Obituaries

By Erin Murphy, Lee Des Moines Bureau DES MOINES ? Iowa's roads have been a little safer in 2017, one year after one of the deadliest of the past decade.There have been 274 traffic fatalities in Iowa this year, through Tuesday, according to state transportation department data.That's on pace to be a significant reduction compared to 2016, when there were 402, the most in nearly a decade and a 26 percent ...

The Mt. Pleasant Police Department is searching for a red Chevrolet Colorado pickup following a hit-and-run accident Oct. 25 on White Street.Local police responded to the 200 block of North White Street for a reported hit-and-run. An investigation found that a 2011 Volvo, owned by Eric Novak of Mt. Pleasant was struck while parked along the side of the street. The offending vehicle also struck a 2011 Ford, owned ...

By Ed Tibbetts, Quad-City Times The possibility of limiting the amount of money that people could put into their tax deferred retirement plans doesn't appear to sit well with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a key member of the Senate Finance Committee.?The tax reform framework's stated goal is to maintain or raise retirement plan participation of workers and the resources available for retirement. I agree ...

The Henry County Health Center and Board of Public Health are getting their fingers dirty as they begin negotiations to separate the two health centers.Last week, the board of trustees authorized Henry County Health Center (HCHC) Chief Executive Officer Robb Gardner to begin discussion with the Board of Public Health about how they will continue their services under county jurisdiction rather than in contractual ...

A Salem man has been charged with disorderly conduct after sheriff's deputies were called Oct. 23 to the Salem Elementary School due to a disturbance.Devin Hudson, 32, Salem, was cited for the offense, a simple misdemeanor.The school reported a disturbance between two parents of a child who were arguing about who was supposed to pick up the child.Following an investigation into the report, Hudson was charged ...

DES MOINES ? Five years ago today, a deer died and a social media legend was born.Well, we assume the deer died.It was five years ago today ? Oct. 25, 2012 ? that U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley's vehicle hit a deer on an Eastern Iowa road, presumably killing the animal.Grassley tweeted about the experience, and the tweet's closing phrase, ?Assume deer dead,? became a Twitter legend, still referenced by Twitter ...

State Sen Rich Taylor (D-Mt. Pleasant) and State Rep. Dave Heaton (R-Mt. Pleasant) may come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, but Monday night the two were united against school voucher/educational savings account systems.Taylor and Heaton attended the Mt. Pleasant School Board's work session Monday night to discuss school funding and legislative priorities.When asked how he thought the legislative ...

It was kismet as Moana and Te Fiti stumbled upon one another at the Healthy Halloween Walk. The two little girls shyly observed each other as Moana offered Te Fiti her stone ?heart,? reminiscent of the Disney movie Moana, which debuted late last year.These were just two characters that could be found around East Lake Park on Sunday, Oct. 22. This was the fifth Healthy Halloween Walk, put on by the Healthy Henry ...

By Erin Murphy, Des Moines Bureau DES MOINES ? Lori Peter shares her devastating experience with opioid addiction often, and all over Iowa.Everywhere she goes, she brings her son.Kelly John Peter is forever 24 years old and cannot tell his own tale of heroin addiction because two years ago that addiction claimed his life.?This is my son,? Lori said, holding up the urn and fighting back tears while speaking ...

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News Some area resident will have an extra piece of pumpkin pie or another helping of corn this holiday season, thanks to the efforts of area churches, students and staff at Mt. Pleasant Community and New London High Schools and the Iowa National Guard.Soldiers, mostly high-school students, training at the Mt. Pleasant and Iowa City National Guard armories, participated in an ...