Darrel Knight

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 8th, 2023 at 11:16 am CDT

Darrell K. Knight, 82, of Charleston, Iowa, passed away at 1:46 p.m. Thursday, September 7, 2023, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in West Burlington, Iowa.

He was born on May 29, 1941, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the son of Robert M. and Eula B. (Barnes) Knight. On August 4, 1962, he married Patricia C. Woodley at the United Church of Christ in Franklin, Iowa.

He is survived by his wife Patricia; three sons: Jeffrey Knight, James (Shelly) Knight and Craig (Patti) Knight; eight grandchildren; ten great grandchildren and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents; infant sister: Naomi Beth and sister: Lela Jean Kohl.

Darrell was a 1959 graduate of Donnellson High School. During high school and throughout his life, he farmed near Charleston. For a short time he also worked for J.I. Case in Burlington and Dahm’s Chevrolet in Donnellson. He was one of the original members of the Charleston Cemetery when it was first started. Darrell “Whitey” was known for having his 1936 Ford pickup for many years. He loved his family and was always making something for them. He loved the challenge of making something out of nothing. If called upon by neighbors, he would be there for them. Besides his family, he also loved the family farm, keeping it tidy was of utmost importance to him.

His body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Homes for cremation.

A visitation will begin at 12:00 noon, Thursday, September 14, 2023, at Schmitz Funeral Home in Donnellson, where the family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. that evening.

Per his wishes, there will be no services.

Burial will be at a later date at Evangelical Cemetery in Donnellson.

A memorial has been established in his memory.

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

Mt. Pleasant Man Arrested For Contact With 15 Year Old

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 8th, 2023 at 9:30 am CDT

On September 7th, 2023, the Mt Pleasant Police Department arrested Kyle Willey, age 27, of Mt Pleasant IA for Enticement of a minor under 16 for sexual purposes, a Class D felony.

Willey had been in contact with a 15 year old female and asked them to participate in several specific sex acts. Willey had made plans with the victim to meet.

Willey was enroute to meet the victim and was stopped prior to meeting them. He was transported to the Henry County Jail.

A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Youth Deer Hunting Season Begins Soon

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 8th, 2023 at 9:29 am CDT

The Youth Deer Hunting season will begin on September 16th and go through October 1st in Iowa this year. The youth will have the first opportunity to hunt deer, however there are some regulations that must be met.

Any prospective hunter must partake in a hunting safety course in order to hunt. They must also have a hunting license and report their deer at iowadnr.gov.

While it can be dangerous to hunt anytime, the Department of Natural Resources allows hunters to be out while the sun is overhead. There is a 30 minute window before and after the sun rises and sets which allows hunters to have a few extra minutes. The quota for Henry County is 1050.

https://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/Hunting/huntingregs.pdf

Henry County Sheriff’s Office Fundraisers for K9 Program

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 8th, 2023 at 9:10 am CDT

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is currently holding three separate fundraisers to help expand the K9 program.

Henry County Sheriff K9 Axel next to stuffed animal

You can buy a stuffed animal that resembles their K9 Axel for just $20 (cash or check) by stopping in at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 800 S Grand Avenue in Mt. Pleasant. They are open 8am-4pm Monday through Friday.

There is also an opportunity to have some fun on Friday, September 22nd as the HCSO is hosting a golf outing at the Mt. Pleasant Golf and Country Club. Tee off is at 8:30am and they already have plenty of volunteers. They are expecting a day full of fun, and they are excited as the proceeds help fund the K9 program.

There will also be a drawing for a rifle during the golf tournament, where all raffle ticket sales go towards the K9 program. Raffle tickets are $10 each, or you can buy 3 for $25 cash or check only. If you have any friends in the HCSO, you can buy tickets from them. Otherwise, stop at their office Monday-Friday to purchase.

You do need to be 21 years of age or old to claim, but you do not have to be present at the golf tournament.

Sports, September 8th

By Slaten Swords · Friday, September 8th, 2023 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Football

Mt. Pleasant will hit the road to face off against Tipton tonight, at 7:30 pm. KILJ will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm.

In other Class 3A District 4 matchups, Burlington will host Keokuk, Washington will travel to Fairfield for a matchup against the Trojans, and Fort Madison will take on Centerville.

Mediapolis will host Regina Catholic tonight.

Columbus Community will look to make it a two game winning streak as the Wildcats take on Lisbon at home. 

Central Lee will hit the road to compete against Durant tonight as the Hawks look to move to 3-0 on the season. 

Van Buren County will travel to take on Highland at 7 pm.  

Danville will take on Pekin at 7 pm. 

New London will face off against Iowa Valley in a road matchup tonight at 7 pm. 

#2 Winfield-Mt. Union is set to host #5 WACO tonight in a top five 8-man matchup at 7 pm. Head Coach Chad Edeker will be counting on his starting quarterback Clayton Miller to continue executing the offense. 

High School Volleyball

Mt. Pleasant will compete at the Wilton tournament tomorrow, September 9th. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will take on Mediapolis on September 12th. 

It was a thriller for Winfield-Mt. Union’s home opener against Highland as the Wolves took set number one, 25-12. Highland responded by winning the next two sets 25-18 and 25-14. Nevertheless, the Wolves forced a fifth set and narrowly exited with the win 16-14. Audrie Gipple tallied 12 kills with Tessa Huston notching four aces for the Wolves. Winfield-Mt. Union will compete at the Wilton Tournament tomorrow. 

WACO will face off against Pekin on September 14th. 

Central Lee fell in straight sets to #13 West Burlington by scores of 25-13, 25-9, and 25-14. The Hawks will travel to Williamsburg tomorrow for a tournament. 

Haley Steffener’s 16 kills led Mediapolis to a sweep of Danville last night by the scores of 25-16, 25-23, and 25-14. Jaydon Wirt also had 23 assists for the Bulldogs. The Bears will face off against West Burlington at home on September 12th. 

Van Buren County’s next match will be September 12th at New London. 

Cross Country

The Fairfield Invitational ran yesterday and the Mediapolis girls’ team finished in first place for the Class 1A and 2A teams. Danville finished in fourth. Abby Arnett finished in 4th place for the Bears with a time of 24 minutes and 8 second. 

For the girls’ Class 3A and 4A run, Washington finished on top as a team and Mt. Pleasant took 8th place. Nelle Peterson was the top finisher for the Panthers in 30th place with a time of 24 minutes and 53 seconds, a lifetime best. Monroe James was next for the Panthers with a time of 25 minutes and 25 seconds. 

On the boys side for Class 1A and 2A, Mediapolis finished in first place, Van Buren County took 3rd place, Winfield-Mt. Union finished in 4th place, and Danville grabbed 5th place. Owen Schmidgall had the best finish of the meet with a time of 16 minutes and 53 seconds for the Bulldogs. Lincoln Bainbridge finished in 3rd place for the Warriors. The Wolves best finisher was Kohlby Newsom in 4th place. Lastly, Danville was led by Jackson Shacklett’s 2nd place finish. 

For the boys Class 3A and 4A run, Washington finished on top with Mt. Pleasant taking 3rd place. Ben Carthey grabbed 4th place for the Panthers with a time of 17 minutes and 26 seconds. Jude Dykstra was right behind him with a time of 17 minutes and 40 seconds. ,

Winfield-Mt. Union and Van Buren County will run at Central Lee’s Invitational on September 12th. 

Danville will run at the Oskaloosa Invitational on September 12th. 

Mt. Pleasant’s next meet will be the Fort Madison Invitational on September 14th. 

College Football

The University of Iowa travels to Ames tomorrow, September 9th, to take on Iowa State University with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 pm. 

For the Hawkeye broadcast, tune into KILJ 105.5 FM and the Cyclone broadcast will be on 98.5 FM and 1130 AM. 

This Day in Sports History

1939 – Cleveland’s Bob Feller, 20, is the youngest pitcher to win 20 games.

1965 – Bert Campaneris becomes the first player to play every position in a major league game in a thirteen-inning 5–3 loss to the California Angels at Municipal Stadium.

2002 – Rookie quarterback David Carr throws for 2 TDs as the Houston Texans beat the Dallas Cowboys 19-10 to become only the second expansion team (1961 Minnesota Vikings) to win their inaugural game.

IowaWORKS Offering Opportunities For Upcoming Job Fair

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 8th, 2023 at 6:17 am CDT

The Southeast Iowa Job Fair is coming up! On September 21st from 10:00am-1:00pm, this job fair will take place inside the Westland Mall at 550 S. Gear Avenue in West Burlington. You can find out about job opportunities, ask questions, and even network with employers. If you are between jobs, this is the perfect chance to find a great career. There are sure to be many great businesses looking for great employees. There will even be local food trucks on location ensuring that you are energized for your interviews.

IowaWorks is offering two opportunities to prepare for the Job Fair, with a class on September 13th from 9:00am-10:30am, and another on September 19th from 1:30-3:00pm. These 90-minute classes are ways to help you get the job you need. A resume builder and helpful hints and tips will fill up the time. Get registered today for one of the in-person resume workshops. Call Kelly at 319-753-1671 Ext. 30441 to register or if you have questions.

If you need a job but don’t have a ride to the fair, there are two organizations that will get you where you need to go. Burlington Urban Service will give you a lift if you let the driver know that you are attending the Job Fair at the Westland Mall. SEI Bus will have three different pickup locations and times. At 10am, they will pickup from HyVee at 939 Angular St in Burlington. If you need to get picked up at 11am, they will be at the Iowa National Guard Armory in Middletown, and at the Walmart in Burlington at 12pm.

For all updates and details, follow the IowaWORKS (Burlington) Facebook page or stop into the office. This is the biggest job fair of the year, you do not want to miss it.

Ottumwa Food Bank Warehouse Awarded Over $500,000 to Remodel

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 8th, 2023 at 6:04 am CDT

Gov. Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority announced $5 million in awards to four nonprofits that are investing in the infrastructure to increase the availability of food distributed to local food pantries throughout the state. The Food Bank of Iowa Ottumwa’s location will benefit from this award. The Iowa Food Insecurity Infrastructure Fund was established to help more Iowans in need get access to fresh, nutritious food. The grants were made available through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act.

“With this investment, these networks will be able to update and modernize their facilities, provide more access to fresh foods, and serve Iowans for many years to come,” said Gov. Reynolds. “Food insecurity doesn’t exist in a vacuum and requires a realistic approach to interrupt the cycle before Iowans become food insecure. It’s my commitment that Iowa will continue to improve our job training programs, our housing and childcare initiatives, and our mental health system as a comprehensive approach to address this multifaceted challenge.”

The Food Bank of Iowa will remodel their Ottumwa warehouse to support ADA accessibility, improve visitation and volunteer capacity, and to improve outreach, allowing for staff flexibility and closer proximity to new and existing partners. The organization will also complete a major capital project currently underway at their Des Moines operation.

They are awarded $560,207 to remodel, which will help many people in the region.

For more program information, please visit iowaeda.com/infrastructure/food-infrastructure.

Prep Volleyball: Rankings Released and Holy Trinity Catholic and West Burlington Move a Spot Up the List

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, September 7th, 2023 at 4:28 pm CDT

Prep Volleyball- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released this week’s volleyball rankings and all the #1 teams stayed put, but this was not the week to be ranked #2 as a couple of them tumbled down the rankings.

In Class 1A, Ankeny Christian is still on top of the rankings followed by North Tama, who moved one spot up, and Holy Trinity Catholic after the Crusaders ripped off six straight wins, five of those matches the Crusaders did not lose a set. #5 Boyden-Hull and #9 Stanton tied for the highest climb up the rankings at six spots. Riverside was undefeated and ranked #2 just a week ago, now the Bulldogs are 7-4 after four straight losses and cling on to the bottom of the rankings in 15th. No team was dropped from the top 15.

Class 2A had three big movements to the top 15; beyond that Dike-New Hartford is still the favorite with a 15-0 record. The first one was Denver’s loss to Sumner-Fredericksburg last week resulted in the two teams flipping spots as the Cyclones now rank 5th and the Cougars are now in 4th. The second one was Wapsie Valley falling from 12th to 14th with Aplington-#12 Parkersburg and #13 West Burlington each moving one spot up the list. Lastly, Wilton replaced Hudson for the #15 slot in the rankings.

Class 3A was simply a mess. Western Christian still holds the top spot but Assumption’s three game losing streak saw the Knights tumble from #2 down to #7 in the rankings. Mount Vernon vaulted up the rankings from 6th to 2nd. Center Point-Urbana went from unranked to #6 after defeating Assumption two sets to one and #10 Wahlert Catholic two sets to one over the weekend at the Shirley Ryan Invitational. Solon fell five spots from 7th to 12th. Osage also entered the rankings at the #15 spot with a 5-2 record. Red Oak and Mid-Prairie fell from the rankings after a turbulent week in Class 3A.

Class 4A is similar to Class 2A in terms of relative calm in the rankings. Clear Creek-Amana and Indianola remain undefeated and ranked #1 and #2, respectively. ADM leaped from 9th to 3rd with an undefeated record of 10-0 and the Tigers have been tested as they took down formerly 6th ranked Nevada, newly ranked #6 Norwalk and #11 Ballard. North Scott fell from 3rd to 5th after falling to Des Moines Christian over the past weekend. Knoxville is now ranked 14th after being ranked 10th last week. Lastly, Bishop Heelan jumps into the top 15 at #15 after Charles City was knocked out of the rankings.

Dowling Catholic still rules Class 5A followed by Ankeny Centennial and Ankeny. Pleasant Valley provides the first movement in the rankings as they switched spots with Sioux City East, going from 9th to 7th. Iowa City Liberty is still in the top 10 despite a 4-8 record. Cedar Rapids Kennedy was exiled out of the top 15 with Dubuque Hempstead providing the replacement to round out the top 15.