New London, IA- The Tiger football season took a misstep last week when New London announced that their matchup against Central City had to be forfeited due to injuries depleting their already thin roster. To resume their season New London had to meet with staff members of the IHSAA and discuss how they planned on completing the season. The meeting was a success but still provided a caveat.
The Tiger football team will have three of their players return from injury to bring their total up to 15 kids on the roster, their highest total of the season. However, the low total caused New London to cancel the rest of the Junior Varsity season to provide the kids ample rest time and prevent the possibility of unwanted injury.
If New London must forfeit another game this season due to a lack of numbers, then the Tigers will have to forego the remainder of the season.
The Tigers will look for their first win of the season against a winless HLV team on the road this Friday, September 22nd, at 7 pm.
The Henry County Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday, September 19th. The big talking point came with the subject of House file 718.
This file, which originated in the Iowa House of Representatives, promises big changes to counties across the state. This will cause levies to drop to $3.50 by 2029. Currently, the Henry County general basis levy is set at $4.83, requiring a sharp drop in the next six years.
Representative Taylor Collins (District 95) and Representative Jeff Shipley (District 88) will both comment on Thursday’s meeting. They will be able to explain the file in detail. The supervisors are looking for more information from the representatives, and to ensure that their voices are heard. There is the possibility that Senator Dickey will meet with the board of supervisors in the coming weeks as well.
Senator Grassley joined KILJ for an exclusive interview on Monday, September 18th. He spoke on a variety of topics, including health care, school-choice, his 43rd annual tour of all 99 counties in Iowa, and his celebrations for his recent birthday. The Senator also wanted to remind those between 17-23 years of age, of the upcoming military academy nomination deadline on October 20th, 2023.
Applicants should first apply directly to the academies of interest and request that pre-candidate files be opened on their behalf.
Download and complete Senator Grassley’s office’s academy nomination application. You’ll also need to provide the following materials:
Completed High School Evaluation form by a School Guidance Counselor or alternate administrative school official
High school transcript
A letter of recommendation from a teacher
Two additional letters of recommendation from Iowans
An essay (Between one and two pages, single spaced)
ACT/SAT score (This must submitted directly by ACT/SAT. The identification number for the ACT is 7129 and the identification code for the SAT is 6260.)
Applicants should also seek recommendations from Senator Joni Ernst, their representative in the U.S. House of Representatives or Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mail the completed application and supporting materials to: U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
Attn: Nominations Coordinator
721 Federal Building
210 Walnut Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
It’s Homecoming week for Mt. Pleasant as the Panthers play host to last year’s Class 3A runner-up Mt. Vernon on Friday, September 22nd. 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 this Friday in a road game.
Mediapolis will face off against West Burlington-Notre Dame this Friday as both teams battle for winning records.
Columbus will face off against Highland at 7 pm.
Central Lee will travel to Albia this Friday.
Danville will compete against Wapello at 7 pm this Friday.
Van Buren County will hit the road to face off against Louisa-Muscatine this Friday at 7 pm.
WACO will take on Easton Valley this Friday.
Winfield-Mt. Union will look to keep the momentum going against English Valleys this Friday for their Homecoming match.
High School Volleyball
Mt. Pleasant will take on Washington at home tonight.
Holy Trinity Catholic hosted their classic last night and swept Keokuk, Danville, Fort Madison, and Wapello to extend their win streak to 12 games.
Mediapolis went 2-1 in the Classic with a sweep of Central Lee and a two to one set win over Burlington; Wapello handed the Bulldogs their lone loss. Jaydon Wirt tallied 45 assists over the span of the three games with Haley Steffener notching 18 kills in the matches.
Winfield-Mt. Union, WACO, and Holy Trinity Catholic head into the Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) Tournament this Thursday, September 21st, with a 4-0 conference record.
New London and Danville will be back in action this Thursday for the SEISC tournament.
Van Buren County and Mediapolis enter the SEISC tournament with a 3-1 conference record.
Cross Country
Mt. Pleasant will hold their Invitational today with Central Lee, Danville, Holy Trinity Catholic, Mediapolis, WACO, and Winfield-Mt. Union all in attendance.
Southeast Iowa Playbook
Tune in tomorrow night, September 20th, for the Southeast Iowa Playbook. The school of focus for the week will be WACO as they celebrate their homecoming.
College Football
#24 Iowa will be tested this Saturday, September 23rd, against #7 Penn State at 6:30 pm.
Iowa State University will take on Oklahoma State this Saturday 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
1992 – Demolition begins of JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; built in 1926 as Sesquicentennial Stadium, also known as Municipal Stadium, it hosted the 1926 Tunney-Dempsey fight, 41 Army-Navy football games, and the US portion of Live-Aid.
2000 – Ken Griffey Jr. pinch-hits his 400th home run becoming the first major league player to reach the mark as a pinch-hitter.
2004 – Oakland Raider wide receiver Jerry Rice ends NFL streak of 274 consecutive games with a reception in a 13-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.
“With harvest ramping up in parts of Iowa, weather outlooks are hinting at warmer temperatures and greater chances of rain into early October,” said Secretary Naig. “It’s National Farm Safety and Health Week, and throughout harvest, I encourage all Iowans to keep safety in the field and on the road top of mind.”
The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.
Crop Report
The southern tier of Iowa received above average rainfall this week leading to 6.1 days suitable for fieldwork statewide during the week ending September 17, 2023, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included harvesting corn and soybeans. Some farmers were also working on their fourth cutting of alfalfa hay.
Topsoil moisture condition rated 34 percent very short, 45 percent short, 20 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 37 percent very short, 43 percent short, 19 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.
Corn in the dent stage or beyond was 96 percent this week, 6 days ahead of last year and 11 days ahead of the 5year average. Sixty-three percent of the State’s corn crop has reached maturity, 8 days ahead of both last year and normal. Corn harvested for grain reached 5 percent statewide, roughly 1 week ahead of both last year and the average. Moisture content of field corn being harvested for grain was at 22 percent. Corn condition improved slightly to 48 percent good to excellent. Soybeans coloring or beyond reached 86 percent, 6 days ahead of both last year and the average. Soybeans dropping leaves or beyond was 52 percent this week, 6 days ahead of last year and 5 days ahead of normal. Three percent of the soybean crop has been harvested. Soybean condition also rose slightly to 47 percent good to excellent.
Pasture condition rated 15 percent good to excellent. Getting water to livestock continued be a challenge for producers this week, with reports of livestock taken off pastures where ponds and creeks have dried up.
Weather Summary
Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Portions of southern and eastern Iowa experienced above-normal rainfall as an active storm track brought widespread moisture to Iowa. The state’s northeast corner continued to experience unseasonable dryness with weekly deficits approaching 0.80 inch. Near normal to cooler temperatures prevailed statewide with the weekly average temperature at 63.1 degrees, 0.8 degree below normal.
Showers and some thunderstorms gradually expanded over Iowa through Sunday (10th) afternoon with temperatures ranging from the mid-60s north to the low 80s south. Rain persisted overnight across Iowa’s southeastern half through late Monday (11th) morning, gradually dissipating by noon. The southern half of Iowa received general rain totals above 0.50 inch from the event with much of northern Iowa reporting a few tenths. Nearly 60 stations collected at least an inch as south-central counties experienced the highest totals, ranging from 2.04 inches at Allerton (Wayne County) to 2.25 inches in Mount Ayr (Ringgold County); the statewide average total was 0.59 inch. Winds shifted to the northeast as clouds gradually thinned with afternoon highs in the low to mid 70s. Light showers pushed into northwest Iowa after midnight on Tuesday (12th) leaving Rock Rapids (Lyon County) with a 0.18-inch total before diminishing near daybreak. Morning lows were in the upper 40s and low 50s with clouds and patchy fog in northern Iowa. Daytime temperatures reached the 70s as scattered thunderstorms formed in north-central to eastern Iowa. The storms fizzled out after sunset, leaving behind general amounts under 0.25 inch; higher totals ranged from 0.32 inch at Hopkinton (Delaware County) to 0.47 inch near Clinton (Clinton County). Partly cloudy skies developed statewide into Wednesday (13th) with light northerly winds and lows in the upper 40s to low 50s at most stations. Afternoon conditions were cooler in northeast Iowa with highs in the mid-60s, while temperatures farther west were up to 15 degrees warmer.
Early Thursday (14th) temperatures showed a large spread across the state; northeast stations reported low to mid 40s while low 60s were reported in the southwest corner. Upper 70s and low 80s greeted Iowans through the day as southwesterly winds increased along with evening cloud cover in western Iowa, ahead of a cold front. Showers formed along the boundary into the daytime hours on Friday (15th) with widespread totals reported over Iowa’s northwest corner. Scattered thundershowers fired in south-central Iowa along with an isolated severe-warned evening storm in Sioux County; Orange City measured a 0.77-inch total with Rock Rapids (Buena Vista County) reporting 0.90 inch. Totals outside of these higher amounts were a few tenths of an inch. Foggy conditions formed overnight into Saturday (16th) with lows behind the boundary in the upper 40s; temperatures ahead of the front remained in the mid-60s. A cluster of showers and thunderstorms pushed from central Iowa into the southeast corner through the afternoon hours as a secondary complex fired along the Mississippi River in northeastern Iowa. Rathbun Dam (Appanoose County) observed 0.50 inch with Chariton (Lucas County) and DeWitt (Clinton County) reporting 1.08 and 1.62 inches, respectively. Northwesterly winds built in overnight into Sunday (17th) as lows dropped into the upper 40s and low 50s.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 0.03 inch at Oelwein Municipal Airport (Fayette County) to 3.05 inches in DeWitt. The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.69 inch while the normal is 0.84 inch. Red Oak (Montgomery County) reported the week’s high temperature of 87 degrees on the 10th, seven degrees above normal. Mason City Airport (Cerro Gordo County) reported the week’s low temperature of 36 degrees on the 13th, 14 degrees below normal.
Cecilia Elizabeth Kruse, 100, of Donnellson, Iowa passed away on Saturday, September 16, 2023.
Ceil was born on October 29, 1922, to Anna and George Mehmert of West Point, Iowa. She was a lifelong member of St. Mary of the Assumption Church in West Point, IA and there married Herman Kruse on November 9, 1944. Ceil was preceded in death by her parents; brothers: Joe and Barney; sisters: Martha, Marietta, Ruth, and Gertie. She was preceded in death by her husband on September 7, 2006. Her sister Rosie Ping of West Point, IA survives. Ceil lived independently on the farm until June 2023.
Her family meant the world to Ceil and she is survived by son: Dan Kruse of Argyle, IA; Jeanne Foecke (Jim) of Pilot Grove, IA; Connie Kruse of Dayton, TN; Kitty Kruse-Winnike of Riverside, IA; Sue Kruse (Jeff Fullenkamp) of Johnston, IA; and Jan Foecke (Joe) of Kansas City, MO. Grandchildren: Jodi Burch (Craig) of Ft. Madison, IA; Tom Kruse (Sarah) of West Point, IA; Brian Foecke (Kathleen) of West Point IA; Jamie Foster of Washington, IA; Ben Foecke (Sue) of Des Moines, IA; April VanHamme (Justin) of West Point, IA; Kelsey Winnike (Gabe Starbeck-Miller) of San Diego, CA; Mason Kruse-Hoyer (Pooja Narayan) of Hanover, MD; Alison Cox (Aaron) of West Des Moines, IA; Bill Ayakatubby (Josh) of Kansas City, MO; Beth Lukehart (Bryan) of St. Joseph, MO; Dave Foecke of Gower, MO; and Dan Foecke of Adamsville, AL. Great Grandchildren include: Brock and Taylor Barnes of Ft. Madison, IA; Tyler, Payton, and Asher Burch of Ft. Madison, IA; Albert, Luke, and Joseph Kruse of West Point, IA; Mikaela Richter (Isaac) of West Point, IA; Mallory Foster of Iowa City, IA; Alayna Foster of Washington, IA; Lauren and Max Foecke of Des Moines, IA; Jackson VanHamme of Ames, IA; Toby and Fletcher VanHamme of West Point, IA; West Winnike of San Diego, CA; Zuri Narayan-Hoyer of Hanover, MD; Landry, Eli, and Finn Cox of West Des Moines, IA; Austin, Tucker, and Kaybree Lukehart of St. Joseph, MO. One Great Great Grandchild includes Adalyn Richter of West Point, IA. Ceil will be greatly missed by her family.
Ceil cultivated many friendships throughout her lifetime in the West Point, Houghton, and St. Paul communities; workplaces such as Schaeffer Pen Company, J.J. Nichting’s, Metromail, West Point Care Center, Donnellson Care Center, Motorola; and card clubs. Ceil enjoyed baking, painting by numbers, word puzzles, reading, listening to music, watching movies, and visiting with others in person and by phone.
Family will receive visitors from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point, IA.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, September 23, 2023, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point, with Father Dan Dorau as celebrant.
Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, West Point, IA.
Memorials may be made to Holy Trinity Catholic Schools or St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church.
Nathan Simonson, 30, of Keokuk, Iowa, passed away Friday, September 15, 2023, at his home. Arrangements are pending at Schmitz Funeral Home in Donnellson.
Plank Road will once again see a section closure as crews will be working. The Des Moines County Road Department has announced that Plank Road, between Sunnyside Ave and West Burlington Ave will be closed on Tuesday, September 19th and plans to reopen by 8am on Thursday, September 21st. This closure will be in between 10684 and 10696 for road replacement work.
As always, this is weather permitting and may end up taking longer.
