Ruth E. Buckert

By Theresa Rose · Wednesday, April 12th, 2023 at 11:03 am CDT

Ruth E. Buckert, 90, of Hamilton, passed away at 10:27 AM Sunday morning, April 9, 2023, at River Hills Village in Keokuk, Iowa.

Ruth was born December 1, 1932, the daughter of Joseph and Mildred (Byers) McBride in Burnside, Illinois. She attended Carthage High School graduating in 1950. On October 1, 1955, she was united in marriage to Fred Buckert in Carthage, Illinois. He preceded her in death in 2016. Ruth was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hamilton. She was very active in the Western Illinois Threshers and enjoyed quilt making.

Ruth is survived by her children, Kenny Buckert of Hamilton, Danny (Karen) Buckert of Warsaw, Alan (Lauri) Buckert of Mount Pleasant, Iowa and Richard Buckert of Hamilton; grandchildren, Kyle (Alyssa) Buckert, Kevin (Jenifer) Buckert, Kristin (Gary) Ortmann, Jared (Tori) Buckert, Jeremy (Kaley) Buckert, Amy (Cody Smith) Buckert, Allison Buckert and Austin Buckert; great grandchildren, Luke, Mary and Paul Buckert, Blair and Rylee Buckert, Kennedy and Abel Ortmann and Harrison and Miles Buckert.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Fred; a son, David; daughter, Debbie; and siblings, Vince McBride, Ann Wilkens, Theresa Dye and Mary Piette.

A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 AM Friday, April 14, 2023, at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hamilton with burial to follow in Oakwood Cemetery in Hamilton. Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 7:00 PM Thursday evening at Printy Funeral Home in Hamilton with a Rosary following at 7:00 PM at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to Western Illinois Threshers.

Sports, April 12th

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, April 12th, 2023 at 6:33 am CDT

High School Track and Field

The boys teams of Danville and Winfield-Mt Union competed in a meet hosted by Wapello last night and the Bears claimed 3rd place with the Wolves taking 5th place. Mediapolis was the top team. The top finisher for Danville was AJ Bonnesen taking 2nd in the 800 meter run and 1st in the 3200 meter run. Spencer Nelson finished in 2nd place for the 400 meter hurdles. The Bears claimed the 4×200 meter relay and the 800 medley relay. For Winfield-Mt. Union, Gabriel Hemsworth won the 400 meter hurdles. With a leap of 21 feet and 3 inches, Cam Buffington claimed the long jump. Lastly, the Wolves claimed the 1600 medley relay with a time of 3 minutes and 51 seconds.

The Timm Lamb Pen City Relays ran yesterday and Mt. Pleasant won the meet for Class A with 159 points. Andi Scott took 2nd place in the 100 meter dash with a time of 13.02 seconds and 2nd place in the 200 meter dash with a time of 27.07 seconds. Elise Lange captured 1st in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1 minute and 6 seconds. Abby Carthey took 2nd in the 800 meter run. Rellana Van Deuren finished in 1st with a time of 1 minute and 13 seconds in the 400 meter hurdles. The team of Courtney Raub, Bailey Jalas, Tristian Shull, and Andi Scott captured 1st place in the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 52.53 seconds. Alex Scott would replace Andi Scott in the 4×200 meter relay team that took 1st place. Alexis Wagner, Carthey, Jayden Housh, and Emma Welcher finished in 1st place in the 4×800 meter relay by almost 8 seconds. Alex and Andi Scott would pair with Shull and Raub in the 800 sprint medley to take 1st place. Lange took 2nd in the long jump with a leap of 14 feet and 5 inches. Ella Ensminger captured the shot put gold with a heave of 34 feet and 4.75 inches. Savannah Slobodnik took 2nd place in the discus with a toss of 95 feet and 8 inches.

Danville claimed 1st place in Class B with 164 points. Winfield-Mt. Union took 5th and New London and Central Lee tied for 6th. For the Bears, Alaina Gourley finished in 1st place in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1 minute and 2 seconds. Kamrya Sherwood and Abby Arnett finished in 1st and 2nd place, respectively in the 800 meter run. Chloe Horn took 2nd place in the 100 meter hurdles and Alexis Dietsch claimed 1st in the 400 meter hurdles. With a leap of 16 feet and 5.25 inches, Kenna Furnald took 1st in the long jump.

For Winfield-Mt. Union, Keetyn Townsley raced to a 1st place finish in the 100 meter hurdles. Keely Malone took 3rd in the shot put and Bradie Buffington took 3rd in the discus. The top finisher for New London was Kaitlyn Lee in the discus with a toss of 76 feet and 5 inches, she finished in 2nd place. Central Lee had two 2nd place finishers in Kylie Fortune in the high jump with a jump of 4 feet and 6 inches and Karlie Pohren in the 200 meter dash with a time of 28.53 seconds.

The girls teams of WACO and Danville will compete at the Winfield Girls Invite tomorrow.

The New London girls team will compete in the Horton Relays tomorrow.

The boys and girls teams of Mt. Pleasant, and Central Lee, while the boys teams of WACO, Danville, New London and Winfield-Mt. Union will be competing in the Denny White Relays tomorrow, April 13th.

High School Soccer

The Mt. Pleasant girls team will travel to take on Burlington tomorrow, April 13th.

The Mt. Pleasant boys team will face off against Burlington at home tomorrow.

The WACO boys team will host Mediapolis tomorrow.

The Central Lee girls team fell to Mediapolis 4-2 last night. The Hawks will look to get back in the win column on April 14th against West Branch.

The Central Lee boys team lost to Mediapolis last night 6-1. The Hawks will look for their first win of the season against Highland tomorrow at home.

High School Golf

Winfield-Mt. Union competed in a duel against Mediapolis yesterday with the boys team falling to Bulldogs 189-175. Carter Loyd and Jake Edwards paced the Wolves as they both shot a 46 on the day. Jacob Grier was the top golfer overall as he finished 3 over par for the afternoon. The girls team for the Wolves were victorious with the final being 221-208. Ali Humphries and Afton Wilkerson were the top golfers for Winfield-Mt. Union as they both shot a 49 with the top golfer being Olivia Hines as she went 9 over for the day.

The New London boys and girls will compete in the English Valleys Invitational on April 14th.

The Mt. Pleasant boys team will host while the girls team will travel to compete at Keokuk tomorrow, April 13th.

The Central Lee boys team won the Van Buren County meet yesterday with Mylan Lowenberg pacing the way for the Hawks with a 43 for the day. The Hawks will compete in the Lee County Invite on April 14th.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls team will host Burlington tomorrow, April 13th.

The Mt. Pleasant boys team will take on Maharishi at home on April 18th.

Southeast Iowa Playbook

KILJ is happy to introduce a new sports show centered around high school athletics. Episodes will air until the end of the school year on Wednesdays at 6 pm. Our guests for the first episode airing tonight will be Blaise Porter and Kade Benjamin from New London.

Iowa Wesleyan Athletics

The Tiger softball team split their road doubleheader yesterday with William Penn to move to 8-19 on the season. Game one was a tight battle that saw the Tigers improve their win streak to 3 games after winning 4-2. Alexis Davis started the 2nd inning rally after a first-pitch leadoff double. Karoline Stratton would single to set up an RBI sacrifice bunt by Kylie Topliff. Kara Krieger followed that up by slicing the ball down the right field line for an RBI triple. Julia Hill thought it was such a great play she smacked her own RBI triple to make it 3 to 0. Aspyn Harrison would help out her own cause by slapping an RBI single to make it 4 to 0. Harrison would complete the game allowing 9 hits, two earned runs, and striking out three in the winning effort. The Tigers would start game two with a run off a sacrifice fly by Jordan Lantz, but that would be the only run they could push across as the Statesmen would take the game 5-1. The Tigers will face off against Clarke University tomorrow in a make-up game with game one at 2 pm.

The Tiger baseball team fell to Graceland University in a score that resembled a low scoring football score, 15-14. The Tigers started the scoring and Grant Yates added a grand slam to make the lead 5 to 0. The teams were tied heading into the 6th inning at 6 after Froymer Ortega singled home Sage Bonner. The Tigers would collect 8 runs as Sucre Guzman, Ortega, and Holvin Catala each tallied an RBI with Bonner picking up two on a double. Nevertheless, Graceland would score 9 runs over the last four innings to steal the game. The Tigers will be back in action on April 18th against Culver-Stockton College with game one at 3 pm.

The Tiger golf teams will be competing at the Grand View Invitational today.

This Day in Sports History

1940 – NFL cuts clipping penalty from 25 yards to 15 yards.

1964 – 28th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Arnold Palmer wins by 6 shots from Dave Marr and Jack Nicklaus to become the first 4-time winner of the Masters; his 7th and final major victory.

1980 – Canadian one-legged distance runner Terry Fox begins his “Marathon of Hope” attempt to cross the country at St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Virginia Ardith Boyd,

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, April 11th, 2023 at 4:37 pm CDT

Virginia Ardith Boyd, 92, of Mt. Pleasant, IA, died Monday, April 10, 2023, at New London Specialty Care.

Virginia was born October 7, 1930, in Crawfordsville, Iowa, the daughter of Arch and Effie (Smith) Ross and received her education in Crawfordsville schools.  On May 8, 1948, she married Jewell “J.C.” Boyd in Burlington, Iowa.  Virginia was a homemaker and Group Leader at Metro Mail.  She and J.C. also pastored a church in Kahoka, Missouri for a few years.  A very devout Christian, Virginia enjoyed spending time with her family, holidays, shopping, collecting Pillsbury Dough Boy memorabilia and participating in the activities at the nursing home.

Survivors include her son, Lynn (Martie) Boyd of Danville, Iowa; three grandchildren, Jason Kiesey, Josh Kiesey and Michelle Follas; five great-grandchildren and sister-in-law, Betty Ross. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, J.C. in 2009; son, Larry Boyd; daughter, Linda Jones; four brothers, Ray Ross, Hoyt Ross, Ted Ross and Emmett “Pee Wee” Ross and two sisters, Hope Hoyt and Lucille Farr.

 

Visitation will be held from 12:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday, April 13, 2023, at the Olson – Powell Memorial Chapel in Mt. Pleasant where the family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Funeral services will be held Friday, April 14, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the Olson – Powell Memorial Chapel, with Lester Schlatter officiating. Burial will be in the Hillcrest Cemetery in Ft. Madison, Iowa.

A general memorial has been established.  Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel in Mount Pleasant is caring for Virginia and her family.  Tributes may be made at www.powellfuneralhomes.com.

Joni Lee Junkins

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, April 11th, 2023 at 10:59 am CDT

Joni Lee Junkins, 46, of Montrose, Iowa, passed away at 1:50 a.m. Monday, April 10, 2023, at her home in Montrose.

She was born on March 30, 1977, in Burlington, Iowa, the daughter of Charles and Nancy (Anderson) Stewart. On September 26, 2015, she married Jeff Junkins in Montrose, Iowa.

Survivors include her husband: Jeff; Parents: Charlie and Nancy Stewart; brother: Bill (Jenny) Stewart; sister: Stacy Stewart; step-daughter: Ashley (Brandon) Ruffcorn; grandchildren: Brody Ruffcorn, Brylee Ruffcorn, Brock Ruffcorn; nieces and nephews: Brayden Jordan, Kelsie Stewart, Cameron Stewart and mother-in-law: Sandy Junkins. Also surviving are several aunts, uncles and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents.

Joni was a 1995 graduate of Central Lee High School. She was a member of the Zion Mennonite Church in Donnellson. She co-owned and operated “Trendy Looks” in Montrose. Joni enjoyed being outdoors, helping Jeff mow parks in Montrose and tending to her flowers. Most of all, she cared for her family and loved spending time with them.

Her body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation.

A private family celebration of life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been in established in her memory for Montrose Parks and can be mailed to: Jeff Junkins, 211 North 6th Street, Montrose, Iowa 52639.

Schmitz Funeral Home of Donnellson is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.

Burlington Fire

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, April 11th, 2023 at 10:57 am CDT

At 4:18 PM Saturday April 8, 2023 the Burlington Fire Department responded to 1128 Kroeger St for a garage fire. Firefighters arrived 2.5 minutes later to find a garage with a walkout basement fully engulfed in flames. The fire also caught a boat on fire that was located in the driveway. Heat from the fire caused damage to the house, a tractor and a camper all located near the fire. The property is owned by Edward Smith. There was no insurance on the garage. The fire started as a result of illegally burning a hillside off. Mr. Smith was given
a citation for illegal burning. Nine Burlington firefighters responded to the initial call and were assisted by Burlington Police Department and West Burlington Fire Department. There were no injuries reported. Firefighters cleared the scene at 5:25 PM.

Henry County Conservation Board Meeting

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, April 11th, 2023 at 10:05 am CDT

The Henry County Conservation Board will hold their April 2023 Board meeting on Wednesday, April 12th, 2023, at 4:30 pm in the
conservation board meeting room at the office in Oakland Mills. Items on the agenda will include:, Campground Update, Bidding of
Custodial Services, Hiring of New Naturalist, Director Update, and Naturalist Reports. Please contact the conservation department if you have any questions,
319-986-5067

Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, April 11th, 2023 at 9:55 am CDT

April 3 – 9, 2023

DES MOINES, Iowa (April 10, 2023) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented today on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“April 10 marks the earliest date to plant corn and remain eligible for federal crop insurance. That means we should begin seeing planters in fields this week,” said Secretary Naig. “Farmers can take advantage of the quieter weather pattern, unseasonably warm conditions and increasing soil temperatures to jumpstart their spring field work.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

Crop Report

Dry conditions and warming temperatures helped Iowa farmers by increasing the days suitable for fieldwork to 3.5 during the week ending April 9, 2023, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. A storm cell brought strong winds and hail to parts of Iowa. Field activities included fertilizer applications and oat seeding.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 3 percent very short, 19 percent short, 73 percent adequate and 5 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 7 percent very short, 27 percent short, 62 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus.

Thirteen percent of the expected oat crop has been planted, 1 day ahead of last year but 1 day behind the 5-year average. There were limited reports of oats beginning to emerge.

Pastures were starting to turn green although growth was still minimal. Calving continued. Overall, livestock conditions improved with warmer weather.

Weather Summary

Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

April’s first full week was once again active as another widespread severe weather outbreak occurred across Iowa and several other states. Pockets of large hail and heavy downpours brought moisture across Iowa’s southeastern half, though much of the state experienced drier-than-average conditions. Statewide temperatures varied from four degrees above normal southeast to three degrees below normal northwest; the statewide average temperature was 46.2 degrees, 2.1 degrees above normal.

A cold front swept through Iowa on Sunday (2nd) afternoon shifting winds to a north-northwesterly direction. High temperatures in front of the boundary reached into the upper 60s and low 70s, while 50s prevailed in northwest Iowa. Scattered clouds filtered in across northern Iowa overnight into Monday (3rd) with spotty pockets of light rain. Blustery northwesterly winds produced a cool day under overcast skies with temperatures in the upper 40s northwest to mid 60s southeast. Winds turned to the east in advance of a powerful low-pressure center that was moving towards sout6hwest Iowa on Tuesday (4th). A deck of stratus clouds held temperatures in the upper 30s north to mid 40s south as a warm front lifted into southern Iowa along with anomalous moisture. Severe thunderstorms formed later in the afternoon as clearing skies allowed for atmospheric destabilization in the presence of high temperatures 20 degrees above normal. While this system was a mirror image of the March 31st event, the dominant severe weather mode was very large hail; observers in Osceola (Clarke County) measured 3.50-inch hail that caused structural damage. A swath of 1.00 to 3.00-inch hail was reported across east-central Iowa as initial discrete supercells consolidated into a squall line. A brief tornado was also observed crossing over the Warren County line into Pleasantville (Marion County).

Wednesday (5th) was a windy and cold day statewide as a chilly airmass pushed into the Midwest under high pressure. Sunny skies prevailed with daytime highs in the mid 30s north to mid 40s south. Overnight skies were full of stars with variable winds dying down by sunrise on Thursday (6th) with the statewide average low of 22 degrees, 11 degrees below normal. Afternoon conditions rebounded into the 50s under cloudless conditions. Hazy skies greeted Iowans on Friday (7th) as southerly winds boosted highs into the mid 60s with very low relative humidity, creating ideal conditions for field fires in western Iowa. Saturday (8th) morning conditions held in the upper 30s and low 40s with some scattered clouds in southwestern Iowa. Pleasant temperatures continued throughout the afternoon with highs in the upper 60s and low 70s with a continuing southerly wind. Under generally clear skies, Sunday (9th) morning temperatures mirrored those of the previous day, averaging five degrees above normal.

Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation at western Iowa stations to 1.45 inches in Clinton (Clinton County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.26 inch while the normal is 0.62 inch. Lamoni (Decatur County) and Shenandoah (Page County) reported the week’s high temperature of 88 degrees on the 4th, on average 28 degrees above normal. Atlantic (Cass County) and Audubon (Audubon County) reported the week’s low temperature of 13 degrees on the 6th, on average 19 degrees below normal. Four-inch soil temperatures were in the mid to upper 40s east to low 50s west as of Sunday.

Weather Summary

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, April 11th, 2023 at 9:19 am CDT

Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

April’s first full week was once again active as another widespread severe weather outbreak occurred across Iowa and several other states. Pockets of large hail and heavy downpours brought moisture across Iowa’s southeastern half, though much of the state experienced drier-than-average conditions. Statewide temperatures varied from four degrees above normal southeast to three degrees below normal northwest; the statewide average temperature was 46.2 degrees, 2.1 degrees above normal.

A cold front swept through Iowa on Sunday (2nd) afternoon shifting winds to a north-northwesterly direction. High temperatures in front of the boundary reached into the upper 60s and low 70s, while 50s prevailed in northwest Iowa. Scattered clouds filtered in across northern Iowa overnight into Monday (3rd) with spotty pockets of light rain. Blustery northwesterly winds produced a cool day under overcast skies with temperatures in the upper 40s northwest to mid 60s southeast. Winds turned to the east in advance of a powerful low-pressure center that was moving towards sout6hwest Iowa on Tuesday (4th). A deck of stratus clouds held temperatures in the upper 30s north to mid 40s south as a warm front lifted into southern Iowa along with anomalous moisture. Severe thunderstorms formed later in the afternoon as clearing skies allowed for atmospheric destabilization in the presence of high temperatures 20 degrees above normal. While this system was a mirror image of the March 31st event, the dominant severe weather mode was very large hail; observers in Osceola (Clarke County) measured 3.50-inch hail that caused structural damage. A swath of 1.00 to 3.00-inch hail was reported across east-central Iowa as initial discrete supercells consolidated into a squall line. A brief tornado was also observed crossing over the Warren County line into Pleasantville (Marion County).

Wednesday (5th) was a windy and cold day statewide as a chilly airmass pushed into the Midwest under high pressure. Sunny skies prevailed with daytime highs in the mid 30s north to mid 40s south. Overnight skies were full of stars with variable winds dying down by sunrise on Thursday (6th) with the statewide average low of 22 degrees, 11 degrees below normal. Afternoon conditions rebounded into the 50s under cloudless conditions. Hazy skies greeted Iowans on Friday (7th) as southerly winds boosted highs into the mid 60s with very low relative humidity, creating ideal conditions for field fires in western Iowa. Saturday (8th) morning conditions held in the upper 30s and low 40s with some scattered clouds in southwestern Iowa. Pleasant temperatures continued throughout the afternoon with highs in the upper 60s and low 70s with a continuing southerly wind. Under generally clear skies, Sunday (9th) morning temperatures mirrored those of the previous day, averaging five degrees above normal.

Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation at western Iowa stations to 1.45 inches in Clinton (Clinton County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.26 inch while the normal is 0.62 inch. Lamoni (Decatur County) and Shenandoah (Page County) reported the week’s high temperature of 88 degrees on the 4th, on average 28 degrees above normal. Atlantic (Cass County) and Audubon (Audubon County) reported the week’s low temperature of 13 degrees on the 6th, on average 19 degrees below normal. Four-inch soil temperatures were in the mid to upper 40s east to low 50s west as of Sunday.