Tuesday, March 10, 2015

TUESDAY DAILY REPORT

DENSE FOG THIS MORNING.    TWO SCHOOL DISTRICTS STARTED CLASSES
TWO HOURS LATE.
FOG CLEARED BY NOON AND THIS AFTERNOON, SUNNY SKIES AND A HIGH
OF 51.   WARMER EACH DAY THIS WEEK.

THE DENSE FOG THIS MORNING CONTRIBUTED TO A THREE-VEHICLE ACCIDENT JUST BEFORE 9 THIS MORNING JUST OVER 4 MILES EAST OF
MAQUOKETA ON HIGHWAY 64.     A CLINTON MAN WAS OPERATING A DUMP TRUCK, STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO BACK INTO
A PRIVATE DRIVEWAY ON 64.    ANOTHER CLINTON MAN WAS WESTBOUND
ON THE HIGHWAY IN  PICKUP PULLING A TRAILER AND WAS UNABLE TO
SEE THE DUMP TRUCK AND STRUCK THE REAR OF IT.    BOTH VEHICLES WERE BADLY DAMAGED AND BLOCKED BOTH LANES OF TRAFFIC.    
NICOLE IHRIG, AGE 22, OF MAQUOKETA, WAS ALSO WESTBOUND AND UNABLE TO SEE THE ACCIDENT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE AND DID AN
EVASIVE MANEUVER THAT CAUSED HER VAN TO GO INTO THE DITCH.
ONE OF THE CLINTON DRIVERS HAD TO BE EXTRICATED BY THE MAQUOKETA RESCUE SQUAD AND HE AND A PASSENGER AND THE OTHER CLINTON
DRIVER WERE ALL TAKEN TO THE  HOSPITAL FOR POSSIBLE INJURIES.
CHARGES ARE PENDING AND THERE WAS $2,000 DAMAGE TO THE DUMP TRUCK AND $7,000 DAMAGE TO THE PICKUP.     THE MAQUOKETA VEHICLE
DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.

SHORT 5-MINUTE CITY COUNCIL MEETING LAST NIGHT WITH COUNCILMEN
APPROVING THE NEW FISCAL YEAR CITY BUDGET.   NO ONE SPOKE AT THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THE COUNCIL THEN APPROVED IT WITH A TAX ASKING OF $12.12 PER ONE-THOUSAND DOLLARS OF ASSESSED VALUATION.  
THAT IS 96-CENTS LOWER THAN THE CURRENT TAX ASKING.    THE BUDGET WILL BE JUST OVER $11 MILLION AND THE CITY WILL SEE INCREASED
REVENUE THROUGH HIGHER VALUATIONS AND INCREASED TAX INCREMENT
FUNDING DOLLARS COMING BACK TO THE CITY FROM THE FAMILY DOLLAR
DISTRIBUTION CENTER PROJECT.

LAST SATURDAY NIGHT, MIDWAY THROUGH THE COMEDY SHOW AT THE OHNWARD FINE ARTS CENTER, AN UNINVITED GUEST SHOWED UP AND
WAS NOTICED BY A COUPLE LADIES WATCHING THE SHOW.    ONE CALLED OUT....THERE'S A MOUSE IN THE HOUSE.    THE MOUSE WAS SCARED-OFF
AND NOT CAUGHT.   BUT, OHNWARD DIRECTOR RICH HALL AFTER THE SHOW PUT OUT NUMEROUS MOUSE TRAPS.    THIS MORNING, HE INFORMED
KMAQ THEY CAUGHT IT.     SEE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO ABOVE.     HE ALSO SAID THAT AN EXTERMINATOR  HAS BEEN CALLED AND THERE WILL NOT BE A PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE.

HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT LONGTIME FAMOUS COUNTRY SINGER JOHN CONLEE HAS BEEN SIGNED TO DO A SHOW AT OHNWARD JUNE 14TH.....A SUNDAY 2 P.M. SHOW.

REMEMBER LAST WEEK I ASKED IF ANYONE REMEMBERS WHO WAS THE
JACKSON COUNTY EXTENSION DIRECTOR AND HOME ECONOMIST IN THE LATE 50'S IN MAQUOKETA.     FIVE PEOPLE RESPONDED AND NOT ONE
IDENTIFIED BOTH.     MOST KNEW JOHN HENDERSON WAS THE EXTENSION
DIRECTOR BUT NO ONE REMEMBERED THAT CATHERINE RUTH WAS  THE
HOME ECONOMIST.

IN SPORTS, AN ESTIMATED 70 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE MAQUOKETA HIGH
SCHOOL WRESTLING BANQUET LAST SUNDAY  NIGHT AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.
COACH DR. PAUL KOOB PRESENTED 16 VARSITY LETTERS.    SENIORS
BEAU BOWMAN AND LOGAN MAYBERRY WERE RECOGNIZED AS
CAPTAINS AND MAYBERRY WAS GIVEN SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR QUALIFYING FOR THE STATE TOURNAMENT.     THE MAQUOKETA WRESTLING CLUB REPRESENTATIVES DISCUSSED THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR ORGANIZATION IN PROMOTING AND HELPING FINANCE WRESTLING.
THE COACHES LAID OUT PLANS TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF A SUMMER WEIGHT LIFTING PROGRAM FOR WRESTLERS AND ALL MAQUOKETA ATHLETES.

 NEXT TUESDAY, ST. PAT'S DAY, THE MAQUOKETA SENIOR CENTER WILL
 HAVE A SPEICAL PROGRAM BEFORE THE NOON DINNER FEATURING RED
 HENTON AND IRISH SONGS, AND ALL ARE INVITED.  IT WILL BEGIN AT 10:30     AND DINNER WILL BE SERVED SHORTLY AFTER 11:30.   BUT, YOU HAVE TO
 MAKE RESERVATIONS NO LATER THAN 4 P.M. THIS FRIDAY.    THE DINNER
 IS AROUND $3.00 (IRISH MEAL OF COURSE) AND THE PHONE NUMBER TO
 CALL IS 563-652-6771.

 THANKS FOR THE VISIT TODAY AND ENJOY THE ABOVE NORMAL WEATHER.

 DENNIS VOY
 kmaq@kmaq.com