Sports, March 4th

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, March 4th, 2022 at 12:34 pm CDT

Women’s College Basketball: Wesleyan Earns No. 15 Seed in Naismith Region

The Iowa Wesleyan women’s basketball team has earned the No. 15 seed in the upcoming NAIA National Tournament.

The Tigers will play in the Naismith Region against second-seeded Morningside, with the two teams doing battle in Sioux City.

Iowa Wesleyan, 18-5 on the year, completed a magical about-face in year one under legendary head coach Steve Williamson.

Coming off a two-win season, Williamson and his crew of just seven managed to win the CAC regular season and conference tournament, clinching their spot in the field of 64.

The Tigers have been led all season by the terrific play of Kyla Moore and Brittany West.

Moore was named the CAC Player of the Year, while West was decorated with Newcomer of the Year honors.

Both are averaging 17-plus points per game and will need to be at their best to pull off an upset of the second-seeded Mustangs.

This is the Tigers first NAIA Tournament berth since 2011 and their sixth all-time in school history.

Prep Girls’ Basketball: Three State Finals Set

Three state finals are set for this weekend at Wells Fargo Arena as Classes 3, 4 and 5A played their semifinals yesterday.

Here’s a full look at the scoreboard:

Class 3A 

Estherville Lincoln Central 57, Unity Christian 44

Ballard 56, West Lyon 51

Class 4A

Bishop Heelan 68. Glenwood 51

Cedar Rapids Xavier 55, Dallas Center-Grimes 50 F/3OT

Class 5A 

Johnston 64, Pleasant Valley 44

Waterloo West 58, West Des Moines Valley 48

Men’s College Basketball: Jacobson Earns MVC Coach of the Year

UNI head men’s basketball coach Ben Jacobson has been named the Missouri Valley Conference’s (MVC) Coach of the Year, as announced by the league office on Thursday.

In his 16th season at the helm of the UNI program, Jacobson becomes the first coach in MVC history to earn Coach of the Year honors five times (2009, 2010, 2015, 2020), breaking a tie with Maury John of Drake.

Under Jacobson, the Panthers claimed the program’s fourth regular season championship and third outright in school history this season.

All four regular season titles in UNI history have come under Jacobson’s leadership.

UNI enters the 2022 MVC Tournament as the top-seeded team in the field, seeking a fifth conference tournament championship in the Jacobson era (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016).

The MVC Tournament begins today in St. Louis.

Prep Sports: Iowa Law Now Bans Trans Athletes from Girls’, Women’s Sports

A bill banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports in Iowa schools, colleges and universities is now law.

The bill passed the Senate yesterday. Governor Kim Reynolds signed it into law Thursday, surrounded by a large crowd of girls, parents and lawmakers.

Reynolds began publicly advocating for this policy last April. Now that the law is in effect, athletes who identify as girls or women, but were identified on their birth certificate as male may be kicked off teams as soon as today.

Iowa is now the 10th state to have adopted similar laws and lawsuits have been filed in four of them to try to block the policies.

Virginia Ann Stover

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 10:04 pm CDT

Virginia Ann Stover, 94, passed away on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at Klein Center in West Burlington. Memorial Services will be 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, 2022 at Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Mediapolis.  Burial will follow at Kossuth Cemetery.  There will be no visitation.  Memorials have been established for the Mediapolis Public Library and the staff of Klein Center.   Online condolences may be left at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.

Virginia Ann Laubach was born on October 3, 1927 in Okeene, Oklahoma, the daughter of Otto and Lillie (Eberhart) Laubach.  Virginia was a 1945 graduate of Okeene High School and a 1949 graduate of St. Anthony’s School of Nursing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  On September 24, 1949, Virginia was united in marriage to Ralph Lee Stover in Okeene.  Virginia was a lifelong nurse, working as supervisor of the Burlington Medical Center Surgical Unit.  Virginia was a member of the Mediapolis Presbyterian Church, T.T.T, the retired nurses association, American Legion Auxiliary and book club at the Mediapolis Library. She was a volunteer for Great River Hospice.   Virginia enjoyed horseback riding, mowing grass, gardening, playing bridge and all sports.  In her retirement years Virginia enjoyed traveling with her husband, Ralph.   Her greatest love and enjoyment was being with her family and especially watching her grandchildren’s sporting activities.

Virginia will be deeply missed by her children, Ronald (Joyce) Stover of Mediapolis, Sherri (Richard) Becker of Wever and Donald (Deb) Stover of Rogersville, Missouri; grandchildren, Justin, Nathan, Stacy, Kaci, Ross, Shawna, Jared, Elizabeth and Emily; 23 great-grandchildren; one brother, David (Connie) Laubach of Arlington, Tennessee, and multiple beloved nieces and nephews.

Virginia was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Ralph on April 12, 2000 and one brother, Robert Laubach.

School Board Policy Committee Meeting Agenda

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 9:58 pm CDT

Mount Pleasant Community School District School Board POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING

 Mt. Pleasant CSD – Central Office 1010 East Washington Street – Suite 102

 The Mount Pleasant Board of Education POLICY COMMITTEE will meet at 4:10pm on Friday, March 4, 2022 to review/discuss:

  1. Open School Board Policy Series 900 Community Relations
  2. Student Bus Identification System Rollout
  3. Review Pickleball Tournament Fundraiser

March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 4:42 pm CDT

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), in collaboration with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), recognizes March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM).

Throughout March, a wide range of stakeholders, including public health organizations, prevention and treatment providers, advocacy groups and gambling operators work collaboratively to let people know that hope and help exist for problem gambling. Groups nationwide will hold conferences, air Public Service Announcements, provide counselor training, host health screening days and implement social media campaigns to increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment and recovery services.

The PGAM theme for this year is “Awareness +Action” and participants are encouraged to use the hashtag #PGAM2022 on social media platforms.

Problem gambling is defined as all gambling behavior patterns that compromise, disrupt or damage personal, family or vocational pursuits. Approximately 2 million U.S. adults (1% of the population) are estimated to meet criteria for severe problem gambling. Another 4-6 million (2-3%) meet the criteria for mild or moderate problem gambling.

The Office of Problem Gambling at IDPH raises awareness about the availability of gambling prevention and treatment services offered statewide. “Iowans who are impacted by problem gambling are encouraged to visit Your Life Iowa to learn more or to connect with a qualified professional. Help and hope are only a call, text, or chat away,” said Katie Bee, Project Director of the Office of Problem Gambling at the Iowa Department of Public Health.

If you have questions you’d like answered, support and assistance is available through Live Chat, by calling 1-800-BETS OFF, or by texting (855) 895-8398.

AG Miller urges consumers to act after T-Mobile data breach

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 4:40 pm CDT
Even non-customers may have had personal information compromised
DES MOINES — Attorney General Tom Miller urges all Iowans who believe they were affected by the data breach announced by T-Mobile in August 2021 to take appropriate steps to protect their information from identity theft.

On August 17, T-Mobile reported a massive data breach compromising the sensitive personal information of millions of current, former, and prospective T-Mobile customers. The breach affected more than 53 million individuals, including 134,999 Iowa residents. Among other categories of affected information, millions had their names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, and driver’s license information compromised.

Recently, a large subset of the information compromised in the breach was for sale on the dark web — a hidden portion of the Internet where cyber criminals buy, sell, and track personal information. Many individuals have since received alerts through various identity theft protection services informing them that their information was found online in connection with the breach, confirming that affected individuals are at heightened risk for identity theft.

“It has been nearly seven months since T-Mobile’s latest data breach came to light. Affected Iowans are now receiving notice of this breach, even those who are not actual T-Mobile customers,” Miller said. “It is important that every Iowan who receives a notice of this breach take the steps to protect themselves.”

Iowa is participating in a multistate coalition of attorneys general investigating the breach and whether T-Mobile had appropriate safeguards in place to protect personal information.

Attorney General Miller urges anyone who believes they were affected by the T-Mobile breach to take the following steps to protect themselves:

Monitor your credit. Credit monitoring services track your credit report and alert you whenever a change is made, such as a new account or a large purchase. Most services will notify you within 24 hours of any change to your credit report.

Consider placing a free credit freeze on your credit report. Identity thieves will not be able to open a new credit account in your name while the freeze is in place. You can place a credit freeze by contacting each of the three major credit bureaus:

Equifax | +1 (888) 766-0008

Experian | +1 (888) 397-3742

TransUnion | +1 (800) 680-7289

Place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert tells lenders and creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before issuing credit. You can place a fraud alert by contacting any one of the three major credit bureaus.

Additional Resources. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, go to identitytheft.gov for assistance on how to report it and recover from it.

You can also contact the Iowa Attorney General’s office or file a complaint with our Consumer Protection Division. To file a complaint, go here or call 515-281-5926 (in the Des Moines area) or 888-777-4590 (outside the metro area).

Daily Jail County

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 4:35 pm CDT

In the interest of keeping Henry County residents informed, the Henry County Sheriff’s office has requested KILJ post the daily jail count. During the jail referendum campaign it was publicized that the jail would be able to house additional inmates from surrounding counties and this would generate revenue for Henry County.

Henry County Jail

 

Date:   03/03/2022________

 

_23      Henry County Inmates

 

  59_     Out of County Contract Inmates              

 

  82_     TOTAL

 

Burlington Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Charges

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 4:28 pm CDT

DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Burlington man, Tony Williams, age 33, was sentenced
yesterday in federal court to 15 years in prison for Distribution of Methamphetamine. Williams
was ordered to serve five years of supervised release to follow his prison term. He was also
ordered to pay a $300 Special Assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
According to court documents, an undercover officer purchased methamphetamine from
Williams on three occasions. On one of the occasions, the officer observed a pistol in Williams’
waistband. When law enforcement attempted to perform a traffic stop on Williams, he fled and
led officers on a vehicle and foot pursuit. Williams was eventually taken into custody and a loaded
pistol was located in the area where Williams had led officers on the chase.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the
announcement. The Burlington Police Department, Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office, Drug
Enforcement Administration, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and Southeast Iowa
Narcotics Taskforce investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States
Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Girls’ Prep Basketball: Notre Dame’s Season Closes After Garrigan Avalanche

By Nathan Bloechl · Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 2:42 pm CDT

Des Moines — Algona Garrigan used a 20-7 first half run to lead 38-20 and then never looked back as the second-seeded Golden Bears rolled to a 77-42 win over Notre Dame yesterday in a Class 1A State Quarterfinal.

Garrigan junior Audi Crooks, arguably the state’s most sought after recruit, finished with a game-high 32 points and seven rebounds, while hitting 15-of-18 shots.

She scored 21 in the second half — including 14 of the Golden Bears’ 17 third quarter points — helping put away any late heroics by the Nikes.

Running mate Molly Joyce chipped in with 25 points, six assists, five rebounds and seven steals.

Abby Korschgen led Notre Dame with 11 points and five rebounds.

Megan Harrell had 10 points and five rebounds, while sophomore Lauren Krieger scored eight for the Nikes, who won the state title in 2014 and made it back to the tournament for the first time since 2017.

Bishop Garrigan has now won 20 straight to improve to 23-3. They’ll play sixth-seeded North Linn who took down Springville 58-56 last night.

That game will be played Friday afternoon at 3:15 p.m.