Kalayna Durr of New London Named 2023 Iowa State Fair Queen

By Slaten Swords · Saturday, August 12th, 2023 at 10:05 pm CDT

(2023 Iowa State Fair Queen Kalayna Durr, photo courtesy of Iowa State Fair’s Facebook)

Des Moines, IA- The Iowa State Fair Queen Coronation is over, and Henry County’s own Kalayna Durr of New London is 2023’s Iowa State Fair Queen.

Durr was one of 104 women that competed in this year’s Iowa State Fair Queen competition with Taylor Bartholomew of Washington County earning 3rd Runner Up.

Durr was named Henry County Fair Queen nearly a month ago, which included an unprecedented call-back to the stage for a second question after an afternoon full of interviews, formal wear presentations, and onstage interviews.

If you would like to watch the event, Iowa PBS recorded the entire event, and it will premier tomorrow, August 13th, at 1 pm.

Kelly Barlow found safe and sound

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, August 12th, 2023 at 7:06 am CDT

Update from the search in Lee County. An intense search was conducted on Highway 2 between Fort Madison and Donnellson in search for Kelly Barlow Friday, utilizing drones, dogs, and UTVs but we are happy to confirm Kelly Barlow has been returned to her home safely.

Look Before You Lock Campaign

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, August 12th, 2023 at 6:33 am CDT

As temperatures rise, so does the risk of vehicular, heat-related illnesses and deaths for children. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Region 7, which includes Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, is working together to promote the national Look Before You Lock effort to ensure that children are not left in the car by parents and caregivers, and that children cannot gain unsupervised access to motor vehicles. As of today, 16 children have already died due to vehicular heatstroke this year, according to NoHeatstroke.org.

Vehicle heatstroke is one of the leading causes of traffic-related death for children in the United States. Since 1998, the majority (52.6%) of these tragedies occur when a child is “forgotten” by a parent or caregiver and left in a hot car, and more than half (58%) occur at a home. A busy parent or caregiver may unintentionally forget that a quiet or sleeping child, who may also be facing the back of the car, is in the back of the vehicle. Nearly one-third of these accidents occur with children under one year of age.

“Vehicle heatstroke is one of the leading causes of traffic-related death for children in the United States, resulting in the deaths of 953 young children since 1998. We hope that before walking away after parking a vehicle, drivers look in the back of their car and then lock the doors.

“More than half (53%) of all vehicle-related heatstroke deaths in children are caused by a child accidentally being left in the car, and 26% are from a child getting into a hot car unsupervised,” said Regional Administrator Susan DeCourcy. “Since 1998, our region has lost 67 children to vehicular heatstroke. We have to impress upon our children that the vehicle is not a playground and that playing in and around the car is very dangerous. Get the word out to everyone: please Park. Look. Lock.”

Families staying home more over the past couple of years likely contributed to a decline in ‘forgotten’ circumstances. Unfortunately, the percentage of children playing in and around the car and getting locked in has increased.

The bottom line is this: We are all susceptible to forgetfulness. We live in a fast-paced society, and our routines are often upended at a moment’s notice. It is during these moments of hurriedness and change in routine that many of these preventable tragedies occur. For this reason, NHTSA urges everyone to make it a habit to look in the back seat every time and think to Park. Look. Lock.

If you are a bystander and see a child in a hot vehicle:

· Make sure the child is okay and responsive. If not, call 911 immediately.

· If the child appears to be okay, attempt to locate the parents. If there is someone with you, one person should actively search for the parent while the other waits by the car.

· If the child is not responsive or appears to be in distress, attempt to get into the car to assist the child — even if that means breaking a window.

Knowing the warning signs of heatstroke, which include red, hot, and moist or dry skin; no sweating; a strong rapid or a slow weak pulse; nausea; or confusion is also key. If a child exhibits any of these signs after being in a hot vehicle, quickly spray the child with cool water or with a garden hose — but never in an ice bath. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. For more information on vehicle heatstroke, visit www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/heatstroke.

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign beginning August 18th

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, August 12th, 2023 at 6:32 am CDT
Last year, during the final weeks of summer (August 1-September 4, 2022), there were 40 traffic fatalities in Iowa; 30% of those fatalities were alcohol/drug related*. To prevent future tragedies, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is partnering with law enforcement to decrease impaired driving. August 18- September 4, agencies across the state will be participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement project. You’ll see officers working together during this time to take drunk/drugged drivers off the road. No matter how you plan to celebrate the end of summer, make sure you plan to do it safely.
“We want drivers to understand it’s law enforcement’s first priority to keep people safe, so we’re asking everyone to plan ahead,” says GTSB’s Law Enforcement Liaison Randy Kunert. “The Drive Sober campaign is an awareness effort to spread the message that impaired driving is illegal, and it takes lives. Let’s make this a partnership between law enforcement and drivers: help us protect the community and put an end to this senseless behavior.”
There are plenty of options to help impaired drivers get home safely; designate a sober driver or call a taxi/rideshare. If available, use your community’s sober ride program. If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau works with city, county, state, and local organizations to develop and implement strategies to reduce deaths and injuries on Iowa’s roadways using federally funded grants.
6 Divisions, 1 Mission: To serve the people of Iowa by providing public safety services with leadership, integrity and professionalism. Protection All Ways

Abandoned Vehicle in Lee County Results in OWI Investigation

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, August 12th, 2023 at 6:31 am CDT

Lee County Deputies were dispatched to the River Road area outside of Keokuk on Thursday to look for a vehicle that had been involved in a hit and run driving northbound. A short while later a call came in about a vehicle matching that description in a ditch at 3381 River Road. When deputies arrived, the individual had fled the scene. The vehicle had a matching plate number to the one that fled from Keokuk. A witness stated she saw a white male in a yellow shirt and dark hair walking away from the scene of the accident asking people for rides. The deputies were able to locate the individual identified as Jacob Thompson. Thompson reportedly had the smell of an alcoholic beverage and was stumbling and slurring words. Officers had to ask Thompson several times to put his hands behind his back and quit pulling away. Keokuk police took Thompson to the Keokuk Police Department for further OWI investigation.

Sports, August 12th

By Slaten Swords · Saturday, August 12th, 2023 at 6:30 am CDT

Preview for High School Football

Mt. Pleasant will be hosting Fairfield to begin the season on August 25th with John Bowlin leading the squad in his first season with the Panthers. 

Danville and Van Buren County will be competing in the same district in Class A with the Bears taking on Lynnville-Sully and the Warriors facing off against Central Lee.

In 8-man football, Winfield-Mt. Union begins their season against Central City. New London will travel to take on Easton Valley. Lastly, WACO’s week one matchup will be Fremont-Mills on the road. 

Preview for High School Volleyball

Mt. Pleasant’s first game of the season will be a road trip to Burlington on August 21st, but the Panthers will scrimmage WACO on Monday, August 14th. Head Coach Logan Wall has seen a lot of improvement over the course of the summer.

New London’s first game of the season will be a home matchup against Holy Trinity Catholic on August 31st. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will host Keokuk to start the season on August 24th. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will be participating in a tournament on August 26th hosted by Bondurant-Farrar to start their season. Head Coach Melissa Freesmeier is excited about what the season has to bring for the Crusaders.

WACO will host their own tournament on August 21st. Van Buren County will also be competing in the tournament. 

Central Lee will begin their season on August 26th with their own tournament starting at 9 am.

Upcoming Meet the Player Nights

Mt. Pleasant will be hosting their “Meet the Panthers Night” on August 18th at the Mapleleaf Athletic Complex; the only exception being the volleyball team will scrimmage at the high school at 4 pm. Introductions will begin at 7:15 pm starting with the Cheerleaders followed by Cross Country, Volleyball, and then Football. A cheer performance will lead into a run-through for the Panther football team.

Winfield-Mt. Union’s “Meet the Players” night will be August 21st at 7 pm.

Iowa/Iowa State Gambling Investigation

Seven more players were charged in the gambling sting; four for Iowa State University and three for the University of Iowa, including a student-manager. 

The Cyclones football team now have two of their offensive starters accused of gambling. The newest being Jirehl Brock, the starting running back, who allegedly placed 1,327 online bets under a DraftKings account that was listed under a non-athlete. 

The Hawkeyes had one of their current wide receivers Jack Johnson accused of making 380 wagers utilizing a DraftKings account under his mother’s name.

The University of Iowa’s Head Coach Kirk Ferentz stated that it would cross a line if a player is found guilty of wagering on one of their football games.

This Day in Sports History

1950 – First international game by an NFL team, New York Giants beat CFL’s Ottawa Roughriders, 20-6 at Ottawa’s Lansdowne Stadium.

1994 – First NFL game on Fox network (exhibition – SF vs Denver).

1994 – Members of the Major League Baseball Players Association go on strike leading to cancellation of World Series for only the second time in MLB history (1904); labor dispute.

Beulah Louise Mears

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, August 12th, 2023 at 5:19 am CDT

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.

14 Current or Former Student-Athletes Have Now Been Charged in Iowa-Iowa St. Gambling Sting

By Slaten Swords · Friday, August 11th, 2023 at 3:35 pm CDT

Iowa- The University of Iowa and Iowa State University’s gambling sting has now charged a total of 14 current and former players seven more criminal complaints were filed yesterday. This round-up includes heavy blows to the Cyclone starting football experience.

Jirehl Brock is perhaps the biggest name out of this newest group as he was slated to be the starting running back for ISU. Brock rushed for 445 yards and three touchdowns last season, but his career is now in jeopardy after being accused of making 1,327 online bets under a DraftKings account that was listed under a non-athlete. This includes three games that he played in last season.

Three more Cyclones were accused: offensive tackle Jake Remsburg, defensive tackle Isaiah Lee, and tight end DeShawn Hanika. Remsburg is accused of used his mother’s account to place 273 wagers. The affidavit stated that Lee utilized a FanDuel account registered to his fiancée, which included 12 games that he participated in. Lastly, Hanika is accused of also using his mother’s DraftKings account to place 70 wagers on Iowa State basketball games and 288 total online wagers.

Remsburg expressed that he knew of the NCAA rules prohibiting athletes from gambling during the investigation.

The University of Iowa had one current player charged along with two former players. Hawkeye wide receiver Jack Johnson was accused of making 380 wagers utilizing a DraftKings account under his mother’s name.

Arland Bruce IV and Reggie Bracy are the former players who have been charged as they transferred to Oklahoma State and Troy, respectively. Allegedly, Bruce and Bracy tag teamed the effort as they both used a DraftKings account registered to Vincent Bruce, who was over the age of 21. Bruce is accused of placing 132 online wagers, including 11 games which he played in. Bracy made 66 wagers, which included two games that he participated in last season.

The Hawkeye’s student-manager Owen O’Brien was also charged with placing more than 350 wagers while underage utilizing a FanDuel account listed under his mother. He was on staff for three of the games that he bet on last season.

A student-athlete can lose permanent eligibility if they wager on their own sports or other sports at their school. The charge also carries a maximum prison sentence of two years with a fine ranging from $855 to $8,540. The two universities suspected a total of 41 student-athletes when the investigation was launched in May.