Archive for: November 2008

By Mary Zielinski
His successful run for the 89th District seat in the Iowa House means Larry Marek will not continue with the Washington County Riverboat Foundation (WCRF).
Marek’s term expiries in December, before he takes his state office, and WCRF members November 19 discussed not filling the resulting vacancy.
“If we do not replace the member, we will have an odd number for the board,” said member Patricia Koller. She and others indicated that could be preferable. Not filling Marek’s position would mean a 13 rather than a 14 member board. The board has a representative from eight of the nine incorporated cities. The ninth, Coppock, is in three counties with Henry County as the one of record. The additional members are rural or from Washington.

By Mary Zielinski
Creation of a transport officers pool for the Washington county Sheriff’s Department not only will pay for itself but also bring some additional funds to the county, Sheriff Jerry Dunbar told the board of supervisors Tuesday.
Cost for the officers, which Dunbar said would be a pool of ten available for on-call service, works out to $7,175 annually. The figure is based on an hour wage of $12.50 for 575 hours annually.
Reimbursement for the transporting of federal prisoners is $20 per hour which, using the 575 hours per year, means payment of $11,480, Dunbar explained.
He added that the department currently has $10,000 in its budget to pay for the officers. He said it would not start until after the first of the new year.

May 20, 1923 - November 20, 2008
Marjorie Blum, 85, a resident of Pioneer Park Care Center in Lone Tree, Iowa, died there Thursday, November 20, 2008, following an extended illness.
A celebration of life service was held Sunday, November 23, 2008, in the Powell Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Wellman, Iowa. Chaplain Donnita Payne-Hostetler officated. Burial was in the Wellman Cemetery. A general memorial fund has been established. Messages and tributes may be left at www.powellfuneralhomes.com under obituaries.

[caption id="attachment_476" align="alignleft" width="127" caption="Jodee Seward made four three-point shots in Mid-Prairie’s win over West Liberty Monday, November 24, at Wellman. (Photo by Norv Coblentz)"]…

September 15, 1924 - October 31, 2008
Marvin C. Yoder, 84, a resident of Pleasantview Home, Kalona, Iowa, died there Friday, October 31, 2008, following a lengthy illness.
A celebration of life service was held November 5, 2008, in the Powell Funeral Home in Wellman, Iowa. Pastor Marlene Jansen officiated. Burial was in the West Chester Cemetery, West Chester, Iowa. A memorial fund has been established for the Washington County Hospice. Messages and tributes may be left at www.powellfuneralhomes.com under obituaries.

The Wish Tree in the office of Dr. Teri Downes can help make Christmas merry for those who were hit by the tornado in Parkersburg May 25.
Part of the Tornado Relief Project, the tree is a result of Kelley Gengler asking her mother Jo Duwa about the possibility of having a tree in Dr. Downes’ office. Duwa is employed at the office.
Gengler and her husband, a chiropractor, have been involved in a Christmas toy drive for nine years.
“We always choose to donate our toys locally,” she said. But this year, they looked at Parkersburg and “I called Pastor Ooms, the head of the Tornado Relief Project there. I asked him if the kids were needing items for Christmas.”

It just became a huge snowball from there. He has 70 elementary children directly affected by the tornado. He asked if we could handle that many. I said sure, but I knew we would need backup

And, as she said, “It just became a huge snowball from there. He has 70 elementary children directly affected by the tornado. He asked if we could handle that many. I said sure, but I knew we would need backup.”

February 19, 1941 - November 21, 2008
Ronnie Ulin, 67, of rural Green Mountain/Marshalltown, Iowa, died unexpectedly Friday, November 21, in his home.
Memorial services and a celebration of Mr. Ulin’s life was held Wednesday, November 26, 2008, in the Green Mountain United Church of Christ with Pastor Kim Wilson officiating. Burial was in the Green Mountain Cemetery with flag presentation honors by the American Legion Frank Lewis Glick Post #46 of Marshalltown. The Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown was in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to the family or the Iowa Lions Foundation. To leave condolences, visit www.mitchellfh.com.

Two Town Hall meetings will be held to discuss proposed improvements to the Wellman water system. The meetings are being held at different times to allow for more people to attend. It is not necessary to attend both meetings. The meetings will be held Saturday, December 6, at noon and Monday, December 8 at 7 p.m.
The public is invited to attend to voice their opinions and concerns on the water system. Each session will start with a brief presentation summarizing the need for water facility improvements and then an open forum where water customers can provide feedback and ask questions.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has provided notice to the City that the existing public drinking water system is in violation of two primary drinking water standards. The first concern is based on elevated concentrations of radium being found in the water supply. Radium is a known carcinogen (cancer causing agent). Second, water quality analysis has identified elevated nitrite concentrations which can have negative effects on infants. The City will be implementing changes to the water system to address the IDNR’s concerns.

Parkside Activities Center is set to open August 1, a firm date since there is a $500 per day penalty for each day beyond the contracted completion. Although there have been some change orders, City Administrator Dave Ross said …

by Coach Marc Pennington
The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks kicked of the 2008-09 season with a 42-36 victory over West Liberty in Wellman Monday, November 24. The Hawks got off to a great start, racing to a 23-4 first half lead before the Belles chipped away in the second half.
The Golden Hawks shot 50 percent in the first half and finished 17-41, 41 percent, including four three-pointers. They held a 26-23 rebounding advantage and had 14 assists on the 17 made field goals.

The following are the 2008 Mid-Prairie football stats.
Team win/loss record: 10-2: August 29 loss to Williamsburg 26-28, September 5 win at Washington 45-14, September 12 win at Louisa-Muscatine 56-0, September 19 win over Mediapolis 42-7, September 26, win at Sigourney-Keota 41-7, October 3 win over Central Lee 59-0, October 10 win at Columbus 49-6, October 17 win at Davis County 40-12, October 24 win at West Burlington 42-20, October 29 win over Tipton (post season) 35-14, November 3 win over Regina (post season) 38-20, and November 7 loss at Solon (post season) 27-52. Mid-Prairie was undefeated in district play and won the district championship. They were 5-1 at home and 5-1 away.
M-P individual season stats:

The following awards were presented at the 2008 Mid-Prairie Football awards banquet Friday, November 21, at the high school.
Offensive Most Valuable Players: Tanner Miller, Ryan Gent, Colin Brenneman.
Defensive Most Valuable Players: Micah Berg, Josh Boone, Schylor Altenhofen.
Special Teams Most Valuable …