Sports, July 3rd

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, July 3rd, 2025 at 6:12 am CDT

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant handed Class 1A’s #2 Sigourney their second consecutive and third loss of the season last night, pulling away late with a 7-2 victory. J.C. Sitar led the squad with two RBIs, as he sits 13 RBIs away from 50 on the season. The Panthers will host Fort Madison tonight at 7:30 pm.

Central Lee handled Keokuk last night 9-2. Mason Sanders brought home a team-leading three RBIs, while Chase Johnson slapped two doubles for two RBIs. The Hawks head into the postseason with an 18-4 record. 

Winfield-Mt. Union fell to Pekin last night 9-3. Tyson Kaalberg tallied two of the team’s three hits and brought home a run. The Wolves end the regular season with a 5-14 record. 

Fairfield will face off against Burlington tonight at 7:30 pm with the winner taking the Southeast Conference title.

Van Buren County had their senior night spoiled by Davis County last night, losing 7-4. Kinnick Millard collected two RBIs in the loss. The Warriors are 9-14 heading into the postseason.

Postseason Baseball Brackets

In Class 1A Substate 5 District 10, Danville and Van Buren County will be heading off to Moravia for the Saturday, July 5th, doubleheader. The Bears will square off against Moravia at 7 pm, while Van Buren County will start off the night at 5 pm.

On the bottom half of the bracket, Burlington Notre Dame will venture to New London to face off against Keota at 5 pm, while New London will host the nightcap against Wapello at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call for both games with the pregame show at 4:45 pm.

Moving to Class 2A Substate 4 District 7, #5 Mediapolis earned a bye and will host the winner between West Liberty and Camanche on July 8th at 7 pm.

Over in Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, West Burlington and Louisa-Muscatine will meet up in Wilton at 5 pm in the battle of the Falcons. Winfield-Mt. Union will take on the hosts at 7 pm, where the winner will advance to compete against Central Lee on July 8th at 5 pm at Chariton Middle School.

For Class 3A Substate 5, Washington will face off against Assumption on the road. In Substate 6, Mt. Pleasant will travel to play Fairfield for the fourth time this season, while Keokuk will take on Pella and Fort Madison will venture to Xavier with both games on the road. 

For Class 4A Substate 3, Burlington grabbed the #4-seed and will hit the road to compete against the #3-seed Muscatine.

Classes 3A and 4A will start postseason action on July 11th with first pitch at 7 pm. 

High School Softball

Mt. Pleasant could not keep up with Davis County last night, losing 14-2. Parker Coleman knocked in both of the team’s runs. The Panthers will host Fort Madison tonight at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

West Burlington/Notre Dame could not figure out Burlington’s pitching last night, dropping both games of the doubleheader 11-1 in game one and 10-3 in game two. The Falcons will take on Mid-Prairie on Monday, July 7th, at home with game one of a doubleheader starting at 5:30 pm.

WACO lost last night to Highland, 19-0. The Warriors will face off against Central City tonight at home at 7 pm.

Holy Trinity Catholic defeated New London last night 5-0. 

New London will head to Hillcrest Academy tonight at 7 pm for the Ravens’ Senior Night. 

Van Buren County concluded their regular season with a narrow 2-1 loss. 

Fairfield will take on Burlington at home tonight at 7:30 pm.

Central Lee will compete against #2 Louisa-Muscatine tonight at 5 pm at home.

Mediapolis will host Davis County on July 8th at 5:30 pm.

Postseason Softball

For Class 1A Region 1, game one on July 7th will pin WACO against Wapello at 7 pm with the Arrows getting a home game. The winner of the matchup will play Holy Trinity Catholic at West Point South Park on July 9th at 7 pm.

Over in Class 2A Region 2, Van Buren County will host Danville on July 7th at 7 pm with the winner advancing to play #2 Louisa-Muscatine on July 9th in a road showdown.

Also playing on day one will be New London/Winfield-Mt. Union, as the Tigers will make the pilgrimage to Pella Christian High School to face off against the Eagles. The winner will take on Wilton in the quarterfinals.

Columbus earned a bye and a home game with the Wildcats gearing up for a contest with Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on July 9th at 7 pm in the top half of the bracket with Louisa-Muscatine expected to host the July 11th contest in the semifinals if both teams advance.

On the bottom half of the Class 4A Region 3 bracket, it is a repeat of the season opener as Mt. Pleasant will travel west to face off against Oskaloosa. The Panthers struck first that night with a two-run homer off the bat of Paityn Ensminger, but could not keep the momentum going as they fell 11-3. KILJ will be on the call.

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees were slammed by the Clinton LumberKings last night 15-4. Kooper Shulte collected a pair of singles for an RBI in the losing effort. Max Burt led the LumberKings with three RBIs. 

The Bees will host the rematch tonight at 6:30 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1966 – Atlanta Braves Tony Cloninger becomes the first National League player and only pitcher to hit 2 grand slams in an MLB game.

1983 – Calvin Smith sets a new world record of 9.93 seconds for the 100-meter dash in Colorado Springs; beats Jim Hines’ 1968 mark by 0.02 seconds as he was the first man to finish the race in under 10 seconds. .

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

100 Miles and Counting: Community Rallies to Bring Home Runaway Livestock Dog Taylor

By Allison Jacobs · Thursday, July 3rd, 2025 at 6:07 am CDT

In an unbelievable tale of survival and determination, a white livestock dog named Taylor has been on the run for nearly a month—and now, the community is rallying to bring her home. Taylor has traveled more than 100 miles and was last seen around 6 p.m. yesterday in a cornfield near Swedesburg.

Taylor has developed a pattern of nighttime travel and rests in the early evening—typically between 6 and 8 p.m.

A huge shoutout goes to the Mount Pleasant Police Department and the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, who have stepped up and assisted in the effort to rescue Taylor. Out of all law enforcement agencies contacted between Eddyville and Mount Pleasant, they are the only departments to actively attempt to help bring her to safety.

Volunteers tracking Taylor say she’s smart and determined, but they’re struggling to keep up as she continues to travel far from home. Previous sightings have come from Lockridge, Fairfield, and Agency, Iowa.

Residents in the Swedesburg area and along HWY 218 north from Mt. Pleasant are urged to keep an eye out. If you spot Taylor, please don’t chase her. Instead, try to contain her in a fenced yard, garage, or shed and call or text 641-226-7524 immediately. Taylor has not been harmful to animals, livestock, or people but is extremely skittish.

That number again: 641-226-7524.

Please share this alert with anyone along Taylor’s possible path. With the community’s help, we remain hopeful she’ll be brought home safely.

Fatality in Crash North of Mount Pleasant

By Lora Roth · Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025 at 4:58 pm CDT

One person is dead following a fatal crash in Henry County, Iowa.

According to an Iowa State Patrol crash report, a 2025 Honda Civic was headed southbound on Highway 218 near the 49-mile marker shortly before 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2, when it crossed the median for unknown reasons, striking an oncoming semi. This area is located just north of Mount Pleasant. The Civic’s driver was killed in the crash. The report didn’t list any injuries to the semi’s driver.

Guy Keith Carey

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025 at 1:27 pm CDT

Guy Keith Carey, better known as Dudley, age 104 plus, of rural Columbus Junction, Iowa, passed away peacefully at his home on July 1, 2025. Graveside services will be held at a later date. Elliott Chapel of New London is assisting the family.

Iowa DNR Seeks Public’s Help in Annual Turkey Survey

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025 at 1:25 pm CDT

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for help with the annual wild turkey production survey.  During the months of July and August wild turkey sightings are recorded to estimate this year’s nesting rates and nest success.

Participation is easy – just note the date and county in which the turkey was seen, if it was an adult female or adult male – males have beards on their breast – and if and how many poults (baby turkeys) were present. The survey is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/turkey, then click on Wild Turkey Survey. There is also an identification guide on documenting wild turkey broods on the survey webpage, that provides tips on how to determine males from females, and different flock scenarios with poults of different ages.

Annual population surveys conducted by the DNR are an important component of managing the wild turkey. Turkey populations can fluctuate annually across all regions of the state.  All participation is appreciated.

 

New Law Protects First Responders

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025 at 1:22 pm CDT

Many new laws went into effect yesterday including the new Iowa law that increases penalties for assaults against law enforcement officers and first responders.

The law protects law-enforcement officers, first responders, and corrections officers by raising penalties for assaults to:

  • Up to 10 years in prison when the assault involves a dangerous weapon or is meant to inflict serious injury
  • Up to 5 years when the assault causes bodily injury
  • A mandatory minimum sentence of 7 days in jail for all other assaults against first responders

The law also raises the penalty for spitting on law-enforcement officers, first responders, or corrections officers to assault with other bodily fluids.

Iowa Flags Half Staff Sunrise to Sunset, July 3rd

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025 at 1:22 pm CDT

Gov. Reynolds has ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff and remain at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in honor and remembrance of Iowa Senator Rocky De Witt.

Flags will be flown at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex. 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.

Fourth of July Safety

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025 at 1:19 pm CDT

With the Fourth of July just days away, we want to remind everyone to celebrate safely—especially when it comes to fireworks.

Last year, more than 10,000 people in the U.S. were injured by fireworks, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And nearly half of those injured were kids under the age of 15.

Officials recommend leaving the fireworks to the professionals and attending public shows. But if you’re lighting fireworks at home:

Keep a bucket of water or hose nearby.

Light one firework at a time—and never relight a dud.

And never point fireworks at people, pets, or buildings.

Celebrate safely—and keep the holiday fun, not dangerous.

A good rule of thumb when using fireworks is to use fireworks:

  • Only on private property with the owner’s permission
  • NOT on city streets, sidewalks, parks, or any public property
  • Fireworks must remain on your property — you are responsible for all debris and damage
  • Do not discharge fireworks while intoxicated or under a fire ban
  • Call 911 only for emergencies, not for fireworks complaints
  • And be courteous to your neighbors. You never know who may be struggling with mental health and PTSD.

Henry County, IA

  • July 3rd 9am to 10 pm
  • July 4th 9am to 11pm

Fairfield

  • July 3rd between 9 am and 11pm
  • July 4th between 9 am and 11pm