The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports Iowa’s statewide pheasant population is at a 20-year high.  This report comes as the state celebrates the 100^th anniversary of pheasant hunting. While populations vary regionally and locally, a mild winter helped the survival rates for both hens and roosters overall.

Chick survival per hen wasn’t as good as last year, but a larger number of nests made up for it. Statewide, staff reported 1,038 pheasant broods, which is 338 more than in 2024. The DNR annual roadside survey of small game populations covers 225 different 30-mile routes. The 2025 survey counted more pheasants, quail, cottontail rabbits and partridge than last year.

The Mt. Pleasant Community School District School Board will meet in regular session on Monday, September 8^th at 6pm in the High School Media Center, 2104 S. Grand Avenue.  Items on the agenda include an ag ed greenhouse proposal and consideration to approve the proposal for demolition of the PEO Memorial Building.  A complete board agenda can be found at MTPCSD.org/board/meetings.  This meeting is open to the public.

The New London City Council will meet in regular session at 6pm on Monday, September 8^th in the city office, 112 W. Main St.  Items on the agenda include the Pine Street Subdivision Third Addition and a fundraising event for new city park playground equipment.  This meeting is open to the public.

The Mt. Pleasant Police Department investigated a two-vehicle traffic accident on Jefferson Street at the entrance to the Fellowship Cup on Friday afternoon.  KILJ’s Hayden Douglas reported that a medical emergency occurred, and the road was blocked for a short time.

The State of Iowa remains drought free this week despite the drier weather in August.  The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that a wetter-than-normal July improved dry and drought conditions across the state and that status remains.  At the end of August, Iowa’s statewide precipitation totaled 3.4 inches.  The National Weather Service’s Climate Control Prediction Center’s September outlook indicates a chance for above, below or near average precipitation and warmer temperatures across the state.

The Mount Pleasant Community School District finance committee met this week to review August expenditures, payroll transitions, and preliminary enrollment numbers.

Expenditures and Facilities
Bills included routine maintenance and equipment purchases, as well as repair of a collapsed storm drain at the high school. The district also continues renting Cottrell Gymnasium and the Heatilator Center from the City of Mount Pleasant for practices and performances. Preparations are underway for moving technology and equipment into the new RTM building by the end of September.

Payroll Transition
Consultant Shauna Brown, a former West Burlington School Business Official, has been assisting with payroll while updating processes to reduce manual work. The district will decide later whether to continue outsourcing payroll, hire staff, or share services with another district.

Budget and State Funding
Preliminary numbers show revenues and expenses for fiscal year 2025 mostly on target, though late-arriving state payments may adjust totals. The general fund balance dipped, which administrators tied to staffing costs previously covered by federal funds. The district’s Instructional Support Levy is secured through 2031, expected to generate $1 million annually, and SAVE sales tax revenues are projected near $2.4 million for fiscal year 2026.

Enrollment
Early figures show 78 preschool students and 123 in kindergarten, with elementary enrollment totaling 651 in town and 88 in Salem. Superintendent John Henriksen noted that upper elementary grades now enroll nearly as many students as the entire middle school, underscoring the need to review future staffing and support.

Final certified enrollment will be reported in October.

Burlington, Iowa — Detectives with the Burlington Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division arrested a Burlington man earlier this week following a months-long investigation into child pornography.

The department received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Detectives identified 43-year-old Carl Shirts II of Burlington as a suspect. After executing search warrants and gathering evidence, investigators obtained arrest warrants for Shirts.

On September 4, 2025, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Shirts was taken into custody and charged in Des Moines County with 56 counts of Child Pornography—Purchase/Possess Depiction of a Minor in Sex Acts, a Class D felony, and one count of Invasion of Privacy, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Shirts was transported to the Des Moines County Jail, where he was booked and is being held on bond.

Authorities emphasize that a criminal charge is only an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.