Douglas L. “Doug” Sammons (final arrangements)

By Theresa Rose · Monday, October 31st, 2022 at 6:16 am CDT

Douglas L. “Doug” Sammons, 63, of Mt. Pleasant, died Friday, October 28, 2022 at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City.

A memorial funeral service for Doug will be held at 6PM on Thursday, November 3, 2022 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant. Pastor Jeffery A. McPheron of the Trenton United Methodist Church will officiate. A private family burial will be held in the White Oak Cemetery, rural Rome, IA. Friends may call after 12 Noon on Thursday at the funeral home. The family will be present to receive friends from 4-6 PM on Thursday.

Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the Vintage Raven Kitten Haven of Mt. Pleasant. On-line condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.

Douglas Lynn Sammons was born November 26, 1958 in Mt. Pleasant. He was the son of Jerry Lee and Melva Elizabeth (Hill) Sammons. Doug was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. He graduated from Mt. Pleasant Community High School.

Doug was a construction worker specializing in concrete construction for the Wes Barton Construction Company of Mt. Pleasant. He had also worked for Whaley Waste Systems and the Pep Stop, both of Mt. Pleasant.

Doug enjoyed mushroom hunting, arrowhead hunting, fishing and relaxing at Oakland Mills. He was a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and loved to watch their baseball games.

Those thankful for sharing in Doug’s life include his mother Melva of Mt. Pleasant; 3 siblings and their spouses – Steve & Debi Sammons of Trenton, Tim & Bonnie Sammons of Mt. Pleasant and Kristi & Dale Wohlleber of Mt. Pleasant; a very special aunt – Debra Sammons; 5 nephews, 1 niece, 4 great nephews, 6 great nieces and 1 great great nephew.

His father and a nephew precede Doug in death.

Accident Reports

By Theresa Rose · Sunday, October 30th, 2022 at 9:19 am CDT

On October 27th,  just after 3 pm, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received several reports of a motor vehicle collision in the 2100-grid of Highway 78.  Initial reports stated a dump truck and pick-up truck were involved.  An investigation into the collision determined only a single vehicle was involved.  A  dump truck, hauling asphalt, was traveling east bound on Highway 78 when the vehicle left the roadway and entered the south ditch.  The dump truck was being driven by Jon Deshalter, 56 of Floris, when it entered the ditch and collided with a high line power pole.  The vehicle then rolled onto the passenger side spilling the contents of the box into the ditch.  The driver was removed from the vehicle and transported to the Henry County Health Center for treatment.

On October 28, at approximately 4:45 AM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a single vehicle accident on Highway 34 near Westwood. After an investigation, it was found that Faith Conner of New London, Iowa, was traveling eastbound on Highway 34 when the right rear tire of her vehicle blew. After the tire blew, she lost control of the vehicle and struck a portion of a cable guardrail along the shoulder of the roadway. No injuries were reported.

Sports, October 30th

By Slaten Swords · Sunday, October 30th, 2022 at 12:29 am CDT

High School Football

The WACO Warriors move on to the Quarterfinals after defeating Central City 48-12 Friday night. Louden Huisenga got the scoring going early after his 2-yard touchdown run on the Warriors opening drive led to 21 first half points. Coach Edeker mentioned after the game that his team seemed a bit down leading at halftime 21-6, and Simeon Reichenbach took over the third quarter scoring two touchdowns on the ground including a 39-yard highlight reel touchdown, a pick-six, and a 42-yard field goal. The Warriors will face Montezuma next Thursday at 7 pm as coach called it a business trip for his team.

High School Football Scores

Montezuma 60, Easton Valley 38

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 30, Turkey Valley 28

Newell-Fonda 35, Don Bosco 10

Fremont-Mills 30, Southeast Warren 28

Iowa City Liberty 24, Webster City 14

North Scott 38, Western Dubuque 15

Waverly-Shell Rock 49, Fort Madison 7

High School Volleyball

The Holy Trinity Catholic Crusaders are the Class 1A Region 8 Regional Champions and they will play next Tuesday, November 1st, at the State Tournament against Gladbrook-Reinbeck at 8 pm with KILJ on the call with pregame at 7:45.  

Mt. Pleasant Cross Country

Ben Carthey for the Mt. Pleasant Panthers ran at the State Tournament Saturday Morning at Fort Dodge. Carthey finished in 61st place with a time of 17 minutes 26 seconds. Ethan Eichhorn was the top finisher for Class 3A from Lewis Central with a time of 15 minutes 32 seconds. 

Elementary Basketball Tournament

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 bounced back from Thursday night’s loss and dominated York College 84 to 65. Breanna Wendland and Megan Teal led the team in points with 16 apiece. Their next game will be at home Wednesday, November 2nd, against William Woods University at 5:30 pm. 

The Tiger volleyball team ended the regular season on a five set epic winning 15-7 on the last set after Iowa Wesleyan and Harris-Stowe State had split the first four sets. Madison Saia led the team in kills with 12, while Mackenzie Springsteen tallied 18 assists. The Tigers end the year with a 6-25 record, a 4 win improvement from last year. 

The men’s basketball team opens the season on a win as they defeated Dickinson State 76-62 after outscoring Dickinson State 45-33 in the second half. Allante Pickens led the Tigers in scoring with 17 points on 6 of 7 shooting. They played Bellevue University Saturday night and lost 71-68 as the game was tied at 68 with 3 seconds to go before the Bruins made their free throw and would stay ahead thanks to an offensive rebound on the second missed free throw. Gacoby Jones led the Tigers in points with 17. Their next game will be November 2nd against William Woods University at 7:30 pm.

The Tiger football team moved to 2-3 in Conference play after falling to Dakota State University 12-6 Saturday afternoon on Senior Day. Only field goals highlighted the scoreboard as Lucas Mosqueda went 2 for 2 with a long of 35. Both offenses struggled to move the ball against these talented defenses as the Tigers committed 2 turnovers, while Joseph Pace collected an interception for the Tiger defense. They will end the season next Saturday, November 5th, on the road against Waldorf University at 3 pm.

The men’s soccer team fell to Waldorf 1-0 Saturday afternoon. The Tigers had 10 shots on goal for the afternoon. The Tigers end the season with a 5-12-1 record.

The women’s soccer team defeated Waldorf 3-0 to end their season. The Tigers scored all of their goals in the second half with Baylee Alvarado scoring the first goal off an assist from Jacqueline Campos. Bella Goodson scored unassisted in the 56th minute and Campos added to her stat line by scoring an unassisted goal in the 79th minute. The Tigers finished the season with an 8-8 record.

This Day in Sports History

1919 – Baseball league presidents call for abolishment of spitball.

1954 – 1st use of 24-sec shot clock in pro basketball (Rochester vs Boston).

2016 – Oakland Raiders break the single game record for most penalties in an NFL game gaining 23 in win over Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

October 31, 2022 – November 6, 2022

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, October 29th, 2022 at 11:32 am CDT
10/31/22
Chayse Conrad (10)
11/02/22
Gena Wyatt
11/03/22
Julie Brown
11/03/22
James Richardson
11/03/22
Rich & Judy Davison Anniversary
11/04/22
Jerry Keeley
11/04/22
Susan Haffarnan
11/04/22
Gayle Donnelly
11/05/22
Marlene Donnelly

Local High School Football Scores

By Slaten Swords · Friday, October 28th, 2022 at 11:11 pm CDT

WACO 48, Central City 12

Montezuma 60, Easton Valley 38

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 30, Turkey Valley 28

Newell-Fonda 35, Don Bosco 10

Fremont-Mills 30, Southeast Warren 28

Iowa City Liberty 24, Webster City 14

North Scott 38, Western Dubuque 15

Waverly-Shell Rock 49, Fort Madison 7

Doug Sammons

By Theresa Rose · Friday, October 28th, 2022 at 6:51 pm CDT

Douglas L. “Doug” Sammons, 63, of Mt. Pleasant, died Friday, October 28, 2022 at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City.

Funeral arrangements are pending at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant. On-Line condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com

West Liberty Foods To Close Mount Pleasant Facility

By Theresa Rose · Friday, October 28th, 2022 at 6:15 pm CDT

Iowa-based turkey processor West Liberty Foods will close its Mount Pleasant facility in 2023, affecting 350 employees.

The location has produced millions of pounds of pre-sliced deli meats since its opening in 2003. The facility is not meeting the needs of the company, due to a reduction in demand for the product, according to a news release sent Friday.

“Respect and care for people is a core value of our company, and shutting down a plant is a tough thing todo,” Brandon Achen, president and CEO of West Liberty Foods, said in the release.

“We are sincerely grateful to the City of Mount Pleasant for its cooperation and support over the past 20years,” he said. “Our core business remains strong and we will continue to adapt to meet the needs of ourcustomers.”

Layoffs will start Dec. 31, and the facility will close by May 7, 2023.

West Liberty Foods will offer Mount Pleasant workers the option to work at other locations, and said it will help with relocation and transportation services. It also will offer severance pay, reemployment services and assistance with filing for unemployment.

The company will distribute the equipment from Mount Pleasant to its facilities in Iowa, Illinois and Utah.

Iowa Utilities Board approves new public hearing date for proposed NuStar hazardous liquid pipeline project

By Theresa Rose · Friday, October 28th, 2022 at 3:22 pm CDT
 

Hearing to be held January 9, 2023, in Fort Madison 
(Des Moines) – The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) today issued an order establishing a new public hearing date regarding a proposed hazardous liquid pipeline project by Nustar Pipeline Operating Partnership L.P (NuStar) that is pending before the IUB in Docket No. HLP-2021-0002.

The IUB’s June 29, 2022, order previously set NuStar’s hearing for October 19, 2022, in Fort Madison, Iowa. On October 7, 2022, NuStar filed a motion to reschedule the hearing due to an error with regard to sending notice, as required by IUB rules.

On October 14, 2022, the IUB issued an order continuing the hearing and setting a scheduling conference for October 19, 2022, to discuss alternate hearing dates. At the scheduling conference, representatives of NuStar; the Office of Consumer Advocate, a division of the Iowa Department of Justice; and Hayes Menke 9, LLC, agreed to a new hearing date to begin at 1 p.m. January 9, 2023. The hearing will be held at the Quality Inn and Suites in Fort Madison, Iowa.

On October 10, 2022, NuStar filed a proposed notice of eminent domain proceedings, which will be sent to all landowners and affected persons with an interest in the property over which eminent domain is being requested. NuStar’s filing included a proposed eminent domain publication. The IUB reviewed the documents and, in an attachment to today’s order, indicated changes NuStar is required to make.

NuStar filed a petition (application) for a hazardous liquid pipeline permit with the IUB on January 27, 2022, under Iowa Code chapter 479.B. If granted, the permit would allow the company to construct, operate, and maintain 13.74 miles of hazardous liquid pipeline in Lee County, Iowa, to transport anhydrous ammonia.

Persons with disabilities who will require assistive services or devices to observe or participate in the public hearing should contact the IUB’s Customer Service staff at (515) 725-7300 at least five business days in advance of the hearing to request appropriate arrangements.

Documents regarding the proposed NuStar pipeline project are available for review in the IUB’s electronic filing system under Docket No. HLP-2021-0002.

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The Iowa Utilities Board regulates utilities to ensure that reasonably priced, reliable, environmentally responsible, and safe utility services are available to all Iowans.

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