This is your KILJ news in review for quarter four of 2025, brought to you by Two Rivers Bank & Trust, highlighting the biggest local stories from October through December 2025 – weather, agriculture, community, education, and city and county developments. Quarter four was a season of change for Mount Pleasant.
WEATHER
From October through December of 2025, weather in Mount Pleasant and across southeast Iowa followed a familiar seasonal transition from fall into winter, with a few notable extremes. October brought cooler temperatures and periods of dry, pleasant fall weather, while November trended colder with increasing cloud cover and occasional rain and light wintry precipitation. December delivered the most impactful weather of the quarter, as the region saw its first significant winter storm, bringing several inches of heavy, wet snow, strong winds, and hazardous travel conditions across much of southeast Iowa. Many holiday and school events were canceled, postponed and rescheduled as folks scrambled to fit in all the regular holiday events despite mother nature’s attempts at dampening our Christmas spirits. Temperatures fluctuated throughout the month, including brief stretches of unseasonably mild weather mid-December and around Christmas before colder air returned late in the year. Overall, Quarter Four was marked by a steady cooling trend and the arrival of winter conditions that set the stage for the start of 2026.
AGRICULTURE
During the final months of 2025, agriculture in southeast Iowa moved from a productive fall harvest into winter planning and reflection. Warm, dry weather in October allowed farmers to make strong progress harvesting corn and soybeans, with many operations finishing fieldwork on schedule. By November, most producers reported mixed but generally near-average yields, with soybeans performing well in many areas despite localized disease pressure and variability from field to field. As harvest wrapped up, attention shifted in December to winter education, livestock management, and preparation for the 2026 growing season, highlighting the resilience of southeast Iowa’s farm families as they navigated tight margins, changing markets, and continued learning opportunities within the agricultural community.
COMMUNITY
In late November, one of the most heartwarming highlights of the season was the Mount Pleasant Community Thanksgiving Dinner, held on Thanksgiving Day, November 27th, at the First United Methodist Church. Open to everyone in the area, the event brought together neighbors of all ages to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving feast — complete with turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, corn, dressing, rolls, cranberry relish, and an assortment of pies generously baked and donated by local residents and sponsored by Pilot Grove Savings Bank and KILJ. What truly set this meal apart was its spirit of inclusivity and fellowship: residents could dine in, pick up meals, or have them delivered to those without transportation, ensuring that no one in the community went without a warm holiday meal. It was a powerful reminder of the strength of community bonds and the generosity that defines southeast Iowa.
The Mount Pleasant Festival of Lights hosted more than 2,200 people, plus many visitors under 5 years old, during the walk through the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. The Festival of Lights was extended this year, making it Iowa’s longest drive through light display at two miles. And while Old Man Winter was a little temperamental in quarter four of 2025 forcing the Festival of Lights organizers to cancel two nights and close early for a few others, visitors from all over the country made their way through the dazzling displays, visited Santa in his house, and marveled all the way through the holiday light displays.
CITY OF MOUNT PLEASANT
Election results were finalized, highlighting civic participation across the community. Incumbent Mayor Steve Brimhall was re-elected. First elected in 2010, Brimhall won in November over challenger Kim – Kasey Conrad with 66% of the vote. Council members Terry McWilliams and Robert Griffith were also re-elected and newly elected to the Mount Pleasant City Council was Matthew Barton. They were officially sworn in at the last city council meeting of the year on December 23, 2025.
Henry County Election Results: Official City and School Election
The city of Mount Pleasant marked a significant loss in December with the passing of longtime City Administrator Brent Schleisman, who served the city for more than three decades. Schleisman was widely credited with providing steady leadership and institutional knowledge, helping guide major infrastructure projects, economic development efforts, and the day-to-day operations of city government. City officials and community leaders remembered him as a dedicated public servant whose work left a lasting impact on Mount Pleasant and helped shape the community heading into the future.
EDUCATION
One of the most significant Mount Pleasant Community School District stories in the last quarter of 2025 was the schools reported decline in enrollment. At its October school board meeting, district leaders revealed that certified enrollment for the 2025–26 school year had dropped by nearly 60 students compared to the previous year, a decline that could reduce state funding by roughly $480,000 and has implications for budgeting and programming. In response, the district’s Facilities Ad Hoc Committee continued reviewing elementary programming and attendance centers, hosting community meetings to engage residents in planning discussions.
A Leadership Transition in the School District was announced in late December with the school board’s hiring and appointment of Dr. Sharon Dentlinger as the district’s next superintendent following Mr. Henriksen’s retirement in mid-2026.
One of the most talked-about local stories in late 2025 was the fate of the historic P.E.O. Memorial Building on the former Iowa Wesleyan University campus. Built in 1927 and long tied to the P.E.O. Sisterhood’s legacy, the aging structure became a focus of community discussion after the Mount Pleasant Community School District moved forward with plans to demolish it, citing safety concerns, high renovation costs, and lack of educational use.
In October and November, the district held a public hearing, accepted sealed bids for demolition, and debated the scope and timing of the project, including careful removal of architectural elements like the cornerstone that may contain a time capsule. Despite vocal community interest in preservation or adaptive reuse, the school board proceeded with awarding a demolition contract to DeCarlo Demolition Company and approved a timeline extension into early 2026 to accommodate weather-related delays and site safety protocols. This project marked one of the most visible shifts in the former university campus’s landscape in 2025, blending historic reflection with forward-looking facilities planning by the school district.
COUNTY
One of the most significant county infrastructure stories of late 2025 was the progress on the Big Creek bridge replacement on 235th Street, west of Mount Pleasant. Construction activity began in early December, with dirt work beginning December 1 and the bridge itself closing to traffic on December 8 to allow full removal and rebuilding. The project — part of a long‑planned effort to modernize the county’s road network — is expected to continue through the winter and into 2026, with detour plans and traffic adjustments communicated to the public as the new structure takes shape. This infrastructure investment responds to longtime county needs and highlights ongoing collaboration between county engineers and the Board of Supervisors on road safety and connectivity.
The Board of Supervisors continued to engage with residents and stakeholders on energy‑related land use policy in 2025, especially regarding commercial wind development. While much of the core debate and ordinance drafting occurred earlier in the year — with sweeping revisions approved mid‑year that tightened setback, noise, decommissioning, and financial requirements for future wind energy systems — the ripple effects carried into Q4 as county governance wrapped up and prepared to move on related solar and battery storage regulation discussions. This prolonged scrutiny underscores local priorities around agriculture, property values, and rural quality‑of‑life concerns tied to utility‑scale wind projects.
Although not directly a Board of Supervisors action, conversations about law enforcement credibility and transparency surfaced locally through ongoing coverage of Deputy Carlos Lopez’s placement on — and eventual removal from — the Brady‑Giglio list. In late 2025, the court ruled that Lopez be taken off the list, ending a multiyear legal battle over his credential status in court proceedings. This development was widely discussed in community forums and raised questions about public confidence in law enforcement and prosecutorial decisions — a topic of intense local interest and civic dialogue throughout the year.
As 2025 came to a close, Henry County and Mount Pleasant reflected on a quarter marked by infrastructure improvements, community engagement, and forward‑looking leadership decisions. From classrooms to city halls…From celebrations to challenges…2025 was a year shaped by planning, progress, and the people who call this community home. That’s a look back at the year that was — 2025 in review brought to you by Two Rivers Bank & Trust — from KILJ News.
