Judy Tade

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 22nd, 2023 at 4:07 pm CDT

Judy Kay Tade, 78, of Farmington, Iowa, passed away at 5:00 a.m. Friday, September 22, 2023 at her home in Farmington.

She was born on May 21, 1945 in Fort Madison, Iowa. Judy was the daughter of Veronica“Babe” (Strabala) and Paul Robert Lowery. On October 14, 1966  she married William “Bill” Tade in Edina, Missouri.

Survivors include her husband Bill; daughter Angela Tade of West Chester, Ohio; sister Paula Jo “P.J.” (Neal) Acklie of Kahoka Missouri; two sisters-in-law: Sheri Lowery of Farmington and Karen (Randy) Kisling of Keosaqua. Also surviving are seven nephews and one niece.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brother Richard Lowery.

Judy worked at Shaffer Pen Company for 43 years. She was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Houghton. She enjoyed her cats and her grand dog. Her daughter Angela was very important to her. Judy Enjoyed sewing and quilting.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 29, 2023 at St. Johns the Baptist Catholic Church in Houghton with Father Dan Dorau as celebrant.

Burial will be in the Vale Cemetery near Bonaparte

Memorial have been established in her memory For St. John’s Catholic Church or PAW Animal Shelter.

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

Prep Volleyball: Preview of the SEISC Finals

By Slaten Swords · Friday, September 22nd, 2023 at 1:52 pm CDT

Burlington, IA- Southeastern Community College (SCC) will be hosting the Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) volleyball tournament tomorrow, September 23rd, to determine this year’s conference champion. Here are the matchups for tomorrow.

Holy Trinity Catholic was the top team in Pool 1 as the Crusaders swept the competition last night. Mediapolis will be tasked with taking on the top seed to begin the quarterfinals. The Crusaders defeated the Bulldogs 10 days ago in straight sets as Mary Kate Bendlage and Presley Myers each notched double-digits kills.

Winfield-Mt. Union finished second in Pool 1 competition with a 2-1 record as Audrie Gipple tallied 11 kills and four aces across the four matches. This earned the Wolves the right to compete against the top team in Pool 2, West Burlington. The Falcons won in straight sets for all three of their matches. They will be led by Taryn Snodgrass who has tallied 573 assists and 19 aces on the season.

Burlington Notre Dame ran through their competition last night to take the top spot in Pool 3. Lauren Krieger notched 55 assists and Aviana West grabbed 23 kills in the Nikes’ wins over Hillcrest Academy, Columbus, and Van Buren County. Wapello shook off a loss to Central Lee and managed to earn a play-in spot in Pool 4. The Arrows will have to take on the Nikes tomorrow.

Van Buren County took the second spot in Pool 3 with wins over Columbus and Hillcrest Academy. The Warriors will take on Central Lee, the number one team out of Pool 4. The Hawks grabbed wins over Louisa-Muscatine in a sweep, WACO and Wapello in matches that went to three sets, then defeated New London and Wapello in winner moves on competitions. Taylor Jones had 43 total kills in their wins against Louisa-Muscatine, WACO, and Wapello.

The SEISC finals will begin play at 5 pm as Burlington Notre Dame looks to defend their conference title. Holy Trinity Catholic will be looking for their 9th title to tie Mediapolis for the most all-time, while the Bulldogs would like to add to their lead.

Nathaniel Simonson

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 22nd, 2023 at 1:09 pm CDT

Nathaniel James Simonson, 30, of Keokuk, Iowa, passed away at 6:00 a.m. Friday, September 15, 2023, at his home in Keokuk.

He was born on June 1, 1993, in Keokuk, Iowa, the son of Scott Simonson and Elizabeth Horsey.

He is survived by his father: Scott (Nicole) Simonson; siblings: Alex Simonson, Casey Ackerson, Caleb Ackerson, Kelby Ackerson, Emma Ackerson, Tyler Swift, Calynn Kruse and Harper Simonson; grandmothers: Sandra Leski and Beverly Simonson and Financé: Jessica Benning.

He was preceded in death by his mother: Elizabeth Ackerson; step-father: Kevin Ackerson; sister: Hannah Ackerson; grandparents: James and Mary Horsey; grandfathers: John Leski and Terry Simonson.

Nathan was active in local theater & was in many plays for years; where he loved to sing & act. He enjoyed nature, fishing & spending time with his family, friends, fiancé & their dogs. He was the most genuine, compassionate person to everyone he knew & met; being a good person & spreading love was important to him. He absolutely lit up a room when he entered with his smile & goofiness; he loved to make others laugh & smile.

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

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, October 1, 2023, at Argyle Presbyterian Church in Argyle, Iowa with Pastor John Simpson officiating.

A private family burial will be held in Argyle Memorial Gardens, rural Argyle, Iowa.

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.

Dana Millard for MPCSD School Board

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 22nd, 2023 at 11:59 am CDT

Dana Millard announced her candidacy for the Mt. Pleasant Community School Board, running for the At-Large 4-year term position. Passionate about developing our Southeast Iowa Communities and STEM Education, Millard has spent the last 9 years working in Economic Development with an emphasis on connecting workforce and education. She served on the Governor’s STEM Council for 8 years, operating as Regional President for the past 2 years, bringing a variety of STEM programs, resources, and funding to Southeast Iowa.

“I’m an advocate for STEM and Career Education, I plan on using my connections both at a local and state level to provide more opportunities to the Mt. Pleasant School District.”

Currently a small business owner and a consultant for the Southeast Iowa Small Business Association, Dana has two kids in the Mt Pleasant School District, her stepdaughter Madelynn is a Sophomore, and her son Finley is in Kindergarten.

“With two kids in the district at very different levels, in addition to my background, I feel it’s a good time for me to get more involved and lend my expertise.”

School board elections will be held on November 7th.

SEISO Join Iowa Culture Leadership Cohort

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 22nd, 2023 at 10:43 am CDT

Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra has been selected to participate in the second class of the Iowa Culture Leadership Cohort program. The State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council selected 11 Iowa arts, culture, history, and humanities organizations.

This program was launched in 2022 and helps participants build leadership skills.

Participants engage in workshops where they learn from experts in their field and take part in mentorship opportunities. They also can apply for financial support to help advance their goals.

“We created the Iowa Culture Leadership Cohort a year ago to identify and support Iowa’s next generation of cultural arts and history leaders,” State Historical Society of Iowa Administrator Susan Kloewer said. “The program gives participants opportunities to sharpen their skills as their organizations look to the future.”

“This program addresses an important need that Iowans brought forward in our last strategic planning process,” Iowa Arts Council Director David Schmitz said. “Through the emphasis on capacity building and peer learning, we hope that participants are better empowered and equipped to continue strengthening the missions of their organizations.”

Tony Keefe – New LeeComm Director

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 22nd, 2023 at 8:13 am CDT

Tony Keefe has been named Director of LeeComm, effective September 21, 2023.  He replaces Travis Solem who took the Director position at Warren County 911 at the end of August.

Keefe is a detail-oriented public safety communications leader with 10 years of experience in emergency communications, all at LeeComm. He most recently served as the Communications Center Supervisor.

He is a graduate of Central Lee High School and the University of Dubuque.  He has a B.A. in Communications and has recently completed the Registered Public Leader course through the Association of Public Safety Communications Officers (APCO).

Keefe was appreciative of Solem’s work during his time and is ready to get started in his position. “I am humbled by the PSAP Board’s decision to trust me in this position.  Travis left a strong organization for me to lead, and I look forward to working with the great staff that we have in place.”

 

Mt. Pleasant Travels to Marion for Marching Band Contest

By Yorke Prough · Friday, September 22nd, 2023 at 6:56 am CDT

The Mt. Pleasant High School Panther Marching Band will kick off their competitive season at Marion, Iowa, on Saturday. The Linn-Mar Invitational is historically full of great bands from all over, and that seems to be the case this year.

22 different bands will be in competition on Saturday, with the first band performing at 9:00am. Mt. Pleasant will follow at 9:15am, an early performance, but they are hoping that their show will stick in the judges heads all day.

The Panther Marching Band is just one of 12 in the 3A classification field. These performances will span the length of the day, with the last band taking the field at 3:40pm, followed by the award ceremony. The full schedule is below.

 

BAND Class PERFORMANCE Clinic
Musical Pride of Springville Marching Band 1A 9:00 9:15
Mount Pleasant Panther Marching Band 3A 9:15 9:30
West Delaware “Pride” Marching Band 3A 9:30 9:45
Anamosa Blue Raider Marching Band 3A 9:45 10:00
Independence Mustang Marching Band 3A 10:00 10:15
Break — 10:15 – 10:25 —
Crestwood Marching Cadets 3A 10:25 10:40
Solon Marching Spartans 3A 10:40 10:55
Vinton-Shellsburg Viking Regiment 3A 10:55 11:10
Benton Community Marching Bobcats 3A 11:10 11:25
Break — 11:25-11:35 —
Clear Creek Amana Clipper Marching Band 3A 11:35 11:50
Marion Scarlet Spectrum Marching Band 3A 11:50 12:05
Mount Vernon Marching Mustangs 3A 12:05 12:20
Xavier High School Marching Saints 3A 12:20 12:35
Lunch Break — 12:35 – 1:05 —
Linn-Mar Junior Varsity Color Guard EX 1:05 —
Cedar Rapids Jefferson Band of Blue 4A 1:15 1:30
Ankeny Marching Hawks 4A 1:30 1:45
Lewis Central Titan Marching Band 4A 1:45 2:00
Western Dubuque Bobcat Band 4A 2:00 2:15
Norwalk Warrior Marching Band 4A 2:15 2:30
Break — 2:30 – 2:40 —
Waterloo West Wahawk Marching Band 4A 2:40  
Washington ‘Warrior’ Marching Band 4A 2:55 3:10
John F Kennedy High School Marching Band 4A 3:10 3:25
C.R. Prairie Hawks Marching Band 4A 3:25 3:40
Linn-Mar Marching Lions EX 3:40 4:05
Award Ceremony — 4:05 —

Sports, September 22nd

By Slaten Swords · Friday, September 22nd, 2023 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Football

It’s Homecoming week for Mt. Pleasant as the Panthers play host to last year’s Class 3A runner-up Mt. Vernon tonight. KILJ will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm. 

In other Class 3A District 4 matchups, Washington will hit the road to take on Keokuk and Fort Madison will travel to Davenport to face off against Assumption. 

Fairfield will take on Benton Community tonight in a road game. 

Mediapolis will face off against West Burlington-Notre Dame tonight as both teams battle for winning records. 

Columbus will face off against Highland at 7 pm.

Central Lee will travel to Albia tonight. 

Danville will compete against Wapello at 7 pm tonight.

Van Buren County will hit the road to face off against Louisa-Muscatine tonight at 7 pm.

WACO will take on Easton Valley tonight.

New London will be suiting up tonight to take on HLV with kickoff at 7 pm.

Winfield-Mt. Union will look to keep the momentum going against English Valleys tonight for their Homecoming match. 

High School Volleyball

Mt. Pleasant will face off against Fairfield on the road next Tuesday. 

Winfield-Mt. Union finished 2-1 at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) tournament pool play last night. The Wolves defeated Danville in straight sets 21-16 and 21-19 and swept Lone Tree 21-17 and 21-5. Holy Trinity Catholic dished out the Wolves’ lone loss in straight sets 21-5 and 21-11. Audrie Gipple tallied 11 kills and four aces with Aurey Meeker notching 20 assists. Winfield-Mt. Union finished 2nd in the pool and advanced to the finals tomorrow, September 23rd. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will also be advancing to the SEISC finals tomorrow after finishing the pool with an undefeated record. 

Danville finished 1-2 in pool play with a loss to Holy Trinity Catholic in straight sets but a sweep of Lone Tree by scores of 21-7 and 21-6. The Bears will take on Central Lee on September 28th at home. 

Burlington Notre Dame will be advancing to the finals after sweeping their pool of Hillcrest Academy, Columbus, and Van Buren County. Lauren Krieger finished pool play with 55 assists and Aviana West tallied 23 kills. 

Mediapolis finished second in pool two with sweeps over Highland and Pekin but a loss to West Burlington two sets to zero. Jaydon Wirt collected 53 assists and two aces over the three contests. West Burlington finished undefeated in pool play to advance. The Falcons and Bulldogs will compete tomorrow in the finals. 

Central Lee advanced to the finals tomorrow after tough wins against WACO and Wapello, each game involving a third set. The Hawks also swept Louisa-Muscatine, but fell to New London two sets to one. Taylor Jones picked up 16 kills against WACO, 12 against Louisa-Muscatine, and 15 against Wapello. 

The SEISC Tournament finals will take place at SCC tomorrow at 5 pm.

Cross Country

Mt. Pleasant and WACO will compete in the Washington Invitational on September 26th. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will run on September 25th in Iowa City. 

Danville will run at Williamsburg on September 26th for a meet. 

College Football

#24 Iowa will be tested tomorrow, September 23rd, against #7 Penn State at 6:30 pm. 

Iowa State University will take on Oklahoma State tomorrow to begin Big 12 play. 

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

This Day in Sports History

1912 – Philadelphia second baseman Eddie Collins becomes only player in MLB history to steal 6 bases in one game for a second time as A’s beat St. Louis Browns, 8-2.

1969 – San Francisco Giant Willie Mays, becomes second player to hit 600 home runs.

1991 – Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula records his 300th career NFL victory.