Janey May Rice, 80 of Danville, died Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at Parkview Care Center, Fairfield. She was born September 9, 1940 in Palmyra, Missouri to Robert and Mina Grace Anderson Gosney. She married Ronald Leo Rice in Missouri.
Janey enjoyed cooking and gardening, was quite a collector, and loved the color blue.
Survivors include her husband; two sons, David (Juanita) Rice of Montgomery, Michigan and DeWayne Rice of Danville; eight grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Tommy and Jimmy Gosney. She was preceded in death by her daughter Donna Rice Barr; her parents; and her brother Johnny.
According to her wishes, her body has been cremated and there will be no formal services. Elliott Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.
College Football: Iowa’s DeJean Adjusting to College Football
(Via Radio Iowa)
Cooper DeJean says he is adjusting to the college level as he goes through preseason practice at Iowa.
The multi-sport standout led OABCIG to a state title last fall and has been working at safety for the Hawkeyes after playing quarterback at the prep level.
“I think my first time hitting when we were in pads, the physicality is just way different than small-town Iowa football. It’s been great so far, all the older guys are great to us, so it’s been good” DeJean said.
DeJean has been working closely at strong and free safety, spending time learning from senior starter Jack Koerner and is expected to make several special teams units.
The Hawkeyes will open their season at home September 4th against Indiana.
You can listen to that game on FM 105.5.
Prep Volleyball: Super Conference Clubs Back in Action
The prep volleyball schedule is starting to heat up as teams get the ball rolling on the 2021 season.
Tonight, three varsity matchups are on the slate.
West Burlington will take on Burlington at the Greyhound Dome, starting at 7:00 p.m.
Danville will host Highland, with first serve getting underway at 7:30 p.m.
Winfield-Mount Union will entertain Keokuk in Winfield.
Proceedings will get started at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday will be a very busy day in the conference, with programs traveling to Bondurant, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City for various tournaments.
Prep Football: Winfield-Mount Union’s Buffington Leading by Example
(Photo Courtesy: Dana Royer / thehawkeye.com)
Winfield — Winfield-Mount Union star Cam Buffington sounds like a coaches dream.
The all-everything, do-it-all sophomore is ready for his second year in the program and head coach Scott McCarty has him playing a position he’s not used to.
Buffington will play quarterback for the Wolves this year, as they aim to improve on a 4-4 season that ended in a lopsided defeat to Lone Tree.
McCarty said that Buffington is transforming the Winfield-Mount Union offense from the quarterback spot.
“Hopefully we can use the term explosive” McCarty said. “Big play after big play. I think this offense can be explosive. [Buffington] has a nice arm and he’s learning how to make reads and if you don’t like it you can do what you do.
Buffington, who is already committed to the University of Iowa after a terrific summer campaign, had been organizing off-site team workouts all summer, calling on teammates to hit the weights, run extra routes and get in shape.
McCarty believes that when your star works as hard as Buffington does, it’s easy to be infectious throughout the locker room.
“He pushes himself on every sprint and guys are always trying to catch him and he won’t let anyone take one off. We know that a player-led team will always be more successful then a coach led team.”
“When your best player is doing what it takes, doing the right things, is business, not screwing around, that changes the attitude and the mindset of the kids” McCarty explained.
KILJ producer and weekend host Griffin Humphreys also is on this year’s club.
The Wolves will open up their season on Friday, hosting Moravia.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Winfield-Mount Union Schedule:
August 27th — vs. Moravia (7:00 p.m.)
September 3rd — vs. Iowa Valley (7:00 p.m.)
September 10th — at New London (7:00 p.m.)
September 17th — vs. HLV (7:00 p.m.)
September 24th — at Lone Tree (6:30 p.m.)
October 8th — vs. WACO (7:00 p.m.)
October 15th — at English Valleys (7:00 p.m.)
Sports, Thursday, August 26th
Prep Football: Winfield-Mount Union’s Buffington Leading by Example:
Winfield-Mount Union star Cam Buffington sounds like a coaches dream.
The all-everything, do-it-all sophomore is ready for his second year in the program and head coach Scott McCarty has him playing a position he’s not used to.
Buffington will play quarterback for the Wolves this year, as they aim to improve on a 4-4 season that ended in a lopsided defeat to Lone Tree.
McCarty said that Buffington is transforming the Winfield-Mount Union offense from the quarterback spot.
“Hopefully we can use the term explosive” McCarty said. “Big play after big play. I think this offense can be explosive. [Buffington] has a nice arm and he’s learning how to make reads and if you don’t like it you can do what you do.
Buffington, who is already committed to the University of Iowa after a terrific summer campaign, had been organizing off-site team workouts all summer, calling on teammates to hit the weights, run extra routes and get in shape.
McCarty believes that when your star works as hard as Buffington does, it’s easy to be infectious throughout the locker room.
“He pushes himself on every sprint and guys are always trying to catch him and he won’t let anyone take one off. We know that a player-led team will always be more successful then a coach led team.”
“When your best player is doing what it takes, doing the right things, is business, not screwing around, that changes the attitude and the mindset of the kids” McCarty explained.
KILJ producer and weekend host Griffin Humphreys also is on this year’s club.
The Wolves will open up their season on Friday, hosting Moravia.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Winfield-Mount Union Schedule:
August 27th — vs. Moravia (7:00 p.m.)
September 3rd — vs. Iowa Valley (7:00 p.m.)
September 10th — at New London (7:00 p.m.)
September 17th — vs. HLV (7:00 p.m.)
September 24th — at Lone Tree (6:30 p.m.)
October 8th — vs. WACO (7:00 p.m.)
October 15th — at English Valleys (7:00 p.m.)
Prep Volleyball: Super Conference Clubs Back in Action:
The prep volleyball schedule is starting to heat up as teams get the ball rolling on the 2021 season.
Tonight, three varsity matchups are on the slate.
West Burlington will take on Burlington at the Greyhound Dome, starting at 7:00 p.m.
Danville will host Highland, with first serve getting underway at 7:30 p.m.
Winfield-Mount Union will entertain Keokuk in Winfield.
Proceedings will get started at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday will be a very busy day in the conference, with programs traveling to Bondurant, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City for various tournaments.
College Football: Iowa’s DeJean Adjusting to College Football:
(Via Radio Iowa)
Cooper DeJean says he is adjusting to the college level as he goes through preseason practice at Iowa.
The multi-sport standout led OABCIG to a state title last fall and has been working at safety for the Hawkeyes after playing quarterback at the prep level.
“I think my first time hitting when we were in pads, the physicality is just way different than small-town Iowa football. It’s been great so far, all the older guys are great to us, so it’s been good” DeJean said.
DeJean has been working closely at strong and free safety, spending time learning from senior starter Jack Koerner and is expected to make several special teams units.
The Hawkeyes will open their season at home September 4th against Indiana.
You can listen to that game on FM 105.5.
Women’s College Soccer: Clarke Beats Wesleyan:
Clarke scored once in the first half and twice in the second as the Pride earned a 3-nil win over Iowa Wesleyan last night.
Wesleyan goalkeeper Kylie Mulhern recorded five saves in the game, while Jacqueline Campos led the squad with two shots on goal.
The Tigers will be off until September 4th when they travel to take on the St. Louis University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
Marty Thomas
Marty Thomas, 58, of Mount Pleasant and formerly of the Chicago, IL area, was found at his residence on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 to have passed away the previous day.
There will be no funeral service. There are no local survivors. The Kimzey Funeral Home, Mt. Pleasant, is in charge of the arrangements. Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.
Grassley Still Not Ready to Say if He Will Seek Another Senate Term
Chuck Grassley says he is in a thoughtful mood about whether or not he will see re-election. Following his visit with the Mount Pleasant Noon Rotary Club the long-time U.S. Senator from Iowa said it will be known to him and to everyone else by November 1. He has been a senator since 1981. Grassley was first elected to the Iowa state legislature in 1958 and served there until he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974. He said he is considering his family and what Iowans are telling him. He said he still feels good and takes care of himself so health is not a consideration in his decision. He also made it clear his decision is not based on the job itself because he still loves serving the people of Iowa.
MOUNT PLEASANT SHOWS SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN 2020 CENSUS
MOUNT PLEASANT, IA – Henry County, and more specifically Mount Pleasant, was one of the big winners in the recently announced 2020 Census Data. The census numbers show Henry County experienced a 1.7 percent growth, with the city of Mount Pleasant seeing a 7 percent increase.
“It’s so exciting to be one of the 30 counties in Iowa that are growing. Especially considering we are one of the very few rural counties to grow”, said Kristi Perry, Executive Vice President of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance.
Mount Pleasant was one of the highest ranked cities above 5,000 which is outside of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Mount Pleasant grew from 8,668 people in 2010 to 9,274 in the 2020 census. Much of that growth is directly attributed to the growth at Iowa Wesleyan University.
“Iowa Wesleyan University has experienced steady and strategic enrollment growth for the past five years. Between 2015 and 2020, we experienced an enrollment headcount increase of more than 56%. We are delighted to see how this growth has impacted the census numbers for our community,” said Chris Plunkett, Iowa Wesleyan University President. “Once again, we are expecting record-breaking enrollment for our new fall 2021 students and total University headcount. We will continue to do our part to help support the growth of the rural communities in Southeast Iowa.”
Another important factor in the growth of Mount Pleasant is the private/public partnerships designed to improve housing stock. Back in 2014, a Housing Needs Assessment gave Mount Pleasant the direction needed to address their shortfall. Projects such as Ashford Park, Threshers Meadows, Bell Subdivision, and Robin Run are just a few examples of new single-family housing. In addition to that, projects like Heather Branch Estates and a strong interest in downtown upper story housing make Mount Pleasant a very appealing community.
Salem and New London were other communities in Henry County showing a positive population growth in this census. As for the state, nearly 3.2 million people now live in Iowa, a 4.7 percent increase from 2010.
The Mount Pleasant Area Development Commission is part of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance which also includes the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Mount Pleasant and Henry County Tourism.