As the new year began Henry County residents had a chance to see the changes made to the interior of the Henry County Nature Center located at Oakland Mills. The facelift included construction of a huge tree for kids to climb in and a tunnel where the indoor fish pond used to be. Now it’s time to re-do the pond outside at the entrance to the Nature Center. Some other improvements coming before the summer season include re-roofing all the shelter houses in the parks and removing the pit toilets at Gibson Park and Mudcreek. Forty-five new fire rings for the camping areas will be purchased thru Iowa Prison Industries for $13,000 and a wash bay for equipment will be constructed away from the front of the shop. An assessment of the various parks that make up the Henry County Conservation district is underway so that planning can be done for future improvements.
Sports, January 17th
High School Basketball
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team had a terrific night both offensively and defensively against Danville to come out on top 65-30. Andrea Lopreato had a monster game, finishing one steal short of a triple-double with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 steals. Tristan Shull finished with 19 points adding 7 boards and 6 assists to the winning effort. On the night, nine Panthers scored and totaled 15 steals as a team. After starting the season 0-4, the Panthers are now 8-7 and Coach Watson credits his team for putting the pressure on opposing teams. Danville falls to 6-9 on the season. Mt. Pleasant will play conference foe, Washington, on Friday, January 20th, at 7:30 pm at home.
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will play Oskaloosa at home today, January 17th, at 7:30 pm.
WACO will be hosting a big conference matchup tonight against Winfield-Mt. Union with the girls going at 6 pm. The Wolves girls’ team is currently ranked 10th in Class 1A.
The Holy Trinity Catholic Crusaders will face off against Mediapolis tonight with the girls going at 6 pm followed by the boys.
Central Lee will play Burlington Notre Dame tonight with the girls going at 6 pm.
New London will host Danville tonight here on KILJ with both games being covered with pregame at 5:45 pm.
The Iowa High School Athletic Association released their rankings for high school boys’ basketball yesterday. Waukee Northwest in Class 4A and Xavier in Class 3A both lost their top spots. Cedar Rapids Kennedy is now the top team in class 4A and Bondurant-Farrar is atop the rankings in Class 3A. Class 2A is ruled by Central Lyon with West Burlington ranked 5th. WACO moved one spot up the rankings to 3rd in Class 1A as Grand View Christian still ranks 1st.
High School Wrestling
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team’s next match is January 19th against Fairfield.
High School Bowling
Mt. Pleasant will host Fairfield Thursday, January 19th.
Iowa Wesleyan Athletics
The women’s basketball team will look to get back in the win column Friday, January 20th, against Haskell Indian Nations at home at 5:30 pm.
The 25th ranked men’s team will play Haskell Indian Nations at the conclusion of the women’s game on Friday. KILJ will be on the call for both games with the pregame show at 5:15 pm.
The men’s wrestling team will be at home Thursday as they go against Cornell College at 6 pm.
The women’s wrestling team will be back in action tomorrow, January 18th, against Iowa Central Community College at home.
The Tigers next indoor meet will be Saturday,January 21st, at the Hilltop Invitational.
This Day in Sports History
1970 – Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s.
1988 – AFC Championship, Mile High Stadium, Denver: Denver Broncos beat Cleveland Browns, 38-33; features infamous “The Fumble”, Browns’ Earnest Byner fumbles at the Denver 3-yard line with 1:12 remaining resulting in the loss.
2012 – LeBron James becomes youngest player in NBA history to record 20,000 career points during the Miami Heat’s 92-75 victory over Golden State; James, 28 years, 17 days old, passed Kobe Bryant, 29 years, 122 days old.
Betty Jane Barr (final arrangements)
Betty Jane Barr, 98, of Mt. Pleasant, died Friday, January 13, 2023 at the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in West Burlington.
A funeral service for Betty will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, January 20th at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant. The Reverend James Zuehls, Interim Pastor, Peace Lutheran Church, Prairie Grove, will officiate. Burial will be in the White Oak Cemetery, rural Rome, IA. Open calling hours will be held from 12 Noon to 7 PM on Thursday, January 19th. The family will receive friends 1 hour prior to the funeral service on Friday.
Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to Peace Lutheran Church. On-Line condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com
Mrs. Barr, the former Betty Jane Ericson, was born at home in rural Mt. Pleasant, Iowa on October 26, 1924. She was the daughter of Bernard Rex and Nellie Ersa (Scarff) Ericson. She graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1942. On July 2, 1946 in Casper, Wyoming, Betty was united in marriage to Cloyce Wayne Barr. Mr. Barr died July 24, 1987 in Mt. Pleasant.
Betty worked briefly at the IAAP in Middletown. For almost 30 years, Betty held a position on the assembly line of the Champion Spark Plug Manufacturing (Iowa Industries) Company in Burlington. She retired in 1987.
Mrs. Barr was a member of Peace Lutheran Church, Prairie Grove, and the New London Lions Club. She was an RSVP Volunteer. For many years, Betty was very active in Square Dancing with her husband.
Those thankful for sharing in Betty’s life include her son, Terry Wayne Barr of Mt. Pleasant; two sisters – Evelyn Wieter of Largo, FL and Donna Luzadder of Hannibal, MO; two grandchildren – Terry Barr and Tara Goins and four great grandchildren – Brett Barr, Cole Goins, Cierra Goins, and Charli Barr.
Her parents, husband, four sisters – Grace Thompson, Mae Stutzman, Helen Ericson and one in infancy and four brothers – Edward and Ralph Ericson and two in infancy precede Betty in death.
High School Boys’ Basketball Rankings: WACO is in the Top Three for Class 1A
Boys’ Basketball- The Iowa High School Athletic Association has released their third rankings of their inaugural season of ranking teams. Two of the number one teams fell from their thrown and a local team is climbing their way up the rankings.
There is a new top dog in Class 4A as Waukee Northwest lost to now ranked 4th, then ranked 6th, Valley 75-64 last Tuesday. Cedar Rapids Kennedy is now the top team and undefeated at 10-0. Ankeny Centennial and Indianola both fell in the rankings as Indianola lost their first game of the season. Pleasant Valley was the only team to fall out of the top 10 with Waterloo West moving up to be ranked 9th with Cedar Falls moving into the top 10.
Xavier had a tough week going from undefeated to now entering this week on a 2-game losing streak to unranked teams and now ranked 3rd in Class 3A. The new king of 3A is Bondurant-Farrar as the Bluejays are still undefeated on the season. Clear Lake dropped one spot to 6th after losing their first game of the season to Humboldt 85-80. Three teams fell out of the top 10 in #9 Des Moines Hoover, #8 Davenport Assumption, and #6 Williamsburg dropped two games, one of those to newly ranked Waverly-Shell Rock. Marion is now ranked 7th, Newton at 8th, and Waverly-Shell Rock took over 10th to bump up North Polk to 9th.
Class 2A kept the top two teams ranked in the same position as last week with Central Lyon holding the top spot. Roland-Story fell from being ranked 3rd to 4th after their first loss of the season to Grand View Christian by 18 points. West Burlington remained stable in 5th and Grundy Center replaced MFL MarMac for the 10th spot in the rankings.
WACO is now ranked 3rd in Class 1A after staying undefeated and having Gladbrook-Reinbeck fall to Grundy Center 58-52. Grand View Christian and North Linn, Troy Mills kept the two top spots, respectively, as the top three teams are all undefeated. Remsen St. Mary’s suffered their first loss of the year to Gehlen Catholic 57-51, so the Hawks fell from 5th to 7th. Bellevue went from 7th to unranked after losing two consecutive games to Cascade and Beckman catholic by a combined 10 points. Wapsie Valley bumped the bottom teams up a ranking taking over the 10th spot as the Warriors currently tout an 11-1 record on the season.
Mount Pleasant Utilities Trustees Meeting
Regular Meeting:
1:00 P.M. Tuesday
January 17th, 202
City Hall Council Chamber Room located at 307 E. Monroe St.
AGENDA
- CALL TO ORDER.
- Roll call.
- Approval of Agenda.
- MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING.
- Regular Board Meeting – December 20th, 2022 – Approval.
- Approval of Warrants.
- Treasurer’s Report – Jody Fuller
- LEGAL COUNSEL.
- Attorney – Timothy J. Whipple (Ahlers & Cooney P.C.)
- Management – Nate Lucas, General Manager.
- Cedar Lane Well #7 and Water Distribution System Project – Update
- Board review of the associated Bid Package #1 (Well Drilling) work.
- Board review of the associated Bid Package #2 (Well Equipping) work.
- Well #6 Water Treatment Plant PLC Renovation Project – Update:
- a) Board review of the associated PLC replacement work.
- Henry Street Water Main Replacement Project – No Update.
- a) Board review of the associated water main / service replacement work.
- Adams Street Substation 15 kV Sheltered Aisle Switchgear Replacement Project – No Update.
- Board review of the associated Adams Street Substation 15 kV Sheltered Aisle Switchgear Replacement Project work.
- Transmission System Power Supply Project – Update.
- Status update of the associated 69 kV transmission system power supply work.
- Monthly Activities.
- Customers.
- Employees.
- OTHER BUSINESS.
- Other Business, Unscheduled for Consideration by Board of Trustees.
- Executive Session – Personnel & Legal.
- a) (Executive Session pursuant to Section 21.5(1)(c) of the Code of Iowa for
legal purposes).
Next Regular Board Meeting: 1:00 p.m. Tuesday February 21st, 2023
Frank Allred (final arrangements)
Frank LeRoy Allred, 88, of Mt. Pleasant passed away on Thursday, January 12, 2023, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Memorial Services will be held on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at the Cottonwood United Methodist Church rural Wayland with Pastor Gerald Muller and Pastor Jeffrey McPheron officiating. The family will receive friends from 12:30 until time of the service at the church on Thursday. Burial will follow in the Cottonwood Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the Cottonwood Cemetery or to the Henry County Ambulance Service in his memory.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com
Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for his arrangements.
February Exhibit at Local Gallery
During the Month of February, the Mount Pleasant Main Street Art Center will be showing the Photography of Kirsten Heerdt.
A native of Colorado, Kirsten has called Mt. Pleasant home since 1996. Her education in journalism and commercial recreation & tourism has given her a wide variety of experiences. She has captured images from high atop the Rocky Mountains down to the fields of Henry County. Taking the road less-traveled has led her to some pretty amazing places.
Her reception will be held on February 9th from 5 to 7 pm with refreshments and music. This free and open to the public. The Mount Pleasant Main Street Art Center is located at 106 S. Main Street.
Sports, January 16th
High School Basketball
The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host Danville tonight, January 16th, at 7:30 pm. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 7:15 pm. The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will play Oskaloosa at home tomorrow, January 17th, at 7:30 pm.
WACO will be hosting a big conference matchup tomorrow against Winfield-Mt. Union with the girls going at 6 pm.
Danville swept HLV over the weekend with the girls winning 61-45 and the boys dominating 84-47 with Caiden Gourley leading the Bears in scoring with 22 points missing only two shots on the night.
The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team defeated Fort Madison 49-36 over the weekend and the Crusaders fell in the boys game 52-51 despite a furious 20-point fourth quarter. The Crusaders will face off against Mediapolis tomorrow with the girls going at 6 pm followed by the boys.
Central Lee will play Burlington Notre Dame tomorrow with the girls going at 6 pm.
New London will host Danville tomorrow here on KILJ with both games being covered with pregame at 5:45 pm.
High School Wrestling
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team competed at the Centerville Big Red Invitational over the weekend winning two matches. Bowen Davis won his match by decision and William Birdsell took his match by fall. Their next match is January 19th against Fairfield.
Two wrestlers for the Mt. Pleasant girls team competed at the Mid-Prairie Invitational over the weekend with Jayden Housch going 2-2 at the meet finishing in 4th place and Zenlynn Lee also went 2-2 ending on a win to capture 5th place.
WACO had their Warrior Invite over the weekend and here are some of the highlights. Codder Malcom of Wapello snatched first place at 106-pounds. Zach Harbison was another winner for Wapello at 138 pounds. Dominic Lopez of New London defeated Louden Huisenga to take the title at 160 pounds. At 195 pounds, Josh Glendening of Mediapolis took the top spot. Lastly, New London took first place at the 220 pound weight class in Trent Wilkerson.
HWP released their rankings for high school wrestling with Don Bosco taking the top spot in Class 1A. Dom Lopez and Louden Huisenga are both ranked at 160 pounds with Lopez at #2 and Huisenga at #8. Josh Glendening of Mediapolis is ranked 2nd at 195 pounds and Trent Wilkerson is ranked 8th at 220 pounds. Burlington Notre Dame is ranked 2nd as a team with 5 wrestlers ranked with Carter West, Isaiah Fenton, and CJ Walrath all being ranked first in their respective weight classes. CJ Davis is ranked 4th at 120 pounds and Kaiden Dietzenbach is ranked 2nd at 126 pounds. Class 3A has Bettendorf taking the top spot. Two members of Fort Madison made the rankings at the #8 spot in Teague Smith at 170 pounds and Issac Thacher at 195 pounds.
High School Bowling
Mt. Pleasant will host Fairfield Thursday, January 19th.
Iowa Wesleyan Athletics
The women’s basketball team fell to College of the Ozarks 71-66 as the Bobcats had a strong third quarter outscoring the Tigers 29-15. Isabell West finished with a double-double scoring 19 points and gathering 14 rebounds. They will look to get back in the win column Friday, January 20th, against Haskell Indian Nations at home at 5:30 pm.
The men’s team cruised to an easy win over the College of the Ozarks 70-42 capturing their 17th victory in a row. Joey Brown IV and Victor Munoz tied for team lead in points with 11 followed by Henry Shannon and Gacoby Jones each putting up 10 points. The Tigers will play Haskell Indian Nations at the conclusion of the women’s game on Friday.
The men’s wrestling team will be at home Thursday as they go against Cornell College at 6 pm.
The women’s wrestling team sent six wrestlers to compete at the York University Open for freshmen/sophomores. Sydney Manos won the 191-pound bracket going 4-0 on the weekend, winning by tech fall in the championship match. The Tigers also went against #5 Augsburg University but fell 31-12. JoAnna Vanderwood won her match by decision to pick up the first win of the match for the Tigers. In the highlight match of the day with #1 wrestler in the NAIA went against the #1 wrestler in the NCAA, Adaugo Nwachukwu handled business winning by tech fall over Nina Makem to score the second win for the Tigers. They will be back in action January 18th against Iowa Central Community College at home.
The Tigers captured six events at the Dutch Athletics Classic over the weekend with Shermaine Preston winning the women’s triple jump at 30 feet 2 inches. Bri Hunter won the shot put with a heave of 41 feet 10.5 inches. Faith Younce and Logan Lucas each won the 5,000 meter race for the Tigers. In the sprint, Angel Lottie won the 400 meter dash with a run of 54.07 seconds. Lastly, the 4X400 meter relay team of Angel Lottie, Marlon Brown, Jabez Rivers, and Daron Jackson won the meet with a time of 3 minutes 37 seconds, two seconds faster than second place. Both the men and women placed 3rd in the meet. The Tigers will be back in action January 21st at the Hilltop Invitational.
This Day in Sports History
1966 – Chicago is granted an NBA franchise to be called the Bulls; it becomes the 3rd NBA franchise in the city, after the Chicago Stags (1946–50) and Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (now Washington Wizards).
2019 – Houston guard James Harden becomes first player to score 55+ points in back-to-back NBA games since Wilt Chamberlain (1962); scores 58 in 145-142 OT loss to Brooklyn; 18 straight games with 30+ points.
2020 – Former Sacramento State softball player Alyssa Nakken becomes first woman to hold a coaching position on a MLB staff when named an assistant by the San Francisco Giants.