Prep Boys’ Basketball: Burlington Notre Dame Soars to #3 in Class 1A

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 at 10:54 am CDT

Prep Boys’ Basketball- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) has released their third edition of the official boys’ basketball rankings this season and while the top teams of each class kept their spot there was a shakeup in all four of the classes.

Class 1A

St. Edmond is still the top team despite picking up their first loss of the season last Friday. It is important to note they fell on the road against Class 3A’s #2 Clear Lake squad, who is currently 7-0 and holding opponents to just 40 points per game.

The biggest surprise of the rankings was Wapsie Valley’s fall from #2 in the rankings to being completely unranked after three straight home losses, including a four-point loss to East Marshall and a one-point loss to Aplington-Parkersburg last Friday. That loss ushers MMCRU to #2 and Burlington Notre Dame to #3 in the rankings.

You’d been hard pressed not to move the Nikes up in the rankings after collecting their 12th win of the season and keeping their undefeated season alive against formerly #6 now #7 Marquette Catholic last Saturday on a neutral site, 85-71. Notre Dame is beating their opponents by 29 points per game as the offense shoots 51% from the field, while notching 10 steals per game on defense.

Shay Stephens continues his outrageous season as his 27.5 points per game ranks 5th in the state and 5th in Class 1A in assists per game.

Bishop Garrigan jumped over Boyden Hull to take over the #4 vacancy after the Comets dropped two of their last three games, including a 70-68 final against a top squad in Class 2A. The new team in the top 10 is St. Albert as the Falcons have won six of their last seven after falling to Underwood and Lewis Central in consecutive contests.

Class 2A

Unity Christian is 9-0 against Iowa teams, which kept them in the top spot of the class, but they will be tested this week with a matchup against #3 Western Christian on Thursday and Class 1A’s #5 Boyden Hull on Friday. Still, five of their nine wins have come by at least 20 points difference.

The talk of the class is last week’s showdown between #2 Treynor and #6 Tri-Center. The Trojans got to host and managed to come back after allowing Treynor to start the game on a 19 to 5 run to win 61-58. AJ Harder splashed five three for 28 points as Treynor’s offense betrayed them in the later stages of the game.

The loss cause Treynor to trickle back to #6 in the rankings and Tri-Center to move up only one spot to #5. Regina Catholic, Western Christian, and Kuemper Catholic all moved up one spot in the rankings to fill up #2, #3, and #4, respectively.

The scariest team of the bunch is Kuemper Catholic. They have dominated most of their opponents when they win and their three losses all are against ranked opponents of higher classes, including a seven-points loss to Clear Lake and a four-point loss against Carroll.

We talked about Grundy Center as a team to look out for and after knocking off Wapsie Valley by 20 points and remaining unbeaten; the Spartans were catapulted to #7 in the rankings after Cherokee Washington fell to Central Lyon, knocking them out of the top 10. Grundy Center’s biggest challenge will be when #8 Denver comes to town on February 3rd.

Union Community and Cascade rounded out the top ten.

Class 3A

We have talked a decent amount about #2 Clear Lake already and for good reason as the undefeated club has dominated the defensive side of the ball, but #1 Ballard is the true gem of the class nearly midway through January.

The Bombers have defeated #4 ADM by nearly 20 points and a recently ranked #10 Carroll squad 57-41 on the road this past Tuesday. They average 70 points per game and allow a measly 45 points per game. They still have matchups against a formerly ranked Nevada squad this upcoming Saturday and ADM and Carroll again, but this is the team to beat.

Xavier tumbled from #3 in the rankings last week to #7 this week after losing to Cedar Rapids Kennedy 67-60 and Marion 74-60 last week. A loss to two unranked teams is a rough way to go, but they will get a chance to redeem themselves tonight against Class 4A’s #10 Linn-Mar at home.

Nevada was not the only team cut from the top 10 as Knoxville was also ejected after a ranked matchup against Pella went sideways quick and an eight-point loss against Pella Christian started this week.

Oskaloosa, whose 81-79 win over #5 Pella is carrying tremendous weight, took control of the #9 spot in the rankings. This team has been far from perfect, in fact, just 3-2 against teams with a record over 0.500 but they do enough to win. They average 10 steals and just 11.9 turnovers per game. Still, a matchup to keep your eyes on will take place next Monday, January 19th, in Oskaloosa when Keokuk comes to town with a big presence in Jaxon Clark.

Class 4A

Ironic that the most competitive of the classes had the most consistency amongst the top three spots as Cedar Falls, Waukee Northwest, and Dowling Catholic kept their respective spots, combining for a record of 27-1.

Last week we talked about Muscatine being a tough team and they still are but their resume took a hit when they lost 60-57 to Bettendorf on the road and Pleasant Valley was taken out of the top 10 after losing all three of their contests in the month of January, which was their best win of the season.

So, the Muskies go from #4 in the rankings down to #8 behind #7 Bettendorf after they also defeated Pleasant Valley last week 49-41. Muscatine and Bettendorf will square off again in early February, but the Muskies will have to go undefeated in that span for a spot in the rankings to still be on the table.

#4 Waukee is searching for revenge after falling to Dowling Catholic and Waukee Northwest in consecutive games before winter break. Since then, the Warriors have defeated Class 3A’s #5 Pella along with #9 Urbandale, 77-75, and previously ranked #8 Des Moines Roosevelt, 65-54. The Warriors are winning by an average of 12 points per game and will get rematches against Dowling Catholic and Waukee Northwest.

To round out the top 10, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln was ejected out of the top 10 after losing to Bellevue West 62-59 and only playing Nebraska schools since December 20th. Do not be surprised if the Lynx find their way back into the top 10 if they get back to winning.

Linn-Mar snatched that #10 slot as they have ripped off six straight wins after losing their first two games of the year, notably against #7 Bettendorf by 10 points and #1 Cedar Falls by four points. The Friday night matchup between the #10 Lions and #1 Cedar Falls at Cedar Falls High School will be entertaining to say the least.

More Information

For a full list of the rankings, follow this link: 3rd Edition of the IHSAA Rankings

Walking Track at MPCSD’s Central Campus Open for Public Use

By Kadie Johannson · Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 at 6:43 am CDT

The Mount Pleasant Community School District has opened its indoor walking track at Central Campus to public use.

The walking track is available Monday through Friday from 5:00 to 8:00 a.m., September through the end of May. Access is limited to the indoor track only, with entry through the southeast door of the building.

Adults age 18 and older must complete an application, pass a background check, and pay a $25.00 annual fee to receive a key/fob for access. District officials say keys are for individual use only and access is limited to designated hours and areas.

Additional rules and application details are available through the Mount Pleasant Community School District. You can download and print the application here or visit the district office for a copy of the application and to pay your $25.00 fee.

Sports, January 13th

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 at 6:35 am CDT

High School Basketball

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team defeated a depleted Burlington Notre Dame team last night, 33-22. Defense was paramount in the contest with both teams tabbing over 10 steals. Abby Carthey led the Panthers’ scoring with nine points, while Kinsey Cameron cashed in nine points for the Nikes. 

Mt. Pleasant will host Burlington on Friday, January 16th, with game one at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm.

Fairfield split the night against Van Buren County as the girls’ team held off a Warrior run to win 43-42 after a buzzer beater was waved off, while the Trojans boys’ team fell to Van Buren County 66-65 despite 31 points from Ethan Bisgard. 

Fairfield will take on Pekin at home on Thursday, January 15th, with game one at 6 pm.

New London will take on Van Buren County tonight with game one at 6 pm at home. 

Winfield-Mt. Union was swept by Holy Trinity Catholic last night with the girls’ team losing 46-39 and the boys’ team falling 51-34. Layne Rung scored 18 points for the Crusaders as boys’ head coach John Hellige collected his 100th career victory. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to Lone Tree tonight with the girls’ playing first at 6 pm.

Danville will compete against Holy Trinity Catholic tonight with the girls’ playing first at 6 pm on the road.

Burlington Notre Dame will host Central Lee tonight at 6 pm.

WACO will travel to Pekin tonight with the first showdown at 6 pm. 

Wapello will tangle with Louisa-Muscatine tonight with the night starting at 6 pm.

Columbus will take on Hillcrest Academy tonight at 6 pm on the road. 

Mediapolis will contend with West Burlington tonight with tip-off at 6 pm.

Boys’ High School Basketball Rankings

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released their third edition of the official boys’ basketball rankings and a top ten win vaulted Burlington Notre Dame into the top three of Class 1A.

In a neutral site showdown, the Nikes clipped #7 Marquette Catholic 85-71 behind Shay Stephens’ 24 points and nine assists. Burlington Notre Dame is off to a 12-0 start averaging 77.1 points per game with a defense that is forcing 10 steals per game. The Nikes currently sit behind St. Edmond and MMCRU, respectively, in the top 10. 

High School Wrestling

The Fairfield and WACO girls’ teams competed at the Ottumwa Invitational last night and the Trojans claimed 12th place with 57 points. Samantha Lyons led the Trojans with a 1st place finish in the 170-pound weight class, pinning all three of her opponents in the first round. WACO’s Makayla Morrison collected a 2-2 record for the night. 

The Fairfield girls’ and boys’ teams will head to Oskaloosa for duals tonight.

The WACO and Mediapolis girls’ teams will compete at the Mid-Prairie Invitational on Friday, January 16th. 

The Van Buren County girls’ team took on Fort Madison last night in a dual and fell to the Bloodhounds, 45-28. Armony Adams, Mallory Brauns, and Rylee Caviness each won their match for the Warriors. The Van Buren County girls’ team will wrestle at a tournament in Centerville on Thursday, January 15th.

The Wapello girls’ team will compete at the Lisbon Triangular tonight.

The New London boys’ team will host a triangular with WACO and Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union in attendance on Thursday.

Mt. Pleasant will dual Washington at home on Thursday.

The Mediapolis boys’ team will hold a triangular on Thursday with Wapello joining the fray. 

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will travel to Pekin for a triangular on Thursday. 

The Van Buren County boys’ team will square off against Highland on Thursday at home. 

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will compete in the Cascade Tournament on Thursday. 

High School Bowling

Fairfield swept Burlington last night with the girls’ team winning 2,122-1,849 and the boys’ team coming out on top 2,512-2,254. Emma Cass led the Trojans with 366 total pins in the girls’ meet. Fairfield will face off against Davis County at home on Thursday, January 15th.

Mt. Pleasant will take on Burlington at home on Thursday.

Southeastern Community College

The women’s basketball team will travel to Southwestern Community College tomorrow, January 14th, at 5:30 pm.

The men’s basketball team will host Harry S. Truman College tomorrow at 7 pm.

College Basketball

The #19 Iowa State women’s team will play tomorrow, January 14th, on the road against Colorado at 8 pm.

The #11 Iowa women’s team will host Oregon on Thursday, January 15th, at 8 pm.

The Iowa men’s team will look to regroup on the road against Purdue with tip-off at 5:30 pm tomorrow.

The #2 Iowa State men’s team will square off against Kansas on the road tonight at 8 pm. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will have the call.

This Day in Sports History

1972 – Bernice Gera wins an anti-discrimination case against the National Baseball Congress to be allowed to umpire. 

2004 – Toronto’s Tom Fitzgerald and Gary Roberts become the first teammates in NHL history to play their 1,000th NHL game on the same night as the Maple Leafs beat the visiting Calgary Flames, 4-1.

2019 – Houston guard James Harden scores 38 points in a Rockets’ 116-108 loss to the Orlando Magic; marks the 16th straight game with 30-plus points, matching Kobe Bryant’s NBA record streak. Additionally, Harden goes 1 for 17 from the 3-point arc, tying the record for most misses.

Forum with Local Health Care Experts to Discuss New Medicaid Rules Set For January 25, 2026 in Fairfield

By Kadie Johannson · Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 at 6:18 am CDT

Southeast Iowa health care providers and experts will discuss how upcoming rule changes to Medicaid health may affect area patients and facilities at a Fairfield forum on Sunday, January 25.

The program, organized by nonprofit advocacy groups the Rural Restoration Project and Jefferson County Indivisible, will be 2 to 4 p.m. at the Cambridge Learning Center on the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 2602 W. Burlington Ave.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in July 2025, includes numerous changes to Medicaid, which provides health insurance for low-income Americans. The bill is expected to cut Medicaid costs by almost $900 billion over the next decade. The largest part of those cuts is expected to come from a rule requiring states to verify recipients’ work status at least once every six months. The provision, which takes effect January 1, 2027, requires Medicaid recipients to prove they worked at least 80 hours per month unless they meet one of several exemption criteria. The rules apply to those who received Medicaid when eligibility for the program was expanded under the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that most of the expected savings will come from people dropping out of Medicaid, with an estimated 4.8 million losing health insurance by 2034. That includes 69,000 Iowans, many in rural areas, according to projections from KFF, a nonprofit, nonpartisan health care research organization.

Those cuts could represent significant income losses for small rural hospitals, most of which serve large Medicaid-dependent populations. The program provides as much as a quarter of receipts for some facilities. Confirmed speakers include:

  • Kerri Rupe, Ph.D., an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) and professor emerita at the University of Iowa School of Nursing.
  • Jacob Dobbs, director of Emergency Medical Services for Henry County.
  • Kyla Yates, ARNP at Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua. Yates previously worked as a certified nursing assistant and nurse manager at a local nursing home, where she oversaw meeting Medicaid and Medicare requirements for reimbursement.
  • Former Ottumwa Mayor Rick Johnson, retired chief executive of River Hills Community Health Center and former Iowa Department of Health and Human Services employee.

Each speaker will make a brief statement before taking questions. Leaders from Iowa Senate District 44, which includes Keokuk, Jefferson, Van Buren and Henry counties and part of Mahaska County, founded the Rural Restoration Project to build economic and social opportunities in the area through education and advocacy.

Jefferson County Indivisible is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting a healthy democracy in partnership with the national Indivisible movement.

Four Mount Pleasant Students Selected by SEIBA to Perform in Southeast Iowa Honor Band

By Kadie Johannson · Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 at 6:05 am CDT

Four Mount Pleasant students have been selected to perform with the Southeast Iowa Honor Band.

The students were chosen during auditions hosted Saturday in Fairfield by the Southeast Iowa Bandmasters Association, where students in grades 7 through 12 from across Southeast Iowa competed for spots in the regional honor band.

Selected from Mount Pleasant Middle School are seventh grader Peter Shroyer on trombone and eighth grader Karen Liu on flute. From Mount Pleasant High School, sophomore Carly Mullin was selected on bass clarinet, along with senior Caden Goetsch on baritone saxophone.

The students will perform with the Southeast Iowa Honor Band on Saturday, January 24th, at the Voxman School of Music on the University of Iowa campus.

KILJ congratulates these Mount Pleasant students on their achievement and the hard work that earned them a place in the honor band.

Ottumwa Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Online Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

By Kadie Johannson · Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 at 5:57 am CDT

A 33-year-old Ottumwa man has been sentenced to ten years in prison following convictions in Jefferson County involving the online sexual exploitation of a minor.

The Jefferson County Attorney’s Office says Randall Paul Dodds was sentenced Friday after being found guilty of grooming a minor and enticing a minor under the age of 16 for sexual purposes. The court imposed two five-year prison sentences to be served consecutively.

Following his release, Dodds will be required to register as a sex offender for life and will also be subject to an additional ten-year special parole sentence related to the grooming conviction.

The case stemmed from an undercover investigation by the Fairfield Police Department, in which an officer posing as a 13-year-old girl was contacted online by Dodds. Authorities say the investigation was part of proactive efforts to identify and stop individuals attempting to exploit children through digital platforms.

The Jefferson County Attorney’s Office says the sentence reflects the seriousness of crimes involving the sexual exploitation of minors and emphasizes that law enforcement actively monitors online spaces to prevent harm before it occurs.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to talk with children about online safety, including not sharing personal information online, reporting inappropriate messages or requests, and understanding that not everyone online is who they claim to be. Anyone who suspects online exploitation of a child is urged to report it to local law enforcement.

 

Great River Health to Close The Birthplace at SEIRMC in Fort Madison end of 2026 – Moving to New Maternal Care Model

By Kadie Johannson · Monday, January 12th, 2026 at 5:09 pm CDT

Inpatient labor and delivery services at the Birthplace at Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison will end after December 31, 2026.

Great River Health announced Thursday that those services will be expanded at the Women and Family Center at its West Burlington campus as part of a system-wide realignment of maternal care.

The change coincides with the upcoming retirement of Dr. Timothy Staudte, the sole obstetrician at the Fort Madison Women’s Health Clinic. Staudte has served the community for more than 21 years and plans to retire to pursue mission work with his church.

To maintain access to maternal services amid ongoing workforce shortages, Great River Health will expand its hub-and-spoke care model, which centralizes labor and delivery services at a primary location while continuing prenatal and postnatal care through local outpatient clinics. That model is already in place at Henry County Health Center and will be extended to Fort Madison by the end of 2026.

Under the plan, Women’s Health services in Fort Madison and at the Keokuk Clinic will continue and be strengthened with additional providers, including nurse midwives. Dr. Staudte will continue to care for obstetric patients with expected deliveries before the end of 2026 and will see new gynecology patients throughout the year.

Great River Health notes that efforts to recruit a replacement OB-GYN have been unsuccessful, reflecting a nationwide shortage. Iowa currently ranks last in the nation for OB-GYNs per capita.

A public forum to discuss the transition is scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, at 3:30 p.m. in the Administrative Conference Rooms at Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison. The public is invited to attend.

Read the full press release from Great River Health here.

TDT CPAs and Advisors Approaches 50 Years in Business

By Kadie Johannson · Monday, January 12th, 2026 at 3:47 pm CDT

TDT CPAs and Advisors is marking 50 years in business as the firm approaches its anniversary later this month.

Founded January 17, 1975, TDT has grown from two offices to six locations across Iowa, with offices in Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Centerville, Fairfield, Mount Pleasant, and Oskaloosa. The firm now employs 35 professionals and provides tax, accounting, and wealth management services to clients across eastern and southeastern Iowa and nationwide.

Partner Jodi Kerr says the milestone reflects the trust of long-time clients and the firm’s commitment to personalized service. TDT is also part of a nationwide alliance with CLA, giving clients access to additional technical expertise while maintaining a local approach.

Click here to read the full press release. Congratulations to TDT CPAs and Advisors on this milestone!