If you are driving on westbound U.S. 136 from Illinois into Iowa near Keokuk in the next few days you need to be aware of a lane closure at the Mississippi River bridge that may slow down your trip. Construction crews will be repairing erosion and pavement damage near the bridge caused by recent rains and flooding. You may want to consider taking another route if possible.
Darlene “Dar” Moffett
Darlene “Dar” Moffett, 76, of Salem, died Monday, August 7, 2023, at her home after a 16-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
Dar was born March 31, 1947, in Dubuque, Iowa. She was the daughter of Charles and Adelia (Atkinson) Adams. She graduated from Auburn High School in Rockford, IL, in 1965. On August 27, 1966, Dar was united in marriage to Mike Moffett (Salem, IA) in Rockford, IL. The couple made their home in the Burlington, Mount Pleasant and Salem communities. Dar worked in the mental health field at locations in Burlington and Mount Pleasant. She enjoyed gardening, picking berries, canning, and showing horses. Mike and Dar volunteered as foster parents. Dar was active in the Burlington High School booster club and Horse Futurities.
Dar was known as “Mom” to so many of her kids’ friends. You never know who would be at the house to eat or sleep. Mike and Dar loved taking road trips together to watch their grandkids play sports all over the United States and if they couldn’t make the trip, they would be cheering them on by watching live streams of games at home.
Dar is survived by her husband Mike; son Erik (Amy) Moffett of Denmark; two daughters Traci (Craig Lewis) Johnson of Bates City, MO, Nikki (Tyrus) Czeschin of Vestavia Hills, AL; seven grandchildren Aubrey and Ava Moffett, Gabe and Zane Czeschin, Kelsey (Clinton) Davis, Brayden and Blake Johnson; one great grandson Crew Davis; brother Dale (Vicki) Adams of Rockton, IL, Donna (Joe) Kowalewski of Rockford, IL, Glen Higgenbotham, Peg Johnson; in laws Merritt (Dee) Moffett of New London, Mark (Linda) Moffett of Mount Pleasant, and Beverly Sloan of Eldon.
She was preceded in death by her parents, grandson Tate Czeschin, brother Buzzy Adams and sister Charlene Adams, brother-in-law Jerry Sloan, brother-in-law Roger Newbold, and sister-in-law Joan Newbold.
Funeral service will be 11:00 am Friday, August 11, 2023, at Olson-Powell Chapel and Crematory in Mount Pleasant. Mr. Brad Gillis will officiate. Burial will be in the Salem East Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 1-6 pm Thursday, August 10, 2023, at the Olson-Powell Chapel and Crematory. The family will be present to greet friends beginning at 4:00 pm. A general memorial fund has been established. www.powellfuneralhomes.com
Judith Ann Adam
Judith Ann Adam, 80, of Black Hawk, South Dakota, formerly of Houghton, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 21, 2022, at her home surrounded by family.
Judy was the daughter of Walter and Viola Whitledge. She grew up in Warsaw and Peoria, Illinois. Judy graduated from Warsaw High School in 1960, then she went on to work at Shaeffer Pen Company in Fort Madison, Iowa. There, she met Darrell who became her husband and to whom she has shared the past 61+ years with.
Judy spent her days doing what she loved: playing Bubble Witch, absolutely crushing her family at Yahtzee or when alone, reading a book. Judy was an avid reader, known for reading up to a book a day. She loved to travel, preferring the open road. It was about the journey not the destination. By her side, every step of the way was Darrell, enjoying the journey with her. Darrell cared for Judy during her years of illness and was at her side when she took her last breath.
She was preceded in death by her parents; step-father: Ralph Rohrbaugh; brother: Walter “Sonny” Whitledge and son-in-law: Mike Sanderson.
Survivors include her husband: Darrell; their three children: Steve (Monika) Adam of Port Charlotte, Florida, Mike (Samantha) Adam of Black Hawk, South Dakota, and Christina Sanderson of Punta Gorda, Florida; twelve grandchildren; sixteen great grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild on the way.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, August 14, 2023, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Houghton, Iowa with Father Dan Dorau as celebrant.
Burial will be at St. John’s Cemetery in Houghton.
A memorial has been established in her memory.
Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.
Iola Marie Batey
Iola Marie Batey passed away surrounded by love on August 5, 2023.
Iola Marie Batey was born on June 27, 1930, the daughter of Walter and Birdie Fleming. She was the 8th of 10 children, and her mom died when she was only 6 years old. It wasn’t until she was a freshman that she arrived at the Charlie and Evelyn Davis’ home. Evelyn would become known as “My momma” to Iola, and their family would always be an important part of her life. She was blessed to stay with them in a loving home until she graduated from Clemens High School in 1947. During her high school years, she excelled at sports and music. Music remained a huge part of her life. Whether inciting a family sing-a-long, or being an Andy Williams groupie, music was always present.
Iola married Robert Batey in 1955, and they began building a life together, creating a home that was filled with love and lots of activity. Always a nurturer, Iola not only made her children feel secure and loved, she saved any abandoned animal that was brought to her home.
Iola was a constant motion machine. She raised children (in the beginning without indoor plumbing), maintained a well-ordered household, beautiful flowerbeds and gardens. She had a gifted mind and provided the foundation for every family business endeavor. Yet, if you visited her home, there was always home-made bread and jam, and a delicious meal ready at a moments’ notice.
She loved a good auction. An avid furniture restorer and antique collector, she became a respected member in that community for her knowledge. Her daughter once asked her, “How do you know so much about this stuff?” And she replied, “They weren’t antiques when I was using them.”
Iola was preceded in death by her husband Robert and her siblings. She is survived by her children, Gary (Donna) Batey, Cynda (Tom) Kinnemann, Kathleen Batey, Ted (Peggy) Batey, Scott Batey, Tim (Kerry) Batey, Todd (Deb) Batey, Sally (Alan Miller-deceased) Johnson, and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.
Funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 12, 2023 at the First Presbyterian Church in Mount Pleasant. Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery. Visitation will be held 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. Friday, August 11, at Olson-Powell Chapel & Crematory, family will be present to greet friends beginning at 5:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established for the MPCSD Music Boosters. www.powellfuneralhomes.com
Iola never needed the lime-light. She just had a strong work ethic that she needed to satisfy for her own personal goals. She wasn’t a self-promoter, but she was a promoter of all the people she loved.
Almost 50% of Henry County 911 Calls Accidental
KILJ had the opportunity to talk with Henry County Sherriff Rich McNamee, Dispatch Supervisor Lora Ruby, and Dispatcher Janae Body about Accidental 911 calls in Henry County.
Sheriff McNamee updated nearly half of all 911 dispatch calls are accidental in Henry County. Dispatcher Janae Body advises that if you do accidentally call 911, stay on the line to inform the dispatcher of your location and accidental call. This allows the dispatcher to make note of the call and move on to the next call. If you hang up instead of talking to the dispatcher they then have to call back, track the call of the location, and send an officer to ensure the caller is safe.
Dispatch Supervisor Lora Ruby also highlights even if a phone is disconnected from cell phone service it is still able to connect to 911 as long as the battery is not completely dead. Because of this it is crucial we teach young children appropriate times to call 911 and that even though the phone can not call anyone else, they can still call 911.
Most cellphones come with an automatic Emergency SOS feature. This feature allows the phone to call 911 quickly in an emergency, but may cause an accidental 911 call.
iPhone – Press and hold right side button and one volume button together
Android – Press side button 5 or more times quickly
Samsung – Press side button quickly 3-4 times
These features can be turned off, to do this go to your settings and toggle the Emergency SOS button to OFF. This prevents external button presses from being used to dial, but it DOES NOT disable your phones ability to call 911.
Sports, August 8th
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.
Head Coach for Winfield-Mt. Union Scott McCarty has a senior heavy team this season and more importantly a team that is focused on playing for one another.
Preview for High School Volleyball
Mt. Pleasant’s first game of the season will be on a road trip to Burlington on August 21st to take on the Grayhounds in Logan Wall’s first game at the helm for the Panthers.
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.
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.
NCAAF Preseason Top 25
The Coaches Preseason top 25 poll was released yesterday with Georgia receiving 61 of the first-place votes sitting atop the standings followed by Michigan. Alabama was slotted 3rd and received four first-place votes. Ohio St. was ranked 4th with one first-place vote.
The SEC had the most teams ranked in the top 25 with six teams including four in the top ten. Despite the turmoil, the Pac-12 is tied with the Big 12 for second place with five teams populating the top 25. The Big Ten has four teams ranked with three resting in the top seven.
Iowa is receiving the most votes outside of the top 25 with 169. The Hawkeyes were ranked 21st in the NCAA’s “way too early” top 25 in late July under the expectation that the offense will improve.
This Day in Sports History
1950 – Florence Chadwick swims the English Channel in a record time of 13 hours and 23 minutes.
1976 – Chicago White Sox suit up in shorts.
1992 – The original US ‘Dream Team’ wins the basketball gold at the Barcelona Olympics 117-85 over Croatia; features superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing.
988: Mobile Crisis Response Service Now Available in Southeast Iowa
When experiencing or witnessing a mental health or behavioral crisis your first instinct may be to call 911, but now in Southeast Iowa you have another option. Call 988. Available 24/7 365 days a week in Keokuk, Washington, Louisa, Jefferson, Henry, Des Moines, Van Buren, and Lee county; the mobile crisis response service ensures two responders will arrive on-site and in-person within an hour no matter your location. Care doesn’t stop during the crisis, a trained professional will reach out following a crisis within 24 hours to ensure you are connected to the help you need. If you don’t already have an existing treatment team they will assist you in finding the right help for your situation including the community resources you can take advantage of in your area. When the responders arrive to your crisis you have the right to refuse service, but you also have the right to confidential service as well as the right to be free of any abuse, punishment, or harassment. This resource is to no cost to the person suffering the crisis thanks to funding from the Mental Health Agency of Southeast Iowa.
Alert Iowa
Severe weather can be unpredictable, and if there’s an emergency in your community you want to know about it as soon as possible. Stay informed with the information you need when you need it the most. Alert Iowa is the State of Iowa’s official emergency notification system, and is free of charge to the public. You may be wondering, how is Alert Iowa different from automatic alerts from the weather stations? Through Alert Iowa, State and local officials can utilize a single, statewide notification system that provides local control of how and when to send emergency and public safety messages to residents. Alerts include weather alerts as well as county and community specific alerts. You are also able to pick how you want to receive your alerts; through an app, voice, text, or email rather than default text alerts. You can sign up for Alert Iowa by visiting alert.iowa.gov or downloading the Smart911 app.