Hoot Wilson (final arrangements)

William John “Hoot” Wilson, 57, of Mount Pleasant, died Thursday, August 4, 2022 at his home.  He was born in Burlington, Iowa on July 6, 1965 to William C. and Linda J. McCleeary Wilson.  He was a 1984 graduate of Mount Pleasant High School and a member of the Mount Pleasant First United Methodist Church, where he married Jodi Lynn O’Neill on December 22, 1990.

He began his work career as an iron worker in New York, then came home and helped his father with the family farm.  When the WalMart Warehouse needed some upgrades in the early 90’s he began working for Rapistan as an iron worker again.  He enjoyed farming and bulldozing on the family farm until his health prevented it.

He loved to hunt and fish, motocross race, was known as a “Boogie Boarder” on the Mississippi and Skunk, and enjoyed trips out west with his parents on motorcycles, with Pikes Peak, Jackson Hole and Montana being highlights. He trapped in high school and used the money to buy his guns, and his stuffed badger was his pride and joy.

Hoot is survived by his wife, Jodi of Mount Pleasant; son, Clayton John and daughter, Molli Rae, both of Mount Pleasant; his mother, Linda Wilson of Mount Pleasant; sister, Debra Heitmeier (Kelly Baker) of Mount Pleasant; mother-in-law Donna O’Neill Dunn (Doyle Dunn) of Mount Pleasant; sisters-in-law, Lennie Broeg (Kurt Broeg) of Parnell, Iowa, and Melanie O’Neill of Mount Pleasant; and many nieces and nephews who knew him as “Uncle Hoot”, Blake Heitmeier (Kaitlyn), and their children, Lyla and Charlotte, Ross Heitmeier (Sammi),  Cormac Broeg (Humaa), Navy Lt. Maeve Broeg,and Declan Broeg; many cousins, and friends and one special cousin and friend, Mike Fisher.  He was preceded in death by his father Bill, father-in-law Jim O’Neill and brother-in-law Rich O’Neill.

According to his wishes, his body has been cremated and a Celebration of Life will be held September 17 from 5-8 PM at the Moose Lodge in Mt.Pleasant.

Elliott Chapel, New London, is assisting the family with arrangements.  Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

 

Crooked Creek Days Ambassadors

Winfield Crooked Creek Days are here.  It’s a big weekend in the community of Winfield. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are filled with fun for all ages.  One highlights of this annual town wide celebration is the big parade on Saturday at 11 am. And the parade is always highlighted by the participation of the Crooked Creek Days Ambassadors.  This year the Winfield Historical Society Board has selected Charlie ad Lois Phelps for the honor. The couple are long time Winfield residents.  They also devote many volunteer hours to the Open Bible Church and the Food Pantry.

Daily Jail Count

Date:   ____8-05-2022_____

 

  20_    Henry County Inmates

 

  47_     Out of County Contract Inmates              

 

  67_    TOTAL

 

Henry County Supervisors Meeting Agenda for August 9

AGENDA

August 9, 2022

Approve Agenda

Approve Minutes

9:00 Jake Hotchkiss, Engineer Weekly Update

Resolution to Remove Stop Sign in City of Salem

9:30 Public Hearing & 1st Reading to Amend the

Henry County Standard Penalties Ordinance to

Increase the fine for a Simple Misdemeanor to the limit

Allowed in Code of Iowa Chapter 331.302(2)

10:00 Lynn Whaley Monthly Update

10:15 Motion to Discuss & Consider Insurance Agencies

Other County Business as time allows

Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates

 

LCHD Announces HRSA Grant Award

Lee County Health Department (LCHD) received notice from the Department of Health and Human Services they have received a $547,302 HRSA (Health Resources & Services Administration) federal grant.  With this Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network Program grant LCHD will partner with Southeastern Community College (SCC), Blessing Health Keokuk, and Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center to develop a Southeast Iowa Public Health Academic Training Program.  This program will focus on creating cross-training opportunities for new and existing healthcare personnel to learn principles of community health work, community resources, and public health concepts.  This program will be able to assist health care staff in referring to appropriate resources to better patient’s health.

“Lee County Health Department for many years has pursued local and state grant awards to implement programs and services based on the population health needs of the county. This is a very exciting moment for LCHD since this is the agency’s very first HRSA federal grant award,” states Michele Ross, LCHD Administrator.  “I’m very proud that Emily and Breanna, along with our committed partners, had a vision, and put that vision to application resulting in this highly competitive grant award.  This innovative rural workforce training project will bring public health as a career choice to the forefront of many young adults pursuing careers in health services.”

The project partners are also looking forward to the opportunity.  “This grant project will support SCC’s ongoing skills and workforce development in the healthcare sector, and improve economic vitality, and ultimately the health and wellness of our entire region,” adds Kristi Schroeder, SCC Dean of Health Professions.

“We have a longstanding history of working with Lee County Health Department, and are excited to collaborate with them on new opportunities to further meet the needs of the communities that we serve,” stated Kathy Hull, Chief of Small Rural Hospitals, Blessing Health System.

“We are pleased to work with LCHD and other collaborators on this grant to expand opportunities for the regions’ workforce. Competencies in resource navigation and public health are essential in the current landscape of value-based care and community health needs improvement strategies. As we work to address the social determinants of health in the region, we need a workforce that is knowledgeable in the intricacies of community resource navigation and referrals,” adds Vanessa Watson, MPH- Manager of Population Health for Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center.

LCHD Community Outreach & Development Project Coordinator, Breanna Kramer-Riesberg, will oversee the project.  Kramer-Riesberg also oversees Empowering Families in Lee County which works to improve resiliency and prevent child maltreatment in our community.  “Empowering Families has repeatedly stated the need to better connect people to resources and supports available in our community – this is one of the grants LCHD has applied for to meet this need in our community,” states Kramer-Riesberg.

The first couple months of the project will be establishing course content, and planning course times with SCC.  “We hope to have the first course participants start in January 2023,” states Emily Biddenstadt, LCHD Community Health Program Director.  “As we move through each course content will be adjusted, and we will be able to share updates, especially of community resources with past participants.”

Program students will have an opportunity to take part in hands-on-trainings with LCHD at rotating clinics in rural areas of Lee County.  Students will be able to work with residents to provide support and complete referrals to community resources to improve health outcomes.  There will also be opportunities for current healthcare workers to be part of the program through a series of “Lunch and Learn” presentations.  As the program progresses, clinics and presentations will be announced through the media and on the LCHD website (www.leecountyhd.org) and social media.

Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association to Hold Open House and Field Day Ribbon cutting on new research farm facility

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Iowa – Farmers and farm businesses in southeastern Iowa are invited to join the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach on Sept. 8 at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm for an open house and ribbon cutting for their new Research and Learning Center building and to celebrate the Southeast Research Farm’s 35th anniversary. The event will start at noon with a complimentary lunch, which will include hamburgers grilled by the Washington County Cattlemen.

Following lunch there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Research and Learning Center building with some comments from special guests from Iowa State University, including President Wendy Wintersteen; John Lawrence, vice president for extension and outreach; Dan Robison, endowed dean’s chair in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Kendall Lamkey, agronomy department chair; and Steve Harris, chair of the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, and the Department of Entomology.

There will also a presentation looking back at the 35-year history of the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association and the Southeast Research Farm by Tim Goode, Iowa State research farms manager, and a farm update provided by Cody Schneider, Southeast and Muscatine Island Research Farms superintendent.

The day will end with networking, informal discussions, field plot tours and dessert.

The association was founded in 1983 by local farmers from a 21-county area to collaborate with Iowa State on locally relevant research for southeast Iowa. An elected board of directors manages the association, with Iowa State staff coordinating research and demonstrations on the farm.

Anyone can be a member of the association. Membership fees are $25 for five years. Members receive notice of meetings and events and contribute to continuing support of agricultural research in southeast Iowa.

While there is no cost, for those who plan to attend, RSVP by Sept. 6 to help with the headcount for food either by going to https://go.iastate.edu/RWZOHU or by calling the ISU Extension and Outreach Johnson County office at 319-337-2145.

The Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm is located at 3115 Louisa-Washington Road, Crawfordsville, Iowa. To reach the farm, follow U.S. Highway 218 one-and-three-quarter miles south of Crawfordsville, then two miles east on County Road G-62, then three-quarters of a mile north. Signs will be posted near the farm.

Project sponsors included the Washington County Riverboat Foundation, Committee for Agricultural Development, local extension councils and others. If you are interested in contributing to the new Research and Learning Center, contact Ryan Drollette, farm management specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach and treasurer for Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association, at 319-337-2145 or seiara@iastate.edu. For more information, contact Schneider at schn145@iastate.edu.

Student Artwork Featured in Library Art Gallery

In a first for Mount Pleasant Arts IMPACT, the new art exhibit in the public library showcases the work of student artists.

 

Twenty-seven artists, all studying under the guidance of local art professional Annie Guldberg, are ages six through adult. The students worked individually in one-on-one lessons over the summer with Annie in her Mount Pleasant studio.

 

As part of the learning process, each student was challenged to create a piece that included both an element of drawing and an element of painting. Part of the challenge assignment suggested students create a self-portrait in any style or a drawing of one or more of the students’ personal interests. The finished product was to include a painted portion on 11” x 14” canvas. These are the works shown in the Mount Pleasant public library gallery display.

 

The current exhibit in the Mount Pleasant Public Library includes 27 examples from the student work produced. A fascinating part of the exhibit is seeing how each individual artist worked through the project in his or her individual way.

 

Annie Guldberg’s main teaching philosophy is to encourage all her students to love the process of creation. She believes that art, like any skill, can be learned with the right tools and practice. Given a relaxing, encouraging, and creative environment, Annie believes students of any age can be inspired to create.

 

Annie is a professional artist who lives in Mount Pleasant. She teaches private one-on-one art lessons in her studio as well as creating work for sale in galleries around the midwest. She is also known for her commissioned artwork in oils. Her website is www. OilPainterAnnie.com for those wishing to see her work.

 

The Mount Pleasant Arts IMPACT art gallery is supported by the Enhance Henry County Foundation.

Inaugural Women in Ag Farm Crawl in Washington, Henry Counties

WASHINGTON, Iowa – The inaugural Women in Ag Farm Crawl is set for Saturday, Aug. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Washington County and the Washington County Women in Agriculture Advisory Board are planning the event.

The farm crawl will feature four tour stops in the Washington County and northern Henry County area. The purpose of the farm crawl is to provide a fun networking opportunity for women and also a learning opportunity.

The following destinations are on the tour:

  • Hilltop Dairy. A fourth-generation family dairy farm, this will be the first stop on the farm crawl. Doug Roth is the current owner and manager of Hilltop Dairy, along with his daughter, Madi. They will share more about their operation along with where their milk goes after it leaves the farm. This stop will include some taste testing of dairy products as well.
  • Geode Forestry. Located in northern Henry County, Geode Forestry serves landowners in Southeast Iowa and west-central Illinois. Learn more about Iowa’s forest and timber industry and get an overview of managing timber acres, including new plantings, timber management, upkeep, and marketing and selling.
  • Iowa State’s Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm. Located near Crawfordsville, this farm is one of the outlying research farms that Iowa State has around the state. The Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association owns the farm, but the farm is managed by Iowa State. Learn more about the research farm and some of the local research projects being conducted while enjoying lunch. Following lunch, there will be a tour of some of the research projects.
  • Revasser Winery. The last stop will be at the Revasser Winery, which will include an optional wine tasting for those 21 years or older who are interested in participating for $10. Learn more about this winery, viticulture and winemaking.

Participants will meet at the ISU Extension and Outreach Washington County office between 8-8:20 a.m., and the tour bus will leave for the first stop at 8:30 a.m. The bus will return to the extension office by 3 p.m.

Registration is $30. Register by calling the ISU Extension and Outreach Washington County office at 319-653-4811 or register online