2025 — The Year in Review

January

· Tiger shooting sports fundraiser was planned for Feb.

· The New London story was about the earliest settlement of what would become New London.

· NL area has recorded low snowfall amounts.

· Lois Fink to celebrate 90th birthday.

· The JV boys basketball team got wins against Danville and WACO.

· Nugen Library has become a hot spot for students after school.

· Obituaries this month: Janet Sue Rippenkroeger and William “W. C.” Cole

· Kane Forseen was champion at 126 lbs. at the WACO Invitational.

· Senior Spotlights this month: Emma Busby, Carleen Zaragoza, and Kayla Strawhacker.

February

· Clark students celebrated 100 days of school.

· NFL Philadelphia Eagles punter, Braden Mann, the grandson of Ron and Claudia Coberley, will play in the Super Bowl.

· Obituaries this month: Hazel May Miller, Steven Ray Pickle, and Maribeth Oetken Moravec.

· Mylee Miller had nine points against Danville.

· Senior Spotlights this month: Paige Miller, Memphis Watson, Brody Bailey, Jason Kruse, Gage Burden, Olivia Hester, Tate Welcher, and Hailee Dudley.

· Elsie Williams will celebrate her 100th birthday on Feb. 21st.

· NLCSD is exploring the addition of an Ag. program to the curriculum.

· Gage Burden and Kane Forseen represented New London at the state wrestling tournament. Burden finished 6th.

· The JH 8th grade boys basketball team played Notre Dame. Leading scorer was Zane Long with 13 points.

March

· Senior Spotlights this month: Shaylee Brothersen, Owen Neff, Colin Pealer, Emma Kenel, Sullivan Barron, Rhiannon Sines, Gavin Menke-Bailey, and Savannah Oge.

· Former New Londoner, Josh Byrd, was profiled.

· Obituaries this month: Irma Lucille (Chayka) Lorber, Roger Kent Fulton, Marjorie Scovern-Lepic, Brock M. Welcher, and Debra Diane (Rogers) Brinkmeyer.

· “Shrek the Musical” was just an excellent. Trayton Schuster played Shrek expertly and Matthew Rogers brought Lord Farquand delightfully to life.

· Mark and Laurie Hempen have opened a cheesecake business named “Shut Your Piehole Cheesecakes.”

· Sadly Ray’s Specialty Meats closed at the end of the month.

· Track season has started for the Tigers. London Franklin, Riley Raines, Brigham Porter, and Cale Westerbeck ran in Central College indoor meet at Pella on March 20.

April

· Dollars for Scholars auction was held. This year 101 businesses submitted items for live auction.

· Senior Spotlights this month: Avalon Imogen Rhodes, Hailey Jade Volner, Sully Bain, Mylee Miller, Stevey Marie Wintermeyer, Cael Ryan Wilka, Cole Mills, Phoebie Jane Mills, Mikel Ticsay, Michael Dettmers, and Lillie Gallup.

· On April 5, NLHS held the Jr-Sr prom with the theme “Under the Stars.”

· Obituaries this month: Ferlin Patrick Edgington, Dewey R. McLerran, and Michael Allen Westerbeck.

· Troop 1601 of Brownies and Daisys donated 106 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to the Tiger food pantry.

· It was announced that the NL and WMU softball teams will combine for this season.

· Cael Wilka and Megan Lee both took 1st place in the shot put with throws of 35-05.25 and 28-09.50 respectively at the Danville co-ed meet.

· NL Specialty Care held its annual Easter egg hunt on April 12th.

· The National Honor Society initiated new members Noah Crossett, Sullivan Barron, Teresa Coleman, Abigail Denney, Sydney Kracht, Wyatt Mangold, Madelynn Nelson, and Riley Raines.

· Jesse Howard, husband, father, Marine, SE Iowa Army National Guard recruiter, and involved citizen has written a book on leadership titled Beyond the Call.

· April 14, the New London Music Dept. presented its K-12 spring music concert.

· Burge Cemetery was badly damaged by tornadoes on April 16th.

· The 4x200 m relay team of Cale Westerbeck, Gavin Strawhacker, Brigham Porter, and London Franklin broke the school record set in 1989.

May

· New London School District launched a new Ag/FFA program.

· Senior Spotlights this month: Taylor Fuller, Logan Drew, Aidan Hoppe, Corbin Jacobs-Jewell,

· The girls golf team played the WMU team. The girls won 215-222 with Emma Busby shooting a round of 45.

· Obituaries this month: Jackie Leroy Mettler, Ronald Ervin Miller, Martha Jane (Smith) Francy, Joyce Ann (Mueller) Westerbeck, Judith Ann Gaylord,

· The New London 8th grade class enjoyed the annual field trip to Saint Louis.

· Kendall Hempen started a new gunsmithing business. You can find Hempen Gunworks LLC at 600 South Pine St.

· Several graduation activities were held for the Seniors. They included the Senior breakfast, the Senior walk, the Senior spotlight culminating in graduation on May 18th.

· The Senior Spotlight: Makynna Rayn Carpenter.

· The Tiger boys track team sent three 1st place events to the state track meet (4x100 m relay, 4x200m relay, 100m dash). Three more qualified by time (1600m

and the long jump) Both the Franklin twins qualified for the long jump. They leave for Des Moines on May 22nd.

· Graduates Morgan Jones and Emma Busby each received a P.E.O. scholarship.

· The school year ends with Fun Day activities and the Clark color run.

· A Veterans Memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 26, at Burge Cemetery.

· The team of Strawhacker. Westerbeck, Porter, and London Franklin are the 2025 state champions in the 4x100m relay and runners-up in the 4x200m relay.

June

· Baseball and softball have started.

· The Tiger Pantry received two tons of food. The baseball team was on hand to assist the very grateful Pantry staff.

· Jesse Howard, president of the Burge Cemetery board, gave an update to the Dover Museum attendees on June 15th. Recruited originally by Chuck Noel to pr5ovide younger people, Jesse faced a daunting learning curve as volunteers put the wreckage back together.

· Memphis Watson is leading the state in stolen bases.

· Rental codes drew a crowd at the City Council meeting.

· Mike Jones, Jesse Howard’s “old” basketball coach, nominated Howard for the Veteran of the Game honor at Wrigley Field. Howard was honored in front of 40,000 attendees on June 20.

· Longtime New London resident, Nella Elliott, celebrated her 90th birthday on June 28th.

· Obituaries this month: Monica Ann (Simmons) Blanck and Brian A. Walters.

Next week: 2025-Year in Review July — December