Obituaries

DES MOINES ? Cities and counties soon may have less money than expected as a result of business tax relief passed by the state five years ago.The results could include layoffs, reduced services or tax increases, local leaders say.State lawmakers five years ago lowered property taxes for commercial and industrial businesses. The plan called for the state to make annual payments to local governments that would ...

Iowa Wesleyan University has announced the appointment of Michael Heaton as its new vice president for university advancement. Heaton is currently the managing director of the Great Plains Regional Office of UNICEF USA.?Mike will bring great energy and steady leadership to our university advancement team at a time when Iowa Wesleyan is poised to push forward on an ambitious vision,? said President Steve Titus. ...

A Yarmouth man has been arrested and charged with trafficking stolen weapons.Casey Ray Banwart, 19, of Yarmouth, was arrested and charged with trafficking stolen weapons on Tuesday, March 6, following an investigation.In December, a Des Moines County resident turned over a firearm to the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office. The weapon, a .22 revolver, had been found in possession of her son. The firearm was ...

FAIRFIELD ? Those who have dropped by The Ledger lately have noticed something different. It's moved!It didn't move very far. In fact, the staff are now in a building next door to their old office, in a space that once held the press room.The Ledger made the move a few days before Christmas, and ever since the employees have been getting acclimated to their new surroundings. Ledger client specialist Alice ...

The Pekin boys' basketball team hosted SEISC foe Winfield-Mt. Union Tuesday night, beating the Wolves 60-38 to improve to 6-2 both overall, and in conference play.Head Coach Ken Hutchinson has been preaching fast starts to his team all season, and although the didn't set the nets on fire, they did hold a 15-8 lead after the first period. The second period was slower offensively for both squads, with Pekin edging ...

InMotion, the Mt. Pleasant High School show choir, competed at Ft. Madison and placed second in the finals after taking first place in class 3A in the preliminary session. The winner was Southeast Polk, followed by Mt. Pleasant, Des Moines Christian, Ottumwa, Southeast Polk's prep group and Danville.

By Grace King, Mt. Pleasant News Healthy Henry County Communities is partnering with Southern Iowa Mental Health in Ottumwa to bring a mental health first aid training to community members.Healthy Henry County Communities (HHCC) coordinator Kelly Carr said that in conversations with high school students and mental health professionals in the community, people are struggling with stress, anxiety and a lack of ...

By Grace King, Mt. Pleasant News A man, who wants to plan a new subdivision in Henry County north of the country club, went around and around with the Board of Supervisors Tuesday about amending a road ordinance that otherwise requires him to seal coat the planned loop road through his property.Brian Jones met with Supervisors during their meeting March 6, requesting that they come to another arrangement ...

Mt. Pleasant may be ready for spring, but Mother Nature had other ideas on Tuesday, March 6. Snow fell throughout most of the day, but warm ground temperatures meant nothing stuck. Above, this evergreen on Iowa Wesleyan's campus holds onto a little snow following an afternoon flurry.

By Karyn Spory, Mt. Pleasant News New London residents will see an ever so slight increase in property taxes for fiscal year 2019.Tuesday night the New London City Council approved a property tax rate of $11.94943 per $1,000 valuation. It's an increase of $0.0137, City Clerk Kasi Howard told the council and citizens in attendance. The rate increase will generate an additional $580.33 per year for the whole ...