Congratulations to recently named award recipients of the 2023 Access Energy Cooperative Lineworker Scholarship program! Receiving $2000 toward a line worker educational program are Payton Stevens and Vegas Watson. Payton will graduate from Central Lee High School. His plans are to attend the Powerline program at Northwest Community College. Vegas will graduate from New London High School, and also will be attending the Powerline program at Northwest Community College. In addition to the $9000 in scholarship money awarded to students whose parents or guardians of the applicant are members of Access Energy Cooperative, up to two $2000 line worker scholarships can be awarded to students planning to pursue a career as a line worker. Winners are chosen based on their academics, achievements, community involvement, and a personal interview. They must be enrolled or planning to enroll in a lineworker educational program. Access Energy Cooperative is a rural distribution electric cooperative, providing power to homes, farms, business and industry in 10 southeast Iowa counties.
Tiger Baseball Earns Three Conference Honors Heading into the Conference Tournament
Iowa Wesleyan- The baseball season is not yet over, but the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) has released their conference honors for the year with the Tigers garnering four honors.
Julian Figueroa was named 1st team All-Conference after seeing the ball as a grapefruit for the entire season. Figueroa had the team lead in batting average (0.430), on-base percentage (0.492), and slugging percentage (0.664). The catcher also led the team with four home runs, doubles with 11, and RBIs with 26. Figueroa also notched a triple and 24 runs, while swiping one base.
Cauy Massner earned 2nd team All-Conference honors after leading the Tigers pitching staff in wins with 8 on the season. Where Massner did most of his damage was in conference games. The transfer went 2-0 on the mound allowing only 3 runs in 14 innings of work equating to a 1.93 ERA. Additionally, Massner struck out 18 CAC batters while only walking one. He finished the season with 55 strikeouts. Massner was also named Champion of Character for the Tigers.
Lastly, Sage Bonner was named 2nd team All-Conference third baseman. Bonner batted 0.370 for the season, which placed him second on the team. Bonner was second on the team in home runs with three and third on the team in RBIs with 24. Bonner also tallied eight doubles, one triple, and 20 runs. Additionally, he was second on the team in slugging percentage (0.546).
The Tigers finished the regular season with a 21-20 record and a 4-5 conference record. Iowa Wesleyan is the 4th seed in the CAC tournament as they will be taking on Georgia Gwinnett College tomorrow at 1 pm.
Four Members of the Tiger Softball Team Earn Conference Honors
Iowa Wesleyan- The Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) released their softball awards and Iowa Wesleyan saw four players earn the honor.
Alexis Davis was named 1st team All-Conference catcher after her stellar year at the plate. On the defensive side of things, she caught seven runners trying to steal. Offensively, Davis caught fire in the second half of the season as she finished with a slash line of 0.347 batting average/0.400 on-base percentage/and a team leading 0.584 slugging percentage. Davis was named CAC Hitter of the Week after her 7 for 8 performance against Waldorf that saw her smack a grand slam and finish the weekend with 5 RBIs. Davis tallied 3 home runs, 25 RBIs (tied for 2nd on the team), 9 doubles, and 3 triples.
Aspyn Harrison was great in the circle but was even better at the plate, which is why she was named 1st team All-Conference for the infield. Harrison led the Tigers with a 0.435 batting average and doubles with 11. She was 2nd on the team in slugging percentage, and RBIs. Additionally, she slapped a home run and a triple throughout the year. Harrison grabbed the last Hitter of the Week honor for the CAC after going 14 for 23 with six RBIs over the span of eight games.
Kara Krieger was named 2nd team at-large. Krieger led the team with 28 RBIs, triples with four, and runs with 35. Krieger was a speedster on the base path as she snatched 12 bases while hitting for a 0.299 batting average.
Lastly, Jordan Lantz was an at-large bid for 2nd team All-Conference. Lantz earned CAC Hitter of the Week earlier in the season after batting 0.750 with three RBIs over the span of four games. Over the course of the season, Lantz batted 0.383 with a 0.485 on-base percentage and a 0.519 slugging percentage. Lantz notched 16 RBIs, nine doubles, one triple, and 13 runs.
The Tigers ended the season with a 19-24 overall record with an undefeated conference record (4-0).
Owen Vansickle Grabs Gold at SEC Conference Tennis Meet
Prep Boys’ Tennis- The Southeast Conference tournament is in the books and Mt. Pleasant finished atop the regular season standings with an 8-0 record and three Panthers walked away with All-Conference honors.
Owen Vansickle entered the tournament as the #1 seed and made quick work of Brendon Worster of Keokuk to move into the semifinals. Carson Ziegler of Burlington was next on his list as Vansickle dispatched of him 6-3 and 6-1 leading to the top two seeds colliding in the finals. Vansickle had already defeated Hunter Ford of Burlington earlier in the season and history repeated itself. With the scores of 6-4 and 6-3, Vansickle claimed the gold and All-Conference honors.
Elliot Cook fell in the 3rd place match to Ziegler to claim 4th place, one spot outside of All-Conference honors. Ford and Ziegler grabbed All-Conference honors for Burlington.
In doubles, Jake Ensminger and Phoenix Watson for the Panthers entered as the #2 seed as they were destined to meet the #1 seed from Fairfield Garrett Flanagan and Jace Hannes in the championship round. Ensminger and Watson made quick work of the first-round opponent, but Shaye Stringer and Thomas Fell of Burlington almost came up with the upset as the second set went to a tiebreaker. The Panthers scrapped by with the win. Flanagan and Hannes had no trip-ups on their way to the championship bout and Ensminger and Watson threw everything they had at the duo but would come up short losing 6-4 and 6-3.
For Mt. Pleasant, Gavin Ross and Lou Schimmelpfennig lost to Stringer and Fell in the 3rd place match. So, the All-Conference honors went to 1st place Flanagan and Hannes, 2nd place Ensminger and Watson, and 3rd place Stringer and Fell.
Fairfield, Fort Madison, Keokuk, and Mt. Pleasant will compete at the District Meet on May 8th.
Secretary Naig Comments on the Conclusion of the 2023 Iowa Legislative Session
|
Flags At Half Staff
Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered flags in Iowa to half staff today (Friday) for the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony as the state honors law enforcement who died in the line of duty over the past year. Two officers will be honored during the 2023 ceremony: Fremont County Deputy Austin “Melvin” Richardson and Coralville Police Sergeant John Karl Williams. Richardson was returning from a call for service on June 14, 2022, and collided with a combine on Highway 275 near Hamburg. On July 3, 2022, Williams died of cardiac arrest after responding to a fatal shooting involving a three-year-old child. Reynolds says, “These officers lost their lives defending and protecting their communities. The community of Coralville, the state of Iowa, and their brothers and sisters in law enforcement will never forget their service. While their families and our state continue to grieve, lowering flags across the state serves as a small memory of their sacrifice and is a reminder to every Iowan the importance of law enforcement to our communities.” Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex from sunrise to sunset today (Friday), May 5. Flags will also be at half-staff on all public buildings, grounds, and facilities throughout the state. Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties, and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.
Darlene Hook
Darlene Hook, 91, of rural Wapello died Sunday, April 30, 2023 at Great River Medical Center in West Burlington.
She was born October 17, 1931 in Burlington, was the daughter of Ora and Clara Deppey. On February 15, 1949, she married William (Bill) Hook in Burlington. They had three children, Connie (Rohwer), Randy Hook, and Georgia (Riley). She and her husband Bill, farmed the family Century Farm near Toolesboro their entire life.
She was a Charter member of Indian Hills Golf and Country Club, now known as, Heritage Oaks Golf and Country Club. Darlene was a devoted sister of the TTT Organization. She was a member of the Wapello Methodist Church.
She and Bill spent many years wintering in South Texas at their Condo. They both enjoyed golfing, playing cards and spending time with family. She played many card games, such as Cribbage, Euchre, Gin, Hand and Foot, Pinochle, 31, 65, and “Ole Heck”, just to name a few! She was an avid Iowa / Iowa State Sports fan!
Survivors include, Brother, Doug Deppey, two daughters, Connie Rohwer, (Gary), Georgia Riley (Doug), and son, Randy Hook (Vicki). Grandchildren, Jaime Truitt, Angie Phillips (Bill), Jason Guckert (Carley) and Jeffrey Guckert (Kelley), 2 step-grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Bob, and husband Bill, on February 13, 2009.
Visitation with family will be 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral Home on Monday, May 8, 2023 in Wapello. The funeral service with be 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at the funeral home. Graveside will follow at the Mallory Cemetery.
Memorials have been established for the Wapello Methodist Church and Heritage Oaks Golf and Country Club.
Single Vehicle Crash
On May 4th at approximately 7:45AM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a single vehicle accident in the 3100 grid of Lexington Avenue. An investigation into this report determined that Jennifer Dorothy, 69, of Mt. Pleasant, was driving southbound when she lost control of her vehicle while negotiating a curve. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was considered totaled.