Beulah Louise Mears

Beulah Louise Mears, 98, of New London, died Friday, August 11, 2023 at New London Specialty Care.  She was born March 5, 1925 in Ferris, Illinois to Charles Albert and Myrtle Carroll Long.  On March 10, 1945 she married John Leonard Mears in Good Hope, Illinois.  He died May 28, 2011.

Louise worked as a nurse’s aide at Mount Pleasant Mental Health; IAAP in Middletown; and at Motorola for twelve years, retiring in 1986.  She was a member of First Christian Church, Blandinsville, Illinois and later attended Harmony Bible Church and Calvary Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant.

Survivors include her sons Charles (Connie) Mears and John E. Mears, both of New London; daughter Linda (Larry) Zachmeyer of Ft. Madison; eight grandchildren; twenty-three great-grandchildren and many great-great-grandchildren.  Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; daughter Charlotte Allen; son-in-law Larry Allen; sister M. Maxine Keithley; and nephew Gene Keithley.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am, August 25, 2023 at Elliott Chapel, New London with Mr. Dan Dingus officiating.  Visitation will begin at 9:00 with the family receiving friends beginning at 10:00 until the time of the service.  Burial of her cremains along with her beloved husband, John, will be at Burge Cemetery, rural New London immediately following the service.  A memorial has been established for Harmony Bible Church.  Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Iowa State Fair Hall of Fame Inductees – Lee and Henry County

Jerry Stukerjurgen

Each year at the Iowa State Fair, the Iowa 4-H foundation sponsors The Iowa Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Volunteers, community leaders, and extension staff members are nominated by their counties for exemplary service and dedication to their 4-H youth program. Inductees represent the many people in Iowa who have contributed countless hours to the 4-H program. These leaders are seen as role models to the younger generations and model volunteerism, community service, integrity, and leadership. Their legacy is the young people they have mentored who will eventually become leaders themselves.

This year, the Lee County Hall of Fame inductee is Jerry Stukerjurgen. His family was present to receive the award. Jerry, along with his wife Amie, became huge supporters of the Lee County Fair and Lee County 4-H. He committed his life to helping and giving back to 4-H and the community. “His legacy continues with his family, and the family business, who continue to support Lee County 4-H.”

Joe “Joey” Vantiger

The Henry County Inductee is Joe Vantiger. He passed away in 2021 but spent his life in service of 4-H and his county. He spent countless amounts of time preparing for the Henry County Fair each year, whether that be setting up for the queen contest or livestock shows, or even driving the skid steer, he was always up for the challenge. He even brought his family in to help out with the fairs, where they all serve to this day.

“Joe passed away in 2021 doing what he loved most, farming, and he passed his work ethic and dedication to the fair on to his family, who are carrying the torch for Joe.”

 

Brian Hansen

Brian D. Hansen age 77, of Maryland and formerly of Ohio and Ft. Madison and Mt. Pleasant, IA,  passed away on January 26, 2023, at Brookdale Potomac Assisted Living Facility in Maryland.

Brian was preceded in death by his parents David and Paula Hansen. He is survived by his wife Linda and five children, Angela, and her husband Marty; Lori; Jason and his wife Meg; Carey; Timothy and his wife Kaitlyn; his brother Mark and his wife Keni; ten grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Graveside interment will be at 9:00 AM Friday, September 1st at Forest Home Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant. Military Honors will be conducted by the Henry County Honor Guard and the Iowa Military Funeral Honors Detail. Family, friends and old acquaintances are all welcome. Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com. Cards may be mailed to Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant, IA, 52641 which is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Mt. Pleasant City Council Meeting August 23rd

The Mount Pleasant City Council met in regular session on Wednesday, August 23rd. All members of the council were present, and they approved a resolution of selling the west portion of 1300 W Courtland st to the Iowa Communication Network, who has been in search of a new place to operate since the closing of IW. The City Council must hold a public hearing anytime they are selling public property, and they followed that last night.

Another issue brought up was some road reconstruction on Henry and Main Street, what the council calls “The H.” The mayor was authorized to sign an Engineering Service Agreement with Warner Engineering for repaving and drainage infrastructure, and Saunders Street was noted as “top priority.”

During the public forum, I asked about trash pickup in the city. There have been discussions about getting rid of the usual trash pickup in favor of a new system that could be cheaper in many ways. Council members mentioned that there is “more to come” at a later date but they had nothing further at this moment, other than that they are currently looking at costs and trying to weigh up the options.

Chief of Police, Lyle Murray, provided a quick update on the Christamore House, mentioning how citizens “ruffled politicians feathers” and he believes the entire situation should be resolved here rapidly. This is in reference to the police chief’s asking of the public to call their elected officials about the Christamore House wasting the Police Department resources and costing Henry County residents tax dollars.

Norma Helphrey – Pending

Norma Lea Helphrey, 85, of Mt. Pleasant, formerly of Mt. Union, died Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at Henry County Health Center, Mt. Pleasant.  Services are pending at Elliott Chapel, New London.

State Qualifying Sites for Cross Country

Cross Country- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) released the sites for the state qualifying meets for the upcoming Cross Country season.

For Class 1A, the sites will be: Central Decatur, Central Springs, Mount Ayr, North Linn, Panorama, Regina Catholic, South Hardin, and Spencer.

Dike-New Hartford, Monticello, Pella Christian, Unity Christian, and Williamsburg will be the host sites for Class 2A.

Class 3A will have Clear Lake, Pella, Solon, Spencer, and Winterset acting as the host sites.

Lastly, Ames, Iowa City West, Marshalltown, Pleasant Valley, and Southeast Polk will be the acting host sites for Class 4A.

The state qualifying meet for Class 4A and 3A will run on October 18th at 4 pm, while the Class 2A and Class 1A meets will begin at 4 pm on October 19th. Team assignments and meet information will be released the week of October 9th.

The state meet is scheduled for Friday, October 27th, and Saturday, the 28th, with Class 4A and 1A racing on Friday and Class 2A and 3A taking place on Saturday.

Weekly Fuel Report

The price of regular unleaded gasoline fell 13 cents, averaging $3.64 across Iowa according to AAA.

Crude Oil Summary

  • The price of global crude oil fell this week on the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) by $3.40 per barrel over last week, currently priced at $77.85.
  • Brent crude oil fell $2.91 and is currently priced at $82.23.
  • One year ago, WTI crude sold for $93.74 and Brent crude was at $99.49.

Motor Fuels

  • As of Wednesday, the price of regular unleaded gasoline averaged $3.64 across Iowa according to AAA.
    • Prices fell 13 cents from last week’s price and are up 8 cents from a year ago.
    • The national average on Wednesday was $3.85, down 1 cent from last week’s price.
  • Retail diesel prices in Iowa fell 2 cents this week with a statewide average of $4.11.
    • One year ago, diesel prices averaged $4.70 in Iowa.
    • The current Iowa diesel price is 25 cents less than the national average of $4.36.
  • Wholesale ethanol held steady and is currently priced at $2.16.
  • The current Des Moines Terminal/Rack Prices are $2.53 for U87-E10, $2.96 for Unleaded 87 (clear), $3.25 for ULSD#2, $3.77 for ULSD#1, and $2.38 per gallon for E-70 prices.

Heating Fuels

  • Natural gas prices fell 16 cents at the Henry Hub reporting site and are currently priced at $2.53/MMbtu
  • We will continue reporting retail heating oil and propane prices in Iowa in September.

Tips for saving energy on the road or at home are available at energy.gov and fueleconomy.gov.

Mt. Pleasant Sanitation Committee Meeting Agenda

The Mount Pleasant Sanitation Committee will meet Thursday, August 24, 2023, at

9 am at City Hall in the City Administrators’ Conference Room.

AGENDA

Call to order

Discuss Sewer Credit 413 N Adams

Update on SSES Project

Update on SBR Plant

Continue Discussion on Solid Waste Collection

Open forum

Adjourn