On April 8, 2022, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a call that human remains had been located east of Fairfield near the Fairfield Loop Trail and the BNSF railroad tracks. Deputies located human remains belonging to an adult male in a state of advanced decay.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation and have identified the remains as Harold “Hal” Bennett 11/12/1956. Mr. Bennett had been reported missing by family and friends to the Fairfield Police Department in the fall of 2020. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has determined there is no evidence of foul play and no threat to the public. The following agencies assisted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office with this investigation:
Fairfield Police Department
Fairfield Fire Department
Jefferson County Medical Examiner
Iowa Office of State Medical Examiner
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation – DNA Unit
Jackson (Wyoming) Police Department
The Jefferson County Attorney’s office said a special thanks is due the citizens who called the Sheriff’s Office and provided information to assist in this investigation. The Attorney also sent out condolences to the family and friends of Hal Bennett.
Sports, February 14th
High School Basketball
The WACO boys’ team moved on in resounding fashion as they defeated Columbus 87-22 last night. The offense put on a showcase for the Warriors as they scored 60 points in the first half as 14 of the 15 rostered players put up points. Cody Graber dominated the offensive glass as he led the Warriors with 15 points. The Warriors will face off against New London at home on February 16th at 7 pm. The girls’ team will host Burlington Notre Dame tonight, February 14th, at 7 pm. KILJ will be covering the game with pregame at 6:45 pm.
The New London boys’ team cruised to a 78-49 win over Danville last night to move on in District 7 play. The Tigers outscored the Bears in every quarter for their 8th win over Danville in a row. Blaise Porter scored 29 points in the winning effort for the Tigers. Danville ends their season with a 14-8 record.
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will be back in action tonight against Pella at home for their final regular season game for the year. The girls’ team will travel to play Fort Madison tomorrow, February 15th, for their first game of the regional. KILJ will be covering the game with pregame at 6:45 pm and tip-off scheduled for 7 pm.
The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team will play Winfield-Mt. Union tonight. The boys’ team fell to Burlington Notre Dame 68-49 last night as their season is now over. Luke Hellige led the way for the Crusaders with 22 points.
The Central Lee boys’ team has been eliminated from postseason competition after falling to Louisa-Muscatine 70-54. The Hawks end their season with a 4-18 record.
The Danville girls’ team’s next game is tonight against West Burlington to start their regional play.
The Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will move on to host Burlington Notre Dame after defeating Wapello 57-37. The Wolves will play February 16th at 7 pm. KILJ will be covering the game with pregame at 6:45 pm.
High School Wrestling
Southeast Iowa will be well represented at the state meet starting tomorrow, February 15th, and running through the 18th, as Burlington Notre Dame looks to repeat at the Class 2A state champions with six wrestlers heading to Des Moines. Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union will be sending five wrestlers, New London will be taking four, and WACO will have three representatives. For Class 3A, Fort Madison will have seven wrestlers with Burlington and Ottumwa supplying two each. KILJ will be announcing results through the four days of competition.
High School Bowling
Girls bowling had their state qualifying meet yesterday with Louisa-Muscatine qualifying as a team in Class 1A, Keokuk qualifying for Class 2A, and Ottumwa earning a spot in Class 3A. The state championship will start on February 20th and run through the 22nd.
Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will have their competition today hosted by Keokuk at 9 am.
Iowa Wesleyan Athletics
The women’s basketball team will be back in action tonight against Baptist Bible College at 4 pm to start the home doubleheader.
The 23rd-ranked men’s team improved to 23-2 on the season and will face off in a Valentine’s Day doubleheader tonight against Baptist Bible College at 6 pm.
The men’s wrestling team’s next competition for the Tigers will be the 2023 Heart of America Conference Championship on February 18th.
The women’s wrestling team will be back in action tomorrow, February 15th, against Iowa Central Community College at 6 pm.
The Tigers Indoor Track and Field teams will be competing in the North Star Athletic Association conference meet on February 19th.
The Tiger baseball team will have a doubleheader on February 17th against Mid America Christian with game one at 1 pm. Jackson Van Roekel was named Continental Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career. Van Roekel struck out 7 batters and allowed only 5 hits in 6 scoreless innings of work against Hannibal-LaGrange University.
The Tiger’s softball season will begin on February 18th against Park University at 11 am for the Avila Tournament.
This Day in Sports History
2010 – 52nd Daytona 500: Jamie McMurray, driving for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing wins; Mark Martin, oldest pole sitter in Daytona 500 history at 51 years, 27 days.
2018 – American snowboarder Shaun White wins an unprecedented 3rd Olympic halfpipe gold medal (previous 2006, 10) at the Pyeongchang Winter Games.
2019 – Oklahoma City Thunder guard, Russell Westbrook, makes a triple-double (44 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists) in an NBA record 11th consecutive game as the Thunder go down, 131-122 in New Orleans.
Dennis J. Fitzpatrick (final arrangements)
Dennis J. Fitzpatrick, 79, longtime Mt. Pleasant Pharmacist, died Sunday, February 12, 2023 at the Henry County Health Center in Mt. Pleasant.
The Funeral Mass for Dennis will be celebrated at 10:30 AM on Friday, February 17 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 607 S. Jackson Street, Mt. Pleasant. Fathers Edward Fitzpatrick, Nick Adam and Paul Connolly will concelebrate the Mass. Burial will be in the St. Alphonsus Cemetery with a military flag presentation conducted by the Iowa Military Funeral Honors Detail. Friends may call at the church from 2-7 PM on Thursday. The family will be present to receive friends from 4-7 PM. Visitation will conclude with a Scriptural Wake Service at 7PM. The Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mount Pleasant, is caring for Dennis and his family. Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com.
Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to Midwest Old Threshers, Holy Trinity Catholic Schools or the Fellowship Cup.
Dennis John Fitzpatrick was born August 20, 1943 in Burlington, IA, the son of Matthias John and Dorothy Anne (Pryor) Fitzpatrick Schwertley. He moved with his family to Mt. Pleasant at age 2 and graduated from Mt. Pleasant Community High School in 1961. He entered the University of Iowa School of Pharmacy and graduated in 1966. On August 4, 1980 in Mt. Pleasant, Dennis was united in marriage to Alice Louise Donald McWilliams.
Dennis began his pharmacist career at Sutter Drug Store in Burlington. Dennis was called to the service of his country. He entered the United States Army on Sept. 24, 1968 at Ft. Des Moines, IA and was assigned as a pharmacist to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. His duties there were attached to the Pentagon. He was honorably discharged as an SP5 on September 23, 1970.. He remained in the North Virginia area to be a manager over several Dart Drug Stores in the area. Dennis returned to Mt. Pleasant in 1978 to manage the Panther Rexall Drug Store. Dennis opened Fitzpatrick Pharmacy in Dick’s Super Valu in 1983. He incorporated Brau Pharmacy into his own in 1987 and in 1989, formed a partnership with Linn Hunsaker. They opened a second pharmacy, Park Pharmacy at Family Medicine of Mt. Pleasant in 1990. For 10 consecutive years, Dennis was proud of being voted the Favorite Pharmacist by readers of the Mt. Pleasant News. Dennis sold the pharmacy to Hy-Vee in 2003 and retired in 2013.
Dennis was a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. For 25 years, Dennis served on the Board of Directors for the Pilot Grove Savings bank. Fishing was his biggest pastime, most notably fishing in ponds. He loved to landscape, so much so that in addition to the landscaping he did for enjoyment in his backyard, he was put in charge of the landscaping when St. Alphonsus built their new church. Dennis was a gifted painter. He painted a toybox for each grandchild, decorating each one uniquely with a favorite childhood theme. In addition, he created numerous paintings on walls and portraits.
Those thankful for sharing in Dennis’s life include his wife Alice of Mt. Pleasant; 3 children – Terry (Cyndi) McWilliams of Mt. Pleasant, Tracy (John) Dingman of St. Paul, IA and Ty (Lindsey) Fitzpatrick of Kansas City, MO; 8 grandchildren – Bri, Nathan and Rachel McWilliams, Emily, Abby and Alexa Dingman and Sydney and Ben Fitzpatrick; a sister – Patricia Miller of Cedar Rapids and 2 brothers – Bill (Donna) Schwertley of Ames and Dwight T. (Jeannie) Schwertley of Rock Island, IL.
Dennis’s parents and brother Mike Fitzpatrick precede him in death.
Shed Fire Near Donnellson
The Hohl family of rural Donnellson wishes to thank everyone for their concern following a fire Sunday night. The family wants to make sure that it’s clear the fire was not at Harvestville Farm. Rather, a shed at the back of the regular farming operation owned by the family, caught fire. Departments from Donnellson, West Point, Montrose, Farmington and Argyle responded. No one was injured and no livestock was lost. The shed was used for storage for the regular farm operation. The family also extends their gratitude to the fire departments that assisted with putting out the blaze.
Show Choir Update
The Mount Pleasant High School Show Choir InMotion competed at the Power City Classic in Keokuk on Saturday. In the daytime competition InMotion placed first in Class 3A with Fort Madison placing second. Both schools qualified for the top six spots in the finals but this time Fort Madison edged out Mount Pleasant, with Cedar Rapids Jefferson placing first, followed by Fort Madison, Mount Pleasant, Davenport West, Ottumwa, and the prep group from Cedar Rapids Jefferson.
Next competition for Mount Pleasant will be February 18 at the Pella Dutch Masters Invitational.
Mount Pleasant School Board Meeting Agenda
The Mount Pleasant School Board meets in regular session at 6 pm Monday, February 13 in the Mount Pleasant High School Media Center.
The Board will a presentation from the Title 1 and Math Interventionists.
The Superintendent will report on Fiscal Year 24 new Monday calculations, free and reduced lunch percentages in the state and statewide open enrollment. He will also give an update on the adjustment of the School Board Director Districts. There will be information on negotiations with the AFSCME Local and a legislative update.
The Board will be asked to approve the FY22 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and to approve the school calendar for next year. A vote on whether or not to approve a grade alike elementary configuration is on the agenda and then the Board will move into exempt session for a negotiations discussion following some policy readings.
Jean Steele (final arrangements)
Jean Steele, 68, of Mount Pleasant died Friday, February 10, 2023, at the University of Iowa Hospital.
Jean was born May 2, 1954, in McGregor, Iowa, the daughter of Bud and Christine (Reagan) Nordhus. She graduated from MarMac High School. On May 17, 1975, she was united in marriage to Mike Steele at the Methodist Church in McGregor. The couple has made Mount Pleasant their home since 1976. Jean worked for Motorola for 27 years. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. Jean enjoyed cross stitch, and making all types of crafts, especially wreaths. She loved cats, they were very near and dear to her heart. Jean was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan. She and Mike had season tickets for more than 25 years, they included football, basketball, and for Jean especially wrestling.
Jean is survived by her husband Mike; nephew Chris Steele of Scottsdale, AZ; and close family friends Jen Schwartz of New London, Ted and Debbie Simmering of Rockford, IL, Jacob and Katherine Simmering and their daughter Charlie of Iowa City, Jordan Kasymov and her daughter Melina Simmering and Jack Simmering of Rockford, IL.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Funeral Service will be held 1:30 p.m. Friday, February 17, 2023, at the First Presbyterian Church with Pastor Trey Hegar officiating. Burial will follow in the Forest Home Cemetery. Visitation will be held 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Thursday, February 16, 2023, at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel where the family will be present to greet friends from 4:00-6:00 p.m. A memorial fund has been established for Henry County EMS and Kitty Haven. The Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel is caring for Jean and her family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com
Missing Juvenile
On February 11th, at approximately 7:34P.M. The Henry County Sheriff’s Office received report of a missing juvenile from the 200-block of Jefferson Street in Salem.
Many area agencies, as well as Salem residents, assisted in the search for the missing juvenile who was later located at around 9:13P.M. The juvenile was uninjured and returned home safely.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Iowa State Patrol, Salem Fire, Henry County Ambulance, Henry County Emergency Management, and residents of Salem for their assistance in locating the missing juvenile.