Mt. Pleasant News

By Ed Tibbetts, Quad City Times U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, says he thinks the reports Wednesday that the Trump administration was considering leaving the North American Free Trade Agreement was a negotiating tactic and that the pact has been good for agriculture.Grassley spoke with reporters from the Quad-Cities on Thursday after meeting with a delegation to Washington, D.C., led by the Quad-Cities ...

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News Henry County supervisors put their final stamp of approval Thursday morning on creating zoning districts in the former City of Mt. Union.The board, after some debate, approved the third and final reading and adopted an ordinance which creates five zoning classifications in Mt. Union. Prior to the unincorporation of the community on March 8, the entire town was zoned A-1 or ...

By Bryce Kelly, Mt. Pleasant News Driving down Mt. Pleasant?s Grand Avenue, it?s hard to miss the future site of a Hibbett Sports and Dollar Tree store, and according to city officials, the current work site is an obvious indication of Mt. Pleasant?s current growing trend.While the Hibbett Sports and Dollar Tree store is likely the most obvious sign of local business growth, Kristi Ray, vice president of the ...

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News Michael McKenzie and Jaymie Peterson weren?t in New York City earlier this month to see skyscrapers, although Peterson admitted that all the tall buildings ?were pretty cool.?Rather, McKenzie and Peterson, seniors at Mt. Pleasant Community High School, finished sixth in the nation in the National Automotive Technology Competition, sponsored by the Greater New York City Auto ...

By Ed Tibbetts, Quad-City Times Sen. Chuck Grassley predicted Wednesday that the U.S. Senate could confirm Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as the new ambassador to China in a little more than two weeks.Grassley, R-Iowa, on a conference call with Iowa reporters, said he and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, are prepared to introduce the governor at his hearing next Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And, he ...

Keith Kimbrough, center, was recognized for his 46 years of service and recent retirement from the Henry County Road Department. Honoring him were Jake Hotchkiss, Henry County Engineer, left, and Brian Yaley, Road Superintendent, right.

By JEFF REINITZ, Waterloo Courier INDEPENDENCE ? Former reality star Chris Soules is the person who called 911 shortly after the Monday night crash that killed an Aurora farmer, according to authorities.Soules, 35, of rural Arlington, is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident in the crash that killed 66-year-old Kenneth Mosher about a mile north of Mosher?s home. Soules, who starred in ?The ...

By Ed Tibbetts, Quad-City Times U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley defended President Donald Trump?s trips to his Mar-a-Lago golf resort on Wednesday, weighing in on what has become a source of complaint from Democrats and even some Republicans, including Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.On a conference call Wednesday, Grassley, R-Iowa, responded to a question about the president?s visits ? a reporter called them ?outings? ? to ...

By Erin Murphy, Lee Des Moines Bureau DES MOINES ? A program that would allow Iowa parents to use taxpayer money to put their child in a non-public school could be proposed next year when Iowa lawmakers resume their work.Varied versions of so-called school choice programs are operating in dozens of states, and the data on their effect is mixed.Republicans, who have complete lawmaking control of the Iowa ...

Area home-school students were on the track April 21 for their annual track meet. The meet is conducted by IW Professor Valerie Unkrich and her students. Jakin Bunnell, above, participates in the standing long jump.

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News Another step was taken Tuesday morning by the Henry County Board of Supervisors concerning the transition of Mt. Union from an incorporated community to its current standing as an unincorporated part of the county.The supervisors approved a 28E agreement between the county and the Regional Utility Service Systems (RUSS) concerning future sewer fees paid by Mt. Union residents...

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News It is a common belief that there can?t be summer without road-construction projects.That being said, the county engineering office is gearing up for its first major construction project of the season ? a 1.04-mile joint city-county project on Winfield Avenue, stretching eastward from Grand Avenue to the U.S. Highway 218 overpass.County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss said the start ...