JANUARY: Two members of the Scott County Board of Supervisors wrapped up their terms at the end of 2018. Diane Holst served one four-year term, while Carol Earnhardt was a supervisor for eight years. Newly elected supervisors Democrat Ken Croken and Republican John Maxwell were sworn in Jan. 2.
JANUARY: North Scott agriculture teacher Jacob Hunter was named the 2019 Iowa STEM Teacher of the Year by the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council.
JANUARY: The winter of 2019 challenged road department budgets, salt supplies and school calendars. By the end of January, North Scott Schools Superintendent Joe Stutting said weather already closed or delayed school enough to extend the year through June 7. “In my 13 years as a superintendent, this is the most active winter pattern I’ve ever seen,” said Stutting.
JANUARY: A strategic planning forum at the Eldridge Community Center attracted 50 residents looking ahead a decade. Topping their list of ideas for the community were a fitness center with a public pool, and a new city hall with a police station.
JANUARY: Grissom Elementary principal Michael Kline became North Scott’s new assistant superintendent, taking on district-wide technology and special education duties and furthering his training for a superintendent’s post.
JANUARY: The North Scott wrestling team was dethroned as two-time defending champions of the Mississippi Athletic Conference in a classic battle with Bettendorf. Josh Connor (113), Caleb McCabe (126), Jake Matthaidess (152) and Collin Lewis (145) claimed individual conference crowns. Pictured is Jake Matthaidess.
JANUARY: An investigative report by NSP editor Scott Campbell found that 70 percent of North Scott High School students were partaking in the e-cigarette craze. As was playing out in high schools across the country, North Scott administrators were trying to get ahead of the alarming trend that had seen a 78-percent increase in the number of students buying into the addictive habit.
JANUARY: Lancer Productions presented “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” for its annual Children’s Theatre.
JANUARY: The Quad Cities set an all-time record low temperature on Jan. 31, when Moline hit -33 degrees F. The prior record of -27 was set Jan. 16, 2009. Snowfall totals for January 2019 were 15-20 inches above normal in the region.
FEBRUARY: Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa City, urged bipartisan collaboration at a meeting with farm leaders at the Scott County Library: “I’m not paying attention to investigations. We need to do our work. I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time,” he said, referencing his party’s push to investigate President Trump.
FEBRUARY: Eldridge welcomed Mike and Lea Guldenpfennig's Bent River Auto Sales from West Davenport and a new full-service truck and car repair at 308 N. 12th Ave.
FEBRUARY: North Scott’s boys’ basketball team reached No. 1 in the state rankings, amassing a stellar 16-0 record as of Feb. 6. They would go on to set a school record with their 17th straight win (in overtime, against Davenport Central). They would fall to Bettendorf days later, but maintain their status as co-champions of the MAC. North Scott advanced to its eighth substate final in the last nine years with a grueling victory over Pleasant Valley.
FEBRUARY: Meanwhile, the girls’ team’s No. 2 state ranking earned a favorable draw for the Class 4A regional tournament, where for the second time in three years, they headed to the state post-season Promised Land following a regional final win over Keokuk.
FEBRUARY: North Scott wrestlers placed second behind Bettendorf at the district tournament. Four Lancers claimed titles, while four more also stamped their tickets to state. Collin Lewis, Caleb McCabe, Jake Matthaidess and Josh Connor all won their championship matches. Also heading to Des Moines as district runners-up were Cael Bredar (120), Trent Doty (132), Deven Strief (138), and Zach Campbell (160). Lewis went on to become state champion at 145 pounds, leading the Lancers to a seventh-place finish in the team standings. Also landing on the podium were: Matthaidess (3rd), McCabe (6th) and Strief (5th). Pictured is Josh Connor.
FEBRUARY: Electrical crews took one day to rebuild a line of 24 utility poles that toppled with heavy ice and high winds along First Street between Eldridge and Long Grove. The repairs ended a 27-hour power outage for 168 Alliant Energy customers around Long Grove.
FEBRUARY: The North Scott Athletic Boosters’ 2019 cake auction, with a Dr. Seuss theme, raised more than $18,000 to benefit the school’s sports teams.
FEBRUARY: North Scott’s boys’ bowling team qualified for the state tournament in Waterloo, rolling to their second-straight district title. The boys finished second at state, led by seniors Isaac Neymeyer and Brock Larson, along with Garrett Holst, Alex Isley, Carter Siebert and Mitch Larson. Brock Larson finished sixth individually; Neymeyer finished second. The girls’ bowling team came up just short in their bid for a state tourney berth.
MARCH: The Lady Lancers stood atop the Class 4A basketball mountain for the second time in three years, winning the state tournament in a thrilling upset of No. 1 ranked and defending state champion Marion. Coach TJ Case was named All Iowa Girls Basketball Coach of the Year by the Des Moines Register. Junior Grace Boffeli was named to the Class 4A first team all-state, captain of the Class 4A all-tournament team, as well as MAC girls’ basketball Player of the Year after finishing the season averaging 17.4 points and 11.3 rebounds.
Junior Presley Case was also a first-team all-MAC selection and a second-team all-state choice. She finished with a 10.4 scoring average and added 112 assists and 83 steals.
Senor Rylie Rucker was a second-team all-MAC choice and earned third-team all-state honors. She missed five games due to injuries but still averaged 8.1 points.
Seniors Brooke Corson and Chloe Engelkes earned honorable mention all-conference, and Engelkes was also named to the all-tournament team in Des Moines.
MARCH: The North Scott boys booked a return trip to Des Moines with a win over Cedar Rapids Prairie. They won their first game against Ames, lost in the semifinals to Cedar Falls, and then lost their consolation game to Waukee to finish fourth in the state tournament.
Junior Ty Anderson was named to the Class 4A second team all-state, and senior Cortaviaus Seals, to the third team. The MAC co-champions were also well represented on the all-conference teams. Tavi Seales and Ty Anderson led the way by being named first team, all five Lancer starters earned recognition. Junior Sam Kilburg was a second-team choice, while seniors Reece Sommers and Carson Rollinger were named honorable mention.
MARCH: Rural roads took a winter beating, and early spring rains pushed the Wapsipinicon River to flood stage mid-March, making the county’s rural roadways muddier than ever. Secondary Roads crews closed soft gravel roads near the Wapsi, where ice and run off left a frozen sheet over fields and roads. Long-range forecasts for the Mississippi River looked dire.
MARCH: Virgil Grissom Elementary School won the North Scott Battle of the Books on March 2 at the Scott County Library. The team of Emily Stutting, Mallory Deutmeyer and Sedi Beydler advanced to the regional competition at the Bettendorf Library.
MARCH: The Mississippi River spilled above Princeton’s river banks, covering the jetty than normally rises at least 8 feet over the river. Crests were expected to linger, subside a bit, then swell again mid-April, with flooding to continue into May.
With the Mississippi River creeping over its banks, and major flooding predicted, North Scott High School students came to the aid of Princeton residents, spending two full days filling sandbags.
MARCH: Sporting one of the largest high school teams in the state, North Scott’s archery team continued climbing up the state charts this year. Paced by the 11th-place finish of sophomore Lily Bendickson, the Lancer archers finished 18th out of 31 teams at the state tournament in Des Moines.
APRIL: The fifth annual Agriculture Summit at Cinnamon Ridge Farm attracted about 80 area producers. Officials from Iowa Farm Bureau, Advance Trading Inc., Dairy Business Association and more discussed farming in light of trade, commodity price and weather upheaval.
APRIL: A year of hard work and generosity culminated in the completion of McCausland’s new city hall in a renovated, century-old former bank that many assumed might have been torn down.
APRIL: Grissom Elementary teacher Kyle Harris was named the Princeton school’s new principal, replacing Michael Kline, who was promoted to assistant superintendent.
APRIL: Lancer Productions presented its spring musical, “Seussical: The Musical.”
APRIL: Shaun Logan (Class of 2004), Alice Darland (Class of 1982), and former NS director of operations Dean Bassett were selected for induction in the North Scott Hall of Fame.
APRIL: The Lancer track teams qualified in four events for the prestigious Drake Relays: Senior Spencer Thomas, 110 high hurdles; junior Trent Allard, high jump; 4X100 quartet of David Nass, Darnell Butler, Dane Treiber and Luke Kroeger; and the girls’ 4X100 quartet of Brooke Corson, Avery Rowlands, Sydney Fuller and Savanna Bruck. Pictured are Avery Rowlands and Savanna Bruck.
APRIL: The new Scott County Pork Producers’ royalty were crowned at the organization’s annual contest. 2019 Little Miss Pigtail is Cora Golinghorst, and Chloe Engelbrecht is 2019 Scott County Pork Queen.
MAY: Mandatory leases, background checks and inspections should curtail Park View residents’ persistent complaints about apartment landlords and their tenants. County planning officials and supervisors launched a discussion of a rental ordinance with 54 Park View residents, which owners’ association president Mike Wright said is the biggest resident turnout ever for a meeting.
MAY: North Scott’s boys’ track team secured a third-place finish at the Mississippi Athletic Conference meet in Bettendorf. Spencer Thomas (110 hurdles) and Trent Allard (high jump) each won individual championships. The girls’ team placed fourth at the MAC meet. Pictured is Spencer Thomas.
MAY: Junior Avery Woods carded a 96, good for eighth place at the Mississippi Athletic Conference golf meet at Kewanee Dunes, leading the Lancers to a fifth-place finish.
MAY: For the fourth straight year, North Scott High School’s talented team of readers captured the Battle of the Books championship. Seniors Dana Jamison and Alauna Gentz have been on the team all four years, and senior Abby Kakac has been part of the team for the last three years.
MAY: In Class 4A district competition, the boys’ track team finished third. Qualifying for state were district champions Spencer Thomas and Trent Allard, along with the distance medley quartet of David Nass, Dane Treiber, Cael Straley and Jackson Schrock, which placed second. Also heading to Des Moines were the 4X100 (Nass, Darnell Butler, Marquan Quinn and Kroeger); 4X800 (Gabe Jensen, Zach Garrard, Owen West and Will Dowda); and shuttle hurdle relay unit (Will Kruse, Luke Kroeger, Cade Akers and Thomas); along with Ben Belken in discus.
The girls’ team also claimed third place, qualifying six events for state: Sprint medley relay (Sydney Fuller, Savanna Bruck, Brooke Kruse and Brooke Corson); distance medley relay (Madison Ahrens, Camryn Hanson, Maddie Gill and Abbi Lafrenz); shuttle hurdle relay (Avery Rowlands, Dana Loussaert, Alyssa Atzen and Grace Graham; 4X200 relay (Rowlands, Fuller, Bruck and Corson); 4X00 relay (Rowlands, Bruck Tarynn Kuehl and Kruse). In addition Fuller qualified for the 100-meter dash.
Both the boys’ and girls’ track teams gave strong showings at the state track and field meet. For the boys, Allard led the way with a fifth-place finish in Class 4A high jump, and Thomas finished 10th in the 100 high hurdles. For the girls’ team, Fuller finished 18th in the 100 meters. Pictured is Trent Allard.
MAY: It was standing room only in Eastern Iowa Community Colleges’ Blong Technology Center as school and government officials, area business leaders and nine students from North Scott and Davenport West high schools gathered for the first-ever High School Registered Apprenticeship Program for Welding Signing Day. The students signed an agreement with an area business that establishes a two-year relationship that culminates with them earning apprenticeship status. North Scott students who plotted a career path were Myah Herrrington, Nick Kilker, Gabe Barker and Justin Moeller.
MAY: North Scott’s boys’ soccer team nabbed a first-round Class 3A substate bye, then lost a close game in the substate semifinal against Cedar Rapids Jefferson, bringing the Lancers’ stellar season to a close.
MAY: The North Scott Educational Foundation awarded more than $115,000 in scholarships to members of the Class of 2019 at the high school’s annual Honors Assembly.
MAY: The Lancer girls’ golf team finished third at the Class 4A regional tournament in Iowa City, putting a season’s best 390 total on the board. The team was coached by assistant principal and former longtime coach Frank Wood.
MAY: Lancer grads started a new tradition, donning their caps and gowns to return to their former elementary schools. The seniors received rousing receptions from teachers and elementary students during the Grad Walk.
JUNE: Glenn Elementary alum and Marine Gunnery Sergeant Nathan Marple received the John Glenn Squadron Marine Aviation Acquisition Award, as well as the Michael A. Hough Award for Acquisition Excellence in Marine Aviation.
JUNE: North Scott’s girls’ soccer team faced adversity when, the night before the regional final, goalkeeper Teagan Goodney injured her shoulder. Already playing without key defenders Katie Jackovich and Sophie Hughes, the Lancers fell to Xavier, knocking them out of state tournament play after six straight state tournament trips that included a state championship and two state final appearances.
Earning post-season honors for soccer were: Rylie Rucker, Class 2A first team all-state, and first team all-conference; Adriane Latham and Paige Blaskovich, second team all-state; Blaskovich and Katie Jackovich were named to the all-MAC second team, while Kaitlynn Ruwe, Latham and Goodney earned honorable mention.
On the boys’ side, Max Solis and Chase Porter were second team selections in the MAC, and Andrew Lundvall, Isaac Neymeyer and Colin Wiersema earned honorable mention. Pictured is Rylie Rucker.
JUNE: The Lancer trap team captured state championships in the doubles and handicap divisions, and placed second in the singles competition behind Ankeny. For the third straight year, North Scott also was awarded the Baxter Cup, based on its combined league and state championship scores in singles and handicap divisions.
Hunter Frerichs, Jaydon Biles, Hunter Block, Jacob Dies and Tommy Keeshan formed the state champion squad in singles; Biles, Keeshan, Andrew Troje, Block and Drew Baxter were the state champion squad in handicap. Dies and Block were named to the All-State Trap Team, and Keeshan, Biles and Troje were named to the High Point All Around team. Keeshan finished first for the second straight year.
JUNE: North Scott Special Olympian Alli Schneckloth was named the Des Moines Register’s Iowa Athlete of the Year. She had competed in Special Olympics for 11 years, in basketball, bowling, cycling, golf, skiing, flag football and track and field.
JUNE: North Scott students made up most of the Iowa delegation competing at National History Day at the University of Maryland. Presenting their year-long research projects were: Dylan Engelbrecht, Hannah Belk and Jenna Willett, Alexis Raleigh and Madison Knoche, Erin Peck, Hailey Glover and Sophia Cauwels, Connor Peck, Cyara Jackson and Anna Sophia Council, and Kaitlyn Knoche, Elle Lohre and Vianne Jackson. Pictured are Hannah Belk and Jenna Willet.
JUNE: Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to visit Eldridge, stopping at the Tasty Café on LeClaire Road.
JUNE: The Silver Bullet, North Scott’s storage and athletic practice shed that stood for years at First Street and LeClaire Road, was demolished along with Eldridge’s old feed store to make way for a wider First Street.
JULY: Sen. Joni Ernst joined Lewis Machine & Tool to celebrate the Eldridge gun-maker’s deal with Estonia for 16,000 rifles to be made in Eldridge. Estonian Ambassador to the U.S. Jonatan Vseviov arrived with a delegation from his home country to sign the deal with the company.
JULY: Eldridge city administrator John Dowd announces his retirement in April 2020 after 30 years with the city.
JULY: McCausland hosted its 30th annual blood drive coordinated by Lloyd Claussen. Lloyd “is in a class by himself” when it comes to organizing community blood drives, said Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center donor relations coordinator Angela Reese.
JULY: Trial began July 8 for Lucas Andrews, the North Scott seventh-grader arrested for bringing a gun to school last August. After four days of testimony, jurors found him not guilty of the most serious charge, attempted murder, and guilty of misdemeanor charges of bringing a weapon to school and assault.
JULY: North Scott school board incumbents Molly Bergfeld, John Maxwell, Joni Dittmer and Glen Keppy announced their intention to run again nearly two months before the candidate filing deadline.
JULY: Princeton Council members accepted Scott County’s donation of Little Pineo Grove, an old, 2.12 acre roadside picnic area north of the town on U.S. 67.
JULY: Lynda and Duane Miller served as marshals for the Eldridge Summer Festival parade, Saturday, July 13.
JULY: The 2019 Moonlight Chase drew 1,248 participants. Jen Paul claimed her third straight women’s overall victory. Eli Kaczinski of Delmar was the men’s top finisher.
JULY: Countryside Community Theatre teamed with Lancer Productions for a six-day run of “Mamma Mia!” at the North Scott High School auditorium.
JULY: Lancer softball advanced to the Class 4A regionals with a 4-3 walk off win over Burlington July 13. The girls beat Fairfield 3-0 in the first round, then beat Oskaloosa 3-2 with an extra-inning sacrifice fly by Sam Lee, that scored Kate Hayes, who just beat the throw home. Next, the Lancers needed nine innings to dispense Charles City 3-2. But Lancer girls lost the title match 1-0 to Carlisle. “We didn’t beat ourselves, and we played hard,” coach Holly Hoelting said.
Juniors Rachel Anderson, Drew Lewis and Sam Lee made the all-tournament team.
The girls played in blue socks in remembrance of the late coach Dennis Johnson, who took 11 Lancer teams to state.
JULY: Lancer baseball ended July 19 in a substate tourney 5-2 loss to Cedar Rapids Prairie.
JULY: The Mississippi Valley Fair launched its 100th year with agriculture competition resulting in 353 ribbon winners pictured in The NSP.
JULY: North Scott student Chloe Engelbrecht was named fair queen.
JULY: Long Grove couple Gregg and Cathy Mostaert celebrated their 25th anniversary on the fair Ferris wheel where he proposed.
JULY: Former Mallards hockey star Ryan Black returned to the Quad Cities as a horse judge for the fair.
AUGUST: Thousands turned out for the second annual Night Out on the trail presented by Long Grove, Eldridge and the North Scott Enhancement Project. The event came as Eldridge and Long Grove announced grants of $2.18 million for trail extensions in those communities.
AUGUST: Glenn Elementary students remembered Sprite, the school’s longtime therapy dog who died July 27.
AUGUST: North Scott School Board members used the district’s $150,000 share of a statewide $21.2 million settlement from Volkswagen to buy six new propane-powered buses. The German car maker agreed to pay after falsifying emissions data.
AUGUST: Walcott celebrated the Aug. 7 opening of its new $217,000 splash pad. The city of Walcott provided $83,300 and the Ione Paustian memorial fund gave $28,876. The Scott County Regional Authority contributed $48,000.
AUGUST: Brownlie family descendents of Long Grove pioneers visited the sod house built in 1838 by Alexander Brownlie. Glen and Lisa Brownlie and their children Lewis, Caleb, Levi and Lillie, and grandmother Marlys Brownlie toured the restored home.
AUGUST: West Lake Park’s complex of ponds and lakes was drained to mud bottom in preparation for a $5.4 million restoration funded mostly by the Iowa DNR.
AUGUST: Rustic Ridge Golf Course owner Kevin Wohlford said he’s ready to sell the 72-acre course and offered the city first dibs for $2.5 million. The city has not accepted.
AUGUST: A buck deer broke into Grand Haven Retirement Center Aug. 13 through a front window and wreaked havoc through the halls until Eldridge Police Officer Robert Haxton assisted staff in opening doors and allowing the buck to escape unharmed.
AUGUST: Gov. Kim Reynolds joined Paul and Marijo Anderson and family at the Anderson 400, a Princeton river-bluff site to be developed for an environmentally-friendly corporate campus or business site. The governor joined local dignitaries for a ceremonial shoveling of farmland annexed into Princeton and destined for development.
AUGUST: Scott County Supervisors approved another expansion of the Dittmer family’s Grand View hog production. Supervisors allowed the JT Cleona Pork LLC near Stockton, which will supply the Dittmers, who are partners in Triumph Foods pork processing.
AUGUST: After months of waiting, residents of Grand Haven in Eldridge finally welcomed chickens to the assisted living center. North Scott senior Chloe Engelbrecht delivered the birds that will live in the facility’s courtyard.
SEPTEMBER: Iowa firefighters turned out to honor Maysville Fire Chief Ty Arp, who died a week earlier after suffering a stroke. The 42-year-old fire chief was a staple to regional firefighting efforts and served as chairman of the Scott County Fire Chiefs Association.
SEPTEMBER: North Scott’s football team opened the season with a 14-7 win over last year’s Class 4A District 4 champions Iowa City West.
SEPTEMBER: North Scott High School announced that it had revamped the building trades program by partnering with Diamond Builders owner Colin Wood. Wood is developing an addition at Muhs Circle and South First Street in Eldridge, which may provide lots for student built homes for the next five years.
SEPTEMBER: Long-time attorney Tom Schirman, who served as city attorney for both Walcott and Eldridge, announced that he would be moving to South Carolina, but would continue his duties from there.
SEPTEMBER: Scott County supervisors met with residents of Park View and preached patience when it came to establishing a rental property ordinance. Also at the meeting, Scott County deputy Sean Thompson said that poorly supervised apartments are drawing Chicago gang members.
SEPTEMBER: Baylee Drezek, Miss Iowa USA, a North Scott graduate, toured Neil Armstrong Elementary in Park View and participated in a Q&A with students.
SEPTEMBER: North Scott’s football team, which was ranked No. 3 in the state, finished the month with a 3-1 record after dropping a 21-3 decision to top-ranked Western Dubuque in a clash between Class 4A powers.
OCTOBER: Dr. Greg Daniels joined his parents’ Family Dentistry practice at 201 N. 6th Ave., Eldridge. He joins dad Scott and mom, Julie, at Family Dentistry. His sister Erin, her husband Alan Rubach also are dentists in Davenport.
OCTOBER: Zion Lutheran Church, Princeton, installed the Rev. Kristine Dohrmann as pastor.
OCTOBER: Jeffery G. Piles, 60, of Davenport, died Sept. 28 when his motorcycle crashed in the 23500 block of 115th Avenue, south of Donahue.
OCTOBER: Recent North Scott schools retirees Jennie McKenna and Dick Erps served as marshals leading the 2019 homecoming parade. McKenna also made a surprise appearance directing the marching band at halftime.
The same month, Erps scored a hole-in-one at Glynns Creek 170-yard par 3.
OCTOBER: Lauren Hanssen and Garrett Bowe were named Lancer Homecoming queen and king from a court that included Grace Boffeli, Paige Durant, Jenna Willet, Grace Sampson, Aiden Haack, Ty Anderson, Ben Belken and Quentin Allison.
OCTOBER: Lancer cross-country teams carried the football homecoming game ball from Iowa City Liberty’s stadium on a 10-hour run that ended at Lancer Stadium.
OCTOBER: The Lancers moved to 5-1 with a 24-10 homecoming win over Iowa City Liberty.
OCTOBER: Lewis Machine & Tool donated rifles valued at $14,000 to the Eldridge police department.
OCTOBER: Long Grove held its final city council meeting Oct. 8 in the old bank building that has served as city hall since 1990. The council sold that building to resident Joe Zrostlik for $75,000.
OCTOBER: Hundreds of North Scott families filled the Eldridge Community Center for the first Glowtastic Rollerskating party Oct. 20 organized by the North Scott Community Enhancement Project.
OCTOBER: The North Scott Press captured 16 awards in the 2019 National Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper contests. That includes editor Scott Campbell’s first-place prizes for best feature story, best health story, and his and advertising director Jeff Marten’s first-place advertising idea for Snappy Mistletoe’s Christmas Adventure.
OCTOBER: Teagan Goodney became the first girl to score a Lancer football touchdown Oct. 11. Goodney has played football since third grade and made the team as a running back.
Lancer linemen lifted Goodney to celebrate her groundbreaking touchdown on the way to their 45-0 rout of Clinton.
OCTOBER: Four incumbent North Scott School Board members joined two challengers for an Oct. 23 candidate forum organized by the North Scott Education Association teachers’ union at the junior high.
Challengers Nick Hansel and Brett VanDeventer participated alongside incumbents Joni Dittmer, Molly Bergfeld, John Maxwell and Glen Keppy.
OCTOBER: The North Scott school district celebrated Kathi Week in honor of retiring activities secretary Kathi Washam after 27 years with the district.
OCTOBER: River Valley Cooperative CEO Tim Burress cited the coop’s “culture of dependability,” in his first year after succeeding 31-year CEO Tom Leiting.
OCTOBER: North Scott volleyball enters tournament play ranked third among Iowa’s Class 4A teams.
OCTOBER: Lyndsay Andrews asked North Scott School Board members to rescind the expulsion of her son, Lucas, convicted of bringing a loaded gun to the junior high in August, 2018. She said the district’s expulsion is blocking her son’s admission into a public school programs elsewhere. The boy is in a faith-based group home program in Iowa. The board has not acted on the request.
OCTOBER: Abbi Lafrenz and Bailey Boddicker represent North Scott girls cross country at state. Senior LaFrenz becomes one of just three Lancers ever to qualify for state tournament competition in each of her four years. Freshman Boddicker earned the spot in her first year of competition.
NOVEMBER: Cold, rain and snow dragged harvest season through October and November. Corn was just 43 percent harvested and beans, just 80 percent at November’s start, the slowest harvest of the decade.
NOVEMBER: Rachel Paustian, of Dixon, earned an American FFA Degree, awarded Nov. 2 at the FFA annual convention in Indianapolis.
NOVEMBER: Gretchen Hoft finished first among 21 competitors in the North Scott Junior High annual spelling bee.
NOVEMBER: Happy Joe Whitty died Oct. 29 at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House. The Minot, N.D. native built his pizza chain from his initial restaurant in Davenport’s East Village, including the Eldridge outlet.
NOVEMBER: Lancer volleyball took a best-ever 28-5 season record and No. 3 ranking into the 2019 Class 4A state tournament. The team ended with a 28-6 record with an opening-round loss to Marion Nov. 12.
NOVEMBER: Lancer Emma Powell was named first team, all-MAC selection for the third straight year.
NOVEMBER: Eldridge American Legion post member Tom Andresen shared his dad, Melvin’s 74-year-old letter home from Europe in World War II. The letter was published in The NSP in a story marking the Legion’s expansion of membership to all veterans since 1941.
NOVEMBER: North Scott's football team opened 2019 Class 3A playoff action with an upset win over two-time defending state champs Cedar Rapids Xavier. The tourney run ended with a 29-7 quarterfinal loss to No. 1 ranked and eventual state champion Western Dubuque a week later.
Lancers named tournament first team all-district included Quentin Allison, Ty Anderson, Jake Matthaidess, Nate Link, Griffin Wilder, Logan Vis, Ben Belken and Ethan Fairfield.
NOVEMBER: Lancer swimmers Jordan Neymeyer and Grace Veach advanced to state competition along with seven girls from the Pleasant Valley swim team. Senior Neymeyer qualified in each of her four years. This was Veach’s second trip to state. Pictured is Jordan Neymeyer.
NOVEMBER: Longtime North Scott educator Frank Wood announced his retirement effective at the end of this school year.
NOVEMBER: Lancer Productions presented “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Nov. 15-17 at the high school auditorium.
NOVEMBER: Tasty Café owner Frank Bekiri and Scott County farmer Chuck Brockmann teamed up to offer a free Thanksgiving Day dinner at the Eldridge café.
NOVEMBER: New Liberty debuted its remodeled city hall Nov. 25. Mayor Ray Pratt said volunteers helped keep the cost of renovating space in the city garage to about $5,000.
NOVEMBER: Seventeen North Scott musicians made their way to the All State Music Festival Nov. 23 at Iowa State University.
That included singers Joie Stoefen, Drew Dowda, Ben Council, Haley Howes, Jenna Willet, Alex Johnson, Owen Popelka, Garrett Bowe, Rita Ordaz, Lily Bendickson, Emma Hughes, Austin Connell, Cooper Frank, Seth Schrock and Kaitlyn Wood, along with saxophonist Nolan Blodig, and bassoonist Savannah Connor. Saxophonist Nathan Tague was first alternate with the band.
NOVEMBER: The annual Lady Lancer Food Cart race at North Scott Foods Nov. 17 collected $3,965.64 worth of food purchased by the store and sponsors for the North Scott Food pantry.
NOVEMBER: Park View Water and Sanitary District board members and Owners’ Association board members teamed up for a $500,000 state grant. The grant is part of state of Iowa water quality funding and will cover the costs for erosion control projects in the unincorporated Scott County community.
NOVEMBER: Eldridge council members approved a proposed 29 cents per thousand dollar debt levy to cover part of its costs for building the YMCA.
Together, the school district and city’s tax increases will cost the owner of a home assessed at $300,000 about $70 a year.
NOVEMBER: More than 300 Eldridge residents signed a petition requesting a March 3 referendum on the debt, which will need 60 percent approval.
NOVEMBER: North Scott School Board members voted 4-3 to keep Glen Keppy as board chairman. Board member Molly Bergfeld nominated board member Mark Pratt as chairman.
NOVEMBER: Lancer girls' basketball standout Grace Bofelli scored a school record 37 points in the season opening victory over Class 5A Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Nov. 26. She went on to exceed 30 points in her next three games to become the third Lancer girl ever to exceed 1,000 points.
DECEMBER: More than 100 Park View residents and landlords filled the Scott County Library in Eldridge Dec. 4 for a forum on a proposed county rental housing code aimed at Park View. Two new landlords were among those pledging to support the county’s effort.
DECEMBER: Work began on North Scott schools’ $1.06 million indoor sports practice facility to replace the Silver Bullet.
DECEMBER: Former Long Grove city clerk and mayoral candidate Jackie Wilcox died Dec. 2 at her home.
DECEMBER: MidAmerican Energy donated $6,300 to the Long Grove Civic Center renovation.
DECEMBER: Eldridge’s Hometown Holidays filled Second Street Dec. 6 for an unseasonably warm holiday celebration.
DECEMBER: Tabitha Kramer is the new Eldridge-North Scott Chamber of Commerce director, succeeding Nikki Dillon.
DECEMBER: Long Grove resident Kathy Henningsen was inducted into the Special Olympics Iowa Hall of Fame for 30 years of volunteer support.
DECEMBER: North Scott School Board members promoted Ed White Elementary principal Bernadette Brustkern to be the district’s next curriculum director. Brustkern is a North Scott class of 2004 alumna who returned to the district as a White Elementary fourth-grade teacher in 2009.
DECEMBER: Tina’s Dance Studio presented its first-ever Nutcracker ballet Dec. 22 with a cast of 65 at the high school auditorium.
DECEMBER: Princeton honored Mayor Roger Woomert for 50 years of community service at his final council meeting Dec. 12. Woomert served a firefighter, fire chief and council member in a town where his late father logged 32 years of council service.
The council also honored Ann Geiger, who wrapped up 10 years on the council.
DECEMBER: Photographer John Mohr and high school activities secretary Kathi Washam received the 2019 Community Fine Arts awards sponsored by The North Scott Press and the Rotary Club of North Scott. The awards recognized Mohr’s volunteer photo work for school district programs and events; and Washam’s support of arts programs through her career in the district.
DECEMBER: Long Grove recognized Public Works director Tony Saladino for his 20 years of service to the city.
DECEMBER: Lifelong Eldridge resident Erica Reed’s passing provided life-giving gifts to Mike Fleming and other organ recipients. Reed, 35, was a regular Special Olympian, and a familiar sight around town on her adapted trike. Fleming is a Hall of Fame high school basketball and baseball coach with critical liver failure. The organ donation brought their two families together in a celebration of life.
