Ellise Capen Tweed, 51, of New London, died Tuesday, July 19, 2022 in New London. Arrangements are pending at Elliott Chapel, New London
Fraudulent Check Scheme (update)
Two people from Bloomington, Illinois have been charged following an investigation into checks that appeared to be written on the Henry County Jail checking account. Messiah Johnson and Darriauna Jones are each charged with forgery and theft. It was discovered that multiple fraudulent checks totaling over $30,000 were deposited into suspect accounts. Johnson and Jones had previously been incarcerated at the jail in Mount Pleasant. Money taken from the pair at booking was returned to them as checks. These were used to create the fake checks. Further charges are pending.
Van Buren County Fair Royalty
The 2022 Van Buren County Fair Royalty Court was crowned Monday night. This year’s Queen is Kaitlyn Scheuemann. She will go on to represent Vann Buren County at the Iowa State Fair.
1st Runner Up & Miss Congeniality- Myriah Baker
Junior Miss- Audrey Smith
1st Runner Up & Miss Congeniality- Raylee Clark
2nd Runner Up- Jacqueline Singer
Princess- Paizley Mercer
Junior Princess- Katelyn Scott
Sports, July 19th
Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant Baseball had multiple honorees in the 2022 Southeast Conference All-Conference Awards. Senior Cooper Keldgord and Junior Carter Amos were honored with 2nd Team All SEC. Junior Jake Ensminger and Senior Lincoln Henriksen were honorable mentions. Senior Dalton Church, Junior Elliott Cook, Junior Garrett Cook, Senior Lincoln Henriksen, and Junior Zerek Venghaus were honored with Academic All-SEC.
Mount Pleasant Middle School is hosting a Back to School 3 vs. 3 Basketball Tournament coming up on August 20th. The tournament is open to 3rd through 8th graders. The cost to enter is $60 per team and registration is due by August 15th. With questions, you can contact Ronnie Ashton at reash10@yahoo.com.
New London
The 3 seed New London Tigers defeated the 6 seed CAM Cougars 12-3 last night in the quarterfinal round of the Class 1A Baseball State Tournament in Carroll. New London improves to 29-1 on the season. Senior Dereck Santiago was 1 for 2 with a walk and 3 RBIs. Santiago hit the bases clearing double in the second inning to give New London a 5-0 lead. Senior Tucker Gibbar went 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 3 RBIs. New London will take on the 2 seed Newman Catholic Knights in the semifinals. That game is set for 7 PM and live coverage will be available on KILJ.
This Day in Sports History
1909 – Cy Young earned his 500th career victory
1966 – The first major league game to be played on artificial turf took place at the Astrodome in Houston
1989 – NFL owners vote unanimously to form the World League of American Football, which operated from 1991 through 2007
1990 – Cincinnati Red Pete Rose is sentenced to 5 months for tax evasion
1991 – Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 1500th consecutive game
House Fire in Mount Pleasant
Saturday at about 12:45 am the Mount Pleasant Fire Department responded to a house fire at 704 E. Sheaffer Drive. 12 firefighters, two engines and a command vehicle were on the scene for about 2 hours. The fire was extinguished with minimal water. There was some smoke damage. The fire remains under investigation.
John Husak
John Husak, 86, of Farmington, Iowa, passed away at 5:45 a.m. Saturday, July 16, 2022, at Arbor Court in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.
He was born on December 3, 1935, in Prague, Nebraska, the son of John and Josephine (Eidelpess) Husak. On April 17, 1992, at Kahoka United Methodist Church he married Shirley Himes Losey.
Survivors include his wife: Shirley; several children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings.
John was a United States Navy veteran. He retired from Armour Dial. He enjoyed playing cards, dancing and spending time with his wife Shirley, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
His body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation.
A graveside service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 21, 2022, at Greenglade Cemetery in Farmington, with Rev. Ellis Andrews officiating.
A memorial has been established in his memory for Farmington American Legion.
Online condolences may be made at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of Farmington is assisting he family with arrangements.
ATV Crash Update
On July 17,2022 at a approximately 2:01 AM, the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 120th Ave north of 260th Street in reference to an ATV accident involving 2 individuals. The ATV collided with a deer, and both individuals were ejected off the vehicle. The driver of the ATV, 25-year-old Treyton Hartman, died as a result of the accident. The passenger, 23-year-old Cody Liles, was taken to Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center for treatment of their injuries and was released.
The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Wapello Iowa Ambulance Service, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mediapolis Fire Department.
James Benjamin “Benji” Fett
James Benjamin “Benji” Fett, 44, of Bonaparte, Iowa, passed away Friday, July 15, 2022, at the Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua, Iowa.
He was born April 4, 1978, in Keosauqua, Iowa, the son of Jimmy Ray and Janet (Haynes) Fett.
Survivors include his mother: Janet Fett; brother: Jeremy Fett; sister: JennaLee (Jesse) Short, all of Bonaparte, Iowa; brother: Jacob (Jacque) Fett of Hillsboro, Iowa; niece: Jacey Fett of Canton, Missouri; nephew: Jackson Fett of Mount Pleasant, Iowa; and nieces: Jaegan and Jaylee Short of Bonaparte, Iowa. Also, surviving are several uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.
Benji was a 1996 graduate of Harmony High School. He attended Vatterott College, graduating in 1998. He worked at Barker Company, Stuke Plastics, and Agri Plastics. He enjoyed working and was disheartened when his health later prevented him from doing so. In hopes of returning to the workforce, Benji underwent extensive brain surgery to improve his epilepsy. The operation was not completely successful and resulted in a brain injury. But still, he persevered while relearning to walk, talk, and do everyday tasks.
He loved nature and wildlife, enjoyed taking walks, and hunting and fishing when he was able. In 2018, he was diagnosed with a genetic disease, Pulmonary Hypertension. This made doing his favorite things hard and some days impossible. Still, he never lost his faith in God or humanity. He prayed daily for others. He was a true gentle giant that wasn’t afraid to express his feelings for those close to him, often giving backbreaking hugs, kisses, and saying “I love you”.
In his youth, he played baseball and was an excellent pitcher. He was a lifelong Cubs fan, watching them on TV and taking in a few games in person. He was able to visit the Field of Dreams and had hoped to visit again this year, health permitting.
He loved his family and friends the most though. He was always up for babysitting his little sister and younger cousins. He had the great pleasure of taking care of his niece and nephew for a few years. He was a jokester and just wanted to make people smile and laugh. He was a friend to everyone he met. Classmates remember his goofy nature and big smile. He was their prom king.
He was preceded in death by his father: Jim; sister-in-law: Oralia Fett (whom he loved to tease); grandparents: Carole Jean and John Haynes; cousins: Zachary and Jonathan Batten, and his best friend: Adam Richardson.
His body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation, after donating his organs.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 21, 2022, at Schmitz Funeral Home in Farmington.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 21, 2022, at Schmitz Funeral Home with Pastor Mark Caston officiating.
In true Benji fashion, we ask that no one feel the need to dress up. A t-shirt and shorts are completely acceptable. Better yet, a Hawaiian shirt as he sure did love him some Jimmy Buffett.
Burial of his cremains will be at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his memory and can be mailed to the family at: JennaLee Short, P.O. Box 244, Bonaparte, Iowa 52620.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com Schmitz Funeral Home of Farmington is assisting the family with arrangements.
“See you on the other side.” – Benji