News

Investigators said Friday morning that  there is no evidence to suggest that foul play was involved in the disappearance of a rural Crawfordsville woman. Instead, the information they’ve uncovered suggests that her disappearance stemmed from the pressures she was dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

Sharon Hopf, 45, failed to show up for work Thursday morning (Jan. 5) at Hopf Furniture in Kalona. Later that evening, Hopf was reported missing to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office by her husband and other family members who had been looking for her throughout the day.

Hopf’s vehicle was discovered two days  later  by the Warren County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office near Wright City, Missouri, which is located approximately 30 miles West of St. Louis, Missouri on Interstate 70.  The car was located at an abandoned home located at 28566 Hwy F just outside the city limits.  The surrounding area near the location of Hopf’s car was searched, but she was not located. Hopf’s car was searched and processed for evidence. During that examination, several items were collected and examined for fingerprint and DNA evidence at the DCI’s Crime Laboratory.

The Warren County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office organized and conducted a thorough grid search of a one-mile radius in the area Wednesday where Hopf’s car was located.  Again, she was not located.

Authorities stressed there is no threat to public safety stemming from this incident in and around Washington County.

The following statement was released on behalf of the family of Sharon Hopf and read by Perry Hopf, husband of Sharon Hopf, at the press conference:

“My name is Perry Hopf and my wife is Sharon.  My family and I trust that everything that can be done to find Sharon is being done.  We want Sharon to know that we understand the stress she has recently been under and just want her to contact us and let us know that she is okay.  Sharon if you see this, please know that I love you and miss you, and that you are the most important thing to me.”

Washington County Sheriff’s Office officials said Sunday afternoon that Sharon Ruth Hopf’s vehicle has been located in the St. Louis, Missouri area. But Hopf has not been located and the vehicle is being processed for evidence.

Hopf, 45, a rural Crawfordsville resident, was reported missing after she failed to show up for work Thursday morning at Hopf Home Furnishings in Kalona.

Anyone with any  information regarding her whereabouts of Sharon Hopf may call  the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (319) 653-2107 or (1-800) TIPS-492.

The search continues for missing Kalona business owner, Sharon Ruth Hopf, 45, who was reported missing when she failed to report for work Thursday morning.

According to Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar, Hopf was last seen at 7 a.m. Thursday when she left her home at 2886 280th Street, rural Crawfordsville.  A report that she was seen at a BP gas station in Washington at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, January 5, could not be verified,

Sharon Hopf

said Dunbar.

Hopf was reported driving a 1999 white Chevy Lumina with an Iowa plate, 419WXF.

Dunbar said that law enforcement and other units searched the surrounding areas for the car and for Hopf, finding no trace of either.

Her husband reported her as missing.  The Hopfs are the owners of Hopf Home Furnishing advertised as Furniture, Floors and More at 101 B Avenue (corner of B Avenue and Highway 1), Kalona.

Anyone with any possible information regarding Hopf’s whereabouts is asked to the call the sheriff’s department at 319-653-2107.

A 34-year-old local woman died Tuesday morning as the result of a two-vehicle collision.

Jennifer Lynn Hussman, 34, of Wellman, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was the driver of a vehicle headed eastbound on 500th St. Southwest that was struck by a westbound vehicle driven by Cameron Lynn Davis, 38, of Wellman. According to the Iowa State Patrol report, Davis’ vehicle cleared the crest of a hill and hit Hussman’s vehicle head-on in the eastbound lane.

The accident, which occurred at 7:35 a.m.,  took place one-half mile east of  Johnson Iowa Rd.

Davis was transported by Wellman Ambulance to University Hospitals. The extent of his injuries are unknown.

Both drivers employed seat belts.

by Mary Zielinski

The refinancing of a loan agreement that will save Kalona more than $134,000 in interest payments was approved by the Kalona council Monday. The move, which refinances slightly more than $1 million in library bonds, provides for a 1.87 interest rate for the debt that will be paid off in 2024.

As part of the process, the council approved a tax exemption certificate and authorized a form for the agreement that continues the same procedures, changing only the rate.

The council also approved Change Order 4 for the A Avenue Bridge, providing for deductions from the $95,074 concrete costs and an $11,548 payment to the county for county engineering services for the bridge project.

Read the complete story in the Dec. 22 issue of the Wellman Advance.

by Gloria Williams

In today’s economy, many working parents are just one small crisis away from financial disaster. Applying for assistance takes time, and often their needs are more immediate. This is where the Washington County Enrichment Foundation, Inc. (WCEF) steps in.

WCEF founder and president Kelly Galiher gives an example of a mother who called for help with a blown tire. Though she has a job she loves, she had used up all of her allowable time off staying home with a sick child. She worried she might lose her job if she didn’t make it to work.

“Because we can do things so quickly, I sent out an email to the board, I got the majority of the votes back that said, ‘do it.’ I wrote a personal check to some place and met the woman, got her tire fixed and then I got reimbursed from my group later,” says Galiher. “So the beautiful part is that we can get it done now, because a lot of folks that run up against this, they don’t have time to wait. And it was that $70 tire that kept her family from falling into cycles of poverty.”

Read the complete story in the Dec. 22 issue of the Wellman Advance.

by Mary Zielinski

The Washington County Board of Supervisors Tuesday cut 0.6 percent from the County Compensation Board’s recommended three percent raise for elected officials.  The 2.4 percent raise is the same approved earlier for county department heads and employees.  The motion was approved by a 4-1 vote with Ron Bennett opposed.

The Compensation Board made its recommendation at its December 5 meeting, a proposal that would have raised the supervisor salaries to $35,093 (currently $34,071), the county attorney to $94,049 (from $91,310); auditor, to $66,025 ($64,102); recorder, $60,818 ($59,047); treasurer, $61,725 ($59,928) and sheriff, $79,799 ($77,475).  In making its recommendation, the Compensation Board wanted to keep the county’s pay level within the top 20 in Iowa.  It was noted it ranks 10th.

Read the complete story in the Dec. 22 issue of the Wellman Advance.

By Elizabeth Rhodes

During a brief meeting Monday, December 19, the Wellman council approved resolutions No. 11-45 and No. 11-46, setting January 23, 2012, at 5 p.m., for a public hearing to discuss the proposition to authorize a loan agreement and the issuance of notes not to exceed $1,000,000 for water revenue improvements and refunding loan, and to discuss the proposition to authorize a loan agreement and the issuance of notes not to exceed $1,625,000 for the General Obligation refunding loan.

Read the Dec. 22 issue of the Wellman Advance for the complete story

Christmas Eve service  will be held at 6:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Wellman with Fr. Marty Goetz.

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service, Saturday, December 24, 5:30 p.m. at Kalona Mennonite Church, 902 6th St, Kalona, Iowa. Guest speaker will be Beth Miller.

Maxine M. Lee, 94, of Sigourney, Iowa, formerly of Webster, Iowa, died Saturday, December 10, 2011, at the Sigourney Care Center in Sigourney. A Celebration of Life Service was held at the Webster United Methodist Church Tuesday, December 13,  at 10:30 a.m. with Pastor Jim Stout officiating. Visitation was at the Powell Funeral Home in North English Monday, December 12,  from 4 – 7 p.m. Burial was in the South English Cemetery.

A memorial fund has been established for the Webster United Methodist Church and Keokuk County Hospice. Memorials and tributes may be left at www.powellfuneralhomes.com under obituaries.

The ALC annual mitten tree is in the lobby of the Wellman Coop Telephone Company where it will remain through Christmas.

Mittens and other cold weather items, such as gloves, mittens, hats, boots, scarves, sweatpants and sweatshirts may be left on or under the tree. Monetary donations to purchase similar items will be accepted.

The winter items will be distributed to children at Sunrise Daycare and Wellman Elementary School and Pre-School after the holidays.