Grace King

SALEM ? Casey Davis went to start the van that had been parked on the street outside her home at 203 E. Van Buren in Salem when it started smoking.She immediately got out of the car and ran into the house to call for help when, ?It just went boom,? she said, shouting the last word.Danielle Jones was driving with John Geiger to their house two doors down when they saw the car engulfed in flames. Geiger stopped ...

*Editor's note: This is the third in a four-part series that takes a look at a person's health from head to toe and discusses how one aspect of an individuals health can have lasting affects in other areas.March 1 kicks off National Nutrition Month, with a focus this year on how people can go further with food.In the midst of cold and flu season, dietitians at Henry County Health Center (HCHC) believe that one ...

*Editor's note: This is the second in a four-part series that takes a look at a person's health from head to toe and discusses how one aspect of an individual's health can have lasting affects in other areas.There's more than one path to wellness, and local therapists are encouraging people to take ownership of their mental health in the same way they would seek out a doctor to care for their physical health.Sto...

Father Joseph Phung grew up in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Since he moved to the U.S. when he was 36-years-old, he has returned to his village at least six times. Surrounded by lakes and mountains, every house has a lock on it. When he returns to Vietnam, he sees death in the villages.Phung remembers what it is to grow up in conflict and risk his life to flee his home country to escape to freedom. As a ...

A criminal investigation is underway into the duties carried out by former sanitarian of Henry County, Jodi Sutter, after she was terminated from her position on Feb. 8. Sutter has previously been refered to as the county's environmental specialist.In three closed session meetings, the Board of Health began investigating the receipts and expenditures for all aspects of the environmental health services provided ...

Michael Syperda made his first appearance in the Henry County Courthouse Wednesday morning.Syperda, who was arrested in Colorado and charged with the first degree murder of his estranged wife, Elizabeth Syperda, was extradited to Mt. Pleasant Tuesday night, Feb. 27, and made his initial appearance in front of Judge Timothy Leichty the following morning, at 9 a.m.Syperda is being accused by Henry County and the ...

The Girl Scouts Brownie Troop 1077 ran back and forth between tables during their troop meeting as they hurriedly chose paint colors to splatter on their collective mural.The second- and third-graders had to hurry and finish because the mural will be their calling card, the masterpiece that will draw customers to their cookie booth outside of Hy-Vee in Mt. Pleasant on Sunday, Feb. 25, from 1 to 5 p.m.This kicks ...

The final candidate Henry County Health Center was trying to recruit as the hospital's new OB-GYN turned down the offer Monday, leaving uncertainty about the department's future.Hospital administration has been searching for a new OB-GYN for 13 months now, with the former OB-GYN, Dr. Robert Smith, having retired in October 2017.During the Henry County Health Center (HCHC) Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, ...

Steve Park held the ultrasound wand to his corroded artery on the right side of his neck and pointed to the bundle of nerves magnified on the screen.If Park, a nurse anesthetist at Henry County Health Center (HCHC), were having shoulder surgery, a regional anesthetic could be injected near that bundle of nerves to block the feeling in his shoulder and arm, numbing the nerves for up to 48 hours.This is the ...

The morning commute across Henry County saw a couple of accidents, though neither one of them was because of scattered showers or freezing rain on Tuesday.Brianna Sanders, of Winfield, rolled her car on Highway 78, west of Winfield between Nashua Ave. and Marsh Ave. around 8 a.m.Sanders was reaching for her baby's bottle, who was secured in a car seat in the back seat of the car, when she lost control of her ...

NEW LONDON ? After several months of back and forth between the New London School Board and Hackett Construction over the resiliency of patched asphalt of New London's new track, the two parties have finally come to an agreement of an extended five-year warranty on the areas where repairs were made.During the New London School Board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20, District Superintendent Chad Wahls read the revised ...

The county is renewing their bridge inspection contract with Calhoun-Burns and Associates as ?another eye on our bridges,? said Jake Hotchkiss, Henry County engineer.During the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 9, Hotchkiss said that using the company, which specializes in bridge inspection, is a valuable tool to the county. Although the former county engineer was certified to do bridge inspections, ...

As Public Health transitions to be a department under the county rather than Henry County Health Center, the Board of Health has landed on an organizational structure for who reports to whom under Board of Health.In the Board of Health meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 9, the board discussed the organizational structure, appointed a new chair as current chair Rose Lauer steps down, and further discussed their transition ...

Healthy Henry County Communities is hard at work ensuring the three grants they have been awarded in the past six months are put to good use.The Healthy Henry County Communities (HHCC) board double checked grant requirements for the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) 5-2-1-0 Childhood Health Campaign during their meeting on Thursday, Dec. 4. They also discussed strategic plans for the HRSA Grant, and ...

Henry County is guaranteed a bed at Montrose Iowa Juvenile Detention Center as needed, in addition to other benefits, after Henry County supervisors approved an amendment to the South Iowa Area Detention Services Agency Agreement.Supervisor Gary See presented the agreement to the board, saying that in conversations with employees at Montrose, everyone there thinks it is a very well-run facility. Henry County ...