The Iowa State Patrol investigated a head on collision between two vans in Van Buren County Tuesday afternoon just before 4 pm. Andrea Buechel of Farmington was taken by air to University Hospitals in Iowa City. She was driving one of the vans. The other van was driven by Nicholas Bowermaster of Keosauqua. He was taken by EMS to the Van Buren County Hospital. The crash occurred on 180th Street outside of Bonaparte.
Henry County Daily Jail Count
In the interest of keeping Henry County residents informed, the Henry County Sheriff’s office has requested KILJ post the daily jail count. During the jail referendum campaign it was publicized that the jail would be able to house additional inmates from surrounding counties and this would generate revenue for Henry County.
Date: ____06-09-2021_____
JAIL COUNT
22__ Henry County Inmates
50_ Out of County Contract Inmates
71 __ TOTAL
Updated: Gas Leak Causes Fire
A gas leak and subsequent fire created some excitement Tuesday afternoon on West Monroe Street in Mount Pleasant. Street construction has been going on in the 200 and 300 blocks that has included utility work. According to Mount Pleasant Utilities’ Manager Jack Hedgecock, a piece of their equipment snagged an exposed Alliant Energy gas service. This caused a leak and Alliant was called to make repairs. The use of a welder to fix the leak caused a fire in the hole near the VFW. Mount Pleasant Fire Department was called to control the flames while Alliant worked to cut the gas supply. New London Fire Department was called for standby. In the meantime, Mount Pleasant Police evacuated the 300 block of West Monroe. No injuries were reported and no property damage occurred. Hedgecock said his department will be doing an internal investigation as to how the service was snagged in the first place. Alliant is Mount Pleasant’s natural gas supplier.
Increased Presence on Roadways
An increased presence of state and local law enforcement throughout southeast Iowa will be seen on our roadways starting tomorrow.
June 9th-12th will be the second wave of Iowa’s Fatality Reduction Task Force effort in 2021. ISP District 13 Troopers will be focusing on removing Impaired Drivers in an effort to help lower Iowa traffic fatalities to Below 300. Last month, fatalities increased at an alarming rate in Iowa. Slow down, buckle up, and don’t drive impaired.
Michael M. “Mike” Moeller
Michael M. “Mike” Moeller, 64, of Salem, Iowa, passed away at 11:05 p.m. Monday, June 7, 2021, at his home in Salem.
Mike was born on September 5, 1956 in Fort Madison, Iowa, the son of Clarence and Helen (Merschman) Moeller. On October 14, 1978, he married Linda Mehmert at St. James the Less Catholic Church in St. Paul, Iowa.
He is survived by his wife: Linda; two sons: Adam (Ashley) Moeller of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Austin (MaryJo) Moeller of St. Louis, Missouri; three grandchildren: Maclan Moeller, Liam and Beckam Moeller; mother: Helen Moeller of West Point, Iowa; one sister: Kathy Orth of Burlington, Iowa; two brothers: Dan Moeller of Phoenix, Arizona and Doug Moeller of Tucson, Arizona; three sisters-in-law: JoAnn (Jim) Boeding, Glorine (Jim) Scharpman and Paulette Kruse; two brothers-in-law: Eugene (Sandy) Mehmert and Kenny (Karen) Mehmert. Also surviving are several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father: Clarence; mother and father-in-law: Rita and Joseph Mehmert and brother-in-law: Peter Orth.
Friends may call after 12:00 noon Thursday, June 10, 2021, at Schmitz Funeral Home in West Point, where the family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. that evening. A Christian wake service will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
A private graveside service will be held Friday, June 11, 2021, at St. James Cemetery in St. Paul with Father Dan Dorau officiating.
Burial will be at St. James Cemetery in St. Paul.
A memorial has been established in his memory for Salem Fire and Rescue, Every Step Hospice in Mt. Pleasant or St. James Cemetery.
Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with local arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.
Richard “Cracker” Ritz
Richard “Cracker” Ritz, 62, of New London, died Sunday, June 6, 2021 at his daughter’s residence in Oskaloosa.
A private family burial service will be held at Lambirth Cemetery, rural Mt. Pleasant. A Celebration of Life for Richard will be held from 2-6 PM on Saturday, June 12 at the New London Community Center.
Memorials may be directed to the family or to a hospice of the donor’s choosing. They may be mailed to or left at Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mt. Pleasant, which is assisting the family Richard’s arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.
Richard Irvin “Cracker” Ritz was born August 6, 1958 in Mount Pleasant. He was the son of Donald Irvin and Wilma Jean (Smith) Ritz. He attended school in Mt. Pleasant. On March 3, 1978 in Oskaloosa, he married Brenda L. Johannes. The couple later divorced.
“Cracker” was in the construction trade for most of his life. He worked for Indiana Wood, Bloom Builders, Wesley Barton Construction, Cunningham’s and Robert Smith Construction. For a while, Richard worked for Clow Mfg. Co . in Oskaloosa, a fire-hydrant manufacturer. In his spare time, Richard loved to fish, hunt mushrooms and spend time on the banks of the Skunk River at Oakland Mills. He also loved to tend to the plants in his house.
Those thankful for sharing in Richard’s life include his 3 children – Kristi (Jason) Anderson and Levi (Buffie) Ritz all of Oskaloosa and Collin Ritz (Cheyenne Kracht) of Burlington, IA; siblings – Deb (Tom) Ellis and Ed (Carol) Ritz, all of Wayland, IA and Mike (Denise) Ritz of Mt. Pleasant, and seven grandchildren – Chase, Electra, Dylan, Gage, Kenzi, Ava and Izzy.
His parents and a sister, Linda Chance, precede in death.
Richard M. “Dutch” Chaney
Richard M. “Dutch” Chaney, 90, of Mount Pleasant, died Sunday, June 6, 2021 at University of Iowa Hospital.
Dutch was born on April 12, 1931 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, the son of Horace and Georgie (Martin) Chaney. He was a lifelong resident of Mount Pleasant and graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1950.
On March 17, 1954 he married Twyla DeYarman in Winfield, Iowa. She preceded him in death on August 25, 1990. Dutch was a member of the Iowa National Guard for 12 years.
Mr. Chaney was an automobile salesman for Chevrolet and Buick dealerships for 35 years in Mount Pleasant. He retired in 1985.
Dutch was a member of the Mount Pleasant Golf and Country Club and the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Pleasant.
Survivors include his son, Hal W. (Muffin) Chaney of Mount Pleasant; one granddaughter Crystal Chaney of Mount Pleasant; two great grandchildren; three brothers, Robert W. Chaney of Moline, IL, Edward M. Chaney of Mount Pleasant, William M. Chaney of Marion; two sisters, Betty M. Lanphear of Santa Rosa, CA and Louise M. Berg of Fairfield. Also surviving is a very special friend, Donna Teeter of Fairfield.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Horace and Georgie, and his wife Twyla.
Visitation will be held 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Friday, June 11, 2021 at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel. A private service will be held Saturday, June 12, 2021. Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery. Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel is caring for Dutch and his family.
Supervisors Set ATV/UTV Registration Fee
After some discussion the Henry County Board of Supervisors set the registration fee for ATV and UTV owners who wish to run their vehicles on the county secondary roads. The annual cost is $50. There is an additional five dollars for the rest of this year if a registration is purchased now. Supervisor Greg Moeller was in agreement with the dollar amount saying it wasn’t out of the realm. Supervisor Chad White suggested $35 to fall in line with some of the surrounding counties but didn’t think $50 was unreasonable. Supervisor Marc Lindeen suggested a minimum of $50 but also went so far as to suggest as much as $200 because he sees the situation as similar to the registration fees for all other vehicles on our the roadways. Recorder Mindy Fitzgibbon noted that the registration fees run anywhere from zero to $50 across the state.
The supervisors approved a resolution to purchase two 2022 Chevy 2500 pickups for $36,841 each on the recommendation of the county engineer. The engineer also gave an update on the Henry Lee bridge project saying the contractor will be on site about 2 more weeks and then the grading work can be done to finish up the project. He went to let the board know that LL Pelling will be doing chip and seal o n the streets in Swedesburg and Trenton.