Rodney “HotRod” Lee Smith

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, December 6th, 2022 at 5:30 pm CDT

Rodney “HotRod” Lee Smith, 72, of West Burlington, died Sunday, December 4, 2022 at Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Burlington.  He was born April 23, 1950 in Burlington to Clarence Edward and Anna Mae Roarke Smith.  He was a graduate of Burlington High School and a member of First United Church of Christ in Burlington.

He enjoyed hunting and fishing; smoking and drinking; had a great sense of humor; and always enjoyed a good joke.

Survivors include two brothers, Ronald Smith of Tunica, Mississippi and Roger Smith of Burlington; one sister Vicki (Mark) Kocol; his special friend Mary Wilson; and nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents.

According to his wishes, his body has been cremated and a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.  Elliott Chapel, New London, is assisting the family with arrangements.

Arrest in Officer Involved Shooting

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, December 6th, 2022 at 5:06 pm CDT

According to court documents the Henry County Sheriff’s office has executed an arrest warrant for Samantha Shumaker of Mount Pleasant. Shumaker is charged with one count of domestic abuse assault display or use of a weapon first offense and one count of false imprisonment.  The charges are in connection with an officer involved shooting that occurred December 3 when law enforcement responded to a domestic disturbance call at a residence on North Main Street in Mount Pleasant. Shumaker was wounded by an officer at the scene during the disturbance.  The officer has been put on leave and the Iowa Department of Public Safety Division of Criminal Investigation is conducting the investigation.

Grant Award Ceremony

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, December 6th, 2022 at 1:19 pm CDT

The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation is planning a celebration ceremony and announcement of their eighteenth grant-making awards and results. The event will be held December 13th in the Union Block building on the north side of the Mt. Pleasant square at 11am. Grant recipients, county elected officials and the public are encouraged to attend.

The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation applied, received, and was awarded $160,670 in County Endowment Funds. Under terms of the award 75% of the funds shall be awarded to county not-for-profits, communities, and charities.

A special grantmaking committee of the foundation has been busy receiving and evaluating grant applications. 40 grant applications were received totaling over $482,000. The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation is actively seeking contributions and gifts to build the grantmaking capacity of the new foundation.

For more information contact:

The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation

Lora Roth

Administrator

319-385-8728

lora@kilj.com

 

Henry County Board of Supervisors Meeting Agenda

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, December 6th, 2022 at 6:18 am CDT

AGENDA

 December 6, 2022

Approve Agenda

Approve Minutes

9:00 Jake Hotchkiss, Engineer Weekly Update

9:30 Great River Housing Trust Fund Presentation & Request

Other County Business as time allows

Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates

 

 

Sports, December 6th

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, December 6th, 2022 at 6:11 am CDT

High School Basketball

The Holy Trinity Catholic boys team bounced back in a big way against Highland as they clobbered the Huskies 74-24 for their first victory of the year. They’ll be back in action tonight when they host Mediapolis at 7:30 pm.

The Holy Trinity Catholic girls team will host Mediapolis at 6 pm tonight.

Central Lee will play host to Burlington Notre Dame tonight with the girls game scheduled to start at 5:30 pm and the boys to follow.

The Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team will be back in action tonight when they host Oskaloosa at 7 pm as they look for their first victory of the season..

The New London girls and boys basketball teams next game will be on the road against Danville tonight with the girls starting at 6 pm followed by the boys.

The WACO girls and boys basketball teams will travel to Winfield-Mt.Union tonight with the girls scheduled to start at 6 pm.

The Mt. Pleasant boys basketball team will have to wait until December 9th to play again as they will travel to Keokuk for tip-off at 7:30 pm. KILJ will be on the call with pregame at 7:15 pm.

High School Wrestling

The Mt. Pleasant girls wrestling team competed in the Williamsburg Girls Invitational last night with Jayden Housh capturing first place in her weight class going 3-0 on the night. Ella McNamee won third place by major decision over Madi Lundvall of Wapello. Zenlynn Lee also won in her third place match by fall. Natalie Parrott finished in fourth place as she fell in the third place match. Lastly, Alexis Wagner fought her way to the fifth place match but lost by fall to finish in 6th place. The Panthers will be traveling to Keokuk to wrestle Thursday, December 8th.

.Elementary Basketball Tournament

The Mount Pleasant Christmas Holidays 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament for 3rd – 8th grade boys and girls will be held on Dec 17th, 2022. For more registration details contact Coach Ronnie Ashton at 319-931-2896.

Iowa Wesleyan Athletics

The men’s basketball team is 11-1 on the season and on a 10-game winning streak. However, Coach Ashton knows it will be tough to keep their win streak intact against Western Illinois tomorrow at 6 pm.

The women’s basketball team’s next game is December 13th on the road against Grace College at 2 pm. Isabell West was also named Continental Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week. This honor came after her 35 point performance last Saturday against College of the Ozarks where she was four points shy from the single-game scoring record of 39 set by her sister, Brittany West. This is her first time receiving this recognition and the first for either basketball program for Iowa Wesleyan.

The women’s wrestling team’s match tomorrow has been cancelled and has not been rescheduled as of yet. Their next match is December 16th at the Avila University Dual Tournament. The men’s wrestling team’s next match will be January 10th at Central Methodist University.

The Tigers had two school records broken at the Frigid Bee Invite last weekend. Faith Younce finished in 2nd in the 3,000-meter racewalk with a time of 17:55 and Lilly Garnsey ran a time of 20:27 in the 5,000 meter race, which broke the record by over 32 seconds. Iowa Wesleyan’s next Indoor Track and Field competition will be Friday, December 9th, at the Grinnell Opener at 9 am.

The American Football Coaches Association, AFCA, and the American Football Coaches Foundation selected Iowa Wesleyan’s Head Football Coach MD Daniels to participate in the AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches’ Leadership Institute scheduled for January 8th at the 2023 AFCA Convention. These coaches were whittled down from a field of over 200 coaches with talents coming from the Power 5 Division I level of college football. Coach Daniels navigated the Tigers to their highest win total since 2014 and doubled his win total from his first full year, finishing 4-7. The defense was outstanding this year, breaking four school records including most sacks in a game, fewest rushing yards allowed in both a game and season, and fewest total yards allowed in a season.

This Day in Sports History

1961 – 27th Heisman Trophy Award: Ernie Davis, Syracuse. Making history as the first African-American to be awarded the Heisman Trophy.

1988 – Milwaukee Bucks win their 1,000th NBA game (2nd fastest).

1992 – San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice catches NFL record 101st touchdown in a 27-3 win over Miami Dolphins at Candlestick Park.

The AFCA Selects Iowa Wesleyan’s Head Football Coach MD Daniels

By Slaten Swords · Monday, December 5th, 2022 at 1:44 pm CDT

Iowa Wesleyan- The American Football Coaches Association, AFCA, and the American Football Coaches Foundation selected Iowa Wesleyan’s Head Football Coach MD Daniels to participate in the AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches’ Leadership Institute scheduled for January 8th at the 2023 AFCA Convention. These coaches were whittled down from a field of over 200 coaches with talents coming from the Power 5 Division I level of college football.

Coach Daniels was hired in 2019 to serve as the Defensive Coordinator but by season’s end he was named the 50th head coach in Tigers history. He took over the program during its change from Division III to NAIA and has expanded it from 67 student-athletes to around 140. In his second full season this year, Coach Daniels navigated the Tigers to their highest win total since 2014 and doubled his win total from his first full year, finishing 4-7. The defense was outstanding this year, breaking four school records including most sacks in a game, fewest rushing yards allowed in both a game and season, and fewest total yards allowed in a season. Five players from the defense were given North Star Athletic Association Conference honors with Major Niccum and Joseph Pace headlining with 1st Team honors.

Sports, December 5th

By Slaten Swords · Monday, December 5th, 2022 at 7:43 am CDT

High School Basketball

The Mt. Pleasant boys basketball team dropped a close one to West Burlington last Saturday 53-51. The game was back-and-forth for the entire 32 minutes with the Panthers leading 51-50 with three minutes left; however, the Falcons shut down the Panthers and skirt pass with the win. Aaiden Ashton knocked down two threes on his way for the team leading 15 points with Carter Amos adding 12 to the effort. The boys team will have to wait until December 9th to play again as they will travel to Keokuk for tip-off at 7:30 pm.

The Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team will be back in action tomorrow, December 6th, when they host Oskaloosa at 7 pm.

The Holy Trinity Catholic boys team will look to bounce back tonight against Highland at 7:30 pm and the girls team will host Mediapolis at 6 pm tomorrow.

The New London girls and boys basketball teams next game will be on the road against Danville tomorrow with the girls starting at 6 pm followed by the boys.

Central Lee will play host to Burlington Notre Dame tomorrow with the girls game scheduled to start at 5:30 pm and the boys to follow.

The WACO girls and boys basketball teams will travel to Winfield-Mt.Union tomorrow with the girls scheduled to start at 6 pm.

High School Wrestling

The Mt. Pleasant girls wrestling team competed in the first Willard Howell Girls Invitational last weekend. Ella McNamee continued her dominance as she finished in first place winning all of her matches by fall, she is now 9-0 on the season. Natalie Parrott lost in the second round of the consolation bracket. Jayden Housh went 2-2 over the weekend falling in the consolation semifinals. Bianca Bain fell in the second round of the consolation bracket and Zenleynn Lee finished in second place as Bralynn Wagler of WACO won by fall in the championship match. They will be competing in the Williamsburg Girls Wrestling Invitational tonight.

The boys team competed in the 58th Willard Howell Invitational with Ramzy Davis falling in the first round of the consolation round. Bowen Davis had the best finish for the Panthers as he placed in 3rd defeating Hayden Hill of Wilton by fall. William Birdsell won the 5th place match by fall over Owen Jones of English Valleys-Tri County. The Panthers will be traveling to Keokuk to wrestle Thursday, December 8th.

.Elementary Basketball Tournament

The Mount Pleasant Christmas Holidays 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament for 3rd – 8th grade boys and girls will be held on Dec 17th, 2022. For more registration details contact Coach Ronnie Ashton at 319-931-2896.

Iowa Wesleyan Athletics

The women’s basketball team was able to take a big sigh of relief after coming out with the victory last Saturday against College of the Ozarks 68-65. The Bobcats kept it close despite being down nine for most of the fourth quarter. It was a superhero effort by Isabell West that led to the Tigers victory as she tallied a double-double with 35 points and 12 rebounds. Their next game is December 13th on the road against Grace College at 2 pm.

The men’s basketball team rolled through College of the Ozarks 95-62 for their 10th straight victory. The Tigers were red hot shooting the basketball in the first half as they shot 61% from the field and 59% from 3-point land. Four Tigers finished in double digits with Gacoby Jones leading the way with 18 points followed by Joey Brown IV with 15, Allante Pickens with 14 points, and Henry Shannon finishing with 11. Coach Ashton knows it will be tough to keep their win streak intact against Western Illinois on December 7th at 6 pm.

The women’s wrestling team will be back in action December 7th for a top ten matchup as they will host the #3 Grand View University Vikings. The men’s wrestling team’s next match will be January 10th at Central Methodist University.

Iowa Wesleyan’s next Indoor Track and Field competition will be Friday, December 9th, at the Grinnell Opener at 9 am.

This Day in Sports History

1973 – Chicago Cubs Ron Santo becomes 1st baseball player to invoke 10-5 rule and veto his trade (with the California Angels).

1974 – NFL’s Seattle Seahawks forms.

1992 – 1st SEC Championship Game: #2 Alabama beats #12 Florida, 28-21.

Officer Involved Shooting In Mount Pleasant

By Theresa Rose · Monday, December 5th, 2022 at 5:47 am CDT

On December 3, 2022, at approximately 10:04 PM, Officers of the Mt Pleasant Police Department and the Henry County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a domestic disturbance at the 700 block of Main Street, where the male caller was being held at gunpoint. Upon arrival, Officers encountered a male calling for help from the bathroom window. The male was able to exit the bathroom window. While attempting to make contact with the subject, the subject brandished a weapon and an officer discharged their weapon. The Officers were not injured during the encounter. The subject sustained a gunshot wound to the right arm as a result of the officer involved shooting.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) was notified and requested to investigate the incident. Per protocol, the Officer has been placed on Critical Incident Leave, pending the investigation. The name of the subject is being withheld, pending the continued investigation. The name of the officer is being withheld, pending an interview with DCI.

No further information will be released at this time.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.