King Chapel’s roof replacement, major repairs slated for April 2025
Linn County Planning and Zoning indicate plans for protection of building
Nathan Countryman
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
Significant repairs to King Chapel on Cornell College’s campus are slated to begin in April 2025.
Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission building official Luke Mahoney said that his office was made aware of significant structural issues to the building in March, including the fact walls are pushed out of plain along the building.
Cornell College took action at that point to put out exterior bracing and sensors that monitor the building for any shifts or further failures.
Those sensors monitor the building for changes in any week or more level of the building, and Shive Hattery and Cornell College are kept abreast of any changes.
“There has been no movement of the building to date, and it’s staying in the same condition,” Mahoney said.
Linn County Planning and Zoning had an additional meeting with Cornell College about developing an emergency plan in case there needed to be any more bracing installed.
“Any failures we see we expect to be minor at this point, like bricks falling from the building,” Mahoney said.
Kelly Flege, vice president and chief operating and chief financial officer of Cornell College, said the plan is that a full roof replacement of King Chapel is what the college is looking at doing.
“We’re not tearing the roof off of the building this fall and winter,” Flege said. “Now is not the time to take the roof off the building, but we are looking to start the significant repairs to the building in the spring.”
Mahoney also credited the college for the actions they have taken at the moment to keep people away from the building, including the fencing around the space.
“This building has now made it through the spring and summer storm seasons once again with no additional failures,” Mahoney said. “We feel it is an okay position for the bracing to remain up and move forward with the project again in April.”
Lisbon celebrates homecoming with return of old tradition
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
Lisbon’s homecoming celebrations were kicked off with a tradition as old as the celebration of homecoming itself.
The drums and horns of the marching band rang throughout the streets. They marched a 0.86-mile route, leading the football, volleyball, cross country, and powderpuff teams. The return of the Lisbon homecoming parade had families and students lining the streets.
“I was excited they were doing [the parade] this year,” Amanda Macke said.
The parade led right into the annual powderpuff tournament. The seniors battled the freshmen to begin the tournament. The freshmen were able to keep it close in the first half, but two interceptions returned for touchdowns gave the seniors a comfortable 22-0 win.
The juniors and sophomores followed up with a low scoring affair, full of strong defense.
The juniors scored on their first drive of the game and converted on the two-point conversion. The sophomores returned the favor in the second half, but were
unsuccessful on the two-point conversion. A late interception by the sophomores gave them an opportunity to complete the upset. However, the juniors defense stood tall and got the stop to clinch a berth in the title game.
Fans who braved the chilly temperatures were treated to an entertaining, back-and-forth championship game. The seniors began the scoring with a 40-yard touchdown run and converted the two-point play.
The juniors responded with a minute left in the first half with a 50-yard touchdown. However, they missed the conversion after the score and went into half down, 8-6. The seniors opened the second half with a long touchdown drive. They took all six downs to work their way down the field. The seniors converted the two-point conversion to go up 10. The juniors responded, but they ran out of time and the seniors pulled out the 16-12 victory to the powderpuff championship.
“[Powderpuff] is honestly my girls’ favorite thing to watch,” Macke said. “They are in elementary school and junior high and would hate me if I didn’t take them to this.”
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Joel Kellar
Joel Kellar | Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
The seniors celebrate their championship. They won 22-0 against the freshmen and 16-12 against the juniors in the final.
Jami Martin-Trainor | For the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun Homecoming Queen Sarah Dietsch and King Tiernan Boots pose for a photo before a football game against Danville High School on Oct. 11, 2024.
Mount Vernon Family Medicine opens doors
Seeking new clients for family medicine care
Nathan Countryman
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
Mount Vernon Family Medicine in uptown Mount Vernon has officially opened its doors.
The clinic, run by Dr. Jamie (Wallace) Smith, was something Smith dreamed up roughly two years ago.
Smith had been a doctor at Unity Point Clinic in Mount Vernon up until 2022.
“I really like taking care of the community and townspeople,” Smith said. “When I was approached about potentially opening an independent family medicine clinic in Mount Vernon, I was a little apprehensive. It is almost next to impossible to just start a private clinic these days.”
Smith had been approached about the idea roughly two years ago, and had spent a long time looking for the right space.
The former Mount Vernon Family Dentistry office at 107 N. First Street East proved to be the perfect space.
Smith has slowly been remodeling the space to serve as a doctor’s office since last winter, getting the space ready.
Smith said she will be providing traditional
family medicine for patients from infants to the elderly. She provides maternity care for patients up to 32 weeks in pregnancy, and then shares that patient with physicians in other hospitals.
“I love pediatrics and I love sports medicine,” Smith said.
Smith went to medical school at the University of Iowa after attending Cornell College, and then completed her residency at Genesis Family Residency in Davenport for three years, before joining UnityPoint Clinic in 2012.
She said she loves her former partners at UnityPoint Clinic, and doesn’t view herself as competition, but a complimentary service to the other clinics in the area.
“Everyone needs a doctor,” Smith said. “We need family physicians at all levels, and I’m excited to be doing this.”
She’s also loved being back in the community and taking care of patients.
“I am so not into the business side of this profession,” Smith said. “What you do as a doctor is so much the business side. When I saw my first patient on Monday, however, I had a feeling of calm and like this was what I’d been missing. It just felt right.”
The clinic has three full time staff – Stacey Hrabak, patient and billing services coordinator, Megan Gerst, registered nurse, and Heather Westphal, LPN – as well as help from Angie Axdahl with the Cedar Rapids independent clinic who has been helpful for Smith to be opening her own clinic.
No parking zone established along Seventh Avenue
Nathan Countryman
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
The Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department has established a no parking zone along Seventh Avenue N.W. in Mount Vernon.
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police chief Doug Shannon said he has received complaints from people traversing this road over the past couple years in the block of Seventh Avenue N.W. between First Street and Second Street.
“This is a permit parking area,” Shannon said. “The request is to move the permitted parking area further down the street.” Shannon said the issue becomes much larger when cars are turning from First Street onto Seventh Avenue and vehicles are parked up to the stop sign along that street. It gives vehicles very little room to maneuver and stage.
Council member Mark Andresen noted it is
an issue when winter weather hits as well. Shannon recommended making from the corner with First Street to the first utility pole along Seventh Avenue N.W. to be no parking, which is 90 feet from the intersection of First Street.
The council approved the request, minus council members Scott Rose and Paul Tuerler. The resolution will go into effect as soon as signage is placed of the changes.
“Angie has been an invaluable resource, who helps me navigate the insurance contracts and medical supply items that are needed for a clinic,” Smith said.
The clinic is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Smith said as an independent doctor, she takes all major insurances, and if she needs to refer to other doctors in other communities, patients have the ability to help choose that referral.
Just like clinics at UnityPoint and MercyCare, the clinic has a small lab that can draw blood and conduct simple tests to determine diagnoses for items like flu or strep. Blood work is then sent to the lab in Cedar Rapids.
Smith’s dad, Jim Wallace was a long-time volunteer with the Lisbon Mount Vernon Ambulance service.
“The running joke is the Wallace family are just drawn to medicine,” Smith said. “My brother is who got my dad into volunteering with the EMS service.”
Smith originally studied environmental sciences and biology, but she marks those as her hobbies now.
Her husband, Rik, is also a veterinarian in town, running Mount Vernon Veterinary Clinic PC. The couple have three children – Ellie, 10, Caleb, 5, and Abby, 2.
Ordinance on smoke and vape shops fails to advance
Nathan Countryman
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
An ordinance with restrictions on smoke and vape shops failed to advance in Mount Vernon, after a 2-1 vote. Council member Mark Andresen provided the dissenting opinion, and council members Scott Rose and Paul Tuerler were absent from the meeting. The ordinance needed a majority of council members for a reading to advance, and with Andresen’s no vote, that stalled that decision.
Andresen said he was opposed to the current ordinance as presented, as there is a good chance many of these smoke or vape shops will likely be closing doors by the end of the year, due to laws passed
LISBON, IA
by the legislature this past year.
“A lot has changed on the ground since we passed our moratorium against smoke and vape shoppes in April,” Andresen said.
That moratorium against smoke and vape shoppes also lapsed at the end of September. Council member Stephanie West requested the moratorium come back in the Oct. 21 agenda to be reinstated while the council looks at the ordinances again.
One of the items Andresen also had an issue with was a line about enforcement of keeping people 21 or under from the establishment with someone monitoring the door.
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police chief Doug Shannon
said of the two particular shops in existence at Mount Vernon at the moment, the employee at the register would be that door monitor.
“These establishments have nowhere to sit and are roughly one or two rooms large,” Shannon said. “There are specific items for sale that are not for anyone under 21. We need to be mindful that 25 percent of our population is young.”
The police department annually completes compliance checks for anyone selling tobacco products as well.
An ordinance that would have clearly defined that minors are not allowed in smoke shops was tabled until a future meeting.
The Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun strives for accuracy and fairness in reporting news. If we’ve made an error or a report is misleading, let us know about it: news@mvlsun.com
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Official Newspaper: Mount Vernon, Lisbon, Bertram, Linn County, Mount Vernon Community School District, Lisbon Community School District The Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun (USPS 367-520), a division of The Daily Iowan, is published weekly every Thursday by Student Publications, Inc., 100 Adler Journalism Building, Room E131, Iowa City, Iowa 52242. Periodicals Postage Paid at the Mount Vernon Post Office and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun, 108 1st St SW, Mount Vernon, IA 52314. Subscriptions: Contact Rochelle Ferguson at 319-895-6216 or rochelle.ferguson@mvlsun.com for additional information. Subscription rates: Linn and adjoining counties – $55 annually; elsewhere in Iowa – $75 annually; out of state – $85 annually.
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mvlsun.com
Smith
Nathan Countryman | Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
One of the newly remodeled exam rooms at Mount Vernon Family Medicine.
Joel Kellar | Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
Above: Kaitlin Hasselbusch and Darlin Schaefer greet the crowd during the homecoming parade. Both are members of the homecoming court.
Left: The juniors bench and coaching staff celebrate a 50-yard touchdown in the championship game.
Below: The sophomore powderpuff team hypes up the crowd during the parade.
Jami Martin-Trainor | For the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
Above leftt: Sarah Dietsch is crowned as the Lisbon Homecoming Queen.
Above right: Members of the Lisbon marching band wait to play during a halftime performance at a football game against Danville High School.
Left: Ball runners for the Lisbon High School football team watch players warm up before a game.
Jami Martin-Trainor | For the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
Seniors at Lisbon High School filter into stands at the Lisbon Community School football field on Oct. 11, 2024 for the Homecoming game.
OPINIONS
SUN EDITORIAL
Iowa’s traditionally bad weather is letting us down
Living in Iowa
Dan Brawner
It’s been dry in Iowa lately. How dry is it? It’s so dry, the fish are getting fleas. It’s so dry, dogs are marking their territories with chalk lines. It’s so dry, parks are encouraging people to pee in the pool. It’s so dry this autumn, that when leaves fall, they shatter like glass.
And hot? It’s been so hot that birds have to use pot holders to get worms out of the ground. It’s been so hot and dry in our neighborhood that grass coming out of my lawnmower sticks into the fence like porcupine quills.
I’m telling you, it’s been dry. In fact, State Climatologist Justin Glisan reports that rainfall for September was…well, there wasn’t any. “This is the driest September in 152 years of records for the state,” Glisan told station KQWC in Webster City. And, he said, it was one of the top ten warmest Septembers, “About three degrees above the average….”
Georgia Rep. Margorie Taylor Greene informs us Democrats are creating hurricanes to pound Republican districts. Iowa is a fairly red state. Maybe we don’t rate our own hurricane, but couldn’t those Democrat weather demons send a few rain clouds our way?
Actually, I’m afraid we’re getting spoiled in Iowa. We have a long and respected reputation for having terrible weather. Only the brave or the truly crazy would want to live here. For many years, Iowans have relied on our bad weather to keep tourists away. We’re “The Flyover State”. Travelers make sure to fill their tanks before crossing our borders to guarantee they don’t ever have to get out of their cars and be assaulted by our weather. The very word “blizzard” first appeared in 1870 in the Estherville newspaper, The Northern Vindicator (what a name!) to describe a terrible Iowa snowstorm.
But now, what do we have to show for ourselves? It is sad to say that there are Iowa children today who have never experienced one of our blinding, bone-chilling blizzards. This year, I finally gave away our giant, two-stage Airens snowblower because I couldn’t justify giving it space in the garage just for dusting off two or three puny snows every winter. The words “Iowa winter” used to strike terror into the hearts of out-of-staters. But now, we’ve become a meteorological boogieman, a tall tale to scare children when the truth is, Iowa has turned, you know, pleasant. “Iowa Nice” used to refer just to Iowans. Now it also describes our climate. Sooner or later, the word is bound to get out and there will be no stopping the invasion of Florida tourists, coming to Iowa to get in on our nice weather.
Yes, it has been unusually warm and dry lately. So what are we complaining about? Here it is, the middle of October and we’re walking around in shorts and t-shirts. No raincoats, no hats or gloves. Will trick-or-treaters have to pack their chocolate in ice this Halloween to keep it from melting in the heat? If nothing else, Iowans are adaptable.
We all knew this was an issue after the Martha Parsons Family Activity Complex was constructed and a lot of high school activities moved to that space – What is going to happen to First Street Community Center Field?
The field has been used as a host for athletics for middle school and parks and recreation or youth clubs to play on.
Last year, during harder budget decisions for the Mount Vernon Community School District, forgoing the normal fertilization and watering of the field was cut as a line item for cost savings. It was potentially a $45,000 savings for the district. And this past summer, with more often rain storms, the need for watering the field wasn’t an issue.
But we’re nearing the end of fall, and a resource that many different organizations use for their sports has seen what not investing in fertilization and weed mitigation looks like. And it’s a rough field at this time.
As the school board discussed – without taking any of that maintenance that is usually done, it is becoming a liability.
GUEST COLUMN
Mount Vernon-Lisbon unit of the Linn County League of Women Voters
Some years back, a Mount Vernon voting precinct official was challenged by a voter. He had inserted his ballot into the ballot tabulating machine and then said “OK, now show me how I voted.” The poll worker invited him to step out of the path of the voters and explained that his ballot was a secret ballot, and he wouldn’t want others to know how he voted. His choices are tallied and counted with all other ballots in that machine, the counter is advanced, and it is ready for the next ballot.
Remembering this experience of caution and concern, let’s focus on your ballot. What happens before the election, during and after to protect it in Iowa. A few weeks before election day, the voting machine is tested, sealed and kept secure. It is unsealed by the precinct chairperson after 6 a.m. on election day and made ready to accept the day’s ballots. A second precinct official witnesses this step as a backup check.
Once the voting machine is set up, a zero-tape is run to open the polls. The paper tape prints and shows all the contests with a zero number of votes. All precinct officials sign this tape, verifying that it was checked and is official.
Next, the paper ballots are carefully counted. Is it the correct form of the ballot for our precinct? Does the ballot count agree with the number stated by Linn County elections on
As board member Tim Keegan and other board members stated, the district needs to look at their future with the field, especially as they’re looking at budget line items.
Board member Lance Schoff did mention that the district had a two-year plan of keeping that field functioning as the district evaluated their options for those middle school sports and athletics that utilize the field with the activity complex opened at Mount Vernon.
There are other owners of the field, including the City and Alliant Energy. It may be time for all entities to have discussions on maintenance of the field moving forward if it is a community asset we need for youth sports.
Or maybe it is getting that abstract and finding someone who has other ideas for the space in the future.
We know the community came together in the early 2000s to save the field for continued usage. Maybe it’s time for the community to weigh in as well on the future of that space as well.
the Ballot Record and receipt?
For the next 13 hours, voters mark their ballots, insert them in the voting machine to be tallied, and then the paper ballots drop down to be securely stored in the bottom of that machine. After the polls close at 8 p.m., all ballots are accounted for: the number voted, the number of unused ballots, and the spoiled or unprovisional ballots. These are reported n the ballot record and receipt and must equal the number originally received. All precinct officials watch as the end-of-day results tape is run, showing totals for each race. Copies are printed and signed by all precinct officials. The media and others from the public may observe this step.
In Linn County, the voting machines are not connected to each other or any external device of communication. He accuracy of results is assured through several layers of checks and balances. The digital record from the machine and identical reports from the day’s vote tallies are delivered to the auditor’s office by a bipartisan team.
A second results tape, the voted and spoiled ballots, provisional ballots and the Ballot Record and Receipt are driven in separately to the Elections Office. These checks and double checks are important to election integrity.
The canvass of votes a week after the election is the verification step that the reports agree are accurate. Following the canvass of votes, candidates have three calendar days to request a recount. If no recount is needed, the ballots will remain in sealed bags in a secure storage facility for the next 22 months.
That’s the story of your ballot and the path it takes to make sure your vote is accurately counted.
Democracy is not a spectator sport. Be a confident, informed voter.
seeing people who looked like her in office.
At the time, the Varnum vs. Brien Supreme Court Decision had just passed, and that inspired Bennett to be working to protect marriage equality in the state.
She was elected to her first office in Iowa in 2014 as the first out LGBT woman to serve in the state legislature.
Levin’s path was a little different. Levin was originally from Illinois when she came to Cornell.
“The one course at a time study worked well for my ADHD brain,” Levin said. “I was on track to graduate as teacher specializing in middle school and move out of the state, but I was charmed by Iowa and chose to remain.”
Nathan Countryman Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
Panelists at Cornell explored issues pertaining to sexism, LGQBTIA+ and more issues at an event at Zamora’s Market Tuesday, Oct. 8.
The panel was one of two that Cornell College was hosting pertaining to the election.
State Senator Liz Bennett (Class of 2010) and Iowa State Representative Elinor Levin (Class of 2009) were the guest panelists.
Bennett explained that she had attended Cornell College as an adult, and when she was first approached about running for office, she was put aback because she wasn’t used to
Her spouse was in the military, and they moved to locations for the next five years due to their service. When Levin was looking to return to Iowa in 2017, she said many of her friends were leaving the state.
She got involved with the local League of Women Voters initiatives and working with the bipartisan group. When a Representative was looking to retire in 2021, she let Levin know, and Levin announced she was running for the seat shortly after. She had a primary and general election that she was part of, and she admitted she should have lost the election, but her work with the League helped her find support throughout her district. She is running unopposed for the seat in the 2024 election.
Bennett mentioned she was told by many she couldn’t work a full time job and campaign, which she called a nonstarter of an argument.
“I had excelled at taking college one class at a time while
doing other work,” Bennett said.
When it came to the first question, on obstacles to overcome, Bennett said the adage about women needing to be asked multiple times to run for office proved true.
She also said having to walk the line between credibility but not coming across as too uppity was something she warred with.
Levin said that the childcare expenses not being reimbursable for a number of years made a barrier to entry for many elected officials, and elected officials still deal with pay parity issues.
The sacrifices made during a session, which stretch for four months out of the year, mean missing events for children and family as well.
Both noted you will experience sexism as a lawmaker, both egregious and minor cases.
Megan Goldberg noted women excel in the job once they’ve been elected, as they do extremely well at constituent services and delivering on projects for their districts.
Levin said she feels that men like women willing to do the emotional labor for them.
Bennett said her biggest issues have come from female senators and female congresswomen and their views.
Bennett also noted there was at least one time she was expected to be a guaranteed yes vote on a bill, but had done the research on the issue and found she sided against the bill.
“You would have thought I killed their puppy when I told a few colleagues in a sub-committee it wasn’t an open and shut vote for that issue,” Bennett said.
Levin said that she has been told she talks too much or asks too many questions on the floor, but she wears that one as a badge of honor, because it means that people are paying attention to her. Her greater issue is when other women are saying the same thing.
As for role models, Levin said that her predecessor Mary Mesher is definitely one of them.
As a queer neuro divergent, Bennett said Kyrsten Sinema, as well as Elizabeth Dole and Elizabeth Warren
New officer appointed for Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department
Nathan Countryman
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
Nick Eicher has been approved as a new officer for the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department.
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police chief Doug Shannon said that Eicher was one of roughly four who had applied for the position with the department, and his
choice of an officer to be appointed to the department.
The plan is Eicher will attend the law enforcement academy beginning in January for additional training and will replace an open position on the force when Jeff Frankfurt retires in February 2025.
“We’re excited for Nick to be joining the department,” Shannon said. “He’s a great candidate with good local connections.”
Nick is the son of Chris and Christina Eicher of Bennett.
First Street Community Field improvements
discussed
Nathan Countryman
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
The Mount Vernon School Board approved a contract with Krafka Lawn Services to make repairs to the First Street Community Center Field this fall to get the field ready for play this spring. The $7,875 contract does not include the potential costs for watering the field, which are roughly $30,000 annually.
The district had opted not to pay for watering and fertilizing of the field as a cost saving measure last spring. The steady rain this summer helped in that there wasn’t as much need to water the field as years previous.
The school is one of four owners of the First Street Community Center Field, the others being Alliant Energy, the City of Mount Vernon and Ed Sauter.
School board president Rick Elliott said that the barrier for selling the field a few years ago was the cost of getting an abstract, which was upwards of $40,000, before even knowing if a buyer could be found for the space.
There has never been an agreement in writing as to who manages the field, and Mount Vernon uses the field for some Mount Vernon Middle School sports as well as a practice field.
School board member Tim Keegan said the district should move this subject to a work session to discuss what need the district has for the field moving forward.
“Why should the school pay for upkeep for the field if we’re not going to use it?” Keegan asked. “I understand it is property we own, and if we don’t do something, it will be in disrepair come spring.”
School board member Lance Schoff said that whomever the school uses as contractor will need to do some crab grass treatment to the field.
“I’m worried also if we don’t do anything and someone is injured, that becomes a liability for us if they’re injured,” Schoff said.
The district does get some rental usage from area sports clubs, but those do not raise to the level needed for ongoing maintenance to the field.
were some of her role models.
On how the race changed in July area, Levin said when she has been knocking on doors to campaign, she has seen far more excitement in voters than even June.
Bennett and Levin said that the agenda they will see and the agenda that should be discussed are two different things.
As for what should be on legislative agendas this next session-
· funding of colleges, universities and schools
· Childcare and elder care issues
· Strengthening workers rights
· Mental health
“The biggest thing I’m hearing from people out on the campaign trail are pocketbook issues,” Levin said.
“What we’re most likely to see are bills tackling social issues once again,” Bennett said.
They both agreed that carbon sequestration pipelines and eminent domain are going to be a huge non-partisan issue that gets addressed.
Ninth annual Uptown Theatre Honors event to take place Nov. 3
The Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group (CDG) has announced the date for the Ninth Annual Uptown Theatre Honors.
The event will take place Sunday, Nov. 3, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the First Street Community Center Uptown Theatre, 221 First St. NE, Mount Vernon. This year’s honorees include John Bardsley, Bob Campagna, Tommie and Pat Ouverson, Leland Turner and Kevin Carpenter, and Joleen Woods.
The honors gala will include speeches, live musical numbers and a reception attended by the nominees and their families. All are welcome. Admission to the event is free, goodwill donations are appreciated.
The annual Uptown Theatre Honors, Mount Vernon’s version of the Kennedy Center Honors, was initially
conceived through fundraising team the A-Go-Gos.
The eight-person fundraising group is responsible for raising $17,000 for the First Street Community Center Uptown Theatre through the 2013 “Frank Benesh Memorial Uptown Theatre Telethon A-Go-Go!” In 2019 the A-Go-Go volunteer team merged into the CDG volunteer pool, making the Uptown Theatre Honors an annual CDG event.
The Uptown Theatre Honors seeks to recognize and honor caring, passionate and collaborative individuals who have been responsible for shaping and promoting the arts and culture of the communities of Mount Vernon and Lisbon.
“This year the Uptown Theatre Honors will be honoring seven local men and women who have played a large part in creating and supporting the arts and culture of the communities of Mount Vernon and Lisbon,” said Mary Horst, volunteer chair of the Uptown Theatre Honors Committee. “We are thankful to our partners and funders who believe in the work we do--especially the CDG, Rick and Trude Elliott and the Wellso Family Foundation.”
Further information about the event is available through Joe Jennison at (319) 538-6297 or Trude Elliott at danceartsiowa@gmail.com.
Nathan Countryman | Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun Mayor Tom Wieseler helps new Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department member Nick Eicher take his oath as officer.
WEWalk outraises last year’s fundraiser
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
The WEWalk fundraiser is expected to exceed the profits raised during last year’s fundraiser, said Washington Elementary Teacher and Parent president Megan Wolter.
“The students did a great job returning their packets on time, and we’ll be able to release the grand total of funds raised sometime next week,” Wolter said.
Wolter said she was excited that this year’s walk had exceptional weather for children to participate in the event.
All grades of the elementary had a chance to participate in the walk around the elementary track Friday, Oct. 11.
Music was provided by WETAP, and the track had a number of fun obstacles that students could try their hands at completing, ranging from hula hoop uprights, zigzagging cones, mini hurdles and more.
Nathan Countryman
Photos by Nathan Countryman | Vernon-Lisbon Sun
Top: The fourth graders take off from the starting line.
Above: Everly Patel runs with her dad during WEWalk.
Members of the Mount Vernon Mustang Cheer team encourage elementary students along the walk.
Participants try their hand at the upright hula hoops.
Linda Marie Noll, 69, of Lisbon, Iowa, passed away on October 11, 2024, at HallMar Village in Marion, Iowa. A visitation service will be held at Stewart Baxter Funeral Home & Memorial Services, Mount Vernon, Iowa, on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, from 4-7 p.m. with a vigil service beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at St John the Baptist Catholic Church, Mount Vernon, with a burial service immediately after the funeral at the St. John’s Cemetery, Lisbon. A luncheon will follow at the church.
Those unable to attend are invited to watch the service via livestream. Please find the livestream link on Linda’s Tribute Wall and share your support and memories with her family at www.stewartbaxter.com under Obituaries.
Linda was born on December 20,1954, in Iowa City, Iowa, to Frank and Darlene (Mougin) Kabela. She was raised on a farm near West Branch, Iowa, where she graduated high school in 1973. She then attended the University of Northern Iowa, where she graduated with a degree in Food and Nutrition in Business and a minor in Accounting. She later received her accounting degree from Coe College.
Linda met Steve at UNI and described it as “an instant connection.” They were married on November 25, 1977, in Mount Vernon. She and Steve settled in Lisbon where together they raised a family. In Linda’s eyes, Steve was “the best thing that has ever happened in my life.”
Linda worked for Skogman Realty in the accounting department for 27 years until her retirement in 2019. Prior to that, she worked as a bookkeeper for the Ben Franklin Store in Mount Vernon.
Linda was a dedicated and involved member of the Lisbon and Mount Vernon community. She and Steve were active members of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church for 47 years, where she volunteered in many capacities over the decades, including several years on the Social Justice Committee. She served in a number of local organizations, including Lisbon Community School District Foundation and the Highway 30 Bypass Committee. She co-led a local Camp Fire Girls & Boys group for her daughters. At work she organized the United Way workplace giving campaign each year. During retirement she returned to her hometown in West Branch to volunteer at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.
One of Linda’s greatest sources of enjoyment was watching her kids and grandkids during their many athletic and artistic activities and performances. Linda was a passionate booster of the University of Northern Iowa Panther athletics.
Linda also thoroughly loved to travel, learn about history, explore new places, and collect magnets for her refrigerator collection. She was a self-described “foodie” and enjoyed looking through a new cookbook and trying new recipes. She was famous for her pie crust, especially her two favorites: rhubarb pie in the spring and sour cherry pie in the summer. And in the autumn, she would never say no to a pumpkin pie blizzard from Dairy Queen.
Linda is survived by her husband Steve; her children, Scott (Maggie) Noll of Marion, Stephanie (Anna Ghublikian) Noll of Denver, Colorado, and Sara (Eric) Dye of Owasso, Oklahoma; grandchildren, Katie, Josh and Marcus Noll and Jameson and Oliver Dye; siblings, David (Joan) Kablea, Lois (Mike) Coates, Steve (Darcy) Kabela, and Barb Ditzler; siblings-in-law, Russ (Kathy) Noll, Ron (Diane DVM) Noll, Chris (Brenda) Noll, and CAPT Daniel (Kamar), SC, USN (ret) Noll; and several nieces and nephews.
Linda is preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Darlene Kabela; sisters-in-law, Cheryl Maxfield and Deb Noll; and brothers-in-law, Rory Ditzler and Major Lee Maxifled, U.S. Army (ret).
The family would like to offer thanks to all of those who offered such excellent care for Linda during last few months, including the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center, Hospice House of Mercy in Hiawatha, and HallMar Village in Marion.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Linda’s honor may be directed to the Family Caregivers Center of Mercy, which was a beneficial resource for the Noll family throughout both Steve’s dementia diagnosis several years ago, as well as Linda’s recent cancer diagnosis. Please visit the website at https://www.mercycare.org/giving/innovation/ for more information and to make a donation.
How to take Nature photographs
The Friends of the Palisades Keplar State park will be holding how to take nature photographs Sunday, October 20, noon at the Lodge.
Gina Molby is returning this year after having a successful event in 2023. Molby will talk about how to use your camera to take nature photographs. Molby has a masters degree in fine arts.
This event will meet by the lodge. In case of rain, the group will move indoors. Please dress for the weather. The lodge does not have running water or bathrooms in October.
St. Johns hosting social justice speaker on Ukraine
Have you been concerned about Ukrainians as they struggle with over two and half years of invasion? Would you like to learn more about the war form an Iowan who has been to Ukraine? Come to St. John the Baptist Catholic church Sunday, Oct. 20 from 1-2 p.m. in Mount Vernon to learn from an eye witness.
Charlie Becker, CEO of Camp Courageous will share his perspec tive about the war in Ukraine. He and his son Chad, a physician, have traveled to Ukraine on humanitarian trips. Charlie has seen firsthand how the war has impacted the Ukrainians. He is in contact with his new friends regularly and continues to support them in any way he can. His frontline perspective will be quite illuminating. This is a unique opportunity not to be missed.
The social justice committee at St. John’s is coordinat ing this event. Solidarity, one of the seven Catholic Social Teachings is the focus of this project. Solidarity means we are attentive to the needs of others and this awareness leads to action.
This featured speaker program is open to the public. It is our hope that we come together to learn about this important topic and can reach out to help those in need. All are welcome to attend. There will be Dutch letters and other bakes goods and drinks to enjoy.
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is located at 212 Seventh St SE Mount Vernon. The event will be in the lower level.
Join Mount Vernon for the 2024 Mount
Vernon Chili Cookoff
Mount Vernon’s Chili Cookoff will take place Saturday, October 19. Team cooking will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the public is invited to taste from 4-7 p.m.
Schedule of Events:
Cole Corner
Cathy Boggs Cole Library
New non-fiction novels arriving at Cole
Do you have a favorite author? You are not alone. Many people have a favorite author or authors and anticipate their latest book. Last week I wrote about new mysteries; this week it’s new general fiction. Here are some of the latest books by some of Cole Library patrons’ favorite authors with a few new authors sprinkled in. I hope you will enjoy reading these new titles.
Counting Miracles, Nicholas Sparks Playground, Richard Powers
11 a.m. – Team set-up and cooking begins
1 p.m. – Bags Tournament registration
2 p.m. – Bags Tournament begins
4 p.m. – Public tasting begins*
6:30 p.m. – People’s Choice voting ends
6:45 p.m. – Announcement of winners!
*Please come early if you are hoping to try ALL varieties of chili!
Registration for this year’s Chili Cookoff is live! Space is limited, so register your team early and be in the running for cash prizes. You can apply either by completing this online form, or a paper application available at the Mount Vernon Visitor Center.
You can pay your fees either by mailing us a check or using the PayPal link below including your team’s name in the memo or comment field. PLEASE MAKE SURE you indicate your PayPal payment is for CHILI COOKOFF 2024.
Registrations will only be confirmed upon receipt of the application and payment. Please message Sue Margheim at msmargheim@msn.com, or Jessie Thurn at 319-210-9935 and director@visitmvl.com with any questions, or for more info. The committee has been working hard, and can’t wait to see all of you at this year’s event.
if these titles are currently checked out, you
Abbe Creek Gallery announces the opening of its new exhibit “Of Light and Moment.” The opening gala opening will be held Thursday, Oct. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit will run through Saturday, Nov. 16.
The opening will include an artist talk, select refreshments and beverages.
“Of Light and Moment” features oil paintings by Dena Peterson (Grinnell) and photographs by Robert Campagna (Mount Vernon). The two artists met 20 years ago in Colorado and discovered their shared set of similar aesthetics and interests. These common interests led to the 2024 publication of their book, also titled “Of Light and Moment.” Both artists have worked internationally as well as stateside.
This exhibit, featuring 18 images by each artist, is based upon the more extensive collection featured in their book. Viewers will see the artistic interplay and shared visual relationship of the works created by these two artists.
“Both Dena and I create paintings and photographs that others feel they can ‘walk into’,” said artist-owner Robert Campagna. “By placing these pieces side-by-side in a gallery context, viewers will be able to playfully and artistically interact with our shared visions, styles and subjects.”
The exhibit’s regular hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Closed Sunday and Monday.
Linda Noll
Becker
SPORTS
Boots breaks Lisbon’s single-season rushing school record
Ryan Suchomel
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
ryan.suchomel@mvlsun.com
Before the No. 4 Lisbon Lions could do a little dance, they had to make a little football love during Homecoming week. They took care of Danville 50-7 on Friday, Oct. 11, at Walmer Field in Lisbon.
“Homecoming week is something that can worry you as a head coach,” Lisbon Coach Dylan Hastings said. “But the boys were locked in all week. When it was football time, they had fun.”
Danville offered up some different looks with odd formations, but the Lions stuck to meat-and-potatoes football.
That effort was led by senior Tiernan Boots, who rushed for 206 yards on 18 carries and scored three touchdowns.
Boots broke a 42-year-old school record for rushing yards in a single season. With one more regular-season game to go, Boots has 1,335 yards. (The record was held by Royce Alger, who set it in 1982 with 1,316 yards.)
“(Tiernan) is a kid who is going to make the most of the opportunities when he gets them,” Hastings said. “He’s a heck of a running back.”
Boots is ranked second in Class A in rushing yards.
Hasting pointed out that Boots celebrated by taking a postgame photo with the guys who open the holes, the offensive line.
That group includes Ethan Hoekstra, Jacob Walerius, Evan Coleman, Hayden Jackson and Nathan Ahrendsen, plus Henry Reiling and Kael Chappell.
“None of those records could be set without them,” Hastings said.
Dakota Clark added 109 rushing yards and three scores, and 142 passing yards, including a TD pass to Quinn Coleman.
“Kudos to Darin Hofmeister, our offensive coordinator,” Hastings said. “He is tremendous at spreading the ball around. He keeps defenses guessing.”
Lisbon led 28-0 at halftime, then got the continuous clock going with their first drive of the third quarter. The defense
Mount Vernon beat Assumption 46-14 in Week 6.
“It’ll be another good test for us,” Mount Vernon Coach Brad Meester said. “I’ve talked to our team about this stretch here. Our biggest opponent is ourselves. We need to come out ready to play every day.”
Mount Vernon scored on its first six possessions against Fort Madison and led 42-7 by halftime.
Haverback had touchdown passes to Jase Jaspers and Watson Krob and also ran one in. Cooper Hird added three rushing touchdowns to go with 58 rushing yards.
The Bloodhounds scored right before half on a 95-yard tipped pass. Triston Marshall had the ball fall in his hands behind the Mustang defense and outran everyone to the end zone.
Take away that big, improbable play, and Fort Madsion (0-7) had just 89 yards of offense on 43 plays.
“We just treated it like every other game; it doesn’t matter what their record is,” senior D-lineman Kael Riniker said. “We came out and played our hardest and played our best game; one hundred percent, all the time.”
held Danville to just 18 rushing yards. Bears QB Jaden Bauer did have 219 yards on 18-of-34 passing.
“We knew they’d throw the ball against us,” Hastings said. “We emphasized to our defensive backs to keep things in front of them and tackle. Their QB got the ball out fast. They drove down the field, but we got stops when we needed to.” Clark, at cornerback, set up camp on top receiver Kessler Whaley, who had eight catches for 90 yards. But Clark had two interceptions and eight solo tackles.
Aside from Clark, the defensive backfield includes Daylin Schaefer at the other corner, and Grayson Wollum at safety. Outside linebackers Gage Holub and Boots also roll into coverage.
With the win, the Lions (7-0) earned a share of the District 5 crown. They can take it outright with a win Friday, Oct. 18, at Van Buren County (1-6).
“We want to be undefeated for the playoffs, and keep momentum rolling,” Hastings said. “The biggest thing is the 2-hour-and-15-minute bus ride. That’s always tough. We’ll stay focused and hopefully take care of business.”
Ryan Suchomel
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun ryan.suchomel@mvlsun.com
On Friday, Oct. 11, it was tune up time for Mount Vernon during a 56-7 win over Fort Madison at Martha Parsons Activities Complex.
“Games like these are really good for development,” junior quarterback Kellen Haverback said. “We’re getting multiple people involved and getting some new stuff in.
“Get everything dialed in before the playoffs start.”
The playoffs are still two weeks away in Class 3A.
Mount Vernon (7-0, 4-0) finishes District 4 play with a trip to Washington (5-2, 2-1) on Friday, Oct. 18, and a home game against Keokuk (3-4, 1-2) on Oct. 25. Washington lost to Assumption 34-6 last Friday.
The continuous clock ran the entire second half and the reserves got a lot of playing time after the starters got one final touchdown on a sneak by Haverback with 3:55 left in the third quarter.
The junior QB continued to sling it in his final two drives and finished with 220 yards on 16-of-25 passing. Jaspers had eight catches for 132 yards. Eight different players ended up making a catch.
“We got the ball out to a lot of different guys, which is awesome,” Meester said. “Kellen is doing a great job of seeing the field right now. His progress has been unbelievable the last couple of weeks.”
“When you get the ball to your athletes, good things happen,” Haverback said.
The Mustangs capped the game with 1-yard touchdown run by junior Caysen Curran with 5:06 to play.
“We did a real nice job coming out ready to go,” Meester said.
– FM: Marcus Guzman 15-50,
Jami Martin-Trainor | For the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
Lisbon’s defense prepares for a play during the game against Danville.
Avery Arens | For the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun Mount Vernon’s Michael Ryan (No. 3) advances the ball down the field against Fort Madison defenders Friday, Oct. 11.
No. 1 MV sweeps on Senor Night
Ryan Suchomel
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun ryan.suchomel@mvlsun.com
Top-ranked Mount Vernon claimed its third straight Wamac East title Tuesday, Oct. 8, with a sweep of No. 9 (4A) Marion, 25-20, 25-9, 25-11, on Senior Night.
“It means a lot just to know this our last regular-season home game,” senior Sydney Huber said. “We’ve come a long ways and this is one of the last times playing together.
“Obviously, we’ll have more games, but this was one of the last ones.”
The Mustangs found out their postseason path this week, and they’ll get three more home matches if they keep on winning. Mount Vernon opens against West Marshall (13-22) on Tuesday, Oct. 22, then plays either PCM (14-9) or Clarke (9-18) on Thursday, Oct. 24.
The regional final is Tuesday, Oct. 29. The likely opponent will be either No. 15 Nevada (27-9) or Williamsburg (17-8).
But the path to state is in the future. Tuesday was about Marion, and the seniors
“A big thing we focused on was being with each other,” senior Eryn Jackson said. “Not all teams will have the run we hope to have. But we just like playing together, and soaking it up while we have it.”
Marion came in with a chance to earn a share of the
Wamac East crown. And during the first set, it seemed like they could pull off an upset.
“We knew they wanted it; they wanted a share of it,” Huber said. “We just had to keep our foot on the gas.”
The Wolves cut the lead to two, 19-17, on an ace serve by Chelsea Goudzwaard. But the Mustangs closed the match on 6-1 run, with a pair of kills from Sydney Maue.
“I think we didn’t quite get traction, momentum right away in set one,” Mount Vernon Coach Maggie Willems said. “But we stayed patient. And I think that’s important this time of year. You can’t lose patience or you get into trouble really fast.
”We just stayed steady and we really executed well when we hit set 2 and set 3.”
The attack was humming in the final two sets. Not only were big outside swings from Chloe Meester (13 kills in match) and Maue (14) working, but middle hitters Paige Schurbon (4) and CaliAna Whitaker (5) were causing a lot of problems for Marion.
“Our middle production has been an important key to our success this year,” Willems said. “When defenses start planning for our pins, and ignore them, they are going to get in trouble.”
“We have really great pin hitters,” Huber said. “Our middles are also really good. So when we can get them involved as much as we can, we’re pretty much unstoppable.”
The Mustangs really took it to the Wolves in the final two sets. And also got some senior reserves time on the court. Olivia Haverback had the set point in the second set, and Sarah Esbaum worked into the serving rotation.
“I love that we could get every senior in and every senior could contribute,” Willems said. “Because they contribute every day in the gym.”
Mount Vernon didn’t take much time to celebrate, and went to another stacked tournament Saturday. The Mustangs lost their second game to an Iowa opponent, falling
to No. 4 (2A) Dike-New Hartford 21-25, 25-14, 17-15, in the semifinals of the Gold Bracket at the Westside Invitational at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.
The Mustangs went 3-0 in pool play, beating Waterloo East (21-4, 21-8), No. 11 (2A) Grundy Center (21-11, 21-7) and No. 10 (5A) Iowa City Liberty (21-12, 21-11). They beat West Liberty (25-19, 25-15) in the quarterfinals.
“The loss was frustrating because we had every opportunity to win and could not sustain our focus and execution,” Willems said.
No. 2 (5A) Pleasant Valley ended up beating DNH in the championship 25-20, 25-22.
Mount Vernon is now 36-4, and plays in the Wamac Tournament on Thursday, Oct. 17, in Marion. They may run into East Division champs No. 4 (4A) Clear Creek Amana (34-6), a team they haven’t faced this season. And of course, more rated teams than you can shake a stick at, like Marion, No. 15 (4A) Grinnell, No. 3 (3A) West Delaware, and No. 11 (3A) Solon.
Lison volleyball wins another Tri-Rivers East crown
Ryan Suchomel
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun ryan.suchomel@mvlsun.com
Lisbon won its eighth straight Tri-Rivers East Division in volleyball after wins over North Cedar and Easton Valley last week.
The Lions currently enjoy a 44-match winning streak in Tri-Rivers East play, dating back to 2017.
“That is pretty remarkable, and a testament to the quality of kids we have had over the years, for sure,” Lisbon Coach Lance Kamaus said.
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Lions beat the Knights, 25-19, 18-25, 25-15, 25-10.
Lisbon did it without senior setter Kaitlynn Hasselbusch, who was out sick. Part-time libero Presley Studt took over the setting duties and had 43 assists.
“We are fortunate to have high-quality, varsity-level setters
MVL cross country preps for state
Ryan Suchomel
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun ryan.suchomel@mvlsun.com
The math is easy. If Mount Vernon-Lisbon boys’ and girls’ cross country teams can get enough out of their third, fourth and fifth runners, the sky is the limit.
Those runners took a big step Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the West Delaware Invitational in Manchester. MVL swept both team titles at the final tune-up before conference, state-qualifiers and state.
“It was nice to perform well and hopefully set ourselves up for our assignment in the State Qualifying Meet,” MVL Coach Kory Swart said. The qualifying meet will be Wednesday, Oct. 23, and the site was not yet released at time of publication.
The Class 3A fourth-ranked boys finished with 52 points, easily outpacing second-place No. 2 (2A) Oelwein
in Kaitlynn, Presley and Lauren Stolte,” Kamaus said. “At different times this season, all of them have run our attack for an entire night.
“I was pleased with how Presley played.”
North Cedar (9-16) surprised Lisbon a bit, taking the second set.
“The kids came out with a great response, outscoring North Cedar 50-25 in the final two sets,” Kamaus said. “We cleaned up our serve receive, had fewer attacking errors, and served aggressively.”
Mykala Luzum-Selmon led the attack with 24 kills, followed by Kamryn Kahl (12) and Sarah Dietsch (7). Studt led with 16 digs, followed by Kyla Kahl (13) and Kamryn Kahl (13).
Then on Thursday, Oct. 10, they won at Easton Valley 28-26, 25-21, 25-14.
When it looked like the first set might get away from them, the Lions rallied.
“We battled back and closed it out,” Kamaus said. “Afterwards, we never trailed at the 5-point benchmarks in sets two
(131) and third-place No. 8 (3A) Washington (136).
Grady Olberding won medalist honors in 15 minutes, 35.2 seconds. He was followed as usual, by Dawson Scheil, who placed sixth. Then Seamus O’Connor (10th), Anthony Armstrong (15th) and Chasen Caskey (20th) rounded out the scoring.
“They moved up a bit from the previous race,” Swart said. “That is immensely helpful. The closer we can keep our 3-4-5 runners to Grady and Dawson, the better we are going to finish at meets. It is not a secret.”
It was Olberding’s third gold finish in his last four races.
“He’s looked so good, too,” Swart said. “He was in control the whole race. That bodes well, moving forward.”
The Class 3A second-ranked MVL girls won with 65 points, finishing well clear of runner-up No. 10 (3A) Marion (98). Evelyn Moeller and Kiersten Swart finished third and fourth, in 19:02.2 and 19:13.1, respectively.
They were followed by Edith Dawson (19th), Cora Smith (23rd), and Miranda Sellner (24th).
“Edith, Cora, Miranda had great races, and are moving up closer to Evelyn and Kiersten,” Swart said. “They’ve done such a good job with practices and they’ve pushed themselves.”
Mustangs also won both JV races, including a perfect score of 15 on the boys side. Danny Dye and Josie Bothell won JV medalist honors.
Next up is the Wamac Championships on Thursday, Oct. 17, at Antioch Christian Church outside of Marion on Hwy. 13. The varsity girls race is at 4 p.m. with varsity boys to follow.
and three.”
Luzum-Selmon again led the attack with 20 kills, followed by Kamryn Kahl (9) and Dietsch (6). Hasselbusch returned with 35 assists. “She really gutted it out Thursday,” Kamaus said. “She still was not close to 100 percent.”
Luzum-Selmon led with 14 digs and Keira Bergmann had 13 digs.
Because Lisbon won the TRE, they get to host Tri-Rivers Tournament pool play Thursday, Oct. 17 in the Lion’s Den. They play Central City (1-12) at 4 p.m., Bellevue Marquette (8-16) at 5:30 p.m. and North Linn (13-15) at 7:45 p.m. Winners advance to bracket play Saturday, Oct. 19, in Starmont. Springville won the West Division.
Lisbon (24-7) opens Class 2A regional play hosting Durant (13-11) on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Win, and they’ll likely play at No. 14 West Burlington (34-6) on Monday, Oct. 28. The regional final is Thursday, Oct. 30 at a site TBD. No. 3 Dyersville Beckman (26-6) is the top team in the other half of the bracket.
WEST DELAWARE INVITATIONAL
Boys team scores – 1. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 52; 2. Oelwein 131; 3. Washington 136; 4. Anamosa 146; 5. Tipton 162; 6. Jesup 172; 7. Clear Lake 197; 8. Vinton-Shellsburg 211; 9. Center Point-Urbana 246; 10. Waverly-Shell Rock 288; 11. Springville 294; 12. West Delaware 328; 13. Western Dubuque 335; 14. Marion 335; 15. Maquoketa Valley 349; 16. Dyersville Beckman 367; 17. Starmont 367; 18. Cascade 443; 19. North Fayette Valley 541; 20. Independence 554; 21. East Buchanan 697. Medalist – 1. Grady Olberding (MVL) 15:35.2. MVL – 1. Olberding; 6. Dawson Scheil 16:13.7; 10. Seamus O’Connor 16:59.4; 15. Anthony Armstrong 17:10.0; 20. Chasen Caskey 17:15.6; 35. Wesley Sadler 17:50.9; 51. Sawyer Feldman 18:14.7. Girls team scores – 1. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 65; 2. Marion 98; 3. Center Point-Urbana 107; 4. Clear Lake 129; 5. Washington 139; 6. Tipton 169; 7. Western Dubuque 225; 8. Maquoketa Valley 239; 9. Cascade 252; 10. WaverlyShell Rock 281; 11. West Delaware 281; 12. Anamosa 286; 13. Dyersville Beckman 326; 14. North Fayette Valley 329; 15. Vinton-Shellsburg 351; 16. Oelwein 419. Medalist – 1. Izzy Hardin (Maq) 18:40.8. MVL – 3. Evelyn Moeller 19:02.2; 4. Kiersten Swart 19:13.1; 19. Edith Dawson 20:30.9; 23. Cora Smith 20:46.0; 24. Miranda Sellner 20:48.7; 25. Rose Pisarik 20:49.6; 29. Sam Schoff 21:07.3.
Elise Gan | For the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun Mount Vernon’s Paige Schurbon (No. 4), Sophia Meester (No. 17) and Sydney Maue (No. 9) celebrate a point.
Mount Vernon Schools moving to cloud telephone systems
Nathan Countryman Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
Mount Vernon Schools will be migrating their telephone systems to a cloud system as opposed to an onsite system.
Technology director Sean Flockhart said that the max cost for the migration would be $22,145.
The school has a contract with Cisco WebEx that extends until 2029 for phone services.
School board member Jason Clark was concerned with the school’s contract, as Cisco’s market share continues shrinking.
One of the reasons Flockhart was happy with moving to the cloud system is that the school has redundancies for their internet connections, drawing from either Iowa City or Cedar Rapids for their service.
“It’s why we didn’t lose internet at all following the derecho,” Flockhart said. “We lost power for a few days, sure,
Pool work has begun
Work on the Mount Vernon Swimming Pool has begun, and one of the change orders discovered that the pool wasn’t properly grounded.
“That was discovered by Linn County when they were looking at the pool before work began,” said city administrator Chris Nosbisch.
That additional charge will come to roughly $100,000. Nosbisch said he wanted to get this approved so the project could stay on target for the Memorial Day weekend opening.
The alternative solution is to add grounding along the pool’s deck. Nosbisch said that would require cutting into the deck of the pool, adding more additional seams to the pool. With a basin of the pool so old, adding more seams to the pool that could leak was decided it was not a smart match.
Nosbisch said this was an unexpected cost to the project, and why they bid one of the slides for the project as an alternate, as it is something that can be tackled via value engineering if there are enough funds in the end.
Council member Stephanie West and Mark Andresen commended the focus on keeping the project on time and choosing the safety of people using the pool.
Water meter replacement ongoing
Linn County Veteran Affairs changes name to Veteran Services
The Linn County Veteran Affairs Department has officially changed its name to Linn County Veteran Services. The primary reason for the name change is to reduce confusion and frustration among veterans and their dependents who think Linn County Veteran Affairs is affiliated with or is the same as the federal and state Veteran Affairs departments and services. The name change also puts the emphasis on services for veterans, which is what the department provides to veterans and their families.
“The name change reflects our ongoing commitment to focusing on the needs and concerns of Linn County veterans,” Linn County Veteran Services director Dustin Peterson said. “We’ve seen an uptick in veterans calling our office requesting to change their medical appointments or access other information that is managed by the state and federal government, and we cannot access those appointments or help them. It’s frustrating for them and for us. Our goal with the name change is to reduce the confusion between our county-level services and those offered by the state and federal veterans’ programs.”
The Linn County Board of Supervisors approved the name change during its formal meeting today.
“We want our veterans to know that the name is the only thing that’s changing – Linn County veterans will continue to receive the same exceptional service and professionalism they’ve come to expect from Linn County,” Peterson said.
but our network continued functioning.”
Flockhart said the decision to move from an onsite system to a cloud system is to provide better security and more reliability. He said that if there is an issue with a server on campus, it can mean substantial downtime for phone systems as the patching to multiple servers occurs. With this move to the cloud, that eliminates the need for patching and security updates to the servers, as that’s completed by Cisco WebEx.
The $22,145 would be a Physical Plant and Equipment Levy expense, and superintendent Matt Leeman said it’s within the budget for technology to be making.
Flockhart said that Mount Vernon needs physical phones in classrooms as a security device, due to the issues with cell phone signals in many of the district’s buildings.
Flockhart also said his biggest fear is something like a ransomware attack hitting the district, and shifting the phone systems to the cloud service would make that one not to worry about.
The update is scheduled to be made during the winter holiday break for the school.
City administrator Chris Nosbisch said even new homes or people who installed a new meter will need to have water meters replaced by Ferguson as part of the water meter project.
That is because the new meters will allow the city to conduct remote radio reads.
Ferguson has been contacting homeowners to schedule their water meter replacements.
As part of the project, the city is also inspecting to make sure the water connections from the city are not lead lined. The city will replace any lead lines that are discovered connecting from the street to the meter. Lead lines discovered in a home from the meter are the responsibility of the homeowner to replace.
Accessory dwelling units ordinance passes first reading
The first reading of an ordinance allowing accessory dwelling units passed at the Oct. 17 Mount Vernon City Council meeting.
The planning and zoning commission had created the ordinance for passage, after a work session with Eastern Iowa Council of Governments conducting a meeting into the facilities earlier this year.
Council member Stephanie West said that the ordinance is in keeping with the city’s comprehensive plan.
About Linn County Veteran Services
Linn County Veteran Services helps veterans, their dependents, and survivors apply for federal, state, and local benefits. The staff of accredited County Veteran Service Officers (CVSOs) act as advocates who share an understanding of the veteran’s service and their needs and works with the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs and other organizations to help veterans and their eligible family members receive the maximum benefits they have rightfully earned.
One in four Linn County veterans are connected to federal benefits that result in $6.2 million in federal funding coming to Linn County each month as a result of working with Linn County’s Veteran Services Department.
All services are provided free of charge.
Veterans should make an appointment before visiting Linn County Veteran Services to ensure each veteran brings the appropriate paperwork and documentation needed for services, potentially saving an extra trip to our office.
Visit LinnCountyIowa.gov/Veteran for a full list of services provided by Linn County and to sign up for the Veteran Services quarterly eNewsletter.
Security camera updates planned for MV schools
Mount Vernon Schools also received $150,000 for security camera upgrades.
According to Mount Vernon superintendent Matt Leeman, the district is now completing a security audit to identify the places that they need to improve, and where the blind spots of cameras are. The school needs to outline their plans by December 2024, and all work to improve cameras needs to be completed by 2025.
The district had three bids, with the lowest being $278,000. Technology director Sean Flockhart has asked for a tiered response from the lowest bidder, to show what improvements the district can get for certain different tiers.
The reimbursement window is two weeks, which means the school needs to be able to afford the security camera updates.
Leeman said the district will evaluate their security camera repairs during a coming closed session of the school board at either a work session or future school board meeting.
ISASP highlight many students proficient at Mount Vernon
Michelle Boyden, district curriculum director for Mount Vernon, presented the data from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress for the Mount Vernon School District.
At Mount Vernon, there were only a handful of grades that were not fully proficient at English Language Arts in the district. In fact, 18 of the 21 categories Mount Vernon was showing at least 80 percent of students were proficient. Third and ninth grade English Language Arts and 10th grade science were the only that weren’t quite at proficiency in that subject.
Boyden said as long as most grades have 20 percent of students who are below proficiency, there are interventions that can be taken to help those students who need additional help in those grades.
“It’s when we get above that 20 percent in a single grade that we have to evaluate the teaching for everyone,” Boyden said.
The ISASP results are also harder to allow teachers to adapt their teaching from, as the results get delivered in the middle of the next school year.
Even the few areas where Mount Vernon were not proficient, however, those same grades were beating the statewide average.
Boyden highlighted that in science, Mount Vernon was more advanced than the state average.
Boyden said that the district utilizes this more like a flashlight, highlighting areas to improve on, than a hammer.
CHURCHES
MOUNT VERNON
St. Paul Lutheran Church L.C.M.S.
600 Fifth Avenue South
Pastor: Rev. Sean Hansen www.splcmv.org; send e-mail to info@splcmv.org
Sun.: 9:30 a.m. In-person worship
Please refer to our website or contact the church directly for additional worship information.
First Presbyterian Church
301 1st St. N.W. www.firstpresmv.com
319-895-6060
Pastor: Rev. Lori Wunder
Sun.: 9:30 a.m. in-person worship.
Online services stream beginning at 9:20 a.m. on Facebook
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
Rev. Andrew Awotwe-Mensah, parish priest Sun.: 8 a.m. Mass
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Justus Hallam, Bishop
Meeting at: 4300 Trailridge Rd. SE, Cedar Rapids Sun.: 11:30 a.m. in person services. Also an option for digital worship services.
United Methodist Church
Pastor Vicki Fisher www.umcmv.com
Sun.: 8:30 a.m. Praise Worship
11 a.m. Traditional worship
Both worships available online at UMCMV.com
An LGBTQ affirming congregation
Community Bible Church 940 W. Mount Vernon Rd. www.mvcbc.org, 895-6269
Teaching Pastor Brandon Glaza
Discipleship Pastor Dennis Fulkerson
Youth Pastor Stephen Thomas Sun.: 9:30 a.m. In-Person Worship Service
Wed. - 6 p.m. Encounter and Youth Group
Linn Grove Presbyterian
2000 Linn Grove Rd., Mt. Vernon
Pastor Carla Burge
Sun: 9 a.m. in-person worship, masks requested Also, weekly readings, prayers and sermons are posted on the church’s Facebook page.
Baha’i Faith
Nina Scott, Group Secretary, 319-270-9230
CrossLife Community Church
Pastor Erik Bennett
Sun.: 10:30 a.m. – In-person worship service. Services also livestream on Facebook page.
LISBON
Living Hope Global Methodist Church
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Thursday, Oct. 17
Story Time, Cornell Public Library Byerly Room, 9:30 a.m.
Fiber Friends, Southeast Linn Community Center, 10:30 a.m.
Fall Community Book Talk, Cornell College Cole Library, noon
LBC Adult Speaker Series “Death Doulas: Their Role in End of Life Planning and Processes“ by Mary McCall and Annie Brownsberger, Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center, 1 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 18
Bingo, Southeast Linn Community Center, 10-11:30 a.m. Linn Lunch Bunch, Southeast Linn Community Center, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
MVLCT presents Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” First Street Community Center Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 19
Scouting for Food, leave donations in visible location from road by 8 a.m. for Scouts to pick up.
Mount Vernon Chili Cook-Off, Uptown Mount Vernon, 4-7 p.m. tasting
MVLCT presents Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” First Street Community Center Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 20
How to take nature photographs, Palisades Kepler State Park lodge, noon.
Social Justice Speaker on Ukraine, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 1 p.m.
MVLCT presents Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” First Street Community Center Auditorium, 2 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 21
Mount Vernon City Council, Mount Vernon City Hall, 6:30 p.m.
Master Gardener Talks “Gardening for Birds and
CALENDAR & PUZZLES
200 E. Market St., 455-2000 livinghopegmc.org
Interim Pastors
Services live streamed at Living Hope Global Methodist Church’s YouTube page
Sundays at 9:45 a.m. Sun.: 9:45 a.m. — In-person worship.
Seeds of Faith Lutheran Church, ELCA
798 Brenneman Lane, 455-2599
(Off Hwy. 30 on eastern edge of Lisbon) www.seedsoffaithlutheran.org/
Pastor Erika Uthe
9 a.m. — In-person worship. Services also livestream via Seeds’ Facebook Page.
BERTRAM
United Methodist Church 319-365-8077
Rev. Darwin Moore, Pastor Sun.: 10 a.m. — In-person worship service
MARTELLE
Christian Church
Sun.: 10:30 a.m. — in person worship service Services also stream online at Martelle Christian Church’s YouTube page.
United Methodist Church Sun.: 10:30 a.m. Worship service. No Sunday school.
SPRINGVILLE
United Methodist Church Sun.: 9 a.m. Worship service. Wed.: 6:30 p.m. Praise service
Faith Christian Fellowship
Pastor Jack Ray Sun.: 9:30 a.m. worship at Springville Memorial Library, in the Buresh Room
(264 Broadway Street)
St. Isidore Catholic Church Sat.: 6 p.m. Mass
MECHANICSVILLE
Living Hope Bible Church
Mechanicsville Memorial Building
First Presbyterian Church
408 E. First Street.
Christian Community Church of Mechanicsville
307 East First Street
563-432-7716
Sun: Sunday School 10-11am and in-person Worship Services at 11:15am with Fellowship to follow.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church
Pastor: Father James Flattery
Wed.: 8:30 a.m. — mass Sun.: 8 a.m. Mass
Butterflies “ by Beula Dvorak at Cole Library Cornell College Cole Library Room 108, 6:30 p.m.
Mount Vernon High School mixed and treble choir concert, Mount Vernon Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 22
Lego Club, Cornell college Room 108, 3:30 p.m.
Washington Elementary parent teacher conferences, Washington Elementary School, 4-8 p.m.
Yarn squad, Cornell College Cole Library Room 326, 6:30 p.m.
Learn to play Bridge, Cornell College Cole Library room 108, 7-9 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 23
Cards, Southeast Linn Community Center, 10-11:30 a.m.
Linn Lunch Bunch, Southeast Linn Community Center, 11:30 a.m.
Learn to play Bridge, Cornell College Cole Library room 108, 1-3 p.m.
Early out Mount Vernon Schools, 1:05 p.m.
Washington Elementary parent teacher conferences, Washington Elementary School, 1:30-6 p.m.
Mount Vernon Middle School parent teacher conferences, Mount Vernon Middle School, 2-6 p.m.
Mount Vernon High School parent teacher conferences, Mount Vernon High School, 2-6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 24
Story Time, Cornell Public Library Byerly Room, 9:30 a.m.
Fiber Friends, Southeast Linn Community Center, 10:30 a.m.
LBC Adult Speaker Series “Keith Haring and Iowa City: Exhibiting A Book Full of Fun” by Lauren Lessing, Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center, 1 p.m. Mount Vernon Middle School parent teacher conferences, Mount Vernon Middle School, 4-8 p.m.
Across 1 Like some bad breakups
6 Item of clothing in a Prince hit
11 Fender Bassman, e.g.
14 What Romeo and Juliet planned to do in Mantua
15 Obsessive fan of anime or video games, from the Japanese
16 “I can’t ___ …”
17 Limb?
19 Key not found on a Mac
20 Head of France
21 Put at a table, say
22 Gets ready for the national anthem, maybe
24 “Obviously!”
26 Bills
27 Neuters
30 Foremost?
34 This guy!
35 Sultanate on the island of Borneo
37 Fratty stereotypes
38 Petrichor is the aroma produced by this
40 Insert, as a video in a post
41 Folk rock’s Mumford & ___
42 Golden rule word
43 Muffle
45 Bit of décor at a tiki bar
46 Ready?
48 “Not so!”
50 It might cause some unsurprised looks
51 Stately tree
52 “Fathoms ___” (opening song of “The Little Mermaid”)
53 Each
56 River through Louisville
60 Genetic messenger
61 Dine?
64 See 67-Across
65 Large wedding band, say
66 Former title for Pete Buttigieg
67 With 64-Across, bad thing to be caught in
68 Pregnancy increments
69 Nose-in-the-air type?
Down
1 Hot deli order
2 Legal writer Mystal
3 Tender
4 Alacritous
5 “You betcha”
6 Tunnel (through)
7 Singer James
8 Railing post?
9 Scrape (out)
10 One of 27 on Disney World’s Cinderella Castle
11 Sushi order topped with salmon
12 Progress markers
13 Rewards for a “good boy”
18 It can come before Wednesday
23 Feet in a meter
25 Charger option, for short
26 Track that fans flip for?
27 [Meh]
28 Spot to store sheet music
29 “Did it happen already?!”
30 Stewed
31 Not on good terms (with)
32 Like much marshland
33 Nail polish brand with a “Get It Girl” pink
36 Brought back
39 Acknowledge wordlessly
44 Bills might pass in this, for short
47 Lab report?
49 Unmoved by ethical arguments
51 Org. that tests the waters
52 2024 Charli XCX album with a lime green cover
53 Chip in
54 Give in on Christmas Eve, perhaps
55 Goes (for)
57 “Howdy!”
58 Aware of
59 Creature popularized in Charles Perrault’s “Tales of Mother Goose”
62 Glass blocks
63 Hellion
SUDOKU
To play: Complete the grid so that every row, column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. There is no guessing or math involved, just use logic to solve.
Edited by Will Shortz
Linn County Sheriff’s Office K9 Bingo is retiring
Bingo, a nine-year-old Linn County Sheriff’s Office K9, is retiring after eight years of service. Bingo, a German Shepherd, joined the Sheriff’s Office in October 2016 and was partnered with Deputy Derek Steines. Bingo is a dual-purpose patrol and narcotics detection dog that was born in Holland in 2015 and was trained at Cobra K9 Kennels in Tennessee.
Bingo enjoyed a long, successful career as a law enforcement K9. He was the Linn County Sheriff’s Office “go to” K9 for public relations demonstrations because his relaxed temperament and exceptional obedience allowed him to behave very well around both adults and children. Bingo was always ready to work, but also had the ability to know when he could just be a dog, which is not always the case with working dogs.
Bingo’s law enforcement service led to multiple narcotics-related arrests and apprehensions during his career. More importantly, Bingo’s presence deterred criminal activity and protected his handler and other deputies from altercations and injury.
Bingo will be left to spend his retirement years with his handler, Deputy Derek Steines.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Deputy Steines and K9 Bingo for their commitment and dedication to the citizens of Linn County and the Sheriff’s Office. We wish Bingo a well-deserved retirement.
Contributed photo
Deputy Derek Steines and retiring K-9 officer Bingo.