WE HAD FOG AND RAIN OVER THE WEEKEND.   YESTERDAY, WINDY AND CLOUDY AFTER LIGHT SNOW IN THE MORNING.     TODAY, SUNNY AND COLD.
THE WHOLE WEEK WILL BE COLD AND REALLY COLD THIS WEEKEND.      WE DID GET RID OF SOME ICE OVER THE WEEKEND WHICH WAS GOOD.

IN SPORTS:   FRIDAY, BOTH THE CARDINAL GIRLS AND BOYS LOST TO MARION.
THE MARION GIRLS ARE 12 AND 1.    
THE GIRL WILL HOST ANAMOSA TONIGHT.
THE BOYS PLAY AT ANAMOSA TONIGHT.
LAST SATURDAY IN THE MIDLAND TOURNAMENT IN WYOMING, MAQUOKETA WON THE 10 TEAM TOURNAMENT WITH 5 CHAMPIONS:   TIM O'CONNEL, DAKOTA SNYDER, RYAN FLAGEL, THOMAS MAYBERRY AND COLTON FELLER.
LAST NIGHT, THE CARDINALS WERE GOING TO WRESTLE DEWITT THERE, BUT
BECAUSE OF DRIFTING ROADS, THE DUAL MEET WILL BE TONIGHT AT THE MIDDLE  SCHOOL GYM IN DEWITT AND THE MATCHES WILL BE BROADCAST ON KMAQ-FM STARTING AT 7:20 TONIGHT, WITH LEIGHTON HEPKER AND DR. PAUL KOOB AT THE MIKE.    THE MAIN HIGH SCHOOL GYM WILL HAVE A SABER BASKETBALL GAME.
A FINAL SPORTS NOTE:   THE MAQUOKETA GIRLS WILL OPEN TOURNAMENT PLAY, AGAINST DEWITT, ON FEBRUARY 17TH AT DEWITT.    THE SABERS HAVE WON BOTH EARLIER GAMES DURING THE REGULAR SEASON.

THE ANNUAL FIREMEN'S BANQUET WAS H ELD SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MAQUOKETA COUNTRY CLUB.   IT WAS CATERED BY SPRINGBROOK COUNTRY DINING AS THE COUNTRY CLUB KITCHEN  IS NO LONGER OPEN.    FIRE CHIEF MARK BECK REPORTED A RECORD-LOW YEAR FOR FIRE CALLS IN 2009.    ONLY 66 COMPARED TO 90 IN 2008.    THERE WERE 64 RESCUE CALLS LASTYEAR, UP FROM 40 IN 2008.
THE AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME TO RURAL CALLS WAS 9 MINUTES AND FOR IN-TOWN
CALLS, 6 MINUTES.     THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF SERVICE ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN MAQUOKETA IS ABOUT 12 YEARS AND THE BEST ATTENDANCE
TO FIRE CALLS LAST YEAR WAS JERRY BOWEN'S 64%.     LENGTH OF SERVICE AWARDS WERE PRESENTED:  TOM MESSERLI RECEIVED A GOLD WATCH FOR 25 YEARS ON THE DEPARTMENT.   20 YEARS:  TERRY RUBEL AND JERRY BOWEN.
TEN-YEARS:   CHAD STEFFAN AND CRAIG MUHLHAUSEN.     THE DEPARTMENTS MEMORIAL AWARD WAS GIVEN TO BRENT PAULS.   ALSO PRESENT SATURDAY NIGHT WERE THOSE MAQUOKETA FIREMEN WHO HAVE REACHED LIFETIME STATUS:
HAROLD LUBBEN, LLOYD NABB, RED LANE, BOB MITCHELL, GAIL STICKLEY AND
JERRY WEISS.    AND THE DEPARTMENT RECOGNIZED GIB MARCUCCI FOR H IS DONATION OF THE COPPER COLORED CONCRETE FIREMAN WHICH STANDS AT THE FRONT OF THE FIRE STATION.   HE DONATED IT IN MEMORY OF HIS WIFE BETTY.

THE FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH IN MAQUOKETA HELD THEIR ANNUAL MEETING SUNDAY NOON AND PASTOR GERALD GJERDE SURPRISED THE MEMBERS BY ANNOUNCING THAT HE WILL RETIRE AT THE END OF THE YEAR.   HE WILL THEN BE FINISHING 30TH YEAR AT FIRST LUTHERAN AND WILL BE 59 YEARS OLD.   THE CHURCH HAS AN ASSOCIATE PASTOR, JUDY HEINRICH.

A 2009 GRAD OF MAQUOKETA HIGH, MICHELLE EBERHART OF DELMAR, ARRIVED EARLIER THIS MONTH IN CARLOW, IRELAND WHERE SHE WILL BE A STUDENT AT A SMALL COLLEG IN THAT CITY OF 10,000.   SHE WILL BE ATTENDING CLASSES
THERE 3 DAYS A WEEK UNTIL SHE RETURNS  HOME IN MAY.   SHE SAYS MOSTL OF THE STUDENTS GO HOME ON WEEKENDS.   SHE AND SOME OTHER FOREIGN STUDENTS ARE PLANNING A VISIT TO GERMANY THE END OF FEBRUARY.  SHE WILL RETURN TO ST. AMBROSE THIS FALL.

THE MAQUOKETA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNUAL MEETING WAS HELD THIS MORNING AT THE DECKER HOTEL.    NEW BOARD MEMBERS WERE ANNOUNCED....DR. DAVID SYBESMA  (OPTOMITRIST) AND KERRY SCHEPERS WITH MAQUOKETA FINANCIAL GROUP.      KATHY SEYFERT WILL CONTINUE AS PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD AND SHE PRESENTED THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD TO MINDY ORRIS, MCHS TEACHER WHO STARTED THE CLUB HOPE ORGANIZATION AT THE HIGH SCHOOL AND NOW IS ADVISOR TO THE GROUP THAT HAS 55 MEMBERS.   
STACY DRISCOLL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CHAMBER, GAVE HER ANNUAL AWARD TO CONGRESSMAN BRUCE BRALEY, WHO WAS ALSO ASKED TO SPEAK AT THIS MORNING'S BREAKFAST EVENT.    HE WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND AND HIS
DISTIRCT DIRECTOR, PETE DEKOCK, WAS THE SUBSTITUTE GUEST SPEAKER.

THE MAQUOKETA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION MEMBERS ARE ASKING FOR A 7 PERCENT TEACHER PAY RAISE FOR NEXT  YEAR.   AT LAST NIGHT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, THE BOARD RESPONDED WITH NO WAGE INCREASE.    THE FIRST DISCUSSION WAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND THE NEXT SESSIONS WILL BE CLOSED
SESSIONS AS ALLOWED BY LAW.

FORMER MAQUOKETA RESIDENT PATRICK BENTROTT AND HIS WIFE KIM, HAVE RETURNED FROM HAITI TO THE US.   THEY WERE ON BOARD AN AIRFORCE CARGO JET SATURDAY THAT FLEW TO ORLANDO, ALONG WITH 82 ORPHANS.    THE
BENTROTTS WERE ABLE TO BRING THEIR ADOPTIVE SON, SOLOMON AND ALSO THEY ADOPTED A 14 MONTH OLD GIRL, NAMED VALANCIA.      THE COUPLE PLANS TO
RETURN TO HAITI IN ABOUT A MONTH TO CONTINUE THEIR MISSION WORK.

KMAQ HAS RECEIVED  WORD OF THE DEATH OF LOLA MOELLER MORRIS, AGE 84, OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA.    THE MAQUOKETA NATIVE DIED SATURDAY AT
A PHOENIX HOSPITAL.   SHE WAS A RETIRED FARM BURAU INSURANCE ADJUSTER IN ARIZONA.    BEFORE MOVING SOUTH, SHE WAS A SECRETARY FOR SEVERAL YEARS IN THE LAW OFFICE OF THE LATE JUDGE ARTHUR JANSEN.     LOLA MOELLER MORRIS IS SURVIVED BY AN OLDER BROTHER, MAX MOELLER, ALSO  A RESIDENT OF ARIZONA.   FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BE THERE.

HAVE A GOOD TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

DENNIS VOY