• 5:00-8:00 - MVCSD Art Installation | Gymnasium, first Floor
• 6:45 - Dance Arts Iowa: Holiday Dance Magic Show | Uptown Theatre, first Floor
Located in the Iowa Physical Therapy Parking Lot 108 First St SE
• 5-8 p.m.- Christmas Village Market & Photo Opportunity
Located at Abbe Creek Gallery 105 First St W
• 5:30 p.m. - Dance Arts Iowa: Living Window Performance
• 5:45 p.m. - Dance Arts Iowa: Living Window Performance
• 6 p.m. - Dance Arts Iowa: Living Window Performance
• 6:15 - Dance Arts Iowa: Living Window Performance
ENTERTAINMENT
Get
your tickets
The Cornell College Department of Theatre and Dance invites you into a world of secrets, romance, and dark humor as it presents “The Moors” on Dec. 12–15 on the Kimmel Theatre stage.
Written by Jen Silverman, “The Moors” tells the story of a governess arriving at a lonely estate on the bleak English moors after corresponding with a mysterious Mr. Branwell. When she arrives no man or child is to be found. Instead, she becomes tasked with caring for two dissatisfied sisters, their bitter maid, and a brooding mastiff. What becomes of her and the family inside the home is only one of the secrets hidden amongst the gorse, thorny bushes, and quicksand of “The Moors.”
Associate professor of theatre Caroline Price, who is directing the show, says it’s as if Stephen King and the Brontë sisters wrote a play.
“I love a dark comedy and there is something incredibly sinister about this one,” Price said. “Having directed this play at another theatre, I had no idea how some of this material would land, but there was always one moment in the play where the audience was like ‘Wait, what did she say?!’ And from that point on it just spiraled. It’s that moment I’m the most excited for.”
The Cornell production will feature six student actors, many of whom are talented newcomers to the department, and more than a dozen students designing and running the show backstage.
Senior Luci Bransel ’25 calls “The Moors” wonder-
Located in Mount Vernon Bank & Trust 206 First St W SW
Located at First Presbyterian Church 301 First St W
• 5-8 p.m. - Animatronics | Main Level
• 5-8 p.m. - Cookie Decorating | Lower Level
• 5-8 p.m. - Office of Intercultural Life, Cornell College | Lower Level
Located at Memorial Park and the Visitors Center | 311 First Street W
• 5-8 p.m. - Tractor Trolleys Running on First Street | B Ave SE to Fourth Ave SW
• 5-7:30 p.m. - Hot Cocoa & Cookies | Visitor Center
• 6 p.m. - St Paul Lutheran Church Living Nativity | Memorial Park Gazebo
for “The Moors” Dec. 12-15
fully dark, absurd, queer, poetic, and satirical.
“There are so many real, relatable layers of complexity in the different characters and relationships. Peeling back these layers in my character, Agatha, has been such a fun part of this process. Deciphering her master plan and her emotions has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” Bransel said.
This show is not recommended for anyone under the age of 14 due to scenes of
violence, use of haze, strobe, pyrotechnics, fake blood, an axe, and mentions of sexual violence and suicide.
Kimmel Theatre is located in Youngker Hall on the Cornell College campus.
Showtimes:
● Dec.12–14 at 7:30 p.m
● Dec.15 at 2p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online at cornellcollegetheatreanddance.ludus.com.
Adult tickets cost $15, and seniors, students, and youth are $12. Cornell faculty,
staff, and students attend for free with their Cornell ID. You may also purchase tickets by calling or emailing the Cornell Box Office from 3–5 p.m., beginning two weeks prior to the show.
OPINIONS
In praise of
Thanksgiving leftovers
Living in Iowa
Dan Brawner
I remember the day Mom tried to explain to us four constantly ravenous children, the concept of leftovers. She took a deep breath as if preparing to parse some impenetrable theological question. “Leftovers are foods that are not eaten—um—all at once.” My little brother tilted his head like a dog hearing a doorbell for the first time. What was she talking about? We’d never seen a leftover. Mom shrugged. “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
When the initial assault on the Thanksgiving meal is over and you assess the damage on the battlefield, the mangled turkey carcass nearly shaming you into turning vegetarian and the mountain of lukewarm mashed potatoes congealing on the platter, you ask yourself what could you possibly do with all those leftovers? By the time you read this, it will be a week after Thanksgiving and if you have been eating the leftover stuffing and bean casserole all week, it’s probably too late. You’re already dead.
According to the Food and Drug Administration Food Code, all opened perishable foods should be thrown out after at most seven days. The Mayo Clinic points out that pathogens like deadly botulism begin multiplying immediately and are not detectible by taste or smell. Dr. Margarethe Cooper, associate professor and the chair in food safety education at the University of Arizona explains that within the “danger zone” of 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, E. coli can double every 20 minutes. “Since this growth is exponential,” she writes, “without proper refrigeration to slow their growth, the bacteria can reach high enough numbers (to be deadly) if left out for more than two hours.”
Freezing food will stop bacterial growth like sticking a brick behind a car tire to keep it from rolling downhill. But as soon as it is thawed out, the bacteria can get rolling again. By freezing the leftover turkey, it can keep for six months or more. Frozen pork chops are good for three months or so. Salads don’t freeze well, especially with things like cucumbers. A cucumber may look okay in the freezer but as soon as it’s thawed out, it melts into green goo. Maybe the safest and most appealing thing to do with Thanksgiving leftovers is to transform them into something completely different. The standard solution is the trusty turkey sandwich, made with a slice of turkey, some cranberries, maybe some ham, lettuce—hell, even some pumpkin pie. Nobody needs to know. After all the guests have gone home, you can hunker down with your abominable and delicious sandwich and watch It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart until you fall asleep on the couch in a tryptophan-induced coma. Turkey tetrazzini is terrific and uses up a lot of leftover turkey. Thanksgiving Cobb Salad is perfect for leftovers, using eggs, turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries and whatever. And, no, my fellow Iowans, Cobb Salad is not a local dish made with real corn cobs. It was named after Robert Howard Cobb, co-owner of LA’s Brown Derby Restaurant, who in 1937, came home hungry one day and dumped everything in his kitchen into a bowl. His “recipe” became an instant hit at the restaurant. This technique is highly recommended for Thanksgiving leftovers. Just don’t wait too long to eat it.
SUN
EDITORIAL
Union Pacific needs to work on communicating with cities ahead of maintenance
We understand that maintenance on train tracks needs to happen. Like roads, they’re used almost every day between Mount Vernon and Lisbon, and we’ve gotten used to the whistles of the trains as they approach and cross intersections in the community.
Last week, however, Union Pacific’s plans to close railroad crossings in Mount Vernon and Lisbon rankled a few people.
In Mount Vernon, signs were posted at roughly the 10 a.m. Tuesday proposed closure time that the road would be closed crossing Hwy. 1. There are ways around or detours in town when that happens to get back to Hwy. 1 or Hwy. 15, and that closure lasted for the majority of one day.
What angered city officials, including law enforcement and first responders, was that there was no advanced communication of these closures happening. The City emailed at noon when they were aware of the crossing closure in Mount Vernon. Shortly after, Lisbon communicated that there would be closures in their community in the coming days as well. Lisbon anticipated the closures would function much like Mount Ver-
Put on the hot cocoa and movies, it’s not cold inside ny side
non’s did – close one of the crossings, complete the work and move on to the next.
That wasn’t the case in Lisbon. All the crossings in Lisbon were closed at the same time. As city administrator Brandon Siggins noted, the plan was for those closures to last a week.
Closing a road for a week with no notification to emergency services personnel is a disaster waiting to happen. There have been trains that break down in Lisbon that close that closure with Washington Street for a number of days.
For residents who needed to get to businesses like Bud’s Auto on the other end of the railroad line, what was usually a five minute drive turned into a 15 to 20 minute round trip. Likewise, bus routes that run in those communities along some of those roads had time added to them.
If you know you have planned maintenance coming up for rail lines ahead of the winter season, the easy thing to do is to contact city administrators or staff in communities you plan to be in a few days in advance so they can come up with plans to address the issue.
Well, stopped working at the highest speed, I should say. Over the next few weeks, I troubleshot – it only is impacting the top speed of the fan’s operation, and only after the fan runs for about a minute before it inevitably stops working… I bought a resistor to possibly replace under my glove box and gave up on that after an hour of fumbling and dropping the tool I was trying to connect to the socket I needed to untighten.
During the summer and early fall, not having moving air in a car is not terrible. You can crack a window to cool down, and if you’re not making a muti-hour trip, you’ll be fine. It’s a repair that can be punted down the road.
Nathan Countryman
I’ve been playing the “is it cold enough to turn on the heat inside my apartment yet?” game the past few weeks.
Part of that is my Midwest stubbornness of “it’s not December yet, turning on the heat seems like a poor choice at the moment when we can just throw on another quilt or sweater and heat up another hot cocoa while watching this movie.”
Part of it, though, was Tippy Toe’s most recent needed car repair. Back in the summer, as I was driving the just started to be repaved Business 30 between Mount Vernon and Lisbon after covering a story in Lisbon, the blower motor in my car stopped working.
And then the cool down of Halloween hit, and I ran the heater in my car for the first time in the season. And it worked for about a week running warm air at the medium temperature setting. But then, the blower motor started seizing up on that speed as well, leaving me with only the two lowest speeds functional. And with temperatures only getting colder realizing that “you definitely do need warm air in the winter to be able to drive this car,” I had to finally get that repair made.
Bud’s discovered and confirmed right away my suspicion –blower motor was getting power and had a ground, it’s just a 15-year-old blower motor that needed to be replaced. Having done one of those in a previous car and not looking forward to contorting my larger frame into this car’s smaller footwell, I let them order the parts and fix it.
With the office and my car both having heat, it’s coming down to the apartment again as my last hold out on turning on the heat. And I will continue to say I can add another blanket around burrito me until December finally arrives.
Oh, would you look at that? It finally did.
Railroad crossing issues raise ire
Nathan Countryman
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
City of Lisbon staff was not happy with the recent closures scheduled for maintenance on the railroad crossings in the community.
City administrator Brandon Siggins said the communication they originally
had from the railroad was that closures would be closed for roughly a day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and not all five intersections would be impacted at once.
Instead, when work began, the railroad closed all five intersections and had planned to shut them for a week.
“We had discussions after to get at least the Washington Street crossing to open sooner,” Siggins said. “We didn’t
have enough advanced notice, and this impacted fire, police, ambulance and our schools.”
Siggins said he will be seeking a follow-up meeting with Union Pacific railroads to communicate his frustration with the closures of multiple crossings at once. Hoosier and Gillette Lane crossings were closed for much longer.
Plummer transitions to AVP for Alumni and College Advancement
Plummer
Cornell College is proud to announce the promotion of A.J. Plummer as the college’s new associate vice president for Alumni and College Advancement.
Plummer has worked at Cornell since 2016 and most recently served as interim associate vice president and senior director of development within the Division of Alumni and College Advancement.
“Cornell is an incredibly special place because of the dedicated faculty, staff, and alumni,” Plummer said. “I am excited to build on the momentum of our past as we position Cornell to meet the needs of students in the future.”
As the AVP, he will oversee the college’s Division of Alumni and College Advancement, which includes working with donors, trustees, alumni, and college administration on all of Cornell’s fundraising campaigns, annual giving initiatives, and donor relations. These initiatives support financial aid for students, construction projects, the endowment, staff and faculty salaries, experiential learning opportunities for our students, and the general needs of the college.
He’ll also oversee alumni engagement programming.
“Cornell has a long history of strong alumni programming, and I look forward to seeing these efforts continue to grow in the coming years,” Plummer said. “Finding ways to ensure that alumni can meaningfully connect and partner with their alma mater and continue to be life-long learners
is an exciting prospect.”
Cornell President Jonathan Brand is ready to get to work with A.J. leading the way for the Division of Alumni and College Advancement.
“We are at an exciting and pivotal moment at Cornell, and A.J. has earned the widespread respect of everyone around him, from those on campus to our alumni. He is just the right person to lead Alumni and College Advancement,” Brand said. “With nine years now at
Cornell, A.J. is a Cornellian. He knows and loves Cornell. And, he himself, lives our best attributes. We are very fortunate.”
Plummer says with the support of the alumni community, Cornell will continue to be an innovative learning community where students will grow and excel.
“The Alumni and College Advancement team is a dedicated group of professionals focused on moving the needle for Cornell and our students,” Plummer said.
Ultrarunner completes marathon between San Francisco and New York
Route took him through Mount Vernon
On Oct. 24, Nels Matson arrived at New York City Hall after running for 46 days, 17 hours and 26 minutes, from San Francisco City Hall– making it into the list of the top five fastest known times for the feat in history. The record was originally set by Pete Kostelnick in 2016, and has been attempted multiple times—Nels even clocked a faster time than running influencer Paul Johnson by nearly a week, who attempted the record in early 2024.
Matson’s route took him through Mount Vernon, passing through the community Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Lincoln Wine Bar sponsored pizzas for Matson and the crew, as they completed just shy of 72 miles running on day 31 of the run.
Matson said of Mount Vernon “It’s a pretty cool little town.”
Matson journeyed 3,063.55 miles from San Francisco to New York City in honor of fallen U.S. Navy SEAL, Chris Campbell, in a feat named “Project Campbells Call.” The endeavor united the stories of veterans from across the country. His goal is to leverage his run to raise $100 per mile for Wounded Warrior Project, the nonprofit organization that Chris Campbell requested donations to in a note to his will. Campbell tragically lost his life in 2011 in Extortion 17.
the hardest physical thing that I have ever experienced. Every time that I had a pain or was struggling mentally, I thought about what our nation’s veterans have experi
enced, and realized whatever I was experiencing was pretty small in comparison. I thought about all of the people in our country that are chasing dreams and accomplishing goals because of those that served and those that gave all as Chris Campbell did.”
This is not the first time Matson has performed ultra endurance events for a cause. He has previously biked across the country for the Children’s Heart Foundation, and once ran 1,200 miles from Florida to Washington, D.C. to raise funds for children in Cambodia needing heart surgery. Maton first began anticipating his transcontinental run to honor Chris Campbell in late 2020. However, he sustained an injury in 2022, and had to postpone the record attempt, but Matson never lost sight of his mission with Project Campbell’s Call or his passion for supporting veterans. After continuous training, on September 8th, 2024, Matson began his transcontinental run in San Francisco.
Matson had several crewmates through the run, taking care of logistics along the way– such as meal-planning for the 10,000+ calories a day he needed to eat in order to avoid caloric deficit.
“I had the best, most caring crew that a person could ask for. This was not an individual sport,” Matson said. “They were there for every step, keeping me fueled and moving in the right direction. It took a lot of great people to make this happen.”
Supporters who are moved by the cause can donate through Matson’s WWP Community Fundraising “Donate” link at T4N1.org. Every donation, like every step of the run, counts.
“The greatest casualty is being forgotten,” Matson said, echoing the WWP slogan. “Just because this run is over, it doesn’t mean we’ll stop saying Chris Campbell’s name or honoring his legacy and heart of service.”
WILKIE LIQUORS
724 1st St. E - Mount Vernon - 895-8401 Mon.-Fri. 8am-8pm • Sat. 9am-8pm • Closed Sun.
Open 9am to 8pm on Small Business Saturday. Find stocking stuffers and gifts for your holiday cheer.
We have Iowa made Beer, Wine & Spirits Gift Box Sets Starting at $10 New items arrive weekly!
“They are creative, hard-working, and passionate about matching the motivations and passions of our alumni and donors with the greatest needs of our students. I am proud to work alongside them.”
Prior to his work at Cornell College, Plummer was the executive director of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He has a master’s of business administration from the University of Iowa.
Shopping Small
urday, Nov. 30.
Wind chills taking temperatures in the single digits didn’t deter Mount Vernon’s uptown to be bustling with shoppers Sat-
The first 50 shoppers in Mount Vernon were able to pick up bags with coupons for area businesses in uptown. The second of two Shop Small events scheduled for the Mount Vernon and Lisbon communities, area businesses had hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Photos by Nathan Countryman | Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
Above: Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group director Jessie Thurn gets gift baskets ready to hand out at 8 a.m.
Left: The crowd of roughly 50 people line up for their gift baskets Saturday, Nov. 30
Josh Randall at Bauman’s helps a customer try on a sport coat during Shop Small Saturday.
A shopper looks over items at CauseTeam Saturday, Nov. 30.
A crowd of shoppers walk in uptown Mount Vernon Saturday, Nov. 30.
Right: Shoppers look over items at Scarlett Boutique Saturday, Nov. 30.
Nathan Countryman Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun nathan.countryman@mvlsun.com
Asphalt project up for award
L.L. Pelling’s work on the repaving project in Lisbon to the City of Mount Vernon’s roundabout is up for an award from the Asphalt Services of Iowa.
L.L. Pelling submitted the project to the state to compete against other projects in the state, and was selected as a high quality paving project.
The City of Lisbon also approved the next bill for the resurfacing project.
City engineer David Schechinger said that the project is now 100 percent complete, with the project coming in $10,000 under the original bid.
“It’s a good end product, and we recommend paying for the project,” Schechinger said.
Work finishing up at Lisbon sports complex for winter
Work will be finishing up on the new shelter at the Lisbon sports complex yet this winter.
City administrator Brandon Siggins said crews will be finishing the plumbing and drywall for the shelter at the new Lisbon sports complex before the ground freezes over. The roads into the park will be closed ahead of winter.
Plans are that soccer games will be played at the sports complex this spring.
YTT is still working on final designs for the next phase of the sports complex, which will be put out ffor bids in December.
Palmer College of Chiropractic dean’s list
Haley Baker of Mount Vernon has been named to the 2024 summer trimester dean’s list at Palmer College of Chiropractic’s Main Campus in Davenport.
Central College musical students
Allyssa J Jubeck of Lisbon is a Central College A Capella choir member, singing in the alto section.
Rachel J Masters of Lisbon is a Central College A Capella choir member, singing in the alto section. Masters was also a participant in Central College Theatre’s performance of “A Christmas Carol” on Nov. 13 through Nov. 16.
Spots
Christmas Treasures for Christ
Living Hope Global Methodist Church will be hosting a Christmas Treasures for Christ bake sale, craft sale and silent auction Saturday, Dec. 14, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Living Hope is located at 200 E. Market Street in Lisbon. Proceeds benefit the missions of the Living Hope GMC United Women in Faith.
Lisbon holiday parade
Lisbon will be holding a Christmas parade and hot cocoa event Friday, Dec. 20.
The parade will start at 5 p.m. and go from the intersection of Jackson Street and Main Street to the intersection of Walnut Street and Main Street. If anyone would like to participate or have a float in the parade, contact lisbonparksandrecdir@gmail.com or call at 319-231-4991.
After the parade, attendees are encouraged to come get photos taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Lisbon Fire Department from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Christmas goodie bags will also be handed out at the event by members of Lisbon Parks and Recreation.
A bake sale will also be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Lisbon City Hall from Southeast Linn Community Center for a free-will donation.
Cocoa and carols
Sts. Peter and Paul Chapel in rural Solon will be hosting their carol sing-a-long Sunday, Dec. 8, beginning at 5 p.m. After carols, attendees are encouraged to stop down to the fellowship hall for cocoa and refreshments and a chance to see Santa Claus. Sts. Peter and Paul Chapel is located at 1165 Taft Avenue Solon and can be reached by following Sutliff Road Northeast towards Solon and turning on Taft Avenue, or turning on 120th Street NE with the intersection of Hwy. 1 and heading east towards Taft Avenue.
Cole Corner
Cathy Boggs Cole Library
New Grisham novel explores wrongful convictions
John Grisham is known for his fiction titles and is often on several fiction bestseller lists when he releases a new title. This fall his latest book is also a bestseller but it is nonfiction - Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions.
Grisham was inspired to write this book while writing another nonfiction book The Innocent Man in 2012. In this latest work of nonfiction, he has teamed up with Jim McCloskey of the Centurion Ministries, an organization that works to free people who are wrongfully convicted. The authors selected 10 of the most compelling stories they have researched or been involved in.
-you are left in disbelief that each of these stories is a life shattered, that people in authority within the judi cial system aren’t always looking for the truth. The two authors wrote the book in hopes of educating people about wrongful convictions – how they can happen and how they can be prevented.
as both an ebook and audiobook. If you find the title is already checked out it can easily be put on hold for you.
Thursday, December 5: 8am-10pm
Friday, December 6: 8am-5pm
Saturday, December 7: 10am-4pm
Sunday, December 8: 12pm-10pm
Monday, December 9: 8am-10pm
Tuesday, December 10: 8am-10pm
Wednesday, December 11: 8am-10pm
Thursday, December 12: 8am-10pm
POLICE CALLS
Nov. 25 – Trespassing, 300 blk S. Washington St, Lisbon
Nov. 26 – Agency assist – traffic stop, 300 blk business 30 SW, Mount Vernon
Nov. 26 – Accident, 200 blk W. First St, Mount Vernon
Nov. 26 – Medical, 300 blk E. Second
Nov. 26 – Suspicious vehicle, 400 blk S. Jackson St, Lisbon
Nov. 27 – Agency assist- suspicious vehicle, Linn Co
Nov. 27 – Suspicious vehicle, N. Jackson St, Lisbon
Nov. 28 – Disturbance, 100 blk Second
Nov. 28 – Agency assist- alarm, Linn Co
Nov. 28 – Disturbance, 300 blk 13th
Nov. 30 – Agency assist- alarm, Linn Co
Nov. 30 – Agency assist- welfare check, Linn Co
Dec. 1 – Suspicious vehicle, 100 blk S. Hwy 1, Mount Vernon
Dec. 1 – Agency assist- welfare check, Cedar Co
Dec. 1 – Alarm, 200 blk School St, Lisbon
Dec. 2 – Agency assist - suspicious vehicle, Linn Co
Mustangs trample Midgets 45-37
Ryan Suchomel Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun ryan.suchomel@mvlsun.com
Mount Vernon girls’ basketball ended last season in the semifinal round of the Class 3A state tournament with a 45-37 loss to Estherville-Lincoln Central.
On Rivalry Saturday at Johnson Hall on the Kirkwood Campus in Cedar Rapids, No. 2 Mount Vernon avenged that loss, beating No. 1 ELC 52-42.
“It was our last game last year and then our first game this year, so we just wanted to change the outcome,” senior Sydney Huber said.
“You don’t get a lot of opportunities to play the game again,” Mount Vernon coach Nate Sanderson said. “We learned a lot of things from that game. We were excited to try something a little bit different.”
Mount Vernon (1-0) deployed more player-to-player defense, rather than their go-to zone scheme, to throw off ELC (1-2).
The Mustangs led for most of the game but then closed it out with a 15-4 run in the fourth quarter.
That was after the Midgets took the lead on a three-point play by Minnesota State recruit Haylee Stokes that put them up, 38-37 to start the final quarter.
“I thought down the stretch we were able to get big rebounds,” Sanderson said. “It feels like redemption, so I’m excited about that.”
Six-foot-3 senior Chloe Meester, the Iowa state volleyball player of the year, is still adapting to her winter sport. She had three buckets and a handful of rebounds in that closing run.
“Coach told me, you are going to score over 99 percent of everybody, because of how tall I am,” Meester said. “That gave me confidence.”
The Mustang guards fed Meester on the block.
“She’s going to see a completely different defense this year than she’s seen the
first three years,” Sanderson said. “Before teams would let her catch it, maybe send a double late. Now there is someone shading underneath of her. Every time she posted up there was a guard standing behind her there.”
Meester finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Huber led the offense with 19 points, including four 3-pointers.
Taylor Franck added 10 points. Freshman Savanna Wright had six points, after leading the team in scoring in the scrimmage the week before.
“She brings a lot,” Huber said. “But we haven’t played together much.”
There won’t be any time to slow down. The Mustangs were scheduled to host a pair of Class 5A teams — Cedar Rapids Prairie on Tuesday, Dec. 3, then Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Thursday, Dec. 5.
“It is better to play a really good team, than a bad team,” Meester said. “You get to see what you need to work on.”
Returning letterwinners (5): Chloe Meester, sr., C; Courtney Franck, jr., G; Eryn Jackson, sr., G; Sydney Huber, sr., F; Taylor Franck, jr., G.
Outlook: Mount Vernon returns four starters from the team that advanced to the Class 3A semifinals in March.
Chloe Meester (12.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.1 blocks per game) and Sydney Huber (12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds) return as All-State players, with Meester set to play volleyball at Louisville next year, and Huber set to play basketball at Evansville.
Junior guards Courtney Franck and Taylor Franck return to terrorize the opposition at the top of the 2-3 zone. Both are great passers and disruptors, and continue to add offense to their games.
Freshman Savanna Wright, a step-sister of the Francks, is ready to play varsity from the jump.
“We will try to play faster with three players having the green light to lead the break (Courtney Franck, Huber, Wright),” Sanderson said. “It will take us some time to figure out how the puzzle fits together in our half-court offense.”
Senior Eryn Jackson and sophomore Rylee Rasmussen will be vital reserves.
Photos by Abbie McLaren | For the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
Top: Mount Vernon’s Chloe Meester (No. 20) tries to snap the ball away from an Estherville-Lincoln Central player Saturday, Nov. 30.
Center: Mount Vernon’s Savanna Wright (No. 10) tries to get a shot off as EsthervilleLincoln Central players push in to stop the play.
Left: Mount Vernon’s Taylor Franck (No. 11) scrambles for a loose ball
LISBON GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Lisbon girls’ slash Prince of Peace 50-23
Morgan Sauser had seven and sophomore Ava Ahrendsen added five.
Coach: Jack Leighty (first season)
LISBON
2023-24 finish: 8-14, 7-5 Tri-Rivers
Returning letterwinners (6): Emersyn Reiter, jr.; Morgan Sauser, so.; Emma Pleasant, so.; Kamryn Kahl, jr.; Ava Ahrendsen, so.; Lohgan Anderson, jr.
Outlook: Jack Leighty, who was the head coach for 15 years at Anamosa, takes over the Lions this winter.
The job came open late in the summer, so Leighty is playing catch up a little bit.
The high school principal is excited to be back on the sidelines.
“It is a nice release at the end of the day, to teach the game of basketball and have some fun,” Leighty said.
Leighty becomes the third coach in the last three years, and inherits a team without any senior, and without much size.
ryan.suchomel@mvlsun.com
Lisbon put the pressure on Prince of Peace in the season opener for both teams Monday, Nov. 25, and won 50-23 in Clinton.
The Irish had 36 turnovers, which included 28 steals by the Lions.
“We don’t have a six-footer in the lineup,” Lisbon coach Jack Leighty said. “But we have some length, and we have kids that can guard.”
Sophomore Emma Pleasant led the defensive attack with eight steals, junior
Prince of Peace shot just 23.1 percent (9 of 39) from the floor.
Offensively, Pleasant led the way with 11 points and nine rebounds. Junior Kamryn Kahl had nine points and six assists. Ahrendsen had eight points and six rebounds off the bench.
Freshmen Quinn Roos and Maleeah Adam each scored seven points.
“We had nice balance,” Leighty said.
While the Lions forced a lot of turnovers, they also had 25 of their own.
“We need to cut that down,” Leighty said. “Most of them came from being aggressive and trying to play a little faster.
“We want to play to our athleticism; if we can get out and run, we’d like that,” he said. “But we need to learn to play in the half court.”
Sophomore Morgan Sauser is the top returning scorers, averaging 13.0 points per game last season. Junior Kamryn Kahl averaged 11.9 ppg.
There are six freshman on the varsity roster, Quinn Roos and Maleeah Adams, who both played a lot in the opener. The starting five and rotation, Leighty said is a work in progress.
There is a learning curve. All are fixable things.”
The Lions second game was Tuesday, Dec. 3 at home against Springville. They
Lions girls’ wrestling has first tournament champ
Lisbon girls fourth at Midland Tournament
Ryan Suchomel
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
ryan.suchomel@mvlsun.com
Emma
Wyoming.
Nov. 26,
Mount Vernon
Lisbon finished fourth as a team at the 14-team event.
“There were some large schools there, and we held our own against them,” Lisbon co-coach Seth Hall said.
Dietsch had a wild championship match against Charlotte Smith of Bettendorf. She was almost pinned in the first period, and fell behind 7-0. Then in the second period she got an escape, then a takedown, then used a power half to turn Smith and pin her.
“That was pretty exciting,” Hall said.
Junior Kaylee Jordan also made the finals at 155
Bettendorf 60, Mount Vernon 24
host Bellevue Marquette on Friday night and play Iowa City Regina at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
girls’ finish 0-5 at Linn Mar duals Midland Invitational
Ryan Suchomel
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun ryan.suchomel@mvlsun.com
Mount Vernon girls wrestling finished 0-5 at the Linn-Mar Duals on Saturday, Nov. 30, but their biggest foe was the dreaded forfeit.
In losses to bigger schools, the Mustangs had four or five empty weights. That’s 24 or 30 free points.
Mount Vernon lost to Bettendorf (60-24), Dubuque Hempstead (33-32), Iowa City High (42-36), Muscatine (39-24) and Waverly-Shell Rock (48-30).
On the bright side, junior Gracie Pinckney (170) went 4-0 on the day. Freshman Josie Panos (235) picked up three wins. And defending state champ Libby Dix (190) had two wins and three forfeits.
pounds, but was pinned by Kelsey Knief of Bellevue.
“She was right in that match,” Hall said.
Lillian Gaiser finished fourth at 125 in a “tough bracket.” And Alina Mallie (135) got three wins.
“The girls are starting to hit the stuff we are teaching them in the room, and getting more confident in their technique,” Hall said. “That’s cool to see.”
235 – Josie Panos (MV) won by forfeit. 100 – Maillaynnie Green (Bett) won by forfeit. 105 – Carly Elliott (MV) pinned Molly Kennis 3:55. 110 – Olivia Hernandez (Bett)
pinned Kate Martin 1:29. 115 – Taylor Strief (Bett) won by forfeit. 120 – Lena Buntemeyer (Bett) won by forfeit. 125 – Qendresa Selmani (Bett) pinned Alexa Glaza 3:44. 130 –Selah Solis (Bett) won by forfeit. 135 – Isabella Giza (Bett) won by forfeit. 140 – Keira Cewe (Bett) won by forfeit. 145 – Charlotte Smith (Bett) pinned Hannah Jones :12 155 – Arianna Dawson (Bett) pinned Kaylee Kintzel 1:04. 170 – Gracie Pinckney (MV) won by forfeit. 190 – Libby Dix (MV) pinned Natavia Hobert :24.
Dubuque Hempstead 33, Mount Vernon 32
155 – Kaylee Kintzel (MV) dec. Morgan Bills 9-6. 170 –Gracie Pinckney (MV) pinned Kenadi Frederick 1:04. 190
– Libby Dix (MV) won by forfeit. 235 – Josie Panos (MV) pinned Natalie Krier 1:56. 105 – Paris Mickelson (DH) dec. Carly Elliott 7-0. 110 – Kate Martin (MV) tech. fall Alyssa Murphy 17-0 4:34. 115 – McKenzie Ostola (DH) won by forfeit. 120 – Natalie Leitzen (DH) won by forfeit. 125 –Alex Glaza (MV) pinned Shayla Murphy 3:53. 130 – Jillian Renne (DH) won by forfeit. 135 – Hailey Wiskus (DH) won by forfeit. 140 – Double forfeit. 145 – Ayla Osterkamp (DH) pinned Hannah Jones 1:20.
– Carly Elliott (MV) pinned Stella Raitt 4:00. 110 – Kate Martin (MV) pinned Cooper Hamilton 1:02. 115 – Eliza Mitchell (ICH) won by forfeit. 120 – Amelia Terrill (ICH) won by forfeit. 125 – Alexa Glaza (MV) pinned Maria Henderson 1:17. 130 – Paige Dixon (ICH) won by forfeit. 135 – Ivienne Heller (ICH) won by forfeit. 140 – Nicole Peterson (ICH) won by forfeit. 145 – Nina Peterson (ICH) pinned Hannah Jones 3:38. 155 – Annabelle Stelpflug (ICH) pinned Kaylee Kintzel 2:25. Muscatine 39, Mount Vernon 24
100 – Double forfeit. 105 – Carly Elliott (MV) won by forfeit. 110 – Double forfeit. 115 – Lexi Eaton (M) pinned Kate Martin :59. 120 – Jazlyn Enriquez (M) won by forfeit. 125 – Linda Diaz (M) dec. Alexa Glaza 7-4 SV-1. 130 – Sloane Bonebrake (M) won by forfeit. 135 – Double forfeit. 140 – Cheyenne Mosier (M) won by forfeit. 145 – Zurina Stoltzfus (M) won by forfeit. 155 – Journey Grenne (M) won by forfeit. 170 – Gracie Pinckney (MV) pinned Elsie Lewis 2:41. 190 – Libby Dix (MV) pinned Makayla Conklin :32. 235 – Josie Panos (MV) pinned Alexis Cooke :39. Waverly-Shell Rock 48, Mount Vernon 30
100 – Amri Schwartz (WSR) won by forfeit. 105 – Carly Elliott (MV) won by forfeit. 110 – Double forfeit. 115 – Macy Tiedt (WSR) pinned Kate Martin 3:46. 120 – Kylie Schmitz (WSR) won by forfeit. 125 – Camille Schult (WSR) pinned Alexa Glaza 1:45. 130 – Harper Graff (WSR) won by forfeit. 135 – Lilly Stough (WSR) won by forfeit. 140 – Makana Miller (WSR) won by forfeit. 145 – Hannah Jones (MV) won by forfeit. 155 – Amalia Djoumessi (WSR) won by forfeit. 170 – Gracie Pinckney (MV) pinned Kasey Stone 1:19. 190 – Libby Dix (MV) won by forfeit. 235 – Josie Panos (MV) won by forfeit.
Ryan Suchomel
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun
Freshman
Dietsch became the first Lisbon wrestler to win a tournament title Tuesday,
when she pinned her way through the field at the Midland Tournament in
MOUNT VERNON
Coach: Derek Roberts (third season)
2023-24 finish: 15-9, 10-6 WaMaC
Returning letterwinners (4): Kellen Haverback, jr.; AJ McDermott, sr.; Josef Briesemeister, sr.; Cole Thurn, sr.
Outlook: Mount Vernon is going to be a different team without top scorers Jackson Kutcher and Joey Rhomberg.
But junior Kellen Haverback (10.2 points per game) and Josef Briesemeister (10.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) are returning starters and a good place to begin a rebuild.
“We have good players and good leaders,”
SPORTS BRIEFS
coach Derek Roberts said. “Kellen will have to score more for us this year. Joey had a phenomenal football season, and that confidence is going to help him.”
In addition to the returners, some younger players are expected to help. Five sophomores are on the varsity, including twins Luke Rushford and Seth Rushford. Junior Brogan Meyer is a 6-foot-5 lefty and should also get minutes.
“Some of these guys practiced with the varsity last year, and it really helped them,” Roberts said. “They are ready to do a good job.”
Mustangs, Lions earn IFCA All-State honors
Mount Vernon had six first-team picks on the Class 3A All-State Football Team, released last week by the Iowa Football Coaches Association.
Senior Joe Briesemeister (OL), senior Kael Riniker (DL), senior Ethan Wood (DEF UT), junior Mikey Ryan (DB), junior Jaxon Anderson (LB) and junior Jase Jaspers (RS) were honored with first team picks.
Senior Watson Krob (WR), senior Nova Lane (DL), junior Kellen Haverback (OFF UT) and senior Bennett Harp (K) were second-team selections.
Lisbon had four players honored in Class A by the IFCA.
Senior Gage Holub (K) and senior Dakota Clark (DB) were first team picks. Senior Tiernan Boots (RB) and senior Jacob Walerius (LB) were second-team picks.
Mustangs earn IAFootball awards
IAFootball awarded two Mount Vernon Players with big awards last week.
Senior Kael Riniker was named the Class 3A Defensive Player of the Year.
Riniker had 15 sacks and 28 tackles for loss leading the Mustang defensive attack. His 15 sacks led the state, all classes.
Junior Kellen Haverback was named the Class 3A Newcomer of the Year.
The junior threw for 2,285 yards on 172 of 276 passing (62.3 percent) with 27 passing touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also had 10 rushing touchdowns.
Boys’ hoops take part in scrimmages
Mount Vernon won its Achieve Scrimmage on Saturday, Nov. 30, beating Denver 63-40 at Aplington-Parkersburg High School.
A scrimmage set for Monday, Nov. 25, versus Cedar Rapids Prairie was cancelled.
Mount Vernon boys open the season Friday, Dec. 6, at Clinton, then host Cedar Rapids Jefferson on Saturday night.
Lisbon boys’ basketball lost its Achieve Scrimmage on Monday, Nov. 25, falling 83-49 to Northeast in Goose Lake.
The Lions opened the season hosting Springville on Tuesday, Dec. 3, and host Bellevue Marquette on Friday, Dec. 6.
Coach: Levi Montague (third season) 2023-24 finish: 12-11, 7-5 Tri-Rivers East
Returning letterwinners (6): Tyler Sauser, sr.; Devin O’Brien, sr.; Grayson Wollum, sr.; Daylin Schaefer, sr.; Jackson Powers, sr.; Ian Whittenbaugh, jr.
Outlook: Most small schools have a lot of guards, but don’t have the size under the basket.
Lisbon has the opposite problem this winter. They have a pretty dangerous front row players, led by 6-foot-7 Grayson Wollum (16.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg), 6-5 Daylin Schaefer (12.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg), and 6-5 Devin O’Brien (8.1 ppg).
The guards? That’s a work in progress.
Senior Tyler Sauser (1.3 ppg) returns, and the program welcomes back senior Dakota Clark, who hasn’t played basketball since his freshman year.
“Dakota had a good first week of practice, considering he hasn’t been around the game,” Coach Levi Montague said. “He brings speed and athletic ability, as well as leadership.”
Montague is focused on the Lions defensive consistency, especially for the nights when the shots aren’t falling.
“Last year we weren’t great defensively,” Montague said. “You can’t afford to have bad rebounding nights.”
670
Dave Schechinger were present via zoom. CONSENT AGENDA: Motion by Williams, seconded by Smith to approve the consent agenda consisting of minutes of October 28, liquor license for Whitey’s Bar & Grill, LLC, October Treasurer’s Report and list of bills.
All Ayes. Motion carried 5-0.
Motion by Scott, seconded by Smith to accept the bid from Poly Vinyl Roofing, Inc. for $23,667. This bid involves stripping the roof, pulling the current insulation, and redoing both with a 15-year warranty. All Ayes. Motion carried 5-0. Motion by Smith, seconded by Bardsley to approve Pay Estimate #2 to L.L. Pelling Company, Inc. for 2024 Business 30 Resurfacing in the amount of $384,982.96. All Ayes. Motion carried 5-0.
Motion by Williams, seconded by Smith to approve Resolution 34-2024 Approving Property Lien Utility Fees. Roll call vote. Ayes: Bardsley, Steele, Smith, Williams, and Scott. Absent: None. Nays: None. Motion carried 5-0. Motion by Smith, seconded by Williams to approve Resolution 35-2024 Approving Transfer of Funds. Roll call vote. Ayes: Bardsley, Steele, Smith, Williams, and Scott. Absent: None. Nays: None. Motion carried 5-0. Council received a letter stating the City of Lisbon will be receiving an award for the Business 30 paving project.
The council received the following reports from city departments: City Engineer Dave Schechinger –wrapped up on most projects, well 5 building is still in the works. Public Works Director Travis Bagby –working on the final leaf pickup in town, if a vehicle is blocking them the crews will come back around. Parks and Recreation Director Drayton Kamberling – girls’ basketball is wrapping up, boys’ registration to start soon, Christmas parade with Santa at the Fire Department will be December 20th from 6-8pm. City Administrator Brandon Siggins –new 409 was taken to Carroll with hopes to be back in late February. Working on transfer agreement, new ducks/aerator in the pond, met with YTT on a punch list/next phase, budget workshop with Christina, school/ park installed Casey’s scoreboard, streetlight out downtown, BE Lisbon grant meeting, reminder to citizens that golf registrations renew in January. Railroad track issues update, public works position being advertised, City Hall will be closed Thursday and Friday with trash pickup on Friday. Council members congratulated City Clerk Christina Eicher on being named President-Elect for the Iowa League of Cities. Council discussed the history center line issues and wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Motion by Scott, seconded by Williams to go into closed session at 7:24pm at the request of Jake Siggins for his annual review pursuant to Code of Iowa Section 21.5(l)(i).
All Ayes. Motion carried 5-0. Motion by Smith, seconded by Bardsley to go out of closed session at 8pm. All Ayes. Motion carried 5-0. Motion by Steele, seconded by Smith to give Jake Siggins a $1,000 bonus. All Ayes.
Motion carried 5-0. Motion by Steele, seconded by Smith to go into closed session at 8:02pm at the request of Chris Rodman for his annual review pursuant to Code of Iowa Section 21.5(l)(i).
All Ayes. Motion carried 5-0. Motion by Bardsley, seconded by Smith to go out of closed session at 8:20pm. All Ayes. Motion carried 5-0. Motion by Smith, seconded by Bardsley to give Chris Rodman a $1,400 bonus. All Ayes. Motion carried 5-0. Mayor Doug O’Connor adjourned the
President Caspers called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Members present: Caspers, Mallie, Prasil, Richey, Baker Members absent: None
Motion by Mallie, second by Baker to approve the Agenda. All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Board Secretary / President ‘Pro Tem’ Business Manager Stacey Matus called the Organizational Board Meeting to order at 6:07 p.m.
Members present: Caspers, Mallie, Prasil, Richey, Baker
Members absent: None
Motion by Baker, second by Mallie to nominate Jen Caspers as Board President. All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Board President Caspers was sworn into office and took over as Board President.
Motion by Mallie, second by Richey to nominate John Prasil as Vice-President. All ayes motion carried (5-0) and Vice-President Prasil was sworn into office.
Motion by Prasil, second by Baker to appoint Angela Santis as Board Secretary. All ayes motion carried (5-0) and Board Secretary Santis was sworn into office.
Motion by Prasil, second by Richey to appoint Stacey Matus as Board Treasurer. All ayes motion carried (5-0) and Board Treasurer Matus was sworn into office.
Motion by Mallie, second by Richey to approve 2024-2025 Board Committees as follows:
Facilities: Mallie / Baker
Finance: Caspers / Prasil
SIAC: Caspers / Richey
Policy: All Board Members
Negotiations: Prasil / Caspers
Linn County Conference Board: Baker
LECC Liaison: Richey
All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Motion by Richey, second by Baker to approve Board Procedures for the 20242025 school year as follows:
Meetings will continue to be held the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m.
The Board will continue to operate under Robert’s Rules of Order
All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Ag Teacher and FFA Sponsor Mikayla Larsen presented about Lisbon’s new Ag program. Ag student and FFA member Caleb Ross also reported on the experience at the FFA National Convention at the end of October.
Motion by Prasil, second by Richey to approve Annual Designations as follows:
Newspaper: Mt. Vernon / Lisbon Sun
Bank: Hills Bank with a Depository Limit of $20 million
Attorney: Ahlers & Cooney
Insurance Provider: EMC with Local Agent Scott Morningstar All ayes motion carried (4-0). President Caspers abstained.
Motion by Prasil, second by Baker to approve the Resolution to Continue the Levy for the Voter Approved PPEL Tax. All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Motion by Baker, second by Mallie to approve the Winter Volunteer Coaches List as discussed. All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Motion by Mallie, second by Richey to approve the proposed School Bus Purchase as discussed. All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Motion by Richey, second by Prasil to approve the Early Graduation Request as discussed. All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Motion by Richey, second by Prasil to approve the Second Reading Board Policies-IASB Policy Primers Vol 32#4 & Vol 33#1. All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Motion by Mallie, second by Baker to approve the Annual Review of Board Policy 103. All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Motion by Prasil, second by Richey to approve Open Enrollment Requests as discussed. All ayes motion carried (5-0).
Superintendent Pino discussed the FY25 Student Enrollment numbers. Our District enrollment is holding steady between certified enrollment and open enrollment counts.
Board Member Baker gave a Facilities Plan update. The CTE addition is getting some finishing touches such as paint and installing the ceiling. The paving will be done shortly and the inspections are set for the last part of November. It looks like early to mid December for the classrooms to be usable. New owner training for the HVAC system will be coming. Superintendent Pino also thanked Board members Baker and Mallie for the commitment to this project and for great communication throughout the process. An Open House will be held when
the project is complete. Superintendent Pino discussed Early Retirement Opportunities and what the district has offered in the past.
The Board will vote on Early Retirement Opportunities at the December meeting.
Secondary Principal Leighty spoke about the Veterans Day Assembly. Aaron Helmrich did a great job as the speaker and Kolsie Bixler and Madison Flockhart spoke about the history and Creeds. Project 60 is also coming up on 12/3. Great job to the FB players on their sportsmanship during this season. BPA went to fall leadership and will attend the state competition in February. Shout out to the students and staff on their flexibility during construction.
Elementary Principal Brown spoke about the PBIS Monster Mash celebration and Halloween Parade, 1st round of Lion Learning Lab peer observations,and bus drills are complete. The elementary students did a great job reading to residents at the Rehab Center. It was enjoyed by all parties. An update will go out with dates for the winter concerts shortly and there will be a staff holiday party in December.
Assistant Principal Horman spoke about the winter season starting. We are into the start of Girls Wrestling and Basketball, JH Girls Basketball and JH Boys Wrestling and JH Mock Trial are also up and going, Boys Wrestling and Basketball will be starting soon. Cross Country Boys Track finished 5th at state. Great job to the Boys Football team in the postseason. Drama is doing great with shows last weeknd and this upcoming weekend.
The Dance team received an academic achievement award which is a great accomplishment. Thanks to all parent and leadership support we have been able to add many great opportunities for students over the past couple years.
Superintendent Pino discussed the SIAC meeting, the upcoming District Leadership Team meeting, and an invitation to the Legislative Forum at Monticello School District in December. Work will start on the 25-26 School Year Calendar shortly and the IASB Convention will be attended next week. She also thanked the Board for their support with all the opportunities we offer students and making our District competitive with larger districts.
Upcoming Board Meetings are as follows: December 11th at 6:00 p.m. - Regular Board Meeting
January 8th at 6:00 p.m. - Regular Board Meeting Motion by Prasil, second by Baker to approve the Consent Agenda. All ayes motion carried (5-0) Motion by Mallie, second by Baker to adjourn at 7:43 p.m. All ayes motion carried (5-0). Angela Santis, Board Secretary Jen Caspers, Board President Published in the Sun December 5, 2024.
LISBON SCHOOL DISTRICT
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Sporting Goods
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Miscellaneous
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Kitchen Assistant needed in the Elementary School. Hours: 10:30 am - 1:30 pm. If interested, please contact Nutrition Director Mallory Gerber at mgerber@mvcsd.org.
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, Dec. 5
Story Time, Cornell College Cole Library Browsing Room, 9:30 a.m.
Fiber Friends, Southeast Linn Community Center, 10:30 a.m.
LBC Adult Speaker Series “First Day of Freshman History 2005“ by Bob Meeker, Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center, 1 p.m.
Lauren Farmer book reading Cornell College Van Etten-Lacey House, 4-5 p.m.
Magical Night, uptown Mount Vernon, 5-8 p.m.
Lisbon junior high band concert Lisbon Auditorium, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 6
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.
Sunday, Dec. 8
Dance Arts Iowa presents The Nutcracker, Mount Vernon Performing Arts Center, 2 p.m. Cocoa and Carols, Sts. Peter and Paul Chapel, 5 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 9
Washington Elementary melodies and masterpieces concerts Mount Vernon Performing Arts Center, 6 p.m.
Lisbon City Council, Lisbon City Hall, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 10
Lego Club, Cornell college Room 108, 3:30 p.m.
Washington Elementary melodies and masterpieces concerts Mount Vernon Performing Arts Center, 6 p.m.
Yarn squad, Cornell College Cole Library Room 326,
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
6:30 p.m.
Lisbon High School Band concert, Lisbon Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Learn to play Bridge, Cornell College Cole Library room 108, 7-9 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 11
Cards, Southeast Linn Community Center, 10-11:30 a.m.
Linn Lunch Bunch, Southeast Linn Community Center, 11:30 a.m.
ImpactLife Blood Drive Cornell College Thomas Commons Hall-Perrine room, 2-6 p.m.
Mount Vernon District Roundtable meeting, Mount Vernon Middle School commons, 6 p.m. Lessons and Carols Service, Cornell College Allee Chapel, 6:30 p.m.
Cornell College Symphonic Band Concert, Mount Vernon Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 12
Story Time Cornell College Cole Library Browsing Room, 9:30 a.m.
Fiber Friends, Southeast Linn Community Center, 10:30 a.m.
LBC Adult Speaker Series “Diaries: Their Gestation, Care and Feeding“ by Greg Cottton, Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center, 1 p.m.
Lisbon first through third grade music concerts, Lisbon Auditorium, 6 p.m.
Washington Elementary melodies and masterpieces concerts (including fourth grade orchestra), Mount Vernon Performing Arts Center, 6 p.m.
Cornell College presents “The Moors”, Cornell College Armstrong Yungker Hall Kimmel Theater, 7:30 p.m.
1 Go downhill fast, maybe
5 Instigate
11 Little while
14 Adjective often paired with “hearty”
15 The “boy” in the Broadway lyric “Never before has a boy wanted more!”
16 Cruise through
17 “Duh!,” in textspeak
18 Noted convention center?
19 “Moo, ___, La La La!” (children’s book)
20 June observance
22 Pastry whose dough is used in making pigs in a blanket
24 Common situations in time travel narratives
26 The emperor Caligula wanted to name his a consul, in legend
27 Lowercase “n” lookalike
28 Its cups aren’t supposed to runneth over
29 Singer Lewis
30 Last word in the full title of Cervantes’s most famous novel
33 Pigeonry
34 Halloween-themed hit, with a hint to four squares in this puzzle
36 What the puck is going on?
37 “ … have it your way, then”
38 BeBe’s sister, in a gospel duo
39 Something “dead” in a haunted corn maze?
40 ___ powder (manicure type)
43 It comes from the heart
45 Summer drink made from the fruits of two tropical trees
48 Graphic showing the status of a download, say
50 Like Polish, but not polish
51 Lionizing lines
52 General during the Clone Wars
54 “Last Christmas” pop duo
55 Marble count for each side in Chinese checkers
56 Opposite of a jumbo shake?
57 Prefix with trust or rust
58 Sounds of hesitation
59 Recorded, in a way
60 Throw hard, in modern slang
Down
1 Quaint store
2 Maze runner
3 “Mistress of the Dark” in a 1988 film
4 “Othello” role
5 Sound sounds
6 Encouragement to a flamenco performer
7 Cut finely
8 Civil rights leader Medgar
9 Campbell of horror film fame
10 Just terrible, in slang
11 One of the original five inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame
12 “Yes, that’s abundantly clear”
13 Source of refreshments on a train to London
21 Financial institution with A.T.M.s known as “Green Machines”
23 Fellow presenter
25 Art knife brand
30 Paintings in the “Water Lilies” series, e.g.
31 Dating app for queer women
32 Elizabeth of cosmetics
33 Openness
34 Certain edible seedlings
35 Khan tract?
36 Keep in stock, say
38 “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” author
40 “Apollo and ___” (Bernini masterpiece)
41 Kick around some concepts
42 Aspiring driver’s need
44 Invite for
45 Painter whose “Olympia” caused controversy for its depiction of a sex worker
46 Result of burning sage
47 “Not happening!”
49 2016 election nickname
53 Catchy song
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.
