Michael Robert Menke

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, July 4th, 2023 at 12:27 am CDT

Michael Robert “Heav” Menke, 68, of Pilot Grove, Iowa, passed away at 1:22 p.m. Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Wayland, Missouri.

 

Mike was born on May 3, 1955, in Maryland, the son of Robert “Peanie” and Martha (Merschman) Menke.

 

He is survived by his sister-in-law: Deb (Randy) DeRoo of Coal Valley, Illinois; two nephews: Andy (Abby) Menke of West Point and Ben (Shianne) Menke of West Point and two great nephews: Greg and Mack Menke.

 

He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers: Jeff and Greg.

 

Mike was a graduate of Marquette High School. He worked as a farm manager for Chem Gro in Houghton. He enjoyed farming, riding his motorcycle and 1969 Z-28 Camaro, working, visiting with others and spending time with his nephews and great nephews.

 

A visitation will be held from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. Friday, July 7, 2023, at Schmitz Funeral Home in West Point.

 

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, July 7, 2023, at Schmitz Funeral Home with Father Dan Dorau officiating.

 

Burial will be at St. James Cemetery, St. Paul, Iowa.

 

A Celebration of Life will be held at Sammy’s in St. Paul following burial.

 

A memorial has been established in his memory.

 

On-line condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.

Keith Arthur Walljasper

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, July 4th, 2023 at 12:24 am CDT

Keith Arthur Walljasper, 82, of West Point, Iowa, passed away at 4:50 a.m. Sunday, July 2, 2023, at the West Point Care Center.

 

Keith was born on December 1, 1940, in rural St. Paul, Iowa, the son of Fred and Mildred (McGinnis) Walljasper.

 

He is survived by his sister: Ruth Vorwaldt of Fort Madison; sister-in-law: Pat Walljasper of West Point and several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

 

He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers: Don and Leroy.

 

Keith was a graduate of Denmark Academy and a member of St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church. He was a lifelong farmer and enjoyed shearing sheep throughout the area and doing custom baling. Keith also enjoyed coon hunting in his spare time.

 

A visitation will begin at 12:00 noon, Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at Schmitz Funeral Home in West Point, where the family will receive friends from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. that evening. A parish rosary will be recited at 5:00 p.m. and a Christian wake service will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the funeral home.

 

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 6, 2023, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point with Father Dan Dorau as celebrant.

 

Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in West Point.

 

A memorial has been established in his memory for Denmark Fire and Rescue or St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

 

On-line condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.

James Vantiger

By Yorke Prough · Monday, July 3rd, 2023 at 8:33 am CDT

James John Anthony Joseph Vantiger, 88, of Mt. Union, died Monday, July 3, 2023 at his home.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM, Monday, July 10, 2023 at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, West Point, with Father Dan Dorau officiating.  Burial will follow at Trinity Cemetery, rural Mt. Union.

Visitation at Elliott Chapel, New London, will begin at noon Sunday, July 9th with the family receiving friends from 2:00 – 6:00 PM.

Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Louisa County Sheriff’s Office New UTV

By Yorke Prough · Monday, July 3rd, 2023 at 8:21 am CDT

In early 2023, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office applied for a grant through the Washington County Riverboat Foundation for a Rescue-Search UTV to assist on a variety of calls in Louisa County.

The Sheriff’s Office was awarded $10,000 towards the purchase of a 2023 Polaris Ranger 1000EPS after winning the grant, and the rest was funded by the Louisa County Reserve Deputies fund.

This Ranger will be used for major events, equipped with first aid kits/AED and other emergency equipment.

Ruth Ann Heiken Corporon

By Yorke Prough · Monday, July 3rd, 2023 at 6:27 am CDT

Ruth Ann Heiken Corporon, 82, of New London, died Friday, June 30, 2023 at Savannah Heights, Mt. Pleasant.

Ruth Ann was born April 17, 1941 in Monticello, Iowa, the daughter of Henry John and Muriel Taylor Heiken.  She was a 1959 graduate of Monticello High School and attended nurses training for a year and a half in St. Louis.  On January 28, 1961 she married Timothy Thomas Corporon in Marion, Iowa.  He died March 12, 2017.  Ruth Ann was a homemaker who worked for the State of Iowa managing liquor stores and retired from the State Department of Human Services.  She was of the Lutheran faith, attended the New London Presbyterian Church and enjoyed gardening, crafts, stamping, and of course her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Ruth Ann is survived by her four sons: Scott James (Joan) of Peoria, AZ, Thomas John of New London, Richard Alan (Lori) of Mascoutah, IL, Jerry Noel of Cedar Hill, Texas; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; sister, Donna Lea Strother of Mt. Vernon, IA; and many nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and brothers Jack and Jim Heiken.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Thursday, July 6, 2023 at Elliott Chapel, New London.  Pastor Maurie Campbell will officiate.  Burial will be in Burge Cemetery, New London.  Visitation will begin after 9:00 AM on Thursday, with the family greeting friends for one hour prior to the service.  A memorial has been established to Hope Haven, Burlington.  Online condolences may be left at www. elliottfuneralchapel.com

Sports, July 3rd

By Slaten Swords · Monday, July 3rd, 2023 at 6:27 am CDT

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant will take on Bettendorf on the road on July 5th.  

High School Postseason Baseball

In Class 1A Substate 5: District 9, New London traveled to Highland and left with the upset defeating the Huskies 1-0 over the weekend. It was a pitchers duel for the entire game with Ethan Paisley notching over 100 strikeouts for the season and Brendan Richey making short work of the Highland offense. 

However, it would be a throwing error on a Tate Welcher infield single that would allow him to advance all the way to third base in the top of the 6th inning. Michael Raines, the courtesy runner, would take home base on a passed ball to give the Tigers the lead. Richey would find himself in a two-out bases loaded jam in the bottom of the 7th inning, but he would induce a pop out to end the game having pitched a complete game shutout striking out 4 batters. The Tigers will travel to take on the #1 seed Burlington Notre Dame on July 5th at 7 pm. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 6:45 pm.

In District 10 for Class 1A, Danville fell to Sigourney 5-4 on Saturday. The Bears end the season with a 2-17 record. 

In Class 2A Substate 5: District 10, Winfield-Mt. Union handled Louisa-Muscatine 11-3. Cole Milks led the Wolves with a powerful home run and 4 RBIs as Andrew Brown picked up the complete game win, fanning three Falcons. The Wolves will travel to take on the #1 seed Van Buren County on July 5th at 7 pm. 

Central Lee and West Burlington’s matchup was suspended in the bottom of the 7th with the game tied at 5 and it has been rescheduled to tonight at 7 pm.

Mediapolis will take on either the Hawks or the Falcons. Their second round matchup will take place on July 5th at 5 pm. 

In Class 3A Substate 4, Washington will take on the #2 seed Davenport Assumption at 5 pm.

In Class 3A Substate 5, we will see a Southeast Conference matchup to start off the playoffs with Mt. Pleasant hosting Fairfield at 7 pm. 

Fort Madison will travel to take on Benton and Keokuk is on the road to face off against Cedar Rapids Xavier with both games taking place at 7 pm.

Class 4A will have 8 substates and brackets of 6 teams. Each team will have an opponent for the first round with the highest winning seed getting a bye to the next round. Burlington will take on North Scott in Substate 6 as the #4 seed.

The first round for Class 3A and 4A will take place on July 7th.

High School Softball

Mt. Pleasant split their two games at the Rick Doran Classic over the weekend defeating Davenport Central 6-5 and falling to Iowa City West 7-2. In the win, Jolynn Martin got it down in the circle, picking up the win, and at the plate, notching two hits and 2 RBIs. Addison Clark added another 2 RBIs. 

In the loss, Ella McNamee and Clark each tallied an RBI with Kynlee White collecting 4 hits over the weekend.

High School Postseason Softball

In Class 1A Region 8, Holy Trinity Catholic will face off against Sigourney on July 5th at 7 pm. 

Wapello will take on Highland on July 5th. 

In Class 2A Region 7, Van Buren County will compete against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on July 5th at 7 pm at home.

In Class 2A Region 8, Mediapolis will take on Louisa-Muscatine on July 5th. 

Central Lee and Washington will square off on July 6th at Washington and West Burlington will host Fairfield on July 6th with both games taking place at 7 pm for Class 3A Region 8.

In Class 4A Region 6, Mt. Pleasant and Keokuk will compete in a conference matchup at Joyce Park on July 6th at 7 pm. Knoxville will host Fort Madison with the winner taking on Burlington at Burlington.

Mt. Pleasant Cross Country

On Mondays and Wednesdays, runs will begin at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre at 6:30 am.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, runs will start at 7 pm at Saunders Park by the swimming pool.

The runs will continue throughout the summer until the middle of August. If you have any questions, reach out to Coach Murray at 319-850-0867.

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees lost both of their matchups over the weekend to fall to 10-17 on the season. On Saturday, the Jackson Rockabillys pushed across the game winning run in the 11th inning to win 4-3. Tanner Holland collected all 3 RBIs in the loss. 

The Gems handled the Bees 9-3 last night. Keanu Spenser, Coy Sarsfield, and Cedric Dunnwald each tallied an RBI in the losing effort. The Bees will host the LumberKings tonight. 

The Clinton LumberKings were swept by the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp over the weekend 11-2 on Saturday and 9-3 yesterday. Brock Wolin and Nick Meyer finished with 1 RBI apiece in game one. 

This Day in Sports History

1931 – German boxer Max Schmeling beats American Young Stribling by TKO in 15 rounds in Cleveland in his first heavyweight title defense; first major fight broadcast live on national radio.

1966 – Atlanta Braves Tony Cloninger, is the first NL player and only pitcher to hit 2 grand slams in a MLB game (17-3 v SF Giants).

1983 – Texas Rangers explode for an MLB single extra innings record 12 runs in the 15th inning of 16-4 win versus Oakland.

Henry County Heritage Trust Receives IW Archives

By Yorke Prough · Monday, July 3rd, 2023 at 6:26 am CDT

Henry County Heritage Trust was selected to receive the majority of Iowa Wesleyan University archives, housed in the Chadwick Library. Books, boxes, and artifacts were packed up on June 27th and 28th, and moved to the Heritage Center Museum, where a soon-to-be renovated room was waiting.

If you would like to assist HCHT with this exciting opportunity, please send your donation to: HCHT, PO Box 333, Mount Pleasant, IA 52641. A gift receipt will be returned for tax purposes.

New London Structure Fire

By Yorke Prough · Monday, July 3rd, 2023 at 6:14 am CDT

There was a structure fire in New London on July 2nd. Henry County Sheriff’s Office, New London Police Department, Henry County Health Center, Mount Pleasant Fire and Rescue, New London Fire Department, and DMCO responded. West Burlington Fire also were called to assist.

“Approximately 1240 am, West Burlington Fire was requested to assist New London Fire with a structure fire in downtown New London. 10 West Burlington Fire members responded to assist.” KILJ will have more details on this as they are released.