The Henry County Historic Preservation Commission held its March Meeting on the 15th at the Henry County Courthouse. The State Historical Society is currently reviewing the Wayland Historic Residential application for the National Register of Historic Places. There are only 53 Rural Schools of Henry County books left at the auditor’s office so if anyone is still interested in a copy, now is the time to pick one up before they are gone. Pat White reported on the progress of the Henry County Cemeteries book. A good portion of the book has been completed and under review. There are several special chapters that need to to be researched and written before a first draft of the book is produced. There were several announcements of upcoming history related events; the Henry Co Heritage Trust is sponsoring a historic church tour April 30 in Mt. Pleasant, the Winfield Museum is having a program on high school basketball history at the veterans building April 16 at 2:00 pm, and the James Harlan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is holding a 100th anniversary celebration on March 25 at the Ashford Park Clubhouse. The next commission meeting will be Wednesday April 19.
Sports, March 16th
High School Track and Field
The boys’ will be heading to Central College tomorrow to compete in an indoor meet with the girls’ competing on Saturday at Central College.
High School Soccer
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ soccer season will begin on March 28th against Mediapolis on the road.
WACO’s boy soccer team will start their season at home against Fairfield on March 30th.
The Central Lee boys’ soccer team will take on Keokuk on March 27th as the Hawks start their season on the road.
Youth Basketball
March Madness 5 on 5 Basketball Tournament held at Iowa Wesleyan University for 5th – 8th grade girls and boys will take place on March 18th and 19th. Please contact Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jordan Ashton for more details at 319-385-6307 or visit www.infosports.com.
March Madness
The round of 64 starts today for the national tournament with Iowa taking on Auburn today and Iowa St facing off against Pittsburgh tomorrow. The winner of the KILJ Bracket Challenge will get a free cabin rental from Henry County Conservation and a $100 gift certificate to Wiley’s Interior Furnishings and Design with 2nd place getting a meal a month from the Press Box.
For the women’s bracket Iowa nabbed the 2 seed as they face off against Southeastern Louisiana tomorrow. Iowa State is the 5 seed and will take on Toledo on Saturday.
Iowa Wesleyan Athletics
The Tiger baseball team improves to 7-15 on the season after winning both games of their home opening doubleheader against Graceland University. In game one, the Tigers were red hot from the plate as they scored 11 runs in the first two innings before going on to win 21-7. Every starter finished with at least one RBI as Holvin Catala hit a three-run home run in the 1st inning and Sage Bonner also finished with 3 RBIs as he clobbered a two-run homer in the 6th inning. Philip Guerrero and Carlos Vicente each finished with 3 RBIs. Game two was a pitchers duel that the Tigers were able to claw two runs out of to win 2-0. Julian Figueroa doubled home David Amaya to get the scoring going and Froymer Ortega knocked home Figueroa on a fielder’s choice. It was a pitching by committee game for the Tigers as Ian Clements, Jackson Van Roekel, and Pedro Ramierez all pitched in the game combining for three strikeouts and allowed only four hits. The Tigers will take on Hannibal-LaGrange University on March 21st in a doubleheader matchup with game one at 1 pm.
The Tiger softball team will travel to take on Harris-Stowe State University on Saturday, March 18th, at 1 pm.
The men’s golf team will be competing at the Jim Wetherbee Invitational in Galesburg, Illinois on March 25th and 26th for the season opener.
This Day in Sports History
1876 – Nelly Saunders and Rose Harland fight in the first female boxing match (NY).
1964 – Paul Hornung and Alex Karras are reinstated in the NFL after 1 year suspension.
1985 – Two-time Cy Young Award winner Denny McLain is convicted of embezzlement and drug trafficking; sentenced to 25 years but the conviction is later reversed.
Connie Sue Sims
Connie Sue Sims, 75, of Kansas and formerly Burlington, Iowa, died Monday, February 27, 2023 at South Baldwin Regional Medical Center, Foley, Alabama.
She was born August 27, 1947 in Canton, Illinois to Ivan Nathanial and Geraldine Lucyle Brown Baughman. She was a graduate of Galesburg High School. On July 20, 1968 she married Jerry Lee Sims in Galesburg. She did office work and retired from Mackay Envelope.
Connie was a member of Covenant Church in Topeka, Kansas. She enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles, sewing, reading, RVing with her husband, tending to her African violets, and spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Survivors include her husband of Melvern Lake, Kansas; two daughters, Julie (Ed) Earhart and Brenda (Bruce) Hunter, both of Burlington; six grandchildren, Breanna Purvis, Brittany Earhart, Lorraine Emde, Matthew Earhart, Zach Hunter and Abby Hunter; four great-grandchildren, Charli Connor, Alexis Emde, Finley Emde, and Emma Purvis; and one brother Raymond (Cindy) Baughman of Galesburg. Her parents and sister Linda Mason preceded her in death.
Visitation will begin at 9 am, April 15, 2023 at Elliott Chapel, New London with the family receiving friends from 1:00 – 2:00 PM, with a graveside service immediately following at Burge Cemetery. Pastor David Mixon will officiate. A memorial has been established for family expense. Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.
Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission to meet March 24 in Burlington
The Iowa Mississippi River Parkway Commission (MRPC) will meet Friday, March 24, at the Des Moines County Heritage Center Museum, 501 N. Fourth St., in Burlington. Interested parties may attend in-person or join the meeting by using the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84738780642. To join the meeting by conference call, dial 312-626-6799 and use Meeting ID: 847 3878 0642# and then press # to enter the meeting. The link and phone line will be active…
PLAYERS WORKSHOP PRESENTS MYSTERY-THRILLER
A frustrated novelist insults his estranged wife until she snaps and shoots him. But where did the corpse go? Deadly games are afoot as the tables constantly turn for both victims and killers, in Players Workshop’s upcoming stage production of Murder by the Book, a mystery-thriller by Duncan Greenwood and Robert King, which runs at the Workshop at 1431 Grove St., Burlington, on March 24-25, 30-31, and April 1 at 7:30 p.m., and on March 26 and April 2 at 2:00 p.m. For more information on the play contact the Workshop at 319-753-6623, go to www.playersworkshoptheater.com, or check the Players Workshop Facebook page.
Murder by the Book is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Publishing; Players Workshop is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.
Joe Link
Joseph Dennis Link, 77, of West Point, Iowa, passed away at 1:12 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison.
He was born on February 23, 1946, in West Point, Iowa, the son of Carl and Martha (Holtkamp) Link. On December 20, 1969, he married Mary Susan (Hatala) Link at Sacred Heart Church in Fort Madison.
He is survived by his wife: Mary; son: David (Amy) Link of Solon, Iowa; granddaughters: Morgan and Sophia and grandson: Jackson all of Solon; sisters: Maureen Kieler of West Point, Agnes (Steve) Koellner of Fort Madison; brothers: Bernard (Leah) Link of West Point, and Maurice (Ann) Link of Yankton, South Dakota; brother-in-law: Robert (Polly) Hatala of Cedar Rapids and several nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.
He was preceded in death by his parents; in-laws: Norman and Cleo Hatala, and brother-in-law: Dan Kieler.
Joe was a 1964 graduate of the former St. Mary’s High School in West Point, and attended St. Benedict’s College and Iowa State University.
Joe was a member of St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, Teamsters Local 238, and the former Prairie Hunters. He enjoyed playing euchre, was an avid hunter and fisherman, and always had a good “story” to tell about his adventures. At a very young age he learned to drive a truck because he wanted to see what was “all out there.” This led Joe to being a lifelong truck driver traveling both across the country and later the local area. When asked if he liked his job, he said, “I don’t like my job; I love my job!” He was also a twenty-five year cancer survivor.
After retiring, Joe really enjoyed the travels to Colorado, Texas, Niagara Falls, and driving on the backroads of the local area. His greatest joy was being with his grandchildren.
A visitation will be held from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Schmitz Funeral Home in West Point, where the family will receive friends from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. A parish rosary will be recited at 3:00 p.m.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 20, 2023, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point.
Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in West Point.
Memorials have been established in his memory for the West Point Fire and Rescue, Calvary Cemetery or West Point Library.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.
New Classification System for Football Moves Mt. Pleasant to Class 3A
IHSAA Report- The IHSAA came together a few months ago to declare that they were going to use a socioeconomic factor to determine the “final classification numbers” for the 2023 and 2024 football seasons. The data for school enrollment (BEDS) and free and reduced lunch percentages have been processed and the Panthers will be moving down a classification.
The Panthers move down from 4A to 3A to rejoin fellow Southeastern rivals in Fairfield, Keokuk, and Washington. Despite the different classification, the Panthers did face off against these teams last year and went 0-3 against them. Mt. Pleasant ranks just underneath the line of 4A, so they will be the biggest Class 3A team with a BEDS number of 0.45. Danville will no longer be combining with Mt. Pleasant as the Bears will field a team for Class 1A.
Also presented at the meeting were the spring and summer sport manuals for golf, tennis, track and field, and baseball. The following dates are subject to change. The golf season will begin the week of March 27th with the Sectional tournament starting on May 10th and the State tournament going May 22nd and 23rd. The Tennis season will begin the week of March 27th. Track and field will be limited to 16 meets, not including IHSAA meets, the Drake Relays, or indoor track and field meets. Baseball has a 40-game limitation, and they begin play the week of May 15th.
An additional rule the IHSAA has adopted is teams may use a courtesy runner for the pitcher or the catcher as soon as they get on base or anytime while on base. The same runner may not run for both positions. If a player is used to only courtesy run in a game, then the game does not count as one of his 40 games.
Henry County Health Center Diabetes Education Hosts Energy Bite Make and Take Class
Mount Pleasant, Iowa, [March 14, 2023] – Henry County Health Center’s Diabetes Education is hosting an Energy Bite Make and Take Class on Tuesday, April 4th from 1:00-2:00pm in the Health Education Center.
Participants will have the opportunity to make several different energy bites including monster cookie, blueberry white chocolate, oatmeal raisin and double chocolate.
To register call 319-385-6518. There is no fee for the class.
The HCHC Diabetes Education Center has earned Iowa State Certification. It has also been awarded Recognition from the American Diabetes Association, which assures that it has met the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs. HCHC’s Diabetes Education team offers Certified Diabetes Educators through the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators.
HCHC is prepared and committed to caring for you and your loved ones. No youth under the age of 14 are allowed to enter Henry County Health Center unless the child is a patient coming for an appointment. Please remember to cover your coughs and sneezes, and stay home when ill.