Sports, February 3rd

By Slaten Swords · Friday, February 3rd, 2023 at 6:41 am CDT

High School Basketball

The Mt. Pleasant boys team claimed the conference championship after defeating Burlington 67-57 last night. All five of the starters for the Panthers finished in double-digits, Carter Amos had a terrific night finishing with 13 points and coming up with several rebounds. The Panthers were clutch from the free throw, converting 23 of 28 from the line. Coach Rawson was full of emotion after the game. The boys’ next game will be February 6th at Ottumwa.

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to play Burlington tonight, February 3rd, at 7:30 pm. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 7:15 pm.

The Central Lee girls’ team will be competing against Highland in their conference shootout tonight and the boys’ team will play Columbus in their shootout tomorrow at 6 pm.

The New London girls’ team will face off against Pekin in the SEISC Shootout tonight at 6 pm and the boys’ team will play against Pekin tomorrow night at 7:30 pm.

The Danville girls’ team will travel to compete against Columbus at 6 pm tonight and the boys’ team will face off against Lousia-Muscatine tomorrow at 6 pm.

The WACO boys’ team cruised to a 66-25 win over Louisa-Muscatine. The girls’ team will face off against Burlington Notre Dame in a SEISC shootout tonight at 6 pm at Southeastern Community College and the boys’ team will face off against the undefeated West Burlington Falcons tomorrow at 7:30 pm.

The Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team crushed Cedar Valley Christian 82-19. Abram Edwards led the team with 13 points and blocked four shots. The 9th ranked girls’ team will be going against a ranked Mediapolis team tonight at 7:30 pm at Southeastern Community College. The boys’ team will face off against Burlington Notre Dame in the SEISC shootout at 6 pm.

High School Wrestling

The inaugural girls’ sanctioned wrestling State Tournament concluded their first day of wrestling and KILJ will have four wrestlers competing on day two: Ella McNamee of Mt. Pleasant, Jasmine Luedtke of Ottumwa, Teegan Sulentich of Washington, and Gabi Robertson of Mid-Prairie. KILJ will be supplying results throughout the day.

The next competition for the Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will be at the Class 2A District 9 postseason meet. To make it to state, wrestlers in Class 1A or 2A must finish in first or second-place and third-place finishers in Class 3A District Tournaments will also qualify.

High School Bowling

Mt. Pleasant will be competing in the Southeast Conference Tournament on February 9th.

Iowa Wesleyan Athletics

The women’s basketball team will be back in action this afternoon at the Crowley’s Ridge Classic. The Tigers are currently 5-0 in conference play.

The 23rd-ranked men’s team improved their win streak to 20 games and 21-1 on the season and they will be tested against #20 Florida College in a CAC Classic tonight at 7 pm.

The men’s wrestling team fell to Graceland University 41-12 last night. Lane Scorpil pinned his opponent in the second period and Quinten Aney won by fall in the second period. The Tigers will face off against 16th ranked Baker University on February 7th.

The women’s wrestling team will be competing in the Grand View Open tomorrow.

The Tigers next indoor meet will be tomorrow at the Luther College Invitational. KeRon Blackwell cleared a jump of 6 feet 7 inches at the Grand View Field Meet. The jump qualified for the 2023 NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championship meet.

The football team had 26 student-athletes named NSAA scholar-athletes. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a 3.25 cumulative GPA and participate in one contest in the fall.

This Day in Sports History

1876 – Albert Spalding invests $800 to start a sporting goods company, manufacturing the first official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball and football.

2002 – Super Bowl XXXVI, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: New England Patriots beat St. Louis Rams, 20-17; MVP: Tom Brady, New England, QB. Brady’s first super bowl win.

2008 – Super Bowl XLII, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ: New York Giants beat New England Patriots, 17-14; MVP: Eli Manning, New York, QB. Ending the Patriots undefeated season.

Iowa High School Girls’ Wrestling State Tournament Day One Results: 4 Local Wrestlers Move on to Day Two

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, February 2nd, 2023 at 11:09 pm CDT

Girls’ State Wrestling- The first sanctioned Iowa Girls’ High School wrestling State Tournament got underway today and out of the 15 wrestlers KILJ was keeping track on, four of them moved on to day two of wrestling here is the full list of results from day one.

In the 100-pound weight class, Hailey Kemper from Fort Madison, and Gabi Robertson of Mid-Prairie qualified for the tournament. Kemper started the day with a win over Koda Fogg by fall but lost her next match in a second period pin by Mariah Michaels of North Central Trailblazers. In the first match of the consolation bracket, Kemper defeated Olivya Mack by fall in 1 minute and 37 seconds. However, her tournament would end in the next match by falling to the fifth-seed Ava McNeal. Gabi Robertson cruised through her first two matches, winning one by fall and the other by a 5-2 decision. She would fall in the quarterfinals to Gable Hemman of Osage, the second seed. Robertson will face off against Lily Webster tomorrow in the consolation bracket.

In the 105-pound weight class, Ella McNamee of Mt. Pleasant mentioned in an interview she did with KILJ how badly she wanted to be wrestling on day two of the tournament and she succeeded in that goal. McNamee won her first match by fall over Grace Hoffmann, but would fall to fourth seed Hillary Trainor by a 7-1 decision. McNamee would go to work in the consolation bracket racking up 2 wins by fall and setting herself up to match up against the eight-seed, Lauren Whitt, as she is eyeing that third-place finish. Madi Lundvall of Wapello was eliminated from the tournament going 0-2 on the day.

Jasmine Luedtke of Ottumwa is tearing her way through the 110-pound weight class, as the two-seed has yet to make it to the second period against an opponent having won each match by fall. She will go against Adyson Lundquist, the third-seed, in the semi-finals tomorrow. Rylee Rice of WACO was eliminated from the tournament after going 1-2 on the day.

In the 135-pound weight class, Ellie Brenneman of Mid-Prairie won her first match of the day by fall but then got bumped to the consolation bracket after losing to Shaylee Sutherland. Brenneman would lose in her first consolation match in an 8-6 decision to the seventh-seed Anastasia Simon, eliminating her from the tournament.

Grace Conway of Mid-Prairie won her first match of the 140-pound weight class by fall in 2 minutes and 18 seconds. She would lose her second match, which moved her to the consolation bracket. In her first match of the consolation bracket, she defeated Naomi Templeman to face off against Emily Watters. In the second period, Watters would get the best of Conway and eliminate her from the tournament.

In the 155-pound weight class, Teegan Sulentich of Washington faced off against Jalyiah Gardner of Keokuk in the first round. Sulentich would win by major decision, 14-2, to move on to the second round to square off against Trinity Rotgers. Rotgers would get the best of her winning in 31-seconds. In the consolation bracket, Sulentich would defeat Leah Schwenker and Saydey Scholbrock to move on to tomorrow’s round against the four-seed, Jose Jecklin. Gardner would defeat Mackenzie Sizemore in a 7-2 decision, but lose to Mairi Sessions in the next round ending her tournament.

In the 170-pound weight class, Ellie Callahan of Mid-Prairie would win against Alexandria Vaul in the consolation bracket but fall to Daynia Werner to end her tournament.

Grace Fort would defeat Kylie Willems in the 190-pound weight class in the first round of the consolation bracket, but Sharidan Engelken would knock Fort out of the tournament by fall. Deliah Subsin of Ottumwa was also eliminated from the tournament.

In the 235-pound weight class, Molly Bramble of Louisa-Muscatine would go 0-2 on the day ending her run through the tournament. Bralyyn Wagler of WACO would win her first match of the day in a 2-1 decision over Katelyn Brokus. The two-seed Savannah Sistad would knock Wagler to the consolation bracket winning by fall. She would defeat McKenna Broadhead by fall in four minutes and 42 seconds. However, Mckenna Fetters would best Wagler by fall, eliminating her from the tournament.

Stay tuned to KILJ for results from day two of the State Tournament.

From Senator Mark Lofgren

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, February 2nd, 2023 at 5:06 pm CDT

 

Dear Senate District 48,

It is hard to believe we have now completed four weeks of legislative work for the state of Iowa. Next Friday, February 10th, will be the last day for senators and representatives to request drafting of bills and joint resolutions. This means that the following week we will begin to narrow our work to what is already on the table before us.

Way to Go, Winfield!
Congratulations to the City of Winfield for their award of a $500,000 grant for a wastewater treatment project. The Wastewater and Drinking Water Financial Assistance Program applications were awarded based on the program’s priorities and were judged by representatives from the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Follow the link below to learn more about this grant program and the recipients of this year’s funding.

Governor Reynolds Announces $9 Million in Grants to Assist 23 Communities Advance Water Quality Infrastructure – Iowa Finance Authority

Governor Releases Funds to Assist the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund 

This week Governor Reynolds announced additional funding for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. This fund was created to assist Iowa veterans and their families with certain costs related to education, emergency assistance, medical care, and unemployment services. However, due to record inflation caused by the reckless spending policies in Washington, DC, and an increase in applications, the fund’s set threshold for spending was surpassed causing a budget deficit.

Every year, the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund receives an appropriation from the Iowa legislature, as well as funding from the Iowa Lottery Authority. However, the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs approved more grants early in the year and as more requests continued to be submitted, the fund had been overspent, creating a backlog and resulting in the program being temporarily suspended. This week, Governor Reynolds announced $440,000 to cover the backlog and assist the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs in resuming the program to meet the needs of any outstanding grants that were previously approved. The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and the legislature will continue this program, while looking for ways to ensure the application and approval process for these grants is financially sustainable and the criteria used to determine grant eligibility do not exceed the funds available.

Some Facts About K-12 Education Funding in Iowa

 

Funding for K-12 students is one of the first things we address each year during the legislative session. Education makes up the largest part of our state budget, and our commitment to setting it early helps guide the rest of our budget process, but also assists schools in setting their budgets for the upcoming year. When we determine the amount of additional funds K-12 schools will be given, we  are committed to providing an amount to not only meet their needs but an amount that is a sustainable part of the entire state budget.

Each year, Iowa spends billions of dollars on K-12 education. State funding alone amounts to $3.8 billion for K-12 education. Combined with local taxes, SAVE funds, federal funds, and other miscellaneous sources, Iowa taxpayers will spend $8.4 billion on K-12 education for Iowa students next year. The money approved in Senate File 192 this week will dedicate an additional $107 million. Iowa taxpayers spend on average $17,068 per student in our state. $7,635 of that amount comes from the state general fund in SF 192.

Protecting Iowa Taxpayers

An error at the Department of Revenue could have led to a property tax increase of as much as $120 million for Iowa homeowners. However, Senate File 181, passed by the Senate on Wednesday, fixes this error, protects the property taxpayer, and provides clarity for local governments in future years.  It now advances to the Iowa House for their consideration.  Later this session Senate Republicans will be sharing a plan to simplify the number of levies, improve the transparency of how homeowners are taxed on their property, and limit the cost and growth of local government.
FFA Day at the Capitol

Tuesday brought a plethora of navy blue corduroy jackets to the Capitol. FFA students from across the state came to meet with legislators, tour our beautiful building and learn a little about the legislative process. It was an honor to visit with groups from Wapello and Wilton and to learn a little about some of the work they’ve been doing to promote agriculture in our state.

George Washington Carver Day and Other State Historical Society of Iowa Resources 

On June 16, 2022, Governor Reynolds signed SF 2380 that designates February 1 of each year as George Washington Carver Day. The State Historical Society of Iowa offers great resources for learning more about this famous scientist with Iowa ties, as well as others who were connected to him during his time in Iowa. Follow this link to these resources as well as other great tools for learning with primary sources, for learning about the history of Iowa and cultural events around the state.

Visitors to the Capitol This WeekAlong with FFA students and their teacher sponsors, the Capitol was busy as always! The list of visitors this week included the Fraternal Order of the Police, the Iowa Firefighters Association, the Iowa Chiropractic Society, the Iowa Occupational Therapy Association, Iowa Public School Superintendents, M Power U Student Presentations, the Iowa Association of Realtors and Habitat for Humanity.

The Life of a Legislator

An Iowa Legislator’s schedule doesn’t just include subcommittee and committee meetings, floor debate, events at the Capitol during session and evening legislative receptions in Des Moines. I am often invited to attend and speak at public forums, round table discussions, community events and civic and county planning sessions. This past week I attended the Burlington Police Department’s Law Enforcement Round Table Discussion with Attorney General Brenna Bird.  Sometimes I am fortunate to bring along my granddaughter, Gracie and we are able to make a day of it with a road trip out of town and a Grandpa and Gracie Lunch Date!
Best regards,
Mark

Frances Barr (final arrangements)

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, February 2nd, 2023 at 4:57 pm CDT

Frances L. Barr, 91, of Mt. Pleasant, died Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center Hospice House, West Burlington, IA.

The funeral service for Mrs. Barr will be held at 1:30 PM on Wednesday, February 8 at the First United Methodist Church, 309 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant. The Reverend David H. Bracht-Wagner, Senior Pastor, will officiate. Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant. Friends may call from 9 AM to 7 PM on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mount Pleasant. The family will not be present.

Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the First United Methodist Church. Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com.

Mrs. Barr, the former Frances Louise Bain, was born November 12, 1931 on the family farm, rural Henry County, Iowa. She was the daughter of Roscoe and Lola (Crile) Bain. She attended rural country schools and graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School. On November 16, 1952 at the Green Mound Church of God, rural Trenton, IA, Frances was united in marriage to Kenneth Frank Barr. Mr. Barr died Saturday, December 3, 2022 at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City.

Frances worked at the former Henry County Bank and the Henry County Courthouse. With the birth of her children, Frances became a full time mother and homemaker. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church, the former United Methodist Women and a Circle of the church. She enjoyed all types of crafts involving cloth material – quilting, crocheting, needlepoint and knitting. She also enjoyed gardening, whether it was raising vegetables or flowers.

Those thankful for sharing in Frances’ life include her 3 children – John Mark Barr  & Philip Matthew Barr, both of Mt. Pleasant, and Linda Louise Barr of Annandale, VA; 2 granddaughters – Megan and Allison Martin;  a brother and his wife – Ronald & Carol Bain of Mt. Pleasant; a sister-in-law, Mrs. Brenda Bain of Mt. Pleasant; and a sister-in-law and brother-in-law – Wanda & Duane Thomas of Mt. Pleasant.

Her parents, husband and a brother – David Bain, precede Frances in death.

School Board Finance Committee Meeting

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, February 2nd, 2023 at 3:57 pm CDT

Mount Pleasant Community School District

FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING

Mt. Pleasant CSD – Central Office

1010 East Washington Street – Suite 102

Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641

The Mount Pleasant Board of Education FINANCE COMMITTEE will meet at 3:00pm on Friday, February 3, 2023, to review/discuss:

 

  1. FY24 Possible New Money Calculations (General Fund)
  2. Revision of Board Policy 701.5 General Fund Reserves and Fund Balance Reporting
  3. FY24 Health Insurance Renewal
  4. Grant Funding Update
  5. School Board Director District Boundaries Update
  6. Review Proposed 2023-2024 School Calendar
  7. Negotiations Opening with AFSCME Local 3865

 

The meeting is open to the public and patrons are welcome

From Rep. Taylor Collings

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, February 2nd, 2023 at 1:41 pm CDT
To the People of House District 95

 

We are officially a month into the 90th General Assembly and some big items continue to be tackled by House Republicans. The biggest news this week though is that my first bill as a state legislator has officially been introduced, House File 152.

 

Establishing a Rural School Security Fund

On Monday it was an exciting moment as I introduced my first bill which establishes a Rural School Security Fund within the State Treasury, creating a dedicated funding stream to support school resource officer positions in some of our most rural parts of the state.

The fund works by creating a cost sharing agreement between the state and any school district with 1,000 or less K-12 students by supporting 20% of the costs associated with one School Resource Officer position. With counties and cities oftentimes covering part of the costs associated with these positions, due to the fact that the deputy or officer is rolled out onto summer patrol outside of the school year, not only does the school district benefit, but also the community as a whole.

No parent should have to worry about whether their child is safe after dropping them off at school, and that’s 17 of my republican colleagues have joined me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. Creating the Rural School Security Fund is just one step, but a giant one in protecting our state’s greatest asset – our children.

 

Volunteer EMS and Firefighter Legislation

Across Iowa we have seen an increased need for volunteer emergency medical care providers and firefighters. Rural communities in Iowa have for years seen a rise in need for volunteers. As Iowans have faced the challenges of natural disasters and the pandemic.

Iowans have sacrificed and volunteered to ensure that fellow Iowans are taken care of. Volunteer emergency medical care providers, firefighters, and reserve peace officers work diligently to assist their communities in time of needs. These volunteers are often first on the scene to provide medical care, fight fires, and during the pandemic to help distribute PPE supplies in their communities.

One way to commit to improving Emergency Medical Services throughout the state is to authorize municipalities, counties, townships, or agencies to implement length of service agreement awards as described in 457(e)(11) of the Internal Revenue Code for volunteer firefighters and emergency medical care providers. The Local Government Committee has reintroduced House Study Bill 19 to create a grant program to allow municipalities to provide an award to volunteer firefighters, emergency medical care providers, and reserve peace officers. The grant would provide up to $1 for $1 match in funding for municipalities that have established the award.

Authorizing local governments to establish these programs if they chose to, can give control to local governments to provide incentives for volunteers in communities in need of emergency services.

 

HHS Committee Advances Mental Health Legislation

This week, the House Health and Human Services Committee heard a presentation from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services on mental health. This included progress with the Mental Health and Disability Services Regions, a department bill to come for consideration, and regular reviews of Iowa’s Medicaid reimbursement rates to health care providers, including mental health providers. The legislature looks forward to reviewing these targeted reimbursement rate reviews later this month.

Additionally, the committee passed House File 23, a bill to expand the number of prescribing psychologists in Iowa. This bill removes barriers to them practicing in the state and will help recruit additional psychologists to Iowa.

The Iowa House has also unanimously passed House File 93, to prohibit non-compete agreements for mental health providers. This bill ensures that patients who have a good standing relationship with a therapist or other mental health provider can stay with that provider.

 

Redistricting / Weekly Newsletter

As many of you know, this last year we went through legislative redistricting where the district boundaries changed and your representative may have as well. As a result, if you received this newsletter electronically, you may be reading it even though I am not your Representative. If you would not like to continue receiving my newsletter, feel free to email me at taylor.collins@legis.iowa.gov!

 

Legislative Forums

As I mentioned last week, I will have two forums this weekend with Senator Lofgren this Saturday, February 4th. The first one being at 9:00AM at Wilton City Hall, and the second one being at 11:00AM at Wapello City Hall. I would love to see you there!

Sincerely,

Rep. Taylor Collins
Iowa House District 95

 

 

On Tuesday, Senator Lofgren and I welcomed the Wapello FFA chapter to the Capitol for the Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium.

 

 

Do the crime, pay the time! This week I was proud to cosponsor Rep. Rinker’s bill which strengthens penalties for felons who are repeatedly arrested for being in possession of a firearm and putting our law enforcement officers at risk.

 

This week we welcomed the SE delegation to Des Monies for the annual ‘Southeast Iowa Days’ Trip. Governor Reynolds was kind enough to stop out and say hello!

School Board Committee Meetings

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, February 2nd, 2023 at 8:46 am CDT

Mount Pleasant Community School District

SITE AND POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING

Mt. Pleasant CSD – Central Office

1010 East Washington Street – Suite 102

Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641

The Mount Pleasant Board of Education SITE AND POLICY COMMITTEES will meet at 4:00 PM on Thursday, February 2, 2023 to review/discuss:

SITE COMMITTEE

  1. Ed. Test Plot Presentation

POLICY COMMITTEE

  1. Second Reading of Board Policy Series 200 Board of Education
    1. Board Policy 202.3 President
    2. Board Policy 202.4 Vice-President
    3. Board Policy 204.10 Public Participation in Board Meetings
  2. First Reading of Board Policy 701.5 General Fund Reserves and Fund Balance Reporting Board
  3. School Board Director District Boundaries Update
  4. Review Proposed 2023-2024 School Calendar

The meeting is open to the public and patrons are welcome.

Sports, February 2nd

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, February 2nd, 2023 at 6:37 am CDT

High School Basketball

The Mt. Pleasant boys team, riding a 10-game win streak, will be back in action tonight at home against Burlington with the conference championship hanging in the balance. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 7:15 pm.

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to play Burlington tomorrow, February 3rd, at 7:30 pm. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 7:15 pm.

The Central Lee girls’ team will be competing in a conference shootout tomorrow and the boys’ will have their own shootout on Saturday, February 4th.

The New London boys’ team will face off against Davis County tonight at 7 pm.

The Danville girls’ team will travel to compete in their conference shootout game tomorrow and the boys’ will have theirs on Saturday.

WACO will travel to take on Louisa-Muscatine tonight with the girls going at 6 pm followed by the boys.

The Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will take on Cedar Valley Christian tonight at home at 7 pm.

High School Wrestling

The inaugural girls’ sanctioned wrestling State Tournament will take place today and tomorrow. KILJ will be supplying results throughout the day.

The next competition for the Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will be at the Class 2A District 9 postseason meet. To make it to state, wrestlers in Class 1A or 2A must finish in first or second-place and third-place finishers in Class 3A District Tournaments will also qualify.

High School Bowling

Mt. Pleasant will travel to face off against West Burlington tonight.

Iowa Wesleyan Athletics

The women’s basketball team will be back in action tomorrow, February 3rd, at the Crowley’s Ridge Classic. The Tigers are currently 5-0 in conference play.

The 23rd-ranked men’s team improved their win streak to 20 games and 21-1 on the season and they will be tested against #20 Florida College in a CAC Classic tomorrow.

The men’s wrestling team will be in another dual tonight against Graceland University on the road.

The women’s wrestling team will be competing in the Grand View Open on February 4th.

The Tigers next indoor meet will be Saturday at the Luther College Invitational.

Head Softball Coach, Mike Hampton, will be joining us on Tiger Nation this morning at 9 am.

This Day in Sports History

1892 – Longest boxing match under modern rules; 77 rounds in Nameoki, Illinois between Harry Sharpe & Frank Crosby.

1970 – Pete Maravich becomes first player to score 3,000 college basketball points.

2020 – Super Bowl LIV, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL: Kansas City Chiefs beat San Francisco 49ers, 31-20; MVP: Patrick Mahomes, KC Chiefs, QB; Chiefs’ 1st victory in 50 years.