NICE DAY TODAY...MOSTLY SUNNY, HIGH OF 61.

THE PHOTO OF THE EMPTY LOT IS WHERE THE BURNED-OUT MAQUOKETA RAILROAD DEPOT (FORMER DEPOT RESTAURANT) WAS LOCATED. THE FIRE WAS ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO AND THE BUILDING WAS AN EYESORE. KEN MOORE BOUGHT IT AND KLOCKE EXCAVATING TOOK DOWN THE FRAME OF THE BUILDING LAST WEEK.
THEY STARTED ON MONDAY AND FINISHED UP ON THURSDAY. KEN TOLD ME THERE
WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE SAVED FOR HISTORICAL PURPOSES. THE ENTERIOR WAS GUTTED BY THE FIRE AND AFTER TWO YEARS, THE LEFT OVER MATERIAL WAS LIKE MUSH. KEN IS NOT SURE WHAT HE WILL DO WITH THE LOT. HE OWNS
THE LONG STORAGE AND OFFICE BUILDING JUST TO THE EAST. THE SMALL BUILDING TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE DEPOT STOOD, IS OWNED BY SOMEONE
ELSE AND IS ON THE CITY STREET RUNNING NORTH AND SOUTH. SEEMS STRANGE TO SEE AN EMPTY SPACE WHERE A BUILDING STOOD IN MAQUOKETA FOR AROUND A HUNDRED YEARS. THE FOLLOWING EMAILED ME AND CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED
WHAT STOOD ON THE LAND IN THE PHOTO: ALISA SHIELDS...JUDY LYON...KARL SCHROEDER...VELMA WITT...MIKE PEARCY, JACK WEST, AND DEBORAH McCONCHIE.

MAQUOKETA POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING THREE MAILBOX VANDALISM INCIDENTS OVER THE WEEKEND ON MYATT DRIVE.

MAQUOKETA CITY COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT. ON THE AGENDA...THE HURST HOTEL LOAN UPDATE....AND UPDATES ON PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT IN CITY PARKS.
ALSO, THE COUNCIL WILL TALK AGAIN ABOUT A LETTER OF INTENT FOR A DEVELOPER WHO MAY BRING A NATIONAL PHARMACY CHAIN TO THE DOWNTOWN
BURNED-OUT AREA. THE LETTER WAS FIRST DISCUSSED AT A COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEETING LAST WEEK. THE "BIG BOX" RETAILER IS IN THE PROCESS OF BUYING ALL THE BURNED OUT PROPERTIES AND ALSO SOME ADDITIONAL PROPERTY, INCLUDING LAND OWNED BY THE CITY THAT IS USED FOR AN ALLEY AND CITY PARKING LOT. RUMOR HAS IT THAT THE OLD MITCHELL-MASKREY MILL WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE PROJECT, FOR THE LARGE STORE WHAT WOULD ALSO HAVE ITS OWN PARKING AREA. AND THE RUMOR ALSO IS THAT THE CHAINSTORE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEANING UP THE ENTIRE BURNED-OUT AREA, STARTING IN JUNE.

EVERETT YADDOF, AGE 74, OF PRESTON, FORMER JACKSON COUNTY SUPERVISOR,
DIED YESTERDAY AT HIS HOME. SERVICES THIS THURSDAY AT THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN PRESTON. MILLER-LAW-JONES FUNERAL HOME IN PRESTON IS IN CHARGE OF ARRANGEMENTS.

AT THE STATE TRACK MEET LAST WEEK, MAQUOKETA'S JUNIOR TRISHA MILLER
FINISHED 9TH IN THE 1500 METER RUN AND EARLIER IN THE MEET, FINISHED
SECOND IN THE CLASS 3-A 3,000 METER RUN. NICE SHOWING BY TRISHA.
THE MAQUOKETA BOYS 4 BY 100 METER RELAY TEAM WAS 12TH AND DID NOT QUALIFY FOR THE FINALS. MEMBERS OF THE TEAM WERE: TYLER RUTENBECK,
TREVOR MANGLER, DILLON O'CONELL AND ERIC MANSON. SENIOR MANSON ALSO TOOK 6TH PLACE IN THE LONG JUMP.

BOTH THE MAQUOKETA GIRL'S SOFTBALL TEAM...AND THE BOY'S BASEBALL TEAM,
STARTED THE SEASON THIS AFTERNOON.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK. BE SURE TO CHECK THE PHOTO BELOW (CLICK ON IT TO ENLARGE IT) AND STORY BELOW.

DENNIS VOY

2008 IS KMAQ'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR! HERE'S ANOTHER PHOTO TAKEN BACK
IN THE EARLY DAYS. IT WAS TAKEN ON OCTOBER 24, 1959. KMAQ'S FIRST OFFICIAL DAY ON-THE-AIR WAS AUGUST 26,1958. THIS WAS A "GOING AWAY" PARTY FOR ANNOUNCER BILL LONGMAN. BILL WAS NOT WITH US AT THE START AND HAD PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AS AN ANNOUNCER. HIS MOM (CHARLOTTE) AND DAD (SHORTY) WERE FROM MAQUOKETA. BOTH NO LONGER LIVING. BILL CAME BACK A SECOND TIME TO WORK FOR KMAQ AND ALSO WORKED AT STATION LATER ON IN DAVENPORT, BEFORING GETTING OUT OF RADIO. HAD A NICE RADIO VOICE.
STOPPED IN FOR A SHORT VISIT THIS PAST WINTER AND IS NOW RETIRED. HE IS ON THE EXTREME RIGHT IN THIS PHOTO. ON THE EXTREME LEFT IS RAY SHIELDS, BORN AND RAISED IN FULTON, IOWA. HIS BROTHERS WERE JIM SHIELDS AND GLEN "RED" HENTON. HE WAS AN ENGINEER (BUILDT KMAQ AND KEPT IT RUNNING) AND ALSO THE MORNING ANNOUNCER. THE THREE BROTHERS WERE ALL MUSICIANS AND HAD A DAILY MONDAY-FRIDAY FIFTEEN MINUTE SHOW DURING THE NOON HOUR, SPONSORED BY KIRCHOFF DISTRIBUTING, AND SCHMIDT BEER. BERNICE HENTON AND WINDY RIMMER WERE ALSO ON THE DAILY SHOW, WHICH WE TAPED ON TUESDAY NIGHTS FOR THE ENTIRE NEXT WEEK. I REMEMBER THOSE TAPING SESSIONS, IN THE SAME ROOM PICTURED HERE. I RAN THE TAPE RECORDER IN THE NEXT-DOOR ROOM, LOOKING THROUGH A STUDIO WINDOW.
RAY LEFT KMAQ IN 1964. HE, WIFE ROSE, AND SON MOVED TO HARRISON, ARKINSAS AND RAY WORKED AT A STATION THERE. THEY THEN MOVED TO MOUNTAIN HOME, ARKINSAS AND A RADIO STATION THERE. RAY DIED MANY YEARS AGO IN MT. HOME. HIS SON DIED A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND ROSE STILL LIVES THERE.
JIM SHIELDS LIVED IN MAQUOKETA AND BOTH HE AND HIS WIFE ETHEL ARE DECEASED. RED HENTON IS STILL GOING STRONG AS A MAQUOKETA MUSICIAN AND RETIRED FROM THE POST OFFICE. BERNICE DIED ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO AND WINDY HAS BEEN GONE A LONG TIME. SITTING ON THE DESK, IS STAN BARTON,
THE FIRST NEWS DIRECTOR FOR KMAQ. HE, LIKE BILL AND I, WERE SINGLE IN THE LATE 50'S. STAN ROOMED AT MINNIE HEGSTROM'S BOARDING HOUSE ON SOUTH MAIN AND DATED MARILYN HUTE, BUT THEY NEVER MARRIED. STAN WAS A UD COLLEGE GRAD AND HAD PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN RADIO BEFORE COMING TO KMAQ. HE AND I DID A LOT OF TEEN HOPS TOGETHER. HE LEFT KMAQ AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF OR SO, AND WENT TO KROS IN CLINTON. LATER ON, BECAME A STATION-OWNER IN INDIANA. HIS HOMETOWN WAS DUBUQUE AND I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM HIM FOR PROBABLY 25 OR 30 YEARS. I ASSUME HE IS STILL LIVING, AND RETIRED. AND, ALSO IN PHOTO, ME TAKING A PIECE OF SOMETHING OFF THE PLATE BEING HELD BY STAN. THE STATION WAS THEN AT 136 1/2 SOUTH MAIN STREET, A LONG STAIRWAY TO THE TOP. THE MAQUOKETA MAIN STREET CAFE
IS BELOW IT NOW AND THERE ARE APARTMENTS WHERE KMAQ WAS LOCATED.
WE WERE THERE UNTIL THE FALL FIRE NEXT DOOR IN THE COAST TO COAST STORE, IN 1970. WATER AND SMOKE DAMAGE FROM THAT FIRE FORCED KMAQ TO MOVE TO OUR PRESENT LOCATION. MORE ON THAT LATER.
DENNIS VOY