From Senator Mark Lofgren District 48

By Theresa Rose · Friday, April 14th, 2023 at 3:47 pm CDT

– Week 14 – 

This Week in the Senate
Coming off of a beautiful holiday weekend celebrating Easter, work began again on Monday for the Iowa Legislature. One of the tasks given to the Senate is the approval of the Governor’s appointments. This work began in committee meetings on Tuesday. The appointee names brought before committees included the directors of many departments and leaders of various boards and commissions. The appointments will now go to the Senate floor to debate their approval.
Health and Human Services Legislation

Senate File 324 is moving forward in the Senate as of this week. This bill invests in and dedicates funding for important initiatives, like the More Options for Maternal Support (MOMS) program. If enacted, the bill would allocate $2 million to the MOMS program to help pregnant women looking for help and resources, and would allow Iowa’s Health and Human Services department to award fatherhood engagement grants to nonprofits and community-based organizations that address the needs of fathers, whether it is employment, financial obligations, or parenting skills. The bill also establishes a state-funded fellowship program for family medicine and obstetric practitioners in rural and underserved areas. Additionally, it increases funding for families seeking adoptions and for expanded scholarship opportunities for Iowa children in foster care. SF 324 contains several proposals from the governor and it focuses on improving health care access in Iowa, and supporting expectant mothers and fathers.

Iowa Supreme Court Hears Case on Heartbeat Bill
Pro-life issues have been a priority for Senate Republicans for years. One of the first bills passed in 2017, after Republicans took the majority, was to ensure taxpayers were not funding clinics providing abortions. Another bill passed that year implemented a 72-hour waiting period before an abortion could be performed. In 2018, the legislature passed what was known as the “Heartbeat Bill.” The bill would ban abortions after a baby’s heartbeat could be heard, with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. However, the bill was held up by the courts and could not be enforced.

After the Heartbeat Bill was passed but before litigation had begun, the Iowa Supreme Court arbitrarily created a constitutional right to abortion in the Iowa Constitution. A district court judge then placed a permanent injunction on the Heartbeat Bill because of the decision by the Supreme Court regarding the 72-hour bill.

As we all know, last summer, the United States Supreme Court returned the right to make decisions on this important issue back to the states. The Iowa Supreme Court also overturned its previous decision that abortion was a constitutional right in the Iowa Constitution. Following these decisions, Governor Reynolds asked the Iowa Supreme Court to lift the injunction and reconsider the constitutionality of the Heartbeat Bill.

The Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments this week to lift the injunction on the Heartbeat Bill. While a decision is not expected for some time, prolife proponents like myself, are hopeful to see the injunction lifted, the Heartbeat Bill declared constitutional, and the lives of many unborn children saved.
Tax Day-April 18th
As Tax Day looms on the horizon, we are reminded of the work that the Iowa Legislature continues to do in moving historic tax relief legislation forward year after year. The goal has been to ensure Tax Day is less and less of a burden to hard-working Iowans and to also ensure more money would be kept in the pockets of the people who earned it. We are proud of the accomplishments we have had regarding taxes over the years and the positive impact this has had on Iowa families. Listed below are some of the milestones:

 

  • 2018 – Passed first historic tax relief plan, prioritizing Iowa’s middle-class families, taking the first steps in simplifying Iowa’s tax code, and bringing down our state’s income tax rate

 

  • 2019 – Passed legislation increasing transparency in the property tax process and made local governments more accountable to taxpayers

 

  • 2021 – Passed tax relief for small businesses, eliminated the inheritance tax, and eliminated a property tax levy to help provide property tax relief for Iowa property taxpayers

 

  • 2022 – Flattened Iowa’s income tax to 3.9 percent for all Iowans in a gradual process over the next few years and eliminated the tax on pensions and retirement income as of January 1, 2023, moving Iowa gradually from one of the highest income tax rates in the country to the fourth lowest.

 

I look forward to continuing the work to bring greater tax relief and ensuring that Iowans keep more of what they earn.

April 28 is the scheduled end date for the 2023 legislative session. The nicer weather has all of us itching to conclude session, especially our many full-time farmers in the Senate who are anxious to get this year’s crops in the ground. Still to be accomplished before we conclude, however, is a budget compromise and negotiating on the remaining topics for the year. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions about a bill you have heard about or a piece of legislation you have been following.

Best regards,

Mark

SEISO PERFORMS STRAVINSKY’S THE RITE OF SPRING

By Theresa Rose · Friday, April 14th, 2023 at 11:06 am CDT

SEISO PERFORMS STRAVINSKY’S THE RITE OF SPRING AND OFFERS
CHANCE OF $1200 TO LUCKY CONCERT GOER
The Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra (SEISO) will host the largest performing ensemble the group has ever brought to stage in their final Masterworks Series concerts this season, Spring Footprints, on April 22nd at 7:30 PM at Burlington’s Capitol Theater and April 23rd at 2:00 PM at Ottumwa’s Bridge View Center and 6:30 PM at Iowa Wesleyan’s Chapel Auditorium in Mt. Pleasant. This concert features Stravinky’s mas terpiece The Rite ofSpring and SEISO Artist-in-Residence, violist Dominique Archambeau. SEISO is setting a goal of 1200 audience members over the weekend…so much so that the orchestra is offeringone $1200 giveaway to a lucky concert goer. Details will be given at the concerts. Igor Stravinksy’s controversial masterwork The Rite of Spring is the centerpiece of this concert and is not to be missed. SEISO Artist-in-Residence, violist Dominique Archambeau, will perform Cecil Forsyth’s Viola Concerto in G Minor. SEISO Conducting Fellow, Jilly Cooke, will conduct J. S. Bach’s beautiful “Air” which is dedicated to SEISO’s longtime principal cellist Donna Nelson who recently passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. The program will open with Lili Boulanger’s colorful Of a Spring Morning. “I’m thrilled with the variety of this program and I think anyone that comes is really going to enjoy it. We combine some well-known composers and works with some that will be unfamiliar,” said Robert McConnell, Music Director of the SEISO. “The Stravinsky is particularly visceral and memorable and our Resident Artist Dominique is a fantastic musician that brings the Forsyth to life. I think many people are surprised at how easy it
is to enjoy our concerts and how different they are from what they expected.”The Ottumwa concert is the annual Ruth P. Seim Memorial Concert for a Cause featuring the Ottumwa Area Community Chorus and OACC Children’s Chorus under the direction of Dr. Christine Bergan. The two groups will be singing at intermission of the Ottumwa concert and a portion of the proceeds from the door sales
will go to support the Ottumwa Area Community Chorus. Tickets to the Masterworks Series concerts in Burlington, Ottumwa and Mt. Pleasant may be purchased at the door or on our website www.seiso.us. Adult tickets are $20. Children/student tickets (aged 0-22) are free. There
is no reserved seating. Make the most of your concert experience by attending the ‘Prelude.’ Music Director Robert McConnell will be
on hand 45 minutes before each performance to talk about the programmed music in depth. ‘Prelude’ is supported through a grant from the Charles W. Rand Memorial Lecture Fund in Burlington and is offered free of charge to all audience members. If you have questions, please contact the SEISO Office at seiso@iw.edu. More information is available on the SEISO web site at www.seiso.us

From Representative Taylor Collins

By Theresa Rose · Friday, April 14th, 2023 at 10:59 am CDT

To the People of House District 95

 

It was another busy week of floor debate and work on the state budget at the capitol as we are now into the final stretches of the legislative session. The weather is warming up and planters are in the fields which generally means folks are ready to begin wrapping things up in Des Moines. However, we’re not headed home until we finish delivering on some important priorities for Iowans.

 

House File 1 – The House’s Property Tax Bill

Over the last decade the Legislature has done great work lowering income taxes for Iowans. We have lowered ALL Iowans income taxes to a fair and flat rate of 3.9% and eliminated the tax on retirement income. The biggest thing we hear about from constituents now is the need for property tax reform. While some folks’ property tax bill may increase by more than 10%, their most likely not seeing an income increase of the same amount. The system right now is set up to provide no transparency or certainty for taxpayers. House Republicans have gotten to work on a plan to provide real relief to Iowans and certainty to the taxpayer. This week the Ways and Means committee passed House File 1 with an amendment. The bill does the following:

o  Reduces the 5.40 levy by $1 and has the state fund the difference. This will deliver more than $200 million in real, immediate property tax relief to Iowans.
o  Caps annual property tax increases per parcel to 3% for residential and agricultural properties and 8% for commercial and industrial properties.
o  Increases transparency in the process by requiring more notice to taxpayers by moving all bond elections to the general election.

 

Eliminating Needless Regulations on Law-Abiding Citizens

This week the House passed House File 654. This bill eliminates a number of overly burdensome regulations on law-abiding Iowans’ right to carry a firearm. This bill makes the following minor changes to Iowa code:

o  Allows firearms in locked vehicles on most publicly-owned property, including regent universities and community colleges.
o  Allows firearms to be in a vehicle on school property while dropping off or picking up a student. This change is still more strict than federal law.
o  Strikes DHHS rule that prohibits foster parents from having firearms in their vehicle.
o  Strikes a rule prohibiting firearms at casinos and allows casinos to determine their own firearm policy.

Iowans just passed a constitutional amendment to protect their right to bear arms by over 65%. Iowans have spoken loud and clear. With this bill, we are listening to Iowans and eliminating needless regulations on law-abiding citizens’ right to bear arms.

 

Protecting the Caucuses

This week the House Ways and Means committee passed HSB 245 to protect the integrity of Iowa’s caucus and help keep Iowa first in the nation. There are 3 main pieces of the bill to understand:

o  Requires participation in a precinct caucus to be in-person. The reasoning to this is to protect Iowa’s first in the nation status.
o  Requires folks to declare their party status 70 days before the caucuses. This is to limit bad actors attempting to meddle in the opposing party’s caucus.
o  Removes the state from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Several key states have left ERIC and therefore stopped sharing their voter data with the group. This has made ERIC a less effective of a tool in maintaining our voter rolls. Iowa’s Secretary of State has other tools it can use to maintain Iowa’s voter registration list.

 

What’s in the Welfare Reform Legislation?

Senate File 494 provides oversight of Iowa’s public assistance programs. This bill strikes a balance between protecting Iowa’s welfare programs for Iowans truly in need while at the same time protecting taxpayers from paying for services for a noneligible individual. The legislature has a responsibility to ensure that these programs are sustainable for the Iowans who at points in their lives have the need for a safety net.

This bill has received significant feedback from Iowans throughout the legislative process and has gone through many different versions. The bill does the following:

•    Requires welfare applicants to complete a computerized identity authentication process to confirm their identity prior to receiving benefits.
•    Codifies Iowa’s current income eligibility for the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP). Iowa’s income eligibility is 160% of the federal poverty level. The federal income limit is just 130% of the federal poverty level meaning SF 494 includes more Iowans than required by the federal government.
•    Requires applicants’ assets to be reviewed prior to enrollment in SNAP. Specifically, this bill sets those asset limits at $15,000 liquid assets for the household, and allows for one vehicle to have unlimited value, and a second vehicle to be up to $10,000 of value. If the value of the second vehicle exceeds $10,000, the amount in excess will be used to determine if the household exceeds $15,000 in liquid assets.
•    Requires the state to check all income, employment, and financial institutions to ensure that applicants for welfare programs meet all eligibility criteria for those programs.
•    Requires the state to have a real-time eligibility system in place by July 1, 2025. This program will be more user friendly for applicants than the current system.
•    Requires cooperation with child support services as a condition of eligibility for Medicaid.

This bill is estimated to save the state $8 million and the federal government $42 million annually beginning in FY2027. These savings will come based on ineligible individuals not going on welfare programs and by SNAP individuals exceeding the asset limits in the bill. The bill does have initial costs to implement the new real-time eligibility system and for additional workers to assist Iowans in receiving the child support they are due.

Opponents of this legislation state that there is no fraud in the system, however, Iowa has been penalized $1.8 million by the federal government for having an error rate 3.2% higher than the national average. The USDA notified Iowa that the 10% error rate was caused by the errors of the state as a failure to verify required information and incorrect and inconsistent application of policies. Additionally, in FY2022, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals found 2,761 founded investigations of SNAP overpayment. DIA estimates that the bureau’s investigative work found $3.3 million in total cost avoidance.

The state does still face significant workforce challenges, and this bill builds on the work the legislature has done to provide assistance to those truly in need of help while also ensuring that Iowans don’t continue to live off a cycle of government dependency.

 

House Budget Process Continues to Move Forward 

There is one legislative item that must be passed by the General Assembly each year – the passage of a state budget. As has been the case since re-taking control of the Iowa House of Representatives in 2011, House Republicans continue to lead the way in developing the state’s budget and operating in an open and transparent manner. For the first two months of session, House Appropriations Subcommittees have held meetings to go over programs and issues covered in the assigned areas. These meetings concluded after the first funnel week in early March, and examined the Governor’s proposed budget as well as other important issues and ideas that Iowans have brought to the Capitol.

The allocation of General Fund dollars for the next budget year to each of the budget subcommittees, better known as budget targets, is an important step in the annual budget process. Targets were publicly released by House Republicans on March 30th. Since the release of the budget targets, House Republicans on the budget subcommittees have been working to identify and fund caucus priorities within the target given to each subcommittee. Details on where each subcommittee is proposing to spend the FY 2024 budget should be made public this week maintaining the commitment to transparency with taxpayer dollars.

 

Staying in Touch

As always, you can shoot me an email at taylor.collins@legis.iowa.gov or call the capitol switchboard at (515) 281-3221.

Sincerely,

Rep. Taylor Collins
Iowa House District 95

New London School Board Meeting Agenda

By Theresa Rose · Friday, April 14th, 2023 at 10:53 am CDT

Board of Directors – Regular Meeting | 04/17/2023 – 06:00 PM

Central Office | Board Room | 106 W. Wilson St., New London, IA

The Mission of the New London Community School District, through the combined resources of school, home and community, is to guide, challenge and motivate life-long learning in an environment that fosters individual success, mutual respect, pride and personal accountability.
Agenda

  1. Welcome
  2. Pledge of Allegiance
  3. Public Hearing – FY24 Proposed Budget
  4. FY24 Proposed Budget – Action Item
  5. Public Forum
  6. IASBO Executive Director – Scholarship Presentation
  7. Approval of Agenda
  8. Approval of the Consent Agenda
  9. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
  10. Financial Reports
  11. Claims
  12. Board Business
  13. America’s Farmers Grow Communities $5,000 Grant – Action Item
  14. School Resource Officer – Discussion Item
  15. 2023-24 Property, Casualty & Worker Compensation Insurance – Discussion Item
  16. 2023 Seniors for Graduation – Action Item
  17. Consider Bids for Concrete Projects – Action Item
  18. Opaa! Food Service Management Extension Agreement – Action Item
  19. Sharing Agreement with Great Prairie AEA for Social Worker Services – Action Item
  20. Reports
  21. Student Ambassador
  22. Superintendent
  23. Board
  24. Personnel
  25. Resignation
  26. Tina Mullin, High School Social Studies Teacher
  27. Cassidy Schmidt, Assistant HS Volleyball Coach
  28. Cassidy Henle, Assistant MS G Basketball Coach
  29. Brady Schmidt, Head MS Wrestling Coach
  30. Brady Schmidt, Head MS Football Coach
  31. Brady Schmidt, Groundskeeper
  32. Appointments
  33. Cory Reid, Co-NHS Sponsor
  34. Jackie Housman, Co-NHS Sponsor
  35. Donna Carlson, K-12 Teacher-Librarian
  36. Austin McBeth, Assistant High School Baseball Coach
  37. Paula Bliven, MS Track Meet Clerk @ $75

Top of Form

  1. Board Development
  2. IASB Summit on Student Success – April 27-28, 2023
  3. Follow-up to IASB Work Session
  4. Exempt Session to Discuss Negotiations
  5. Closed Session Pursuant to Iowa Code, Section 21.5 to evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance, or discharge is being considered when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation and that individual requests a closed session.
  6. Adjourn

Eli Wibstad Memorial Celebration

By Theresa Rose · Friday, April 14th, 2023 at 10:47 am CDT

Eli Nathaniel Wibstad, 47 of New London, IA, died Saturday, March 11, 2023 at his home.

His body has been cremated. Eli’s family will have a memorial celebration for Eli on April 23rd from 1 to 5pm at the Moose Lodge in Mt Pleasant.  The family would like to extend an inviation to all who would like to help us celebrate Eli on this special day.

Beatty-Peterseim Funeral, Cremation Care, and Monument Services are assisting the family. A general memorial has been established.

Eli was born April 23, 1975 in Phoenix, AZ the son of Craig Willard and Zanythe Emily (Klaus) Wibstad. He graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1993, received EMT basic certification and was a Union Carpenter.

He was a carpenter for all of his life. He enjoyed archery, gadgets, joking, awarding nicknames, his hot dog machine, trivial pursuit, playing drums in a band and especially his family.

Survivors include his parents of Trenton; brothers, Zachariah (Darcy) Wibstad of Trenton and Chilon Craig (Amanda) Wibstad of Trenton; nieces and nephews, Rylee, Emily, Brianna, Owen, Gunnar, Cheyenne and Chad; great nieces, Brinley and Willow.

IHSAA Releases 2023 and 2024 Regular Season Schedules for Football

By Slaten Swords · Friday, April 14th, 2023 at 10:09 am CDT

High School Football- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released the regular season schedules for football for 2023 and 2024. This article will focus on the 2023 regular season.

In 8-man football, WACO, fresh off a 2nd place finish in last year’s state championship will start their season against Fremont-Mills on the road before going against District 6 foes. Week two will be their first home game as they face off against Iowa Valley. The Warriors will then travel to take on Winfield-Mt. Union and travel to face off against New London. The Warriors other non-district game will be a week 5 matchup against Easton Valley.

New London will be looking to return to the playoffs as they start the year on the road against Easton Valley before taking on Winfield-Mt. Union at home. Central City is the other non-district game for the Tigers in week 4.

Winfield-Mt. Union will be on the road for the first two weeks of Cam Buffington’s senior year as they face off against Central City and New London. Their first home game will be a rematch against WACO, as the Warriors shut them out last year 43-0. The Wolves week 7 matchup will be a non-district game against Mormon Trail. Other District 6 opponents include Iowa Valley, Tri-County, English Valleys, and HLV.

Danville will field their own team this year in Class A as the Bears will be in District 5 with Wapello, Columbus Community, Pekin, Highland, Lisbon, Van Buren County and Louisa-Muscatine. The Bears will start the season against Lynnville-Sully on the road before getting into district play with a home game against Highland.

With a new classification and coach roaming the sidelines, Mt. Pleasant will be in District 4 for Class 3A. Other district opponents include Fort Madison, Mount Vernon, Assumption in Davenport, Washington, and Keokuk. The Panthers will start the season at Mapleleaf when they face off against the Fairfield Trojans. They will be on the road week 2 against West Burlington/Notre Dame. They will stay on the road to face off against Tipton before home games against Burlington and Mount Vernon. The Panthers will then hit the road for two weeks in a row against Washington and Keokuk. Before taking on Fort Madison at home and rounding out the season against Assumption on the road.

For a full list of the season schedules you can check it out here: https://www.iahsaa.org/football-2023-2024-schedules/.

Prep Girls Soccer: Burlington Defeats Mt. Pleasant in a Home Conference Win

By Slaten Swords · Friday, April 14th, 2023 at 8:25 am CDT

Burlington, IA- The Mt. Pleasant Panthers move to 3-2 on the season and 1-2 in Southeast Conference play after falling to Burlington 2-0 last night on the road.

In a close match from start to finish, the Grayhounds snuck in two goals before halftime and fended off all Panther attacks for the rest of the game. Burlington improves to 3-2 on the season with all of their wins coming in conference play.

Burlington and Fort Madison sit atop the conference standings with Mt. Pleasant taking the 4th position. The Panthers will host Fairfield on April 17th.

Sports, April 14th

By Slaten Swords · Friday, April 14th, 2023 at 6:39 am CDT

High School Track and Field

Danville won the Winfield girls invite last night with 156 points with Winfield-Mt. Union took 4th place and WACO finished in 6th place. The best finishers for Danville were Alaina Gourley winning the 400 meter dash and the 800 meter run. Alexis Dietsch finished in 1st in the 400 meter hurdles. Kamryn Sherwood won the 3,000 meter run. Kenna Furnald claimed the long jump with a leap of 15 feet and 9 inches. The Bears also won the 4×400 and 4×800 meter relay.

Winfield-Mt. Union won the 4×100 meter shuttle hurdle relay and Keetyn Townsley took the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 17 seconds. WACO had two second place finishers in Elyssa Graber in the 1500 meter run and Zoey Dennler in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1 minute and 14 seconds.

The New London girls team competed at the Horton Relays yesterday and finished in 8th place. The top finisher for the Tigers was Brooklyn Curry in the 400 meter hurdles as she took 4th place with a time of 1 minute and 25 seconds. The Tigers took 2nd place in the 1600 medley relay.

The Denny White relays took place yesterday with Mediapolis taking home the title for Class B and Clear Creek Amana taking it for Class A. For the Mt. Pleasant girls team, Andi Scott won the 100 meter and 200 meter dash. Elise Lange won the 400 meter dash by more than three seconds. The 4×200 meter relay team of Courtney Raub, Tristian Shull, Bailey Jalas, and Scott took 1st place. The team of Olivia McCormick, Alex Scott, Meadow Carter, and Abby Carthey finished in 1st place for the distance medley. Josie Gilmore won the high jump with a leap of 5 feet and 1 inch. Lastly, Savannah Slobodnik won the discus with a toss of 108 feet and 2 inches.

For the Mt. Pleasant boys team, Will Davidson won the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.18 seconds. Avin Truong took the long jump with a leap of 20 feet 11 inches. With a toss of 51 feet and 5 inches, Isaac Jerrel won the shot put. The Panthers would finish in 4th place with 113 points.

WACO finished with 82 points on the meet with Clayton Miller getting 10 points for his 1st place finish in the 200 meter dash. Simeon Reichenbach showed off his speed in the 110 meter hurdles winning with a time of 15.69 seconds.

Winfield-Mt. Union grabbed 61 points with Cam Buffington grabbing 1st place in the 100 meter dash and the long jump with a jump of 21 feet and 4 inches. Gabriel Hemsworth finished in 1st place in the 400 meter hurdles.

The top finisher for Danville was AJ Bonnesen in the 3200 meter run with a time of 9 minutes and 44 seconds. For New London, Kade Benjamin grabbed the win in the high jump with a new season best of 6 feet and 7 inches. Central Lee’s best finisher for the girls was Karlie Pohren in the 200 meter dash as she took 3rd place and the best finisher for the boys was Grant Myhre who finished in 3rd place in the 400 meter dash and Thomas Eschman who took 3rd place in the long jump.

High School Soccer

The Mt. Pleasant boys team took down a 3-1 Burlington team yesterday in a thrilling 1 to 0 final. After no score in the first half, the Panthers would execute an early corner kick with Kolbein Ostby getting the walk-in goal. Rudy Ruiz Motta and the defense would do the rest, foiling the Grayhounds corner kick opportunities with Motta capturing 8 saves. Coach Russo talked about the defensive effort after the game. The Panthers will travel to take on Fairfield on April 17th.

The WACO boys team fell to Mediapolis last night 1-0. The Warriors will travel to take on Burlington Notre Dame on April 18th.

The Central Lee girls team will look to get back in the win column tonight against West Branch.

The Central Lee boys team notched their first win of the season against Highland last night 4-0. Colton Taft led the Hawks attack with 2 goals on the night. Their next game will be April 18th against Hillcrest Academy.

High School Golf

The Winfield-Mt. Union boys team was defeated by Wapello last night 182-178. Carter Loyd was the top golfer between the two teams as he shot a 39 on the day. Andrew Brown was next for the Wolves with a 45 on the day. The girls team for Wapello did not have enough players, but the top golfer for Winfield-Mt. Union was Anna Anderson with a 54 for the course. Lily Freeman was right behind her as she shot a 55 for the afternoon. The boys team will compete in the Wildcat Invitational on April 18th and the girls team will compete at the Wapello Invite on April 19th.

The New London boys and girls will compete in the English Valleys Invitational today.

The Mt. Pleasant boys team hosted their SEC meet last night and Washington finished with the best score of 145 with Mt. Pleasant coming in 3rd. Nick Matheney shot the best for the Panthers with a 37 followed by Nate Dismang with a 38. Roman Roth for Washington performed the best as he shot a 34 on the day keeping the overall standings the same with Washington in the lead followed by Fairfield, then Mt. Pleasant. Washington will host the next meet on April 17th.

The Central Lee boys team will compete in the Lee County Invite tonight.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls team fell to Burlington last night 8-1. Bethany Drury picked up her second win of the season in singles in a close 8-6 set. Drury and Audrey Richmond were also in a tight doubles match that ended in a 7-3 tiebreaker in favor of the Grayhounds. Coach Peterson talked about how her young team is gaining experience. The Panthers will face off against Burlington Notre Dame on April 17th.

The Mt. Pleasant boys team moved to 5-0 on the season after taking down Burlington 8-1 on the road last night. Phoenix Watson and Gavin Ross both had a shutout set. The Panthers will host Maharishi on April 18th.

Iowa Wesleyan Athletics

Jordan Ashton will be taking over as head men’s basketball coach for William Woods University on April 28th. Ashton led the Tigers to a 27-3 record that included a 20-game winning streak and an 11-0 home record, both school records. The Tigers also climbed as high as #23 in the NAIA rankings, won the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC), and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament, all firsts since the 2011 season. Ashton was also named CAC Coach of the Year. He will be taking over an Owls squad that went 15-13 last season.

The Tiger softball team split their doubleheader with Clarke University yesterday. Despite having a 6 to 1 lead in the 7th inning the Tigers would lose 7-6 in game one. Karoline Stratton and Alexis Davis would both double home two runs with Abigail Thompson and Kara Krieger singling home a run in the losing effort. In game two, a Julia Hill 3-run home run would give the Tigers a 7 to 2 lead at the end of the third inning and the Tigers would hold on to win 9-4. Jordan Morthland picked up the win. The Tigers have two games today for a CAC Classic with game one at 1 pm and game two at 5 pm. KILJ will be on the call for the 5 pm game with pregame at 4:45 pm.

The Tiger baseball team will be back in action on April 18th against Culver-Stockton College with game one at 3 pm.

The outdoor track and field teams are competing at the Cornell Invitational on April 15th.

This Day in Sports History

1910 – US President William Howard Taft begins the tradition of throwing the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day of baseball season.

1969 – First regular-season MLB game played outside the United States; Montreal Expos beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-7 at Parc Jarry, Montreal.

1996 – Detroit Red Wings win a then-NHL record 62 games.