Severe Weather Week is March 23-27, 2026. The following are the websites mentioned in today’s program:
Alert Iowa (alert.iowa.gov), (ready.iowa.gov), Iowa DOT (511ia.org) for road conditions.
Henry County Sheriff Department app: download from preferred App store
Annual statewide tornado drill: 10am, Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Henry County Solid Waste Collection hours of operation have changed with Spring and summer months upon us. The hours are Tuesday – Thursday 11am – 5:30pm, on Friday 7:30am – 5:30pm and Saturday from 7:30pm – noon. The rural sanitation service applies to residents across Henry County and is for rural residents only; city trash isn’t accepted. Proof of rural residency is required. They accept household trash and recyclables. Questions may be directed to All American Sanitation at 319-986-6355.
The Mount Pleasant Police Department arrested and charged a New London man with burglary and assault following an incident on February 9. Owen J. Scott Reed, 24, faces charges of Burglary in the First Degree, a Class B felony; Burglary in the Third Degree involving a motor vehicle, an aggravated misdemeanor; and Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness, a serious misdemeanor. Reed was taken into custody last week on March 17th.
According to court documents, Reed entered an unoccupied vehicle in the 600 block of South Maple Street, then used a garage door opener found inside the vehicle to gain entry to the residence. Once inside, Reed allegedly struck a male occupant in the face approximately four times with his hand, causing substantial swelling and redness to the left side of the victim’s face.
Reed is being held on a $28,000 cash or surety bond. At his initial appearance, a preliminary hearing originally set for March 27th was deemed unnecessary, and Reed has been scheduled for arraignment on April 6th. A no-contact order has been requested in the case.
The Wayland and Crawfordsville fire departments extinguished at out of control burn at about 1pm on Friday afternoon in Wayland. The Washington County Dispatch also reported a burn pile in Wellman that got out of control – on Friday afternoon. The Wellman and Kalona Fire Departments were able to extinguish the fire before it reached a grain trailer.
National Weather Service Severe Weather Outlook: Near record to record warmth and gusty southwest winds to 30 mph will lead to an elevated fire risk today. Avoid outdoor burning if possible. (High temperature today – 86 degrees.)
The Wapello Rural Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire in the 11000 Block of Rutledge Road at 4pm Friday afternoon. According to the Wapello Fire Department, the homeowner was conducting a controlled burn in the backyard, and it got out of hand and ignited the back of the house. There were no injuries, and the damage to the house was minimal.
High School Track and Field
Central College held their boys’ indoor meet yesterday with Mt. Pleasant, New London, and West Burlington made the trip and there were multiple top 10 finishers amongst our local teams.
For Mt. Pleasant, Kaden Schadt took home 6th place in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.9 seconds. Payton Wilson finished in 10th place in the 800-meter run, while Silas Hulett grabbed 4th place in the 1600-meter. In the high jump, Kayle Brown leapt 1.81 meters to take the bronze medal. Hoang Quang jumped 5.92 meters in the long jump to finish in 9th place. The 4×100, 4×200, and 4×400 meter relay teams each snatched 3rd place. Lastly, Jaymisen Rich tossed the shot put 14.03 meters for 5th place.
New London saw Riley Raines win the 1600-meter run with a time of 4 minutes and 41 seconds and take 6th place in the 800-meter run. London Franklin had a busy day with a 4th place mark in the long jump with a distance of 6.2 meters, a 7th place time in the 200-meter, and 8th place in the 100-meter dash. Gavin Strawhacker grabbed 5th in the 100-meter dash, Dylan Burden leapt to a 5th place finish in the high jump, and Logan Franklin claimed the bronze medal in the long jump with a leap of 6.41 meters.
West Burlington/Notre Dame’s Landry Haberichter snatched the gold medal in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.87 seconds and joined the 4×200 meter relay team to win with a time of 1 minute and 33 seconds. Kellan Porter grabbed 2nd place in the high jump, while Cavin Denney finished 7th in the 800-meter run.
The Mt. Pleasant, West Burlington, Mediapolis, and Danville girls’ teams will travel to Central College for an indoor meet today.
Columbus will host their Early Bird Invitational on Monday, March 23rd, with Central Lee, Van Buren County, and Winfield-Mt. Union also competing.
Youth Soccer
The Mt. Pleasant Youth Soccer League has been put on pause as the league is still searching for volunteer coaches. This is a perfect opportunity to get involved with the community and support the youth searching for an active lifestyle.
Coaching Needs:
-Kindergarten Soccer: 2 coaches needed for Monday nights from 5:30 to 6:15 pm.
-1st through 3rd Grade Girls’ Soccer: 2 coaches needed.
-1st through 3rd Grade Boys’ Soccer: 5 coaches needed.
Coaches will choose their practice night for 1st through 3rd grade soccer with games on Saturday mornings. The season is slated to begin in April.
If you are interested or want more information then contact them at 319-385-1475 or email them at ashley@citymtpia.com
Southeastern Community College
The baseball team will take on Ellsworth Community College today for a road doubleheader.
The softball team swept Motlow State Community College yesterday, winning game one 2-0 and game two 7-1. Logan Kelley had a busy game #2 two with Logan Kelley notching two doubles and a triple for an RBI, while Kiera Klum knocked home three runs over the two games. The Blackhawks will compete against Jackson State Community College for a road doubleheader today.
March Madness
The KILJ bracket challenge, sponsored by The Press Box, is officially underway with 60 brackets submitted with the top three set to receive prizes.
Day two proved to not be nearly as exciting as the first day, but the #9-seed managed to go 4-0 for the tournament, yet no seed higher than #12 could advance past the first round.
Standings will be updated at the conclusion of the first two rounds, the Elite 8, Final Four, and the championship game.
College Basketball
The Iowa women’s team will be the #2-seed and will clash with #15 FDU today at 3 pm.
The Iowa State women’s team claimed the #8 seed and will play #9 Syracuse today at 4:30 pm.
The #2 Iowa State men’s team demolished #15 Tennessee State, 108-74, yesterday but lost Joshua Jefferson due to injury in the process. Killyan Toure cashed in for 25 points in the victory. Jefferson’s status for their game against #7 Kentucky tomorrow, March 22nd, is still unknown.
The #9 Iowa men’s team managed to pull off the upset over #8 Clemson last night, 67-61, for their first victory in the national tournament since 2021. Bennett Stirtz led the team with 16 points. The Hawkeyes will face off against #1 Florida in the second round tomorrow.
This Day in Sports History
1953 – A playoff quadruple overtime finish, an NBA record 106 personal fouls, 12 players fouled out, two were ejected, players fought players, players fought the police. The winning team shot 41% from the floor but sank 37 straight free throws as the Boston Celtics defeated the Syracuse Nationals 111-105.
1955 – Brooklyn Bulletin asks Dodger fans not to call their team “Bums.”
2019 – Ichiro Suzuki finishes his career with a record 4,367 base hits (NPB & MLB) as the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland A’s, 5-4 in Tokyo, Japan.
The MPCSD Board of Education will meet on Monday, March 23rd at 6pm in the High School Media Center. The meeting is a work session with the possible closure of Salem Elementary School at the end of the 2026-27 school year topping the list of agenda items. The public hearing regarding Salem Elementary will begin at 6:10pm and each speaker is allowed 3 minutes to address the board. The Mt. Pleasant School Board invites citizens to see School Board Policy 214/Public Hearings. That policy as well as a copy of Monday evening’s agenda is available at MTPCSD.ORG/Meetings
