Obituaries

After the winter solstace on Thursday, Dec. 21, marking the shortest day of the year, the days are gradually lengthening. The sky turned a shade of pink last night a little after 5 p.m. as the sun slowly set on one of the warmest days of the year so far. After thawing over the past few days, temperatures are expected to drop drastically again this weekend.

By Karyn Spory, Mt. Pleasant News HENRY COUNTY ? Two area school districts released students early on Thursday, Jan. 11, as temperatures dropped and freezing rain pelted the area.New London Community School District was the first to make the decision to release students. ?Making the decision on weather (related dismissals) is not an easy decision,? said New London Superintendent Chad Whals. ?You have to look ...

Temperatures may have started out in the 40s on Thursday, but they quickly dropped later in the morning. By noon, freezing rain hit the Henry County area. Around 2 p.m. rain turned into snow, which continued to fall throughout the afternoon

By Karyn Spory, Mt. Pleasant News WAYLAND ? There were no student injuries after a WACO Community School District school bus was involved in a two-vehicle accident Thursday morning.The accident happened at approximately 7:30 a.m., on Thursday, Jan. 11, on Highway 78 east of Wayland. According to WACO principal Jeff Nance, the school bus driver did not see the vehicle at the intersection of Highway 78 and ...

By Grace King, Mt. Pleasant News The city is purchasing a new rescue vehicle thanks to the help of the Mt. Pleasant Benefitted Fire District.A resolution approved by the Mt. Pleasant City Council on Wednesday, Jan. 10, asked that since Mt. Pleasant runs their rescue vehicle outside of city limits more than inside city limits, that the Fire District share the cost of a new rescue vehicle.The city is paying ...

By Grace King, Mt. Pleasant News As questions continue to be posed to Henry County Conservation Department in regard to flooding at Waterworks Park campground, Executive Director John Pullis is taking a close look at the cost of damages and maintenance over the years compared with South Shore campground.During the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 9, Pullis said that Warner Engineering is working ...

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News Extension Service Area Crop Specialist Virgil Schmitt recalls a conversation he had last fall with a man, who farms near Salem.?The farmer told me he had only received an inch-and-a-half of rain from late May to early August and when he saw his corn yields he wondered where all this came from,? Schmitt reflected.When expectations are low, they often are exceeded and that ...

LAUSANNE (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee will convene a meeting on January 20 to decide on North Korean athletes' participation in next month's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea following proposals this week by the governments of North and South Korea.?The meeting will have to take a series of essential decisions, including the number and names of athletes and officials from the National ...

No injuries were reported following a hit and run at 111 W. Monroe St., in Mt. Pleasant on Monday, Jan. 8.According to police reports, Desiree Bishop, of Mt. Pleasant, was attempting to pull into the alley located on the north side of the square when her vehicle slid on the ice and struck the Union Block building, located at 111 W. Monroe St. Bishop then left the scene and was later located at her residence.Dama...

DES MOINES ? Iowa's new Medicaid head said he would not close the door to adding a fourth managed-care organization to the state's program. But he made it clear he did not want the state to continue to care for the Iowa's most complex cases, who already have been moved from one insurance company to Iowa's fee-for-service program.With just more than a month under his belt as the new director of Iowa's $5 billion ...