Ottumwa Courier Week 1

Brittany Pilcher, of Ottumwa, watches the clock count down as she donates plasma and platelets at the BridgeView Center Thursday during a Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Drive. Pilcher said that she has been donating blood since high school and has donated about 10 times. This is the first time she has donated plasma and platelets and the whole process can take anywhere from an hour to two hours. “Donating blood and plasma just seems like a good thing to do,” Pilcher said. 

Billy McGuigan, left, and Rave On! band members preform Friday at The Bridge View Center. Rave On! The Buddy Holly Experience is a tribute show that brings people back to old days of rock-and-roll. McGuigan, a Buddy Holly interpreter, and the Rave On! Band preformed various Buddy Holly hits throughout the show. 

Sophomore wing Roosevelt Scott shoots the ball Tuesday during the mens basketball game at IHCC. 

Annette Wittrock, left, shows off a corn snake to Pam White and Mike Wilt Saturday at the Bridge View Center. Wittrock was attending the Eagle Watch event as a representative of the Wapello County Conservation Board and spent the day teaching people about some of the local wildlife and their habitats.

Junior player Andrew Altfillisch shoots the ball Tuesday during the boys basketball game at Evans Middle School.  

Robert “Gene” Pilcher, right, listens to witness testimony Thursday at the Wapello County Courthouse during his murder trial. Pilcher is being charged with the murder of 17-year-old Mary Jayne Jones in 1974. 

Kim Armstrong, right, took the stand Thursday at the Wapello County Courthouse during the Robert “Gene” Pilcher murder trial. Armstrong and Pilcher had a relationship for six or seven years up until 2012 and often did drugs together, including crack cocaine. It was during on of these visits that Armstrong said Pitcher told her that he had “offed someone” in Ottumwa. 

Former DCI Agent Michael Peterson, left, examines a piece of evidence Thursday at the Wapello County Courthouse during the Pilcher murder trial. Robert Eugene Pilcher is being charged with the murder of 17-year-old Mary Jayne Jones in 1974.  Prosecuting attorney Denise Timmins supplied various evidence from the crime scene to Peterson, who then further described what he witnessed.  

Michael Pilcher, left, and Logan Kelly clip a yearling heifer Saturday during the Cornbelt Cow-Calf Convention at the Bridge View Center. Pilcher has been clipping cattle for ten years and is the second generation in his family to show cattle. Pilcher said that they come to the convention each year to get more kids interested in the programs it highlights. 

A maine-anjou yearling heifer waits to be clipped Saturday during the Cornbelt Cow-Calf Convention at the Bridge View Center. Clipping involves trimming the cows hair in preparation for a show to highlight its good qualities and mask its bad ones. 

Ottumwa wrestler Nathan Cary gains an advantage over his opponent during the Ottumwa Invitational Saturday. Cary went 5-0 on his was to corralling first place at 126 pounds.