AN INCH OF RAIN EARLY THIS MORNING IN MAQUOKETA. CLOUDY SKIES ALL DAY.

HOW'S THE CATTLE MARKET IN MAQUOKETA? AT UNITED AUCTION CENTER JUST OFF PERSHING ROAD AT THE NORTH EDGE OF MAQUOKETA, FAT STEERS AND HEIFERS WERE ABOUT $5 LOWER TODAY. 300 HEAD SOLD TODAY, AT A STEER TOP OF $86.50 A HUNDRED. LAST WEDNESDAY THE TOP WAS
AROUND $92.

MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS AT LOST NATION GOT A DAY OFF TODAY. AT 7:30 THIS MORNING, A BLOWER MOTOR ON A HEATER IN A COMPUTER LAB MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING SMOKE THAT TRIPPED THE FIRE ALARM.
NO SCHOOL ANNOUNCED SHORTLY AFTER.

THE CAR THAT CAUGHT ON FIRE AT MCDONALDS YESTERDAY WAS DRIVEN BY CHARLOTTE CARLSON OF MAQUOKETA. THE CAR STALLED WHILE IN THE DRIVE-UP LANE AND AS SHE TRIED TO RESTART IT, THE 89 FORD STARTED SMOKING UNDER THE HOOD. SHE GRABBED HER CHILD AND LEFT THE VEHICLE. THE CAR CONTINUED TO ROLL FORWARD AWAY FROM THE BUILDING AND THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. NO DAMAGE TO MCDONALDS.

THE GRASS FIRE NORTH OF WELTON YESTERDAY AFTERNOON RESULTED IN A CAR CATCHING ON FIRE. WE HAVE NOT FOUND OUT YET WHO THE CAR BELONGED TO.

A RURAL MAQUOKETA WOMAN, JACQUELINE AVERY, 42, SLOWED HER VEHICLE TUESDAY NIGHT TO AVOID HITTING SOME DEER AND WAS REAR-ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED 7 MILES SOUTH OF BERNARD.
THE AVERY CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND INTO THE DITCH. THE SECOND DRIVER STOPPED TO SEE IF AVERY WAS OKAY AND THEN LEFT THE SCENE WITHOUT WATING FOR AUTHORITIES OR GIVING ANY INFORMATION. AVERY WAS TAKEN BY HER HUSBAND TO THE MAQUOKETA HOSPITAL AND TREATED FOR MINOR INJURIES AND DAMAGE TO HER 2003 FORD ESCAPE WAS LISTED AT $18,000. JUST ANOTHER INSTANCE THAT TELLS YOU WHY DEER ARE A PAIN.........AROUND HERE.

A RESIDENT OF LAMOTTE, LARRY "BUCK" KOOS, A DEMOCRAT, HAS FILED HIS NOMINATIOM PAPERS FOR JACKSON COUNTY SUPERVISOR. HE WILL SEEK THE OFFICE CURRENTLY HELD BY REPUBLICAN INCUMBANT DAVE KENDALL, WHO HAS SAID HE WILL RUN AGAIN BUT HAS NOT YET FILED HIS PAPERS.

THE 2004 2ND ANNUAL MAQUOKETA ROTARY DUCK RACE WILL BE HELD AGAIN THIS YEAR, ON THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER, MONDAY, JUNE 21ST. THIS YEAR, IT WILL BE HELD AT THE MAQUOKETA SWIMMING POOL.
ANYONE CAN BUY A DUCK TICKET (AND THE NUMBER ON THE TICKET MATCHES A NUMBER ON ONE OF THE DUCKS IN THE SWIMMING POOL) FOR $5 OR THREE FOR $10. IF YOUR DUCK WINS THE RACE, YOU GET $1,000 CASH. SECOND PLACE, $500 AND THIRD PLACE, $250. PLUS, THERE WILL BE MANY, MANY OTHER VALUABLE PRIZES. EACH DUCK-TICKET SOLD WILL BE LISTED ON THE MAQUOKETA ROTARY WEB SITE. YES, I HAVE DUCK TICKETS FOR SALE HERE AT KMAQ.

AND WITH THAT WRITTEN, I'M GOING TO "DUCK OUT OF HERE"!

DENNIS VOY