Wapello Morning Sun

Wapello Morning Sun Owned by Burlington Beacon LLC. Your Hometown Newspaper since 1851.

Official Newspaper for Louisa County, the Wapello and Morning Sun School Boards, and the Cities of Wapello, Morning Sun, Oakville, Letts, and Grandview.

TONIGHT!Century 21 Open House - Wednesday, Sept. 2304 S. Cedar, WapelloAdvertisement
09/02/2026

TONIGHT!

Century 21 Open House - Wednesday, Sept. 2

304 S. Cedar, Wapello

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WMS Business SpotlightWalker family has the recipe for successBy Chris FaulknerWapello Morning SunLane and Ramona Walker...
08/31/2026

WMS Business Spotlight

Walker family has the recipe for success

By Chris Faulkner
Wapello Morning Sun

Lane and Ramona Walker already had strong qualifications when they took over in 2012 as the third owners of The Onion Shoppe food truck.

They cook a meal for the children who attend the Wednesday night youth meetings at Solid Rock Baptist Church in Wapello.

“I’ve always had a passion to cook. I love to cook,” Lane Walker said.

Also, “I’m a people person. I enjoy being out in the public,” he said.

Diane Foor and her family started the food truck, and Tom Travis took it over from them.

The Walkers and another couple bought the truck from him, and a year later, they bought the truck outright. The Onion Shoppe has been serving up fried food throughout the area, as well as a few trips each year to Aledo, Ill.

“We started it to be a hobby,” Lane Walker said. He works full time for the JBS hog confinement business, and Ramona works for Milestones Agency on Aging in Burlington.

“It has grown into being a pretty good side business,” Lane said.

He also has the future mapped out. Nephew Brennan Walker has worked for them since he was 13, and he’s now 26.

“Two years ago, he bought 50 percent of the business,” Walker said, “so he’s a partner with us. Our goal is to have him take it over someday.”

Haystack Onions

As the name of the truck would suggest, the signature offering is a haystack onion, a thinly sliced, deep-fried onion ring.

“That’s kind of our calling card,” Walker said. “Everybody comes to us for that.”

They’re handmade, just as are the tenderloins, and the second-best seller is the hand-dipped corn dog.

They also sell cheese curds, French fries, corn nuggets, deep-fried Ding Dongs and Twinkies, and funnel cakes.

New to the business is catering.

While they have taken their truck to weddings, they also cater in the traditional sense, offering steak sandwiches.

They also do graduation parties.

Busy Schedule

“We do some pretty big events,” Walker said.

The Aledo Rhubarb Festival is in June, and this Saturday they go back to Aledo for the Mercer County FFA Car Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

They are at the Sperry and Morning Sun fireworks events, the Grandview parade, and the Wapello Pro Rodeo event.

Coming soon is the Walk the Block Friday, Sept. 18, in downtown Wapello.

“In the fall, we do a lot of craft shows,” Walker said, such as at the Winfield-Mount Union and Louisa-Muscatine schools.

Walker said other family members help out as well.

The business slows down in the fall.

Walker said he learned the ropes of running the truck from a variety of sources. Travis helped him out; he read books, talked to the other vendors, and then there’s the time-honored “trial and error,” Walker said.

“Customer service is huge,” he said. “We try to put out the best product we can. We tell people, it may take a little bit longer to get our food, but it will be fresh and hot when it comes out the window.”

Even in the off-season, the Walkers don’t slow down. Lane is a high school wrestling official, and he and Ramona help with concessions at Wapello High School sports events.

Photos by John Lovretta

Wapello drops threeWMS SportsWapello High School's seventh-ranked (Class 1A) volleyball team had a rough start to the se...
08/28/2026

Wapello drops three

WMS Sports

Wapello High School's seventh-ranked (Class 1A) volleyball team had a rough start to the season, losing all three matches in a round-robin quadrangular Thursday night at Burlington High School's Carl Johannsen Gymnasium.

The Arrows lost to West Burlington, 25-18, 15-25, 15-9, and the Falcons won all three matches. Wapello lost to No. 14 (Class 4A) Burlington, 25-18, 24-26, 16-14, and to Danville, 25-14, 25-23.

Host BHS went 2-1, and Danville went 1-2.

Wapello plays Tuesday at home against English Valleys.

Against Burlington, Taeya Wagner made 11 kills, Eliasyn K***z had six, and Annaka Greiner five. Greiner had 16 assists, 16 digs, and two service aces. Wagner had 12 assists.

In the Danville match, Wagner and Macey K***z had six kills each. Greiner had 13 assists, and Wagner had six. Erica Gillette and Macey K***z had nine digs each.

Wagner and Macey K***z each made nine kills against West Burlington. Greiner had 18 assists, and Wagner had nine. Greiner had 13 digs. Zoey Delzell, Wagner, and Greiner each made a block. Kyndall Stigge and Eliasyn K***z each made a block assist.

Photos by John Lovretta

Volleyball Action: WMU WolvesPhotos by John Lovretta/WMS staff photographer Action from Winfield-Mount Union High School...
08/24/2026

Volleyball Action: WMU Wolves

Photos by John Lovretta/WMS staff photographer

Action from Winfield-Mount Union High School during recent preseason volleyball scrimmages.

Copyright © 2026 Wapello Morning Sun

Volleyball Action: Columbus Community School DistrictPhotos by John Lovretta/WMS staff photographer Action from Columbus...
08/24/2026

Volleyball Action: Columbus Community School District

Photos by John Lovretta/WMS staff photographer

Action from Columbus High School playing in a preseason volleyball scrimmage on Aug. 18 at Danville High School. Teams included Danville, Wapello, Louisa-Muscatine, Columbus, Fort Madison, Keokuk, New London, and Van Buren.

Copyright © 2026 Wapello Morning Sun

Volleyball Action: Louisa-Muscatine Community SchoolsPhotos by John Lovretta/WMS staff photographer Action from Louisa-M...
08/24/2026

Volleyball Action: Louisa-Muscatine Community Schools

Photos by John Lovretta/WMS staff photographer

Action from Louisa-Muscatine High School playing in a preseason volleyball scrimmage on Aug. 18 at Danville High School. Teams included Danville, Wapello, Louisa-Muscatine, Columbus, Fort Madison, Keokuk, New London, and Van Buren.

Copyright © 2026 Wapello Morning Sun

Volleyball Action: Wapello Community School DistrictPhotos by John Lovretta/WMS staff photographer Action from Wapello H...
08/24/2026

Volleyball Action: Wapello Community School District

Photos by John Lovretta/WMS staff photographer

Action from Wapello High School playing in a preseason volleyball scrimmage on August 18 at Danville High School. Teams including Danville, Wapello, Louisa Muscatine, Columbus, Fort Madison, Keokuk, New London, and Van Buren County participated in the scrimmages.

Copyright © 2026 Wapello Morning Sun

Muscatine Police Department officer wounded in shooting, suspect still at largeOn Friday, Aug. 14, at approximately 5:12...
08/17/2026

Muscatine Police Department officer wounded in shooting, suspect still at large

On Friday, Aug. 14, at approximately 5:12 p.m., a Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office Deputy attempted to stop a vehicle that was being driven recklessly in the area of Benham Avenue and Nebraska Street. The vehicle failed to stop and continued driving erratically at high rates of speed through residential neighborhoods, eluding the deputy.

The suspect vehicle subsequently crashed, and the driver fled the area on foot.

The driver was identified as 59-year-old Mark Lee Jackson of Des Moines. At approximately 5:27 p.m., Jackson was located by law enforcement running in the 1200 block of Grandview Avenue. During the subsequent foot pursuit, Jackson fired at pursuing officers, striking a Muscatine Police Department Officer.

The officer was transported by the Muscatine Fire Department and is currently in stable condition. During a press conference on Aug. 16, it was revealed that the officer was wounded in the elbow.

Two arrest warrants for the attempted murder of an officer have been issued.

This remains an active situation, and Jackson is still at large. Jackson has active warrants through Iowa State Corrections for a parole violation and through the Muscatine Police Department for Theft 2nd. He should be considered armed and dangerous.

Jackson is described as approximately 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing 145 pounds, with blue eyes and thinning gray hair.

Well over 100 law enforcement officers were involved in the initial response and search for the suspect. Officers set up a 120-acre perimeter where Jackson was believed to have fled. Canine teams and drone teams were called in to help with the search. Over 1,000 manhours have been dedicated to the investigation so far.

The Muscatine Police Department and Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office are being assisted by the Muscatine Fire Department, Iowa State Patrol, Cedar County Sheriff’s Office, Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office, West Liberty Police Department, Wilton Police Department, Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations, and Muscatine County Emergency Management.

Anyone with information regarding Jackson’s whereabouts or this incident is encouraged to contact the Muscatine Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit at (563) 263-9922. Callers may remain anonymous.

Residents are urged not to approach Jackson and to immediately call 911 if he is observed. There is a cash reward being offered for his capture.

Photos of suspect Mark Lee Jackson provided by the Muscatine Police Department.

Stop by the Wapello Morning Sun office during Cruise Night. Our downtown office will be open, and light refreshments wil...
08/08/2026

Stop by the Wapello Morning Sun office during Cruise Night. Our downtown office will be open, and light refreshments will be available. Meet staff, share a laugh, and eat a cookie or two.

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Wapello, IA
52653

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Wednesday 9am - 12pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 2pm

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