Aug. 23, 4:20 p.m. – Officers were called to 704 Eighth Ave. for a neighbor dispute.
Aug. 23, 9:10 p.m. – An opossum was found in a live trap. Officers removed it.
Aug. 24, 3:25 p.m. – Joel Hamilton, Belle Plaine, reported a case of identity theft. The matter is under investigation.
Aug. 25, 6:50 p.m. – Police were called to the 1800 block of Eighth Ave. for illegal burning. The owner was warned.
Aug. 25, 9:25 p.m. – Officers were called to 802 Eighth Ave. for an out of control child.
Aug. 26, 1:50 a.m. – An open door was discovered at Zip Mart.
Aug. 26, 12:57 p.m. – Ambulance assist at Belle Plaine Nursing and Rehab Center.
Aug. 27, 12:10 a.m. – Officers checked on a 911 hang-up at 1808 11th Ave. No emergency was reported.
Aug. 29, 8:35 p.m. – There was an anonymous complaint of loud music at 505 Sixth Street.
Aug. 30, 1:59 a.m. – Mark McGrane, Belle Plaine, was arrested on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop in the 1300 block of Sixth Ave. This followed a report of a disturbance at Ninth Ave. and 10th Street. He was taken to the Iowa County Jail.
Aug. 30, 2:50 p.m. – A theft of prescription drugs was reported at 605 Eighth Street. The incident remains under investigation.
Aug. 30, 5:$0 p.m. – Criminal mischief, in the form of a broken glass door, was reported at 405 Seventh Street.
Aug. 30, 8:05 p.m. – The resident at 2015 Tenth Ave. reported stray cats in the area and was loaned a live trap by the police department. On Aug. 31, 8:35 a.m., a stray cat was removed from the trap and taken to the Countryside Veterinary Clinic.
Friday night’s 14-6 win at HLV was probably all the Belle Plaine coaching staff could ask for. It was a win in the first game of the season against a Class A team that looked to be improved over last year’s playoff qualifier. It was a hard-hitting game from the opening kickoff. And the Plainsmen did some good things but showed they have plenty to work on as they dealt with some player personnel adversity.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Plainsmen put the first points on the board with 7:34 remaining in the half. Brian Crow capped a 57-yard, 11-play drive with a seven-yard touchdown run. The conversion pass failed and the visitors had a 6-0 lead.
That was the score until the last 10 seconds of the half, when Seivon Steward broke free off the left side for 47 yards and a touchdown. It was a bubble screen lateral which went into the books as a running play. Crow ran in the conversion for a 14-0 lead at the half.
HLV scored with 3:08 remaining in the third quarter as Bryce Kuesel went over from a yard out, capping a nine-play, 63-yard drive. The extra point kick failed.
Coach Todd Bohlen would call the first game a “game of attrition.” The team’s leading receiver, Chris Janss, suffered a concussion and was out from early in the second quarter. Steward was out for the second half with cramps and sophomore receiver Cooper Northrop saw limited action due to cramping. And eight players were missing due to team suspensions of varying length.
With several key players sidelined, some sophomores and even a freshman were pressed into service, the coach said.
Six Plainsmen carried the ball in the game, led by Crow’s 18 attempts for 89 yards. Steward had five carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Rupp had three carries for 22 yards, Kyle Janss had nine for 28, Northrop had two for one yard and John Long had two carries for minus one yard.
Long completed four of five passes for 30 yards. Crow caught three passes for 18 yards and Brayden Morrow had the other catch for 12 yards.
The punting game appears to be sound. Chris Janss had one punt for 42 yards. Then when he went out, Keegan DeMeulenaere punted four times for a 32-yard average.
There were plenty of solid defensive performances in the game. Raymond Edgar had seven tackles, including three for losses. Chris Janss had two tackles, Rupp had 10 tackles with one for loss, Crow had four tackles with one for loss, Tony Jones had four tackles and a fumble recovery, Steward and Long each had a tackle, Morrow had five with one for loss, Austin Chekal had three tackles and a sack, DeMeulenaere had five. Devon Parr had nine tackles, Northrop had three, Scott Wheeler had six with a sack, Ousmane Camara had three and Cody Chekal had one.
This week, Bohlen indicated that his team will have plenty of things to work on as the Plainsmen get set to host Highland Riverside. Highland lost to Columbus Junction, 22-7 last week. The Huskies had minus 10 yards rushing in the game, but they were 16 for 30 for 172 yards in passing. Bohlen indicated that they will run the shotgun spread offense. He recalled that his team forced seven turnovers in the game last year and he is hoping for a similar effort this week.
He said the Plainsmen had several missed blocking assignments last week. Then late in the game, HLV had two open receivers who dropped the ball, which could have led to a tying touchdown.
The coach said those players who suffered cramps last week will have to pay closer attention to their fluid and electrolytes intake this week. Janss was being medically evaluated early this week, but it’s doubtful he will see much action Friday night as he recovers from the concussion.
Area residents had a chance to see local and county emergency personnel in action in a non-critical situation Saturday. The Benton County Safety Fair brought representatives from city, county and state law enforcement, local ambulance personnel, an air ambulance and the National Guard to Franklin Park to present demonstrations and answer questions. The Crash Test Dummies and McGruff the Crime Dog were also on hand for the kids.
Benton County Sheriff’s Deputy Garrison Reekers brought his patrol dog, Vader, to the program. Belle Plaine Police Officer Matt Aicher donned an attack suit and Reekers demonstrated what Vader would do to assist in the arrest of a reluctant suspect.
St. Luke’s Hospital’s Lifeguard helicopter landed on the baseball diamond and personnel answered questions on the equipment and procedures for the air ambulance.
Lifeguard personnel also assisted members of the Chelsea and Belle Plaine fire departments and the Belle Plaine Ambulance Service in a demonstration of a mock pedestrian accident. In the scenario, a 10-year-old boy is run over by a pick-up truck and trapped under the truck’s rear wheels. The fire departments used devices to lift the truck off of the dummy (victim) and ambulance crews stabilized him for a trip to the hospital via Lifeguard Ambulance.
The sheriff’s department photographed children for identification. The National Guard brought its inflatable jousting pit for the young people to try.
John M. Beck, 85, died Saturday, August 29, 2009 in Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids following a sudden illness. Memorial services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Hrabak Funeral Home by Rev. Jack Andrews. Inurnment will be in the Rector Cemetery, Chelsea. Visitation will be after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
He is survived by his wife Esther; sons, Richard (Nelsene), Jerald and John Jr. (Kathy), all of Belle Plaine, and Dennis (Deb) of LeGrande; daughter, Joan (Scott) Schild of Belle Plaine; brothers, Albert (Ruth) of Belle Plaine and Nathan of Blairstown; sisters, Martha Strong and Gertrude McElroy , both of Belle Plaine; also by seventeen grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren.
With the college football season set to get into full swing on Labor Day weekend, several Belle Plaine High School grads are looking to make an impact at the next level.
Myles Kelly is a member of a Cornell College team that is seeking a reversal of its fortunes. The Rams, under Coach Matt Dillon, are currently riding an 18-game losing streak and have lost their last 28 conference games. With only five seniors on the roster, Dillon says he will be looking toward a good incoming freshman class to help turn around the fortunes at the Mount Vernon School.
Kelly is listed at 5-7 and 159 pounds at defensive back. In a preseason story posted on the school’s web site, Dillon said with 22 freshmen on the roster, he is looking for big things from the younger players.
The Rams open their regular season Saturday, Sept. 5 at non-conference foe Grinnell. After a trip to Carleton College in Northfield, MN for their second game, the Rams will open conference play at home on Sept. 19 against defending Iowa Conference champion Wartburg.
Two Plainsman grads are hoping to make an impact in the community college ranks in a brand new program.
Rich DeFauw, a 6-2 300 pound offensive guard and Jordyne Lockhart, a 6-6 325 pound defensive tackle, are both on the roster at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs.
This is the first year for the football program at Iowa Western. Coach Scott Strohmeier apparently has plenty of resources to start the program. The school’s web site lists a dozen assistant coaches on the staff and a preseason roster of 144 players.
The Reivers open their season at home on Sept. 5 against Iowa Central. Their road games this year will take them to Grand Rapids, MI, Glen Ellyn, IL, Wahpeton, ND and Iowa Falls.
A persistent rain cell that seemed to camp right over southwest Benton County brought flooding rains to the area Thursday afternoon. While local rainfall totals were not immediately available, some area estimates indicated in excess of six inches in the Shellsburg area and over 10 inches south of Washington.
In Belle Plaine, 13th Avenue west of the Belle Plaine Golf Club was under water, water was creeping over the street south of the golf course and the creek near East Side Body Shop was raging at near-bank full.
The creek that runs through Franklin Park was out of its banks.
Elsewhere in Eastern Iowa, portions of Highway 151 north of Cedar Rapids were reportedly closed. Linn-Mar High School’s football field was completely under water by noon. There were reports that the new school in Central City was flooded.
A flash flood watch remained in effect for Benton County until 7 p.m. Thursday and a flood warning was in effect until 1:45 a.m. Friday.
The National Weather Service calls for an end to this rainfall by Friday, with partly sunny skies and a high of 73 expected. There is an outside chance at a stray thurndershower Friday afternoon.
The last weekend of August should provide plenty of things to see and do in and around Belle Plaine.
Friday afternoon, don’t forget to stop by the Jumbo Well Fountain area near the museum for the Rotary Rib Fest. Rib dinners will be served from 4-7 p.m. and frozen ribs will also be for sale. Proceeds benefit several projects of the Belle Plaine Rotary Club.
The Belle Plaine football team has just four road games on the schedule this season and the first one is less than 10 miles away, as the Plainsmen open the season Friday night at HLV. The Plainsmen are ranked seventh in one state poll and optimism is running high in the Plainsman camp for another great season.
On Saturday, the Belle Plaine Ambulance Service will host the annual Benton County Safety Fair at Franklin Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be various safety demonstrations during the event, as well as a chance to see much of the apparatus and vehicles that are used in emergencies, including a scheduled landing of an air ambulance.
Saturday afternoon, the annual Iowa Lincoln Highway Association Motor Tour will stop in Belle Plaine. The group is scheduled to be here from 2-3 p.m., with stops at the Belle Plaine Museum and at Preston’s Garage. This will be day two of the three-day, cross-state tour. The group will spend Saturday night in Cedar Rapids before completing the tour on Sunday in Clinton.
Bingo will be offered at the museum on Sunday, starting at 2 p.m.
With the start of the new school year and fall sports schedule, Belle Plaine maintains its position in enrollment among members of the SICL Conference and District Five in Class 1A in football.
The state athletic associations determine school classifications based on enrollments in grades nine, 10 and 11 from the previous school year.
Belle Plaine maintains the second largest enrollment in the SICL, second only to Iowa Valley. But the school is the second smallest in enrollment in the football district.
In the SICL, school enrollment figures in descending order include: Iowa Valley, 173; Belle Plaine, 169; BGM, 164; Sigourney, 157; Lynnville-Sully 139; English Valleys, 130; North Mahaska, 125; Montezuma, 122; HLV, 107; Keota, 87 and Tri-County, 79.
In the football district, school enrollments include: Durant, 217; Eddyville-Blakesburg, 204; Pekin, 201; Van Buren Keosauqua, 193; West Branch, 184; Iowa Valley, 173; Belle Plaine, 169 and Wapello, 160.
Richard F. Sichra, 81, of Belle Plaine died Tuesday, August 25, 2009 in St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids, following a lingering illness. Memorial services will be held at Hrabak Funeral Home in Belle Plaine on Saturday, August 29, 2009 at 11 a.m. by Rev. Jim Cambell. Inurnment will be in Oak Hill Cemetery, Belle Plaine. Friends may call at the funeral home on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the funeral.
Survivors include his wife Alice, son Frank (Sarah) of Boone, sister Phylis Cornelis of Belle Plaine, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial may be directed to the Belle Plaine Ambulance.
For the second day in a row, Benton County and surrounding counties are under a flash flood warning until 2 p.m. Thursday and a flash flood watch through Thursday evening. The National Weather Service says steady rain overnight with some periods of heavier rainfall have fallen on already saturated ground, prompting the warnings. Forecasters say the area could be in for more heavy rain today, with the threat diminishing later today and tonight. But there is still an outside chance at a stray thurndershower Friday afternoon.
Although weather radar at 9:30 a.m. indicated that Belle Plaine seems to be on the back edge of the current deluge, forecasters are indicating that the front which is causing this prolonged rainy weather is stalled over Iowa, thanks in part to a tropical storm off the east coast which is slowing the progress of weather systems across the country.
Motorists and pedestrians are reminded not to drive or walk across flooded streets.
