The Henry County Board of Supervisors met Thursday morning to hear updates from county departments and community partner Midwest Old Threshers.

Old Threshers Executive Director Terry McWilliams addressed the board, requesting continued county support totaling one thousand dollars, along with a separate nineteen-thousand-dollar request. McWilliams presented economic impact data showing Midwest Old Threshers brings significant tourism dollars into Henry County, with visitors representing sixty-seven Iowa counties and thirty-four states. He noted that spring promotional mailers reach approximately one hundred eighty-five thousand households in surrounding counties and an additional ten thousand nationwide.

McWilliams also highlighted educational outreach, including field trips for roughly one thousand fourth and fifth grade students each year. Attendance figures from the 2025 Midwest Old Threshers Reunion included more than twelve thousand multi day visitors, twenty-five thousand single day visitors, and approximately six thousand children. One Saturday set a one-day attendance record, and McWilliams said total attendance could reach around twenty thousand when five-day passes are fully counted. Old Threshers also relies heavily on volunteers, with more than one thousand two hundred volunteers contributing over forty-one thousand hours in 2025.

Supervisors also heard plans for improvements to the EMS building located near the carousel. McWilliams also spoke on plans to demolish one of the oldest buildings on the grounds, the restroom located across from the Midwest Old Threshers office. Plans include replacing the structure with a new bathroom and shower facility and adding a covered bus loading area.

During departmental reports, Sheriff Rich McNamee reported that the sheriff’s office handled one thousand five hundred nineteen calls for service in January, down about one hundred calls compared to the same time last year. The department currently has one deputy opening, with four applicants in the hiring pool, and interviews are expected within the next two weeks. McNamee also reported a patrol unit transmission failure at one hundred twenty-three thousand miles, requiring replacement at the cost of the county due to the vehicle being out of warranty.

County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss updated the board on road and bridge projects, noting ongoing brush work, crack filling, and equipment repairs. He said bids for quarry crushing will be opened February nineteenth, and work continues on the Fremont project, with plans to pour half the footing soon. Hotchkiss also reported progress on the removal of the west pier on the 235th Street Bridge and discussed next steps for bridge replacement on Iowa Avenue, including pursuing grant funding.

Public Health Director Katie Reuter reported Iowa is continuing to see high levels of flu activity, though no local schools have crossed the ten percent absentee threshold this week. She also noted there are currently no confirmed measles cases in Henry County, though cases have been reported nationally and in Iowa over the past year. Residents were reminded to wear red Friday in support of women’s heart health awareness. Reuter also reminded the community that free blood pressure checks are available at the clinic.

During public comment, residents addressed the Henry County Board of Supervisors regarding the recent resignation of Henry County Attorney Darin Stater. Supervisors assured residents and department heads that addressing the vacancy and determining next steps is a top priority.

Mount Pleasant Police Chief Lyle Murray also addressed the board, sharing concerns related to the resignation and urging supervisors to move forward promptly in filling the position. Murray cited pending litigation, including cases involving crimes against children that have been awaiting action for several months. Speaking on behalf of local law enforcement and victims, Murray emphasized the importance of timely action to ensure cases can proceed.

Murray also asked that law enforcement agencies be kept informed throughout the process, noting the critical working relationship between local law enforcement and the county attorney’s office.

Today is World Cancer Day, a time to remember those affected by cancer and to focus on progress in the fight against this disease. And here in Washington something big just happened that could make a real difference.

Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of eastern Iowa announced that a major piece of cancer detection legislation was signed into law yesterday by President Trump.

The new law is called the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act. It will help Medicare cover new multi-cancer early detection tests, which are advanced screenings that can find many types of cancer from a single test.

Dr. Miller-Meeks, who herself is a physician, said early detection saves lives and this law will give seniors access to cutting-edge tools that can find cancer earlier, improve treatment success, and reduce suffering for patients and their families.

Under the law, Medicare will begin covering FDA-approved multi-cancer early detection tests starting in 2028. These tests will be available once a year for eligible beneficiaries without replacing existing cancer screenings people already rely on. The law also ensures fair payment rates for providers and gives the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services the funding to make the coverage work smoothly.

This announcement comes on World Cancer Day, a fitting reminder that progress against cancer comes not just through awareness, but through action.

Jury selection and initial proceedings began today at the Des Moines County District Court for 49-year-old Tisha Renee Bounds, who is accused of fatally stabbing a man in an apartment nearly a year ago.

Prosecutors allege Bounds stabbed a 33-year-old man during an argument inside an apartment in the 300 block of Angular Street on March 1, 2025. Officers responding to a reported medical emergency discovered the victim with a single stab wound. He was transported to Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, where he later died. Investigators identified the victim as Derius Lashaun Moore of Chicago.

Burlington Police say witnesses told detectives that Bounds and the victim had been involved in a dispute shor

tly before the stabbing. According to the arrest affidavit, after the argument ended, Bounds grabbed a knife and stabbed the man in the back. The Burlington Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division, with help from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, handled the case.

Bounds was charged with first-degree murder and has been held in the Des Moines County Jail without bond pending court proceedings. She entered a plea of not guilty ahead of the trial