The Lee County Sheriff’s Department reports the arrest of a Keokuk man on Felony and Misdemeanor charges on Monday August 28^th.

Mathew Wayne Sly, age 30, of Keokuk, is charged with: Enticement of a Minor Under 16 for Sexual Purposes, Class D Felony, and Dissemination of Obscene Material to a Minor, Aggravated Misdemeanor.

The arrest was the result of an investigation where Mathew Sly is alleged to have arranged a meeting with a minor at a local park in Keokuk with the intent to commit a sex act.

Departments involved in the investigation included the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, Des Moines County Sheriff’s Department, the Keokuk Police Department, the Fort Madison Police Department, and the Lee County Attorney’s Office.

The defendant in this case is presumed innocent unless, or until proven guilty.

The Henry County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday against the 1^st Reading of an ordinance to Rezone a Part of SE of SE Section 7 Township from A-1 Agricultural to I-1 Industrial in a 2-1 vote. The first reading did not pass, meaning it is “dead in the water” according to city legislation 380-3. There will be no more readings for this issue.

The public did bring a conversation to the table, with the supervisors allowing that to happen as this was not a public hearing. A concerned citizen believed that it was a “muddied up messy process” and called for the Planning and Zoning commission to have direction. Another citizen, who owns property near the proposed concrete plant, stated that their property taxes will increase, but the value of their house will decrease.

William John, an attorney for Chad Ebling who planned to build a plant in this area, wanted the public to be aware that the Planning and Zoning commission is made up of volunteers, and was quoted as saying “if you have concerns (about Planning and Zoning), volunteer.”

The Board of Supervisors will meet again on Thursday, August 31^st with an update from Sarah Berndt with the CDS.

Derek Mullin announced today that he will be taking out papers to run for the Mt. Pleasant Community School District Board Director District 2 position for a two-year term.  He will begin gathering signatures on August 29th.

Director District 2 encompasses the areas of the school district outside of the city of Mt. Pleasant.  However, all residents of the Mt. Pleasant Community School District vote for the entire slate of candidates.

Mullin is currently serving on the school board and has served since 2021. He has served on the Ag Task Force which started the current Ag Education program and FFA at the high school.  He and his wife, Tina, have three children that attend MPCSD: Caden, a Freshman in High School; Charlize, a 7th grader at the Middle School and Cuyler, a 4th grader at Harlan Elementary.

“As a parent with three children in the district, I have focused on making the best decisions for all students.  I am supportive of our teachers and staff, so that they can give our students the best education.  I also want to ensure that we make strong financial decisions for our district taxpayers.”

“As a former Industrial Technology teacher at the Mt. Pleasant Community High School, I am also committed to helping expand the Career and Technical Education offerings in our District.”

School board elections will be held on Tuesday, November 7th.

With the upcoming Mt. Pleasant Community School Board election on Tuesday, November 7^th, all seats will be available. This is due to the redistricting which now includes 2 seats in district 1 and two in district 2, and 3 at large seats.

Sarah Donnolly has announced her campaign for the School Board, and as a mother of three kids in elementary school in our community, she “understands the importance of education and the value of teachers and staff.” She and her husband own a local small business, and they are “deeply invested” in the community.

There are a few critical issues facing the district that she believes she can tackle. “I’m running for school board to ensure we have a high level of accountability and transparency from administration.”

She is committed to fostering a “thriving environment” for every child in the district and plans to discuss her ability to make an impact over the coming months.

On August 25^th at approximately 9:56am, Burlington Police Officers were alerted of a man standing on the ledge over the railing on the Great River Bridge. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the man and learned that he was in crisis. While waiting for a mobile crisis response team to be dispatched and for the crisis response team to arrive, the officers began speaking with the man to de-escalate the situation. They were able to build a rapport with the man, eventually convincing him to step away from the ledge and join the officers.

When the mobile crisis team arrived, the officers worked with them to develop a plan that would help the man. This included an evaluation by a licensed mental health provided, who determined the man was “no longer suicidal” but found that he was having issues with housing. The mobile crisis team was able to obtain temporary housing for the man and then took him to that location.

Then, at 5:53pm on the same day, officers were once again dispatched to the Great River Bridge. They were sent to check on a man sitting on the ramp to the bridge, and upon arrival, identified the man as the same man who had been standing on the ledge of the bridge earlier in the day. The officers determined that the man’s intention was not to injure himself or to jump off the bridge, and then he complied with officers when they asked him to not be on the bridge. He then was accompanied by the officers to a safer location.

The Burlington Police Department was assisted by the Burlington Fire Department and Elevate CCBHC Mobile Crisis Team.

The Mt. Pleasant Community School Board hosted a public forum on Monday, August 28^th to discuss the future of the Iowa Wesleyan property purchase for the benefit of the board. Rachel Lindeen of the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce moderated, and many citizens voiced their concerns, support, and some even presented their own ideas to the board. Residents, reporters, camera crews, and security filled the room in what turned out to be a long, but civil, time of questions, answers, and statements.

The practice fields and central campus were both purchased on August 14^th for a combined total of 1.25 million dollars. This central campus includes the Howe Student Activity Center and Ruble Arena, Student Union, Old Main, Pioneer Hall, P.E.O Memorial Building, and the University Chapel. At the onset of the meeting, superintendent of the Mt. Pleasant Community School District John Henriksen, provided a history and background of this agreement. The board met with the USDA, the Regional Task Force, MP City and Business Leadership, and the Chamber released surveys where 50% of respondents preferred some sort of educational institute on the former Iowa Wesleyan campus. “A number specifically mentioned MPCSD.”

The school board laid out a variety of needs that could help improve the current, and future, of the school district. They believe that a practice field is needed, as well as an area for the fine arts to practice and perform, potentially in an auditorium if possible. One of the main issues facing the school district is a lack of gym space. The district also currently does not have a district office that they can call home, as they rent the space they are inhabiting. After meeting with different groups, the board decided that the IW properties mentioned above would be a great addition to the school district and they tick all the boxes.

A facility estimate conducted in October of 2021 revealed that the current elementary school buildings are growing old. The HVAC, plumbing, roofing, lighting, and power systems have an estimated life span of 5-10 years, and the AC units installed in the elementary schools are entering year 6.

The public was then allowed to ask questions, with certain conditions such as a maximum of two questions per person, and the next hour was full of lively conversation.

One of the points of discussion that seemed to be brought up on numerous occasions was the future of the current crop of elementary school buildings. Specifically, what is the plan if the central elementary school is approved. The board answered that the “buildings would be sold, demolished, repurposed, or gifted.” Of course, there are other options as well, but these were the possibilities brought up. Another citizen, who was an educator in the school district for many years, believes that these buildings should be repurposed into a variety of ideas, namely a daycare or preschool. He also entertained the idea of a tech school in the community, that would allow certain students to pursue a different future than a traditional college. Wisdom Quest could also find a new home if these buildings were to be repurposed.

The lingering idea that Salem would be shut down was put to an end at the meeting, with a school board member suggesting that they have not had that discussion at this point in time. This same member reiterated that the central campus is just a vision at this moment, and the public cannot assume that Salem will be closed if this passes. A concerned community member mentioned that Salem is currently ranked very high in the state for education, and warned of the dangers that bringing all students into one building would bring. Another citizen asked about the student to teacher ratio and if that would increase. This ratio would stay around 13 students to every one teacher according to the school board.

For those concerned of the Howe Student Activity Center boasting of two floors, the board mentioned that an elevator would be installed as per law. It is also important to note that the district was not given the option to buy single entities, which helped relieve some of the fear from those who believe certain buildings included in this deal will be a bigger problem than solution.

The Mt. Pleasant Community School Board ended the public forum by reminding those in attendance that these board meetings are open for anyone to attend. Their contact information is on the district website, and they also brought up the upcoming school board election on Tuesday, November 7^th where all seats will be up for election due to the redistricting, and encouraged all to use their voice and vote.

KILJ previous coverage on this issue:

June 27^th, 2023 https://kilj.com/preliminary-discussion-over-central-elementary-school-in-mount-pleasant/

July 25^th, 2023 https://kilj.com/special-session-discusses-iw-property-and-revenue-purpose-statement/

August 14^th, 2023https://kilj.com/update-on-iowa-wesleyan-university-properties/

August 15^th, 2023 https://kilj.com/iwu-purchase-agreements-approved-at-mpcsd-board-meeting/