Indian Hills JazzFest

By Theresa Rose · Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023 at 9:05 am CDT

The Indian Hills JazzFest, a tradition that has been taking place for 30 years, will be held in St. John Auditorium on the Indian Hills Community College Ottumwa campus on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25.

The weekend of jazz will feature a high school jazz band competition on Friday from 10:45 am to 5:00 pm, and Saturday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Mount Pleasant and Fort Madison will both be competing on Friday, with Mount Pleasant’s Jazz 2 at 1:30 pm, Jazz 1 at 2:20 pm followed by Fort Madison at 3:10 pm. Other participating high schools this year will include Ottumwa, Waukee, Davis County, Oskaloosa, Centerville, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, Van Meter, Belle Plaine and North Mahaska.

Participating bands will perform and receive instructional comments from some of the finest professional musicians and clinicians from the state of Iowa.

Still time to order tree and shrub seedlings

By Theresa Rose · Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023 at 8:56 am CDT

 

AMES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) State Forest Nursery offers spring delivery in April and May for hardwood, conifer and shrub seedlings. Customers can choose to have their order shipped or they can pick it up at the State Forest Nursery in Ames.

Seedlings can be ordered through May 30. The bare-root (no container, soil root ball or moss include) seedlings are packaged in bundles of 25 inside sealed and labeled plastic bags.

Tree varieties include 23 species of native hardwoods, eight evergreen species and 15 smaller trees and shrubs. Prices range from $.70 to $1.20 per seedling. Seedlings are sold in three age classifications, and range in size from 10-30 inches depending on the species.

“Planting trees and shrubs can help landowners reach a variety of goals,” said Pat Griffin, DNR State Forest Nursery manager. “Native, affordable seedlings are available to help you make your planting successful.”

The State Forest Nursery in Ames was established by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and has operated continuously ever since. All trees are grown from Iowa seed sources to harvest the bounty of native genetics that have thrived in our soils and weather against disease, insects, droughts and floods for many thousands of years.

For more information visit the online sales site at http://nursery.iowadnr.gov/ or call 1-800-865-2477 during regular business hours, Monday – Friday. The Iowa DNR’s expert nursery staff can assist with species selection and answer questions about your tree needs and nursery offerings.

Stephen “Bill” McElhinney

By Theresa Rose · Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023 at 8:47 am CDT

Stephen “Bill” McElhinney, 80, of Morning Sun, passed away on Saturday, February 18, 2023 at Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House.  Visitation will be held on Friday, March 10, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Snyder and Hollenbaugh Funeral and Cremation Services in Morning Sun.  Memorial Services will be 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at the First United Presbyterian Church of Morning Sun.  Memorials may be directed to the Morning Fire Department, Morning Sun Ambulance, or Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in memory of Bill.   Sympathy notes may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.

Stephen William McElhinney was born on March 14, 1942 in Yarmouth, Iowa, the son of Martin Wilson and Ruth Arsenith (Lane) McElhinney.  Bill was a 1960 graduate of Morning Sun High School.  On February 25, 1961, Bill was united in marriage to Celia Thomas in Morning Sun.  After high school Bill drove semi for his brother, he also worked at the Morning Sun Locker and Pierce Funeral home where he earned his EMT certificate to drive ambulance for Pierce’s.  From 1978 until 1986, Bill and Celia were owners of the Morning Sun Locker.  Bill then went to work for Morning Sun Mutual Telephone Company until his retirement in 2008.  Bill was a member of the First United Presbyterian Church of Morning Sun where he served as an Elder and Deacon.  He was a former member of the Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church.  Bill was involved with Little League and served on the Morning Sun Fire Department for over 30 years as Chief.  He was a self-taught ventriloquist and his dummy’s name was Steve.   He enjoyed doing stained glass, tending to his roses and was quite a craftsman with his woodworking skills.

Bill will be deeply missed by his wife Celia of Morning Sun; son Brian McElhinney of Morning Sun; daughter, Brenda (Danny) Harris of Morning Sun; grandchildren, Jordan Harris of Morning Sun, Holly (John) de la Chapelle of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Lee Hilton Harris of Morning Sun; great-grandchildren, Anna, Libby and Marie de la Chapelle; siblings, Celia Murphy of Burlington, Gladys Parish of Wapello, Pauline Metzger of Morning Sun, Hubert McElhinney of Crawfordsville and Verla Bigger of Media, Illinois and several nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Dale and Harold McElhinney and sisters, Ola Lambert and Dorothy Kerr.

Sports, February 22nd

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023 at 6:02 am CDT

High School Basketball

In front of a packed crowd at Mediapolis High School, fans were treated to an entertaining Class 1A District 7 semifinal matchup between Winfield-Mt. Union and New London. The first half was dominated by New London and specifically Blaise Porter who scored 19 of his 23 points in the first two quarters of play to give the Tigers a healthy 38 to 21 lead entering the 2nd half. The Tigers kept it up in the 3rd quarter with Kade Benjamin scoring 15 of his 21 points in the second half, but Porter would foul out at the end of the quarter. Cam Buffington and Abram Edwards would lead the charge for the Wolves to make it close late as Buffington scored 29 points and Edwards finished with 11 points. It would prove to not be enough as the Tigers won 58-52 despite being outscored 20 to 8 in the final quarter. Winfield-Mt. Union’s head coach Klay Edwards talked about his team’s effort after the game. New London will travel to Solon High School to take on Marquette Catholic in the substate game on February 25th at 7 pm. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 6:45 pm.

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team game against North Mahaska tonight has been postponed to tomorrow, February 23rd, with KILJ on the call with pregame at 6:45 pm.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will  play Solon in the next round of the District tournament. Coach Rawson talked about the upcoming matchup tomorrow, February 23rd, at 7 pm.

High School Bowling

The state championship will be running through the 22nd.

Iowa Wesleyan Athletics

The women’s basketball team will take on Bacone College on February 24th at 11:30 am to start the conference tournament. The defending conference champions will enter the tournament as the #1 seed after going undefeated in conference play.

The 23rd-ranked men’s team will enter the Continental Athletic Conference tournament as 2nd overall seed and take on Haskell Indian Nations on February 24th at 8:15 pm.

The men’s wrestling team will have Lane Scorpil represent the Tigers at the NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship meet on March 3rd.

The women’s wrestling team will start the 2023 Heart of America Conference Championship on February 25th.

The Tigers Indoor Track and Field teams will be competing in the NAIA Indoor Track and Field national championship meet on March 2nd.

The Tiger baseball team will have another doubleheader February 25th against Kansas Wesleyan University with the first game going at 12 pm.

The Tiger softball team will have a doubleheader against University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis tomorrow, February 23rd, with game one at 2 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1888 – “Father of American Golf” John Reid first demonstrates golf on a Yonkers cow pasture to friends..

1893 – First Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 32-22 in Birmingham.

1959 – Inaugural Daytona 500: Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp cross finish line side by side; Beauchamp declared unofficial winner; ruling overturned after 3 days by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.

Two Local Youth Swine Judging Teams in the Top Five

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 at 4:01 pm CDT

Five teams of Iowa youth won scholarships while participating in the Senior Division of the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) Youth Swine Judging Contest. The contest was held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines earlier this month.

 

There were 162 teams represented in the Senior Division of the competition. The top five teams came from Grinnell High School, Gladbrook-Reinbeck High School, Winfield-Mount Union Community School District, Columbus Community School District (Columbus Junction), and Bellevue Community School District.

 

A total of 706 students—about 150 more than last year—participated in both the Senior and Junior divisions.

 

“It was great to have the Judging Contest again this year, especially with the numbers we had,” said Cory Van Gilst, IPPA’s producer outreach director. “It’s a unique opportunity for students from around the state.”

 

Top Senior Teams

 

The top team was Grinnell FFA 1, earning 753 points. Team members included Dominick Clayton, Kolton Kline, Nina Walton, and Aden Wolfe, all of Grinnell. Each receives a $500 scholarship.

 

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 1 had 749 points for second place. Team members were: Dylinn Blohm and Cole Fleshner, both of Reinbeck; and Amaya Peterson and Delaney Petersen, both of Gladbrook. Each receives a $250 scholarship. Petersen had the highest overall score in the competition.

 

Winfield-Mount Union FFA 1 earned 748 points and third place. Team members were Carter Loyd, Eli Miller, and Katie Miller, all of Winfield; and Quinlyn Smith, of Morning Sun. Each member earns a $125 scholarship.

 

Columbus FFA 1 placed fourth with 747 points and wins $125 scholarships for each team member. They are Mady Howell, Drew Totemeier, and Gabe Totemeier, all of Columbus Junction; and Cole Storm, Conesville.

 

Bellevue FFA 1 received fifth place with 734 points. Each receiving $125 are team members Cameron Casel, Grace Hintgen, Maverick Scheckel, and Kinnick Paulsen, all of Bellevue.

 

Top Junior Teams

 

The top five junior teams are St. Malachy Catholic School (Creston) — first place; Bellevue FFA 2 — second; Chariton Middle School 1 — third; Central Trail FFA 3 (Leon) — fourth; and Benton County 4-H 1 (Vinton) — fifth. Each of the junior teams wins a plaque.

 

Points were awarded for each of the following activities: tests on meat quality and knowledge of commercial pork production; as well as judging four classes of hogs that required students to test their commercial gilt selection and market hog evaluation skills; score a keep-cull gilt class; and do a live carcass evaluation, which involved examining 10 pigs individually to determine each animal’s weight, loin eye size, and back fat, then comparing and ranking them on carcass value.

 

The day also included a demonstration of pork carcass fabrication and a seminar about careers in the pork industry.

 

This is the 14th year for the event.

 

Eldon C. Stutsman Inc., Producers Livestock, Smithfield Foods, Swine Genetics International, Iowa State University, and the Pork Checkoff all partnered with IPPA for this year’s contest.

 

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Editor’s note: Photos of winning teams and other participants are available by request.

 

See full list of individual and team scores.

 

IOWA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION PLEDGES $1 MILLION FOR IOWA FFA

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 at 3:57 pm CDT

 

Dedicated Funds to Help Address Significant Ag Educator Shortage in Iowa

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa —Feb. 20, 2023- The National Association of Agricultural Educators reports mounting losses of ag educators since 2015, significantly limiting ag education opportunities for the next generation of Iowa’s agriculturalists and threatening Iowa’s national status as a leader in agriculture.  To help combat the crisis and reverse the decline in ag educators, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) has pledged $1 million to Iowa FFA, with a portion of the funds dedicated to its ‘All in for Ag Education’ strategic initiative. 

Since 2015, Iowa has lost 204 ag educators to retirement and other pursuits, including losing teachers to neighboring states with more competitive teaching contracts.  The ag teacher shortage is at a critical point today, with nearly half of net instructor losses within the past two years. In addition to recruiting, training, and retaining ag educators, the FFA ‘All in for Ag’ campaign outlines a goal of ag education access for 100% of Iowa high school students by 2029.   

“Iowa agriculture is a national leader in so many areas of production: corn, pigs, eggs, ethanol and biofuel, and in conservation: water quality wetlands, bioreactors, grassed waterways, buffer strips, pollinator habitat and conservation tillage. Our state depends on the next generation of youth to fill critical roles in agriculture to maintain that status and provide solutions to a growing global population. Without qualified ag educators to train and inform young people of future career opportunities in agriculture, we lose out as a state – and nation,” said Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson.

             “Iowa Farm Bureau has been one of the Iowa FFA Foundation’s longest and most dedicated supporters, and we are so grateful for this gift that will have a lasting and meaningful impact in communities across the state,” said Josh Remington, Iowa FFA Foundation executive director.  “IFBF’s support will allow us to tackle our state’s ag educator crisis head-on and remove hurdles to attract and retain talent so we can deliver valuable opportunities to Iowa’s next generation of leaders.”

            IFBF has supported Iowa FFA for decades and serves as the presenting sponsor of the annual FFA Leadership Conference.  Iowa Farm Bureau’s support has allowed Iowa FFA to keep annual dues and State Leadership Convention registration fees consistent for the past 15 years, even during times of inflation and rising costs for other youth programs and activities.

            “Supporting youth and education is a pillar of IFBF’s mission, and we are proud to lead the ‘All in for Ag Education’ campaign through this gift to grow opportunities for the next generation of Iowa leaders,” said Johnson.  “Agriculture is the backbone of Iowa, and if current trends hold true, one in five Iowa students will have a career supported by agriculture.  We know ag education opportunities for high school youth can have a profound impact on their future, and we feel this support is mission critical to the future of Iowa agriculture.” 

            Donations to the Iowa FFA Foundation through February 2025 are eligible for a 50% match. To learn more about ag education opportunities in Iowa and the ‘All in for Ag Education’ campaign and 50% donation match, visit www.IowaFFAFoundation.org.

Chris Dean Feddersen

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 at 10:02 am CDT

Chris Dean Feddersen, 52, of Wayland, died Friday February 17 at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City. His body has been cremated and a gathering will be held at a later date.  Check his Facebook page for updates.  Beatty-Peterseim Funeral, Monument and Cremation Care has been entrusted with his care.  A general memorial in the name of Chris Dean Feddersen has been established.

Chris was born May 18, 1970, in Washington, Iowa, the son of Larry Dean and Judith Ann (Howell) Feddersen.  He graduated fro WACO High School in 1988.  He was employed as a heavy equipment operator at Delong Construction for several years.  He enjoyed fishing (especially ice fishing), hunting and getting together with friends at the B/P in Wayland.

Survivors include his sisters, Deb(Mike) Williams of Washington, Lisa Fowler(Todd Reschly) of Brighton, Kari Feddersen of Wayand and Kelly Hartzler of Wayland; brothers Kurt(Tammy) Sinn of Wayland and Greg Sinn of Washington;special family friends John, Martha, David, Denis and Jeremy Lynn, all of Brighton.

He was preceded in death by his parents and niece Kylie.

Marjorie Witte

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 at 7:00 am CDT

Majorie H Witte passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 18th at the Hiawatha Care Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.    Born November 1, 1932, she was the daughter of William and Alice Eibes of Sperry, Iowa.

 

Marjorie loved sports and going to basketball and volleyball games at Mediapolis with her friends, Dorothy and Hartzell Hillyard.  She especially loved watching her great grandsons sporting events in Cedar Rapids.  While in high school, she often talked about her time as a cheerleader and basketball player.  She was proud that her team got to go to the State Tournament in Des Moines.  Even though they didn’t win, she commented that it was the furthest away she had been from home at that time.

 

Marjorie married Lemoyne (Bear) Witte in 1952.  They made their home with his parents for several years.  At that time, Marjorie worked as school secretary for the Mediapolis School district.  After moving to the (Blue Star) family farm, she made sure everyone knew that she didn’t care to operate farm machinery. Instead, she had a very large garden of tomatoes, green beans and an acre of sweet corn. She would make sure to can and freeze enough to share with family and friends.

 

In 1960, Marjorie began a long career as plant personnel secretary at the then new United States Gypsum Company. and remained working there until retiring.   She and Lemoyne liked to travel, making several trips to Europe, Central and South America, Africa, and across the USA, including Alaska and Hawaii. However, she would often say her favorite times were at home with her family.   Some of her other hobbies included needlework, collecting cut glass, Hummels, and of course, Beanie Babies!  She was a member of T.T.T.

 

Marjorie was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Lemoyne, granddaughter, Stephanie Black-Wheatley, brothers; Francis, Westley, and Marvin Eibes, sisters-in-law, and brothers-in-law.

 

She is survived by her daughter, Sherry Black, great-grandsons, Spencer and Roman Wheatley, her brother, Ronald Eibes of Burlington, and sister, Bonnie Wixon of Eldon, Missouri, along with many nieces and nephews.

 

According to Majorie’s wishes, a visitation will be held at the Snyder and Hollenbaugh Funeral Home in Mediapolis, Iowa on Friday, February 24th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm.  A graveside service will be held at the Kossuth Cemetery at 1:00 pm on Saturday, February 25, 2023.  Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.