J.D. Schimmelpfennig

Jerry D. Schimmelpfennig, 79 of Mt. Pleasant, died Friday, February 12, 2021 at Savannah Heights.  Funeral Services are pending at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel.

WMU Speech Contest Results

Students on the Winfield-Mt. Union Speech Team hosted a state level competition for qualifying events on Monday evening, February 7th.  In order to qualify for state level competition, students must receive a division I rating at a district contest. The following groups advanced to state level competition, where they performed for a panel of three judges.  The Ensemble Acting team of Isabel Kann, Alli Humphreys, Chloe Fisher and Jadin Grieser performed “The Christmas Truce” and received an overall division I rating.  The Short Film team, with their 5 minute film “Death: It’s What’s For Dinner”, received a division I rating.  Members of that group are Griffin Humphreys, Dane Sweezer, Jadin Grieser, Jack Moody, and Brayden Nordyke.  The Readers Theater group performed “A Disney Moms’ Support Group”, and received an overall division II Rating.  Those team members are Dakota Silva, Alli Humphreys, Isabel Kann, Abby Miller, Chloe Fisher, Rachel Hampton, Morgan Grelk, Emma Richardson, and Annabelle Loveless.  The speech team is looking forward to continuing their successful season and beginning competition for Individual events in the upcoming weeks.  The WMU Speech Team is coached by LindseyPogmore

Frieda I. Tolander

Frieda I. Tolander, 86, of Mt. Pleasant, died Monday, February 8, 2021 at Arbor Court in Mt. Pleasant.

A family graveside memorial service will be held at a later date at the Forest Home Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant. There will be no visitation at the Kimzey Funeral Home, which is caring for Frieda’s family. Online condolences may be left at www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com

Mrs. Tolander, the former Frieda Inga Mock, was born May 11, 1934 in Dobrich, Germany. She was the daughter of Friedrich and Berta (Hillert) Mock. She attended school there. On May 8, 1959 in Kitzingen, Germany, she married Donald Earl Tolander. Mr. Tolander died August 5, 1994 in Columbia, MO.

Frieda and her husband remained in Germany as Mr. Tolander was in the United States Army. They made their home in the United States in 1962.

Mrs. Tolander was a dietary aide at New London Specialty Care. With her husband, they were the caretakers and mangers of the Heidelberg and Starlight Motels. Frieda was primarily a homemaker who loved to cook, bake and crochet. She enjoyed her soap operas on TV.

Survivors include her children – Klaus Tolander (Deborah Kirgan) of Mt. Pleasant, Jimmy Tolander of Mt. Pleasant, Walter Tolander of Nebraska and Marilyn (Chris) Freeman of Hillsboro; 2 sisters – Annaliese (Donald) Connelly of Washington state and Birgitta Mock of Germany; 7 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.

Her parents, husband, 2 sons – Billy Joe Tolander and Peter Mock, a brother and a granddaughter precede in death.

MP Police Involved in Pursuit

Thursday, just before 1 am, a Mount Pleasant Police officer attempted to stop a vehicle in the 200 block of Monroe Street for an obstructed rear license plate and window tint. However, the driver took off eastbound at a high rate of speed running stop signs at Harrison and Walnut Streets before losing control and striking a pole.  The driver fled on foot but was apprehended in the 100 block of North Cherry Street.  The vehicle was reported to be stolen out of Dubuque County.  The driver was identified as Brian Felgenhauer. It was also found that he did not have an Iowa driver’s license. Felgenhauer was arrested and was taken to HCHC for evaluation before being booked into the Henry County Jail.  He is charged with several traffic violations, eluding, theft in the first degree, interference with official acts, reckless driving and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Rosemary Louise Boyer

Rosemary Louise Boyer, 87, of Franklin, Iowa, passed away at 7:00 a.m. Thursday, February 11, 2021 at the Kensington in Fort Madison, Iowa.

 

She was born on March 3, 1933, in Donnellson, Iowa, the daughter of Fred and Mary (Lake) Kramer. On November 13, 1954 she married Robert Glenn Boyer at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in West Point, Iowa. He preceded her in death on December 27, 1999.

 

She is survived by three sons: Richard Lee (Lori) Boyer of Argyle, Iowa, Gregory Dee of Farmington, Iowa and Eric Jon (Amy) of Franklin, Iowa; two daughters: Debra Ann (Kenneth) Martinson of Franklin, Iowa and Brenda Sue Boyer (Jim Kempker) of Fort Madison, Iowa; nine grandchildren; seventeen great grandchildren; one sister: Marcella (Erwin) Rippenkroeger of Fort Madison, Iowa; one sister-in-law: Lorinne Boyer of the Kensington and one brother-in-law: Dale (Sadie) Boyer of Virginia. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews.

 

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; two sons: Douglas and Christopher Boyer; one grandson: Levi Martinson; one daughter-in-law: Rita Boyer; three brothers and five sisters.

 

Rosie was a graduate of Donnellson High School. She worked for Sheaffer Pen in Fort Madison. She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point and the Altar and Rosary Society of the church. She loved her flowers and enjoyed traveling and going out to eat.

 

Friends may call between 12:00 noon and 4:00 p.m. Sunday, February 14, 2021, at Schmitz Funeral Home in West Point.

 

A Private Family Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, February 15, 2021, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point with Father Dennis Hoffman as celebrant. Mass will be lived streamed on the church Facebook page and posted on her obituary Tribute Wall on our website following the service at: www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.

 

Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in West Point.

 

A memorial has been established in her memory for Calvary Cemetery.

 

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.

Mount Pleasant City Council Meeting Notes…

The Mount Pleasant City Council met in regular session Wednesday night and approved the second and final round of tax abatement applications for 2020 property improvement projects. Seven more residential property projects were approved for exemption, along with two abatements for multi family dwelling improvements and two on the commercial schedule.

On the recommendation of the City Planning and Zoning Commission, the council approved a site plan for Scooter’s Coffee House construction at the intersection of Iris and Washington Streets.

Following a public hearing the council accepted the low bid for the West Monroe and Jackson Street reconstruction project giving Mayor Steve Brimhall the ok to sign a contract with Jones Contracting of West Point for the amount of $526,777.

The low bid was accepted for a demolition project at 303 North Jackson.  The City had purchased a very small dilapidated house at that location. For a cost of $4,875 Big Creek Contractors will take down the structure and the city hopes to sell the lot to the adjoining property owners since it is not a big enough buildable lot.

IW Partners With Lab for COVID Testing

Iowa Wesleyan University (IW) partnered with the Sheffield Lab of the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa for COVID-19 testing. This unique partnership provided IW the opportunity to conduct the necessary saliva testing on campus throughout the fall semester, and plans are already in place for spring semester testing.

Last March, when COVID-19 spread throughout the country, Dr. Val Sheffield’s lab was in jeopardy of being shut down. This lab was set up to work on human genetic diseases, but according to the University of Iowa, if they could develop a COVID-19 test, they could stay open during the pandemic. With some quick thinking and action, Dr. Sheffield and his team were able to begin making the tests within a few days. On April 1, 2020, they submitted their FDA application and subsequently received human subject approval from the University of Iowa Internal Review Board (IRB), which allows them to perform tests for research purposes.

Dr. Sheffield was committed to finding ways to support the community through their testing option. “We need to provide free testing for the community, and it doesn’t matter what it costs us,” said Dr. Sheffield. “We have to get it out there.” As a small rural private university, Iowa Wesleyan was searching for an affordable testing option to have on campus to keep the students and community safe as they planned to bring students back to their residential campus in August and offer face to face classes.

Dr. DeWayne Frazier, IW university provost, happened to see an article about the lab in May and contacted Dr. Sheffield. After a couple of conversations and meetings with representatives of the IW health team, the partnership was formed.

IW created a model in which the Sheffield Lab tests were given to students on campus, and a member of the Health Team delivered these tests to the lab in Iowa City 2-3 times a week. Each test was numbered, so the student’s identity was kept anonymous to anyone involved, except for the campus nurse and university officials. The lab would run the tests and, within the same day, submit the results to IW to begin contact tracing for those students who tested positive. The tests developed by Sheffield Labs are Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, which have been the most accurate in the fight against COVID-19 detection.

The University used these tests for high-risk students as they moved onto campus and throughout the semester as a surveillance measure. “We were able to avoid a significant outbreak on campus or in our residence halls because we had the opportunity to do surveillance testing through this partnership,” said Matt Klundt, assistant dean of students for health, careers, and service.

The Sheffield Lab was fortunate to receive a grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, which provided funds for the development of their COVID-19 test. The Sheffield Lab continues to provide testing for free from its Iowa City lab and is open to donations to help ensure their important service can continue for all those who benefit significantly from their expertise.

Iowa City VA Health Care System Announces New Outpatient Clinic in Burlington, IA

New location will provide new space and services for area Veterans

Iowa City, IA: The Iowa City VA Health Care System (ICVAHCS) is opening a new Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) at 1000 N. Roosevelt Ave, Suite 7 in Burlington, IA to bring VA care and services to area Veterans who may not have used VA or might otherwise have to travel.

 

Judith Johnson-Mekota, Director of the ICVAHCS, had this to say about the new clinic space, “The new location will allow us to continue to meet the needs of our Veterans and to provide quality access to care for the many Veterans who live in the area. Iowa City VA Health Care System is committed to serving those who have served this country.”

 

The new VA outpatient clinic will total approximately 3200 square feet.  This space will allow VA the ability to grow Primary Care and Mental Health services to Veterans, reducing travel time and adding convenience for patients.

 

Dr. Victor Mizrachi, Chief of Staff for the Iowa City VA says, “The added value to our patients will be access to VA services locally. We have received feedback from area Veterans and community members for a long time that these services are needed for area Veterans, so this is another way that the Iowa City VA can meet the needs of Veterans where they are.”

If you are a Veteran with an honorable discharge and are interested in receiving care at the Cedar Rapids clinic, please our dedicated enrollment number, 877-222- VETS, to sign up for health care today.

 

The clinic is expected to open later in 2021 for patient care.  If you are interested in more information about the clinic, contact Bryan Clark at the information below to schedule a time to see the new space.