Supervisors believe that the community will really begin to feel it once those services cannot be given. For example, Henry County boasts of a driver’s license office where people living in town can take a quick drive to renew their license. Thanks to these cuts, if the driver’s license service was taken away, that commute time increases greatly as they would need to drive to Burlington for the closest office.

Sheriff McNamee spoke up, mentioning how “these legislators need to hear from us.” The Supervisors believe it is very important for the citizens of Henry County to use their voices and speak up.

Reach out to your Representatives and Senators to voice any concern you have over these potential cuts. The Henry County Board of Supervisors has already met with Representative Collins, Representative Shipley, and Senator Dickey, to discuss HF718.

Representative Taylor Collins Contact Information

Email: taylor.collins@legis.iowa.gov

Phone: 515.281.3221

Representative Jeff Shipley Contact Information

Email: jeff.shipley@legis.iowa.gov

Phone: 515.281.3221

Senator Adrian Dickey Contact Information

Email: adrian.dickey@legis.iowa.gov

Phone: 515.281.3371

Prep Volleyball: Local Postseason Matchups

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, October 5th, 2023 at 11:44 am CDT

Prep Volleyball- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) released the regional pairings for the upcoming postseason for volleyball and here’s a look at our local matchups.

In Class 1A Region 7, WACO will be at home for their first-round matchup against Iowa Valley at 7 pm. The Warriors will be led by seniors Meredith Roth and Emma Wagler. Roth has dished out 319 assists, while Wagler leads the team in kills (118) and ranks second in blocks (26) and aces (30). The winner of this game will travel to take on either Central City or Springville.

The top team in this region is #6 North Tama, who touts an 18-13 record. #12 Don Bosco is the top team on the bottom half of the bracket.

It will be a battle for Southeast Iowa in Class 1A Region 8. #3 Holy Trinity Catholic will attempt to return to the State Tournament as the top team in the region. The Crusaders are led by the front line of Mary Kate Bendlage and Presley Myers who have each notched 171 kills on the year. Natalie Randolph has had quite a comeback year, leading the team in assists and ranking second in kills. The Crusaders will face off against Moulton-Udell.

Winfield-Mt. Union and Danville will meet in Winfield for the first round. The Wolves won the matchup from earlier this season 2-0. Kellee Milks and Audrie Gipple led the pack with a total of 13 kills. The Bears were led by Jaeda Molle’s 16 assists and Kenna Furnald’s 7 kills. The winner of this game will take on the winner between Holy Trinity Catholic and Moulton-Udell.

Burlington Notre Dame will host New London as they look to improve their win streak to eight games over the Tigers. Lauren Krieger (488 assists) has set up Aviana West (152 kills) up nicely this season for the Nikes. Tysann Gipple (180 kills) and Sophie Malott (161 kills) have supplied the senior leadership needed for this young squad.

On the bottom half of the bracket #14 Edgewood-Colesburg is the team to look out for.

All of these games listed above will be played on October 16th at 7 pm.

In Class 2A Region 8, #14 West Burlington will face off against the winner between Cardinal and Central Decatur. The Falcons will be anchored by a strong front row in Taryn Havener and Mady Hamelton, who each have 250-plus kills on the season.

Van Buren County will travel to take on Wilton. Ivy Davison leads the Warriors with 204 kills this season.

Both of these games will be played on October 18th at 7 pm.

#3 Grundy Center is the top team in the region.

Class 3A Region 8 will see Washington travel to take on #4 Assumption and Fairfield will host Davis County for the upper half of the bracket.

#11 Solon will host Central Lee and Mediapolis will hit the road to face off against Tipton for the lower half of the bracket. Taylor Jones has put together a nice season for the Hawks with 286 kills and 58 blocks to anchor the front line. Jaydon Wirt’s 429 assists and 31 aces leads the Bulldogs.

The Southeast Conference will have a showdown in Class 4A Region 8. Mt. Pleasant will be on the road to take on Keokuk for the opening round. Makenna Altgilbers’ 220 kills for the Chiefs will be pitted against the Panthers’ leading scorer in Emma Starr as she has totaled 103 kills for the season.

The winner will have the tough task of taking on #1 Clear Creek-Amana, who touts an undefeated record at 35-0 at the time of writing.

On the bottom half of the bracket, Fort Madison will host Burlington. The Bloodhounds won their first matchup of the season 3-2. Taylor Johnson, Dayonna Davis, and Sydney McEntee each finished with double-digit kills for Fort Madison. Annalise Buxton led the Grayhounds with 21 kills.

The winner will travel to face off against Oskaloosa.

First round games for Class 3A and Class 4A will take place on October 17th at 7 pm.

Stay tuned to KILJ to see which games we will be broadcasting and on what station!

Doug Lee

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, October 5th, 2023 at 11:43 am CDT

Doug Lee, 70, of Morning Sun passed away on Sunday, October 1, 2023 at his home due to injuries sustained in a mowing accident.  Visitation for Doug will be from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 13, 2023 at Centenary Morning Sun United Methodist Church.  Funeral Service will be 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at the church.  Following the funeral service, a time of food and fellowship will be held at the Morning Sun Community Center.  Burial will be held at a later date in Elmwood Cemetery.  A memorial has been established for Centenary Morning Sun United Methodist Church in Doug’s name.   Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.

Douglas Dean Lee was born on August 5, 1953 in Burlington, Iowa, the son of Lester Howard and Pauline (Housman) Lee.  Doug was a graduate of Morning Sun High School in the Class of 1971.  He was united in marriage to Sue Ann Harbison on December 14, 1974 in Morning Sun.  Doug cherished his hometown roots in Morning Sun and was a lifelong farmer in the area.  He was a member of Centenary United Methodist Church, Des Moines County Fair Board, Morning Sun Lions Club and served many years as a 4-H leader.  Doug enjoyed fishing, gardening, restoring old family tractors and attending local wrestling meets.  His greatest love was watching his kids and grandkids grow, attending their many sporting events and always spending time with his family and friends.

Doug will be deeply missed by his wife, Ann Lee of Morning Sun; sons, Eric (Lora) Lee of Muscatine and Nick Lee of Morning Sun; two grandchildren, Gavyn (Abby) and Zayda; one brother, Tom (Georgeann) Lee of Polk City, Iowa; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Tom and Sherry Harbison of Morning Sun and nieces and nephews.

Doug was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Randall Lee and sister, Linda Tank.

Mary Jo Newton

By Yorke Prough · Thursday, October 5th, 2023 at 11:41 am CDT

Mary Johanna “Jo” Newton, 79, passed away peacefully Monday, September 25, 2023, with her family at her side after fighting a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s.

She was the daughter of William and Charlotte Boeding of Houghton, Iowa. She was married to Thomas Michael Newton for fifty-eight years.

Survivors include her husband: Thomas; two sons: Todd (Michele) Newton of Eugene, Oregon and Tony (Carolyn) Newton of Seattle, Washington; three grandchildren: Connor, Riley and Sydney; eight siblings: Marita (David) Meith, Neal (Gail) Boeding, Bryan (Barb) Boeding, Bonnie Boeding – Stewart, Bernadette Boeding – Johnson, Laura Boeding, Elaine Boeding – Thoman and Bill (Janet) Boeding. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 21, 2023, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Houghton, Iowa, with Father Dan Dorau as celebrant.

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

A luncheon will follow at the Houghton Knights of Columbus.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in her memory for the Arizona Humane Society.

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