Sports, July 1st

By Slaten Swords · Saturday, July 1st, 2023 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant will take on Davenport Central at home today. 

High School Postseason Baseball

In Class 1A Substate 5: District 9, New London will face off against Highland in the opening round with the first pitch taking place at 7 pm tonight at Highland. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 6:45 pm. Burlington Notre Dame enters as the #1 seed and will take on the winner of New London and Highland on July 5th. 

In District 10 for Class 1A, Danville will face off against Sigourney today on the road. 

Shifting our attention to Class 2A, our local teams will be beating up one another to see who makes it out of Substate 5: District 10. Winfield-Mt. Union will take on Louisa-Muscatine at 5 pm and Central Lee will face off against West Burlington at 7 pm with both games taking place tonight.

Van Buren County garnered the top seed and a first round bye. The Warriors will compete against the winner of Winfield-Mt. Union and Louisa-Muscatine. Mediapolis also earned a bye and will take on either the Hawks or the Falcons. The second round will be played on July 5th.

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 substate final. 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 will compete in the Rick Doran Classic today.

High School Postseason Softball

In Class 1A Region 8, Holy Trinity Catholic took down New London last night 10-5 in the opening round of the postseason. New London looked ready to pull off the upset as Sophie Malott started the scoring with an RBI double in the top of the 1st inning. However, Mary Hellige would respond with an RBI single in the second half of the inning to tie the game at 1. 

The Crusaders would then go on to score three in the 2nd inning behind a 2 RBI triple by Halie Cain and an RBI single by Kayla Box. Another two runs in the 3rd inning with a 2 RBI double by Emmalyn Snaadt. Hellige added another RBI to her total in the 4th inning. Cain cracked another RBI triple in the 5th with Rachel Menke notching her own RBI single to give Holy Trinity Catholic a 10 to 1 lead. 

Camryn Lair and Kaitlyn Lee would cut the lead down to seven after picking up RBIs in the 6th inning. The Tigers would score two runs off of an error in the 7th inning to usher in the final. Hellige picked up her 11th win in the circle after striking out 2 batters in the complete game effort. Coach Menke tipped his hat to New London, but was excited about the win. The Crusaders will face off against Sigourney on July 5th at 7 pm. 

Wapello defeated Winfield-Mt. Union 12-2 last night. Ada Boysen tallied three RBIs and the win in the circle. The Wolves finish the season 4-15. The Arrows 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, Danville fell to Durant last night 14-1. 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 had last night’s game slip out of their hands as they surrendered four runs to lose 9-8 to the Quincy Gems. Drew Gaskins led the Bees with 2 RBIs as he also tallied a double. Burlington will face off against the Jackson Rockabillys tonight. 

The Clinton LumberKings chopped down the Rockabillys last night 7-3. Alex Diaz and Connor Giusti each notched 2 RBIs in the winning effort. The LumberKings will take on the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp today. 

This Day in Sports History

1917 – In contravention of state law, Robins (Dodgers) play their 1st Sunday MLB game in Brooklyn; owner and manager arrested but escape with a fine; Robins edge Philadelphia, 3-2..

1982 – Cal Ripken Jr. makes the first of his record 2,216 consecutive MLB starts at shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles.

1998 – NBA commences a player lockout after no agreement with players about salary issues – lasts 204 days with the season shortened by 50 games.

Henry County Fair July 9th-17th!

By Yorke Prough · Friday, June 30th, 2023 at 11:07 am CDT

The Henry County Fair will be taking place July 9th through the 17th. Their agenda is full of new and exciting things each day, such as mud volleyball, horse show, and the crowning of the Queen, Jr. Miss, and Princess. With all this excitement, visitors from other towns will be drawn into Mount Pleasant, so make sure to drive even more carefully with increased traffic.

If you do want to view some fun driving, the Demolition Derby is at 7pm on Saturday, July 15th at 7pm. An adult bags tournament will be held at noon on Sunday the 16th and an ATV Rodeo following at 1pm.

If you have a hobby and would like your project to be displayed at the fair, you have until July 13th to drop it off. This is an “open class” and open to all Henry County residents of all ages. Your project can be from a variety of different skills, such as photography, canning, baking, and so much more.

For a full Fair Schedule, head to KILJ.com where the unique schedule of events for each day is posted. The fair has a new website as well, at henrycountyfairiowa.com.

Holy Trinity Catholic and New London’s First Round Matchup Moved Up

By Slaten Swords · Friday, June 30th, 2023 at 10:50 am CDT

West Point, IA– Holy Trinity Catholic softball plays the host tonight for their first round matchup against New London. Due to the weather, the game has been moved up to first pitch at 6 pm. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 5:45 pm.

The Crusaders have defeated New London twice this season by a combined score of 25-0.

The Dickey Dispatch by Senator Adrian Dickey

By Yorke Prough · Friday, June 30th, 2023 at 10:05 am CDT

The Dickey Dispatch by Senator Adrian Dickey

Good morning SD 44!

We have been out of session for a few months however a lot has happened this past week that I felt compelled to provide an update on. On Wednesday July 21, I received an email from someone who was concerned about an issue at the VA Hospital in Des Moines. They had attached a picture of the flag pole at the back entrance of the hospital and a flag, however NOT the American flag, was flying.

This bothered me greatly. I was astonished that of all places, the Veterans Administration Hospital in Des Moines was disrespecting our Veterans in this manner. I did a little investigating and found out it had been this way for the entire month of June, INCLUDING on Flag Day! These decisions by the Administration at the VA did not sit well with me. As many of you might recall, my campaign slogan has always been “Protecting what common sense looks like!” As I thought about it that evening, reinstalling the American Flag at its place at the top of that flag pole was about the closest thing to “protecting what common sense looks like” that I could think of. So that next morning, I drove up to Des Moines and reinstalled Old Glory in her correct place.

Now I did not take the “other” flag down because if I did, I probably would have been charged with theft and destruction of government property. However that was not the reason I let the other flag fly. I knew that if I removed the “other” flag, THAT would have become the issue from a media standpoint. I knew if I took the “other” flag down, the VA Administrators and the small group of people who were ok with taking the American flag down and replacing it with this “other” flag would have quickly spun the issue AWAY from what this was really about. The American flag is the most inclusive flag in the world. It symbolizes a country that does not discriminate. A country that treats all the same regardless of their sex, party, race, or religion. The American flag is known around the world as a symbol of freedom!

As I was doing this, a groundskeeper came out and asked me what I was doing and I simply said, “the right thing.” He asked if I had gotten permission from the VA administration to do this and I told him, “The only permission I needed to put the American flag up is from the men and women who come in this VA hospital every day for their treatments, and I am pretty darn sure they would be just fine with what I am doing!”

Friday morning I drove back to the VA and could not believe my eyes, the VA Administration had again taken DOWN the American flag AGAIN and just left this “other” flag flying! So this time I put up a BIGGER American flag! Again, I left the “other” flag up. However I am sure all of you would agree, flying anything at the top of a flag pole at our VA hospitals other than an American flag is simply pathetic!

As I was again doing this, two vets came out. One clapped and one teared up. He said “Thank you. You have no idea how demoralizing it was for me this morning was to walk into the VA for my treatments and to see some other flag flying and NOT the American flag!”

I drove back to Des Moines on Sunday and again on Wednesday and was proud to see that our American flag was still flying and I will continue to do so until there are no more worries that OUR American flag will be taken down.

The VA does have the American flag flying on a flag pole on the other side of the building by the front entrance. However the rear entrance is the main entrance most Veterans use as they enter the facility to receive their treatments. These men and women deserve to be welcomed into this facility by the American flag that they fought for! The VA claims that they are not out of compliance with flag etiquette however that is not the point. There is NO common sense based argument that the VA or anyone else can make for what they have chosen to do. To not fly the American flag at the top of both poles on that property is inexcusable! Some claim the VA was ordered by Washington to do this, however I obtained the memo from Dennis McDonough who is the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In this memo, he “encouraged” the VA hospitals to fly this “other” flag, however nowhere did the memo say that the American flag needed to be removed!

For years we have heard about the dismal approval rating that the VA Hospitals have, well this logic is a HUGE reason why! In a recent PEW survey, the US Postal Service, the CDC (THE CDC of all things with how they handled COVID), the Federal Reserve (think about how they have handled our inflation issue), and the IRS, ALL have a higher favorability rating than Veterans Affairs! And the VA administrators don’t understand why…. Geesh!

I share this with you ahead of the Fourth of July holiday as a thank you to all of the men and women who have so bravely served our country over the years. While we celebrate our country’s independence, we all need to be more appreciative of all of the GREAT things in our lives because of these men and women!

Thank you and happy birthday America!

 

Barbara J. Stouder

By Yorke Prough · Friday, June 30th, 2023 at 9:39 am CDT

Barbara J. Stouder, 77, of Mount Pleasant, passed away Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

 

Barbara Jean Hays was born July 10, 1945, in Muscatine, Iowa, to Francis and Barbara (Westfall) Hays. She graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1964. Barb was united in marriage to Roger E. Stouder on September 6, 1964; they welcomed three sons, Terry, Ryan, and Rodney. Mount Pleasant was Barb’s home for the majority of her life.

 

Barb worked as a bus driver and cook for Tolson Community Action Center. She also dedicated her time to being a caregiver for those with disabilities. During her younger years, Barb loved to show horses. She also enjoyed going antiquing, attending flea markets, and knitting and crocheting. Barb also had a strong Christian faith.

 

Barb is survived by her three children: Terry (Jennifer) Stouder of Englewood, CO, Ryan (Danielle) Stouder of Washington, IA, Rodney Stouder of Fairfield, IA; six grandchildren: Katie and Tommy, Reagan and Sydney, Tristan and Troy; two nieces: Deb Campbell, Tracy Hays Owens; nephew David Campbell; brother-in-law Warren Campbell of Ankeny, IA; sister-in-law Peggy Hays of Mount Pleasant, IA; former spouse Roger Stouder of Fort Madison, IA. She is further survived by many extended family members.

 

Barb was preceded in death by her parents Francis and Barbara Hays, her sister Sharon Campbell, and her brother H. Clark Hays.

 

Celebration of Life Service will be held 10:00 am Saturday, July 8, 2023, at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel and Crematory where the family will greet friends from 9:00 am until time of service. Chaplain Gordon Hawkins will officiate. Inurnment will be in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery.  A memorial fund has been established for Tolson Community Action. The Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel and Crematory is caring for Barb and her family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com

Sports, June 30th

By Slaten Swords · Friday, June 30th, 2023 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant drubbed Fort Madison last night 15-0 after four innings. After a scoreless first inning, the Panthers jumped on Caden Barnes and the Bloodhound defense. Payton Walker started off the 2nd inning with a single, but due to the first of five errors made his way to second base. Two walks later, Ben Newton cracked a two RBI single to give the Panthers a 3 to 0 lead. Payton Hagans, Zerek Venghaus, and Newton picked up an RBI in the 2nd inning. Walker provided the highlight of the inning by hitting a 3-run moonshot to help the Panthers take a 10 to 0 lead. 

The next runs came across in the 4th inning with a two RBI double down the third baseline by Venghaus. Zack Newton tallied an RBI then the eventual game winning run on a passed ball. Venghaus picked up the win on the mound after 4 innings of work allowing only two hits, one walk, and striking out three batters. The Panthers will take on Davenport Central at home tomorrow, July 1st. 

High School Postseason Baseball

The postseason brackets have been released for all of the classifications and here’s a look at our local matchups.

In Class 1A Substate 5: District 9, New London will face off against Highland in the opening round with the first pitch taking place at 7 pm tomorrow, July 1st, at Highland. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 6:45 pm. Burlington Notre Dame enters as the #1 seed and will take on the winner of New London and Highland on July 5th. 

In District 10 for Class 1A, Danville will face off against Sigourney tomorrow on the road. 

Shifting our attention to Class 2A, our local teams will be beating up one another to see who makes it out of Substate 5: District 10. Winfield-Mt. Union will take on Louisa-Muscatine at 5 pm and Central Lee will face off against West Burlington at 7 pm with both games taking place tomorrow.

Van Buren County garnered the top seed and a first round bye. The Warriors will compete against the winner of Winfield-Mt. Union and Louisa-Muscatine. Mediapolis also earned a bye and will take on either the Hawks or the Falcons. The second round will be played on July 5th.

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 substate final. 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 fell to Fort Madison last night 17-4. Saige Burchett and Ella McNamee each picked up two hits in yesterday’s contest with McNamee tallying a double and an RBI. Coach Beason thanked the seniors: Jersey Beachy, Jayden Housh, and McNamee, for all of their work and sacrifice as the Panthers look to finish the year strong. Mt. Pleasant will compete in the Rick Doran Classic tomorrow, July 1st.  

High School Postseason Softball

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the postseason brackets for all the classifications and here’s the matchups for our local teams.

In Class 1A Region 8, New London will travel to face off against Holy Trinity Catholic and Wapello will host Winfield-Mt. Union with both games taking place tonight at 7 pm. KILJ will be on the call for the Crusaders and the Tigers with pregame at 6:45 pm.

In Class 2A Region 7, Van Buren County earned a first-round bye. The Warriors will take on the winner between Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont and Pella Christian on July 5th at 7 pm at home.

In Class 2A Region 8, Danville will travel to take on Durant at 7 pm tonight. Mediapolis will face off against Louisa-Muscatine on the road on July 5th at 7 pm.

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 swept the Lucky Horseshoes in their home doubleheader last night 6-4 in game one and 3-1 in game two. Tanner Holland led the Bees with 2 RBIs in game one after finishing 2 for 4. 

Chase Golden picked up the win in game two, striking out 5 batters in 2 innings of relief work. The Bees will travel to face off against the Quincy Gems tonight. 

The Clinton LumberKings smacked the Rockabillys last night 13-6. Gavin Brzozowski smacked two doubles on the day, notching 3 RBIs. Dylan DeButy clobbered a home run and tallied 2 RBIs. The LumberKings will look to do it again tonight against the Rockabillys. 

This Day in Sports History

1934 – Detroit radio executive George Richards pays $7,952.08 to buy NFL’s Portsmouth Spartans; moves team to Detroit and rebrands it to ‘Lions.’

1982 – New Jersey NHL franchise officially named Devils by fan vote; based on the legend of the Jersey Devil, a creature that allegedly inhabited the Pine Barrens of South Jersey.

1994 – US Ice Skating Federation bars Tonya Harding for life.

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

By Yorke Prough · Friday, June 30th, 2023 at 5:57 am CDT

The 4th of July is a time for celebration, full of backyard cookouts, pool parties, and fireworks. The buzz of a drink is not needed to feel the thrill of summer holiday festivities but if you do indulge, plan for a sober ride home. The Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is partnering with local law enforcement for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement campaign July 1-5. The primary goal of the increased law enforcement presence is to prevent tragedies previously seen around the July 4th holiday.
Annually, about one-third of all traffic fatalities are alcohol/impaired related. In Iowa last year, 57% of the July 4th holiday weekend traffic fatalities were alcohol related*. There are plenty of options to help impaired drivers get home safely; designate a sober driver, schedule a taxi/ rideshare, or use your community’s sober ride program. A few dollars spent on a ride is a lot cheaper than an OWI, which can cost thousands of dollars.

“We want people to enjoy the holiday and to celebrate responsibly,” says GTSB Bureau Chief Brett Tjepkes. “Drunk driving endangers those behind the wheel, their passengers, and other people on the road. Our law enforcement partners know how to spot an impaired driver and will not hesitate to pull them over. If you’re going to drink, plan for a sober ride.”

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.
Find graphics to support our message here.