Photos Courtesy of MP Sports Social Media (Nicole Miller) The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk girls and boys soccer teams hosted the state-ranked Maquoketa Cardinals in a pair of River Valley Conference soccer matches at the Wellman Rotary Soccer Fields Friday The girls contest featured a gutsy effort from the Golden Hawk defense to earn a 0-0 tie with No Mid-Prairie shut out a Cardinal team that had been averaging four and a half goals per game led by Maelyn Kluever’s 20 total goals The Hawks had five total shots on goal and two corner kicks Two shots a piece from Avery Helmuth and Meadow Flynn Golden Hawk keeper Niva Helmuth had seven saves to secure the shut out “Stepping to the ball right away and being aggressive on our defensive line goes hand in hand with talking making sure that everyone is moving at the same time and that we’re all moving in a fluid motion I just have to let everyone know where everyone else is Making sure there is no open space for them to attempt to score Making sure she wasn’t going to be able to score and putting pressure on her.” The night cap also featured a great defensive effort from the Golden Hawks Maquoketa put up a pair of goals in the first half and added one for insurance after the break The Cardinals won shots on goal 16-2 and corner kicks 3-2 Luc Schumacher moved his state-leading goal total to 30 with two tallies Mid-Prairie got a shot on goal each from Joe Kelchen and Luis Garcia Mac Yoder made 13 saves in goal for Mid-Prairie The Hawks are now 1-9-1 after the loss as the Cardinals move to 8-1-2 Mid-Prairie will next be in action Monday with matches against Iowa City Regina Home / News / Crime & Courts 19-year-old faces up to 32 years in this case The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread CEDAR RAPIDS -- A Maquoketa teen pleaded to stealing a vehicle and conspiring with three other teens in the plan to kill 16-year-old Michael McCune on Feb Devin Gardner, now 19 pleaded to first-degree theft and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony He also pleaded to first-degree theft in another incident after McCune’s fatal shooting and before he was arrested admitted he knew the group of teens planned to harm or seriously injure McCune that day Gardner also admitted to then driving the stolen vehicle out of Linn County to help conceal their involvement in the crime Sixth Judicial District Senior Judge Patrick Grady accepted the plea and told Gardner he could face a prison term because there is no plea agreement on sentencing Gardner faces up to 32 years on all charges also was charged for burglary and assault causing bodily injury in Jackson County started the deadly chain of events that day as he messaged McCune through Snapchat Lockett knew McCune was on a home visit from the state training school and arranged to pick him up at the apartment complex The group planned this attack on McCune based on rival gang affiliations and conflicts some had while in the State Training School were identified on video surveillance as stealing a Toyota RAV4 earlier in the day and picking up two others — Dante Irvin of Marion -- before going to the apartments according to previous court hearings in the case One of them ran into the apartment building continuing to shoot McCune at a close range Cedar Rapids police found McCune with eight gunshot wounds about 11:30 a.m 18 inside the entryway of one of the apartment buildings Berry, now 17, pleaded to second-degree murder and faces up to 50 years in prison Irvin, now 17, pleaded in June 2023 to first-degree murder as a youthful offender He was sent to the training school in Eldora and his sentencing was delayed until he turns 18 Lockett, now 18, plans to plead Friday to second-degree murder and will face up to 50 years in prison Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com Reporter covering state and federal courts. Subscribe to the Public Safety newsletter The Gazette has been informing Iowans with in-depth local news coverage and insightful analysis for over 140 years independent journalism with a subscription today © 2025 The Gazette | All Rights Reserved Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInMAQUOKETA Iowa (KCRG) - A 330 gallon tote of wood mulch dye was punctured on a semi-truck in Maquoketa Tuesday emptying dye into a nearby creek via a storm drain Prairie Creek empties into the Maquoketa River DNR staff anticipate a change in the color of the Maquoketa River DNR staff responded to the situation Tuesday speaking both to those responsible for the spill DNR staff are on site to provide assistance in cleanup efforts Attendees on Wednesday at Hurstville Interpretive Center in Maquoketa listen to a presentation by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Asbury News Bellevue News Clayton County News Delaware County News Dubuque News Dubuque County News Dyersville News Jackson County News Peosta News East Dubuque News Galena News Jo Daviess County News Crawford County News Grant County News Iowa County News Lafayette County News Lancaster News Platteville News Field of Dreams Coverage All Bites and Brews More Caucus News Iowa — The effects of environmental changes and disease on wildlife populations were among Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials’ biggest talking points Wednesday night during a Maquoketa event Area hunters packed a meeting room in Hurstville Interpretive Center to get more information on the past and upcoming hunting seasons in Iowa and proposed changes to hunting rules The town hall-style meeting was part of a series of meetings held across the state this week during which Iowa DNR officials gave the information in pre-recorded videos while other officials answered questions and took comments in person Eastern Iowa bucked the statewide trend of decreasing deer harvest The total harvest last season came down to just under 103,000 across Iowa a year-over-year decrease of just over 1,000 according to DNR Whitetail Deer Biologist Jace Elliott Elliott said the western part of the state saw a “severe” decline in harvest “We see the opposite pattern across much of eastern Iowa including some counties that experienced the largest harvest rates in nearly two decades,” Elliott said Instances of chronic wasting disease and epizootic hemorrhagic disease drew concern among officials Elliott said the more than 3,000 reports of EHD mortalities in Iowa last year would be the worst outbreak in the state’s history He said the disease was reported in nearly all of Iowa’s 99 counties central and southeastern parts of the state Officials said climate trends had an impact on the increase in EHD while still higher in northeast Iowa than most other parts of the state “We continue to see chronic wasting disease increase its geographic range with eight new counties detecting CWD-positive deer since … last year,” Elliott said Officials also noted that continental breeding duck populations have dropped both in Iowa and across North America DNR waterfowl biologist Orrin Jones said this was impacted by differing precipitation trends in recent years Jones also noted increasing bird flu cases among Canada geese While he noted the risk of transmission to humans was low he said hunters should avoid contact with sick or dead birds and wear gloves or wash their hands frequently while cleaning birds “There are simple common-sense steps to avoid exposure,” Jones said Among proposed 2025 changes were potential increases or decreases in antlerless tag quotas across different counties only Delaware County would be impacted under the proposal — with an increase Officials also distributed a written survey asking attendees their thoughts on reducing the small game hunting season for nonresidents or permitting unattended trail cameras on public land Email notifications are only sent once a day ISSN 2993-8384 (Online)ISSN 1041-293X (Print) Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Iowa City Regina (24-1) drew up a state quarterfinal win over Maquoketa Valley at the girls state basketball tournament Wednesday that kept its state title dreams intact The 2-seed Regals earned a 53-47 victory over the 7-seed Wildcats at Wells Fargo Arena to advance to Friday's state semifinals "I'm proud of the girls and how they battled," said Regina coach Mary Rogers everybody comes here with the mindset that they're going to win When the final buzzer finally sounded after a gritty first game while Addie McLaughlin recorded 11 points and a team-high seven assists Caitlin Martin led the team with nine rebounds The Wildcats got on the board first with a made free throw followed by a jump shot After the Regals’ offense came up empty in the first two minutes Addie McLaughlin dished a half-court pass to her sister Ella McLaughlin who converted a three-point play to tie the game More: How to watch, buy tickets to 2025 Iowa high school girls state basketball tournament with Miller earning her first points of the game from deep After the Wildcats countered with a putback bucket Ella McLaughlin drove to the rim and converted a layup gave the Regals a 14-10 lead to cap off the first quarter the Wildcats erased their deficit and took a lead through second-chance opportunities while the Regals countered with their own shots to keep the game tight Miller grabbed a steal and dished it to Addie McLaughlin who drained a 3 from the right wing at the buzzer to make it a 28-28 game at halftime Addie hit that big 3; that really kind of put us in an even playing field as far as the scoring goes," Rogers said "We talked about not letting them get those second-chance opportunities that did result in points and fouls that we were giving them but then also defensively valuing the time and trying to get back in transition." The Regals went on a 10-0 run coming out of the break After Klein converted a shot from the charity stripe Miller drained a 3 before Addie McLaughlin splashed back-to-back shots from beyond the arc to make it a 38-28 game with about four minutes left in the third Regina's 10-point advantage was cut to four at the end of the third frame The Wildcats closed the gap with second-chance buckets and trips to the free-throw line Back-to-back field goals by the Wildcats tied the game at 42 with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter More: Iowa high school girls state basketball tournament 2025: Scores, bracket updates daily Addie McLaughlin pulled down a defensive rebound and ran the length of the floor for a go-ahead layup Miller made a shifty move past a defender and broke free for a layup that made it a 46-42 game Addie McLaughlin proceeded to dish the basketball to Martin near the rim while Miller converted a transition layup off a steal to keep the game in the Regals’ favor The Wildcats hung around with a layup and a 3-pointer but the Regals held them scoreless in the final minute and change Klein - who totaled seven rebounds -grabbed an offensive board and embraced contact for two attempts at the charity stripe She converted both free throws before Miller converted one of her own to ice the game The Regals will compete in the 2A state semifinals for the first time since 2017 They'll take on Hinton (24-0) on Friday morning at 11:45 "We didn't want to just get here and enjoy the time," Rogers said but we're here for a common goal,' and all the girls believe in it so we'll get them as ready as they can be." Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com, and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn It took some blood, sweat and tears, but Dallas Center-Grimes made it past their first-round opponent at the Iowa high school girls basketball tournament. The Mustangs (20-4) took down Maquoketa, 49-44, in the Class 4A quarterfinal Tuesday to advance to the state semifinals. “We battled adversity from the first game of the season,” said head coach Adam Jones “We’ve had girls injured and hurt all year long so a little adversity is nothing new to us so we’ve been in this situation many times.” Freshman Ava Smid led the Mustangs with 13 points Tessa Jones finished with 12 points for DCG The Mustangs responded with 13 unanswered points over the next four and a half minutes Dallas Center-Grimes' defense held the Cardinals to just two more field goals through the end of the first quarter The Mustangs entered the second quarter with a 20-7 lead who went 3-of-4 on shots from beyond the arc and she hit some big shots early for us,” Adam Jones said and it got some open shots for other teammates the Cardinals once again kicked off the scoring with Cora Widel sinking a 3-pointer in the early seconds of the quarter Maquoketa played the Mustangs closer in the second – outscoring their opponent 14-11 – but DCG still held a 10-point advantage at halftime Maquoketa came out of the locker room on a roll in the first four minutes of the third quarter Dallas Center-Grimes called a timeout immediately after Kendall Kuhlman’s 3-pointer moved Maquoketa within two points of the Mustangs’ quickly disappearing lead Smid scored immediately out of the timeout but the Mustangs' next two possessions ended with a turnover and a missed shot The Cardinals were one point away from tying the game for some time but a 3-pointer from Leah Brauch gave DCG some wiggle room The Mustangs started the final frame with a narrow 38-36 lead It didn’t take long for the Cardinals to tie things up with Aubrey Kroymann tipping in a layup 18 seconds into the quarter Brauch responded with a 3-pointer to put Dallas Center-Grimes back on top The two teams exchanged scores – with several turnovers in between – and DCG clung to a three-point lead at the midway point of the fourth The score remained locked at 43-40 for over three minutes until two points from Kroymann brought Maquoketa closer to the Mustangs’ lead Brauch – who exited the game after being knocked in the face – returned to the court with a minute and a half remaining and with gauze stopping a bloody nose Macy Meyer scored on a jumper to put the Mustangs up by three Brauch came away with a steal on the other end and Meyer scored again to extend the lead to five with 56 seconds on the clock The Cardinals cut away at DCG’s lead again but the Mustangs poured on the pressure in the final seconds Tessa Jones made two free throws with nine seconds to play and that was enough to hold off the Cardinals “(Ava) is an incredible athlete,” Adam Jones said “She plays super hard and we trust her to make big plays she’s basically a sophomore and she’s made big plays for us all year.” Dallas Center-Grimes will play North Polk (23-2) on Thursday at 6:45 p.m when the two teams met in the regular season Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel Iowa — In the weeks since the idea of installing a splash pad adjacent to Maquoketa Area Family YMCA was brought up at a January Maquoketa City Council meeting and parks board members received calls,” Maquoketa City Manager Josh Boldt said at a recent council meeting This is in a good position and probably the best consensus you will find for this aquatic feature.” city officials digested those many phone calls and conducted some background research through a consultant as well as with YMCA officials Boldt then shared the results of that research with the Maquoketa Parks Board which decidedly narrowed in on one of the four different splash pad options presented to the council That option includes a partnership with the YMCA to design a splash pad/spray park on a city-owned lot directly west of the YMCA on Summit Street The facility would not require YMCA membership nor would it be fenced in — two sticking points from Maquoketa residents who weighed in on the project The water feature would be owned and operated by the city and contingent on a fundraising committee garnering enough support to make it possible It would also be part of a larger set of enhancements at the YMCA that includes a new HVAC system and new multi-purpose room for martial arts which in turn would free up other constrained areas of the facility He estimates the whole package would cost between $3 million and $3.5 million “We are looking to form one campaign where we can roll all that together,” Warren said The splash pad was met with a general endorsement from Maquoketa City Council members at their most recent meeting who is an ex-officio member on the town’s parks board “The idea is to put the water park between (Goodenow Field) and the Y,” Bennett said “The advantage of that is there are three certified employees (at the Y) who can do the testing; if you recirculate the water you need to test it The Y is volunteering to be that tester for us so we won’t need to have public works do it or hire someone.” who also represents the council on the parks board likewise put his support behind the proposed location “When people bring their kids to this town for football and soccer games “They will see we are a good community and there are things to do and it will hopefully draw some younger generations who want to buy a house here.” Boldt emphasized that nothing is decided yet and the primary reason for sharing the initial homework was to gauge the council’s interest as the fundraising effort begins its outreach “We are really in the infancy of things,” Warren said Boldt floated the idea of seeking federal earmark dollars for the project but he cautioned that funding source is on shaky ground given the current political climate “I don’t know if the congressional earmarks process will happen this year and if it does we can add this as a possible target,” Boldt said Dubuque Wahlert’s Brody Schmidt celebrates a first-round win at the Iowa Class 2A state wrestling tournament on Wednesday Maquoketa’s Tayden Howell certainly made a good impression in his state debut The 13th-seeded sophomore pinned Hampton-Dumont-CAL’s Madox Strother in 2 minutes and 18 seconds in his first-ever state tournament match on Wednesday during the Iowa Class 2A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena n Des Moines handing Winterset’s fourth-seeded Kline Kiburz just his second loss of the season who is making his first state tournament appearance will face Van Meter’s fifth-seeded Dylan Williamson in the quarterfinals He can clinch a state medal with a victory in tonight’s session and would become the Cardinals’ first state medalist since placing two on the podium in 2020 put five of its 10 qualifiers into the quarterfinals All three of Wahlert’s qualifiers — Brody Schmidt (190) Will Welbes (215) and Aidan Jenaman (285) — won in their state debuts Welbes went beyond the distance — ultimate tiebreaker — in the first round all three lost in the second round and will compete in the consolation rounds today for a chance to stay in contention for a medal Howell will be joined in the quarterfinals by West Delaware’s Jax Miller (144) Brent Yonkovic (190) and Jeryn Funke (215) All five West Delaware quarterfinalists earned a bye through the opening round a four-time qualifier in search of a third medal won a 17-0 technical fall over Sioux Center’s Brendan Lamfers in the second round he will face Garner-Hayfield/Ventura’s third-seeded Parker Moritz in the quarterfinals won via 17-2 technical fall over Anamosa’s Andrew Tjaden Miller can clinch his first state medal when he faces Atlantic’s fifth-seeded Aiden Smith in the quarterfinals making his second state appearance and seeded No pinned Crestwood’s Brock Voyna in 3:13 in the second round He will wrestle Clear Lake’s third-seeded Christian Dunning in the quarterfinals won a 7-2 decision over Williamsburg’s Carson Grier in his second-round match and will face North Polk’s second-seeded Henry Christensen in the quarterfinals Weber won a 16-1 technical fall over Glenwood’s Reese Fauble in his first state match 5 seed will face Algona’s fourth-seeded Tate Slagle in the quarterfinals West Delaware’s Ryan Hilby (165) and Maquoketa’s Ryker Henderson (215) lost in the first round Lane Gudenkauf (150) and Owen Pettlon (285) lost in the second round The 26th season of the Midwest Auto Racing Series otherwise known as the MARS Late Model Championship Series gets going this Friday and Saturday with the season-opening Nippy 50 at Iowa's Maquoketa Speedway the Jeff Hoker-promoted event that debuted last season More than 30 drivers are expected to compete for the weekend's $10,000 and $15,000 top prizes including five of the top-10 drivers in DirtonDirt.com's Top 25 poll: No Reigning World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Brandon Sheppard Ryan Unzicker and Cody Overton are among drivers on the expected entry list Pierce and Thornton were the event's inaugural winners last year See below for this weekend's Nippy 50 expected entry list at Maquoketa Speedway that kicks off the 2025 MARS Late Model Championship season Get the most important Racing stories delivered straight to your inbox Home / Sports / Iowa High School Sports / High School Basketball But when the Maquoketa Cardinals had the summit in sight Sixth-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes regrouped after a 16-point lead got away in a Class 4A quarterfinal at the girls’ state basketball tournament Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Arena “It’s like a stab in the heart,” Maquoketa’s Cora Widel said after the Cardinals’ first state-tournament season ended at 21-3 but it’s great motivation for next year.” That’s because the Cardinals’ entire starting lineup returns for 2025-26 “We proved that Maquoketa belongs here,” Coach Chad Specht said Dallas Center-Grimes (20-4) looked like a state veteran The Mustangs are here for the fifth consecutive year 2 North Polk (23-2) in a 4A semifinal at 6:45 p.m “It was like a home gym for them,” Specht said DCG scored 13 points for an early 13-2 lead and appeared to be poised to run the Cardinals out of here when it was 26-10 and 28-12 “Everybody knew we hadn’t been here before,” Maquoketa’s Aubrey Kroymann said “Some of us might have come out shaky and eventually drew even at 38-all on Kroymann’s bucket with 7:41 to go “(Maquoketa) was the type of team that was going to fight to the buzzer,” Brauch said “This is the point of the season that any team can win and I knew I was going to hit that shot.” “It was nice to get a taste,” Kroymann said “Hopefully this fuels us for more next year.” Ava Smid posted 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Mustangs DALLAS CENTER-GRIMES (49): Leah Brauch 3-5 0-0 8 MAQUOKETA (44): Aubrey Kroymann 5-8 3-7 13 Dallas Center-Grimes 20 11 7 11 -- 49 Maquoketa 7 14 15 6 -- 44 High School Sports Reporter. Get the Sports Newsletter The 26th season of the Midwest Auto Racing Series, otherwise known as the MARS Late Model Championship Series, commenced Friday with the season-opening Nippy 50 at Iowa's Maquoketa Speedway, the Jeff Hoker-promoted event that debuted last season. Bobby Pierce commanded the final 17 of 40 laps to notch his seventh victory of the season in the $10,000-to-win event that opened Nippy 50 weekend at the 3/8-mile Iowa oval. Second-starting Brandon Sheppard led the opening 20 laps before finishing third Brian Shirley led laps 21-23 but finished fourth in eighth was the highest finishing non-touring driver See below for Friday's Nippy 50 results at Maquoketa Speedway on the MARS Late Model Championship Series Janessa Mosley’s only basket comes with 4 seconds left and puts the Lightning in front to stay Janessa Mosley scored her only basket -- on a broken play -- with 4 seconds remaining and Class 5A 12th-ranked Iowa City Liberty edged 4A No in a non-conference girls’ basketball game Monday night at Maquoketa High School “A gutsy win over a really good team,” Liberty Coach Jaime Brandt said “That wasn’t the play we drew up at all Maquoketa’s Kendall Kuhlman nailed a 3-pointer to put the Cardinals in front with 20 seconds left then Mosley’s answer sent the Bolts home winners “She can get to the rim,” Liberty’s Natalie Ramsey said Liberty (10-3) prevailed despite 22 turnovers thanks to early 3-point marksmanship and some late playmaking The Lightning led by as many as 12 points in the first half but Maquoketa (12-1) got within 32-24 at intermission then scored the first eight points of the second half to draw even “We could have folded early,” Maquoketa Coach Chad Specht said “One thing we try to instill is that every game is an opportunity and we love opportunities like this.” The Cardinals missed about a dozen shots within 5 feet “We’ve got to get better at that,” Specht said “It will bite you if you don’t finish.” The Caseys combined for 29 points to pace the winners Ramsey -- a junior and a University of South Dakota commit -- added 13 points and 15 rebounds Ramsey exited the locker room with a Kleenex plugging a nostril in an attempt to stop a nosebleed I knew when I got it in the paint that things were going to open up (on the perimeter).” Kuhlman and Aubrey Kroymann added 11 apiece IOWA CITY LIBERTY (49): Ava Casey 4-13 0-0 12 MAQUOKETA (48): Aubrey Kroymann 2-11 7-10 11 Iowa City Liberty 24 8 7 10 -- 49 Maquoketa 16 8 15 9 -- 48 of Maquoketa was welcomed into Jesus’ loving arms on Friday evening She died unexpectedly and peacefully in her sleep with her husband and daughter nearby Friends and family may visit from 3:00 p.m We will celebrate her life at a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m There will be an additional visitation held on Friday morning from 9:00 a.m Burial will follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery following the mass.  Iowa to Vince and Louise (Federspiel) Nemmers Lawrence school in Otter Creek where she met her future husband in the 1st grade She tolerated him for the next eight years before going to school at the Visitation in Dubuque Mary Lou went on to attend Marycrest College in Davenport where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education It was during this time that she fell in love with Kenny Mary Lou was united in marriage to her soulmate Joseph’s Catholic Church in Key West before stepping away to devote herself to raising her daughters she continued as a cherished member of the Dubuque Community School District She spent the majority of her career as a Kindergarten teacher caring for and inspiring countless children with her patience She retired in 2014 having successfully taught hundreds of 5-year-olds that “all of what I really need to know about how to live Mary Lou’s dedication to children and education remained unwavering She continued to make a difference through substitute teaching and through devoting countless hours to volunteering Mary Lou especially enjoyed helping at her grandsons' school where her love for teaching and nurturing young minds shone brightly Mary Lou spent her time joyfully loving her friends She was a founding member of the Otter Creek Bunco club She hosted annual Christmas parties for Shelley’s & Tara’s classmates She spent endless time sewing quilts and donating them to charity In her lifetime she devoted countless hours to faith sharing groups She also loved to go out to eat with her friends and family and thrived on regular “Girls Day Out” adventures with her special friends She loved Jesus and His people with every fiber of her being Every person who knew her felt deeply loved by her Mary Lou’s life was filled with many passions The most important of her passions was her family Throughout their 52 years of marriage Kenny and Mary Lou were inseparable always supporting one another through life’s ups and downs with a faithful love that reflects God’s love for us and she cherished every moment spent with them Her time was well spent because she made an enduring impact on them.  They will always remember her unforgettable phrases like: call the cats in From her grandsons’ mouths she is and will always be Her sacrificial servant-heartedness was unmatched and she was a persistent prayer warrior who gave the best hugs She was always present for everything and everyone and our jokes always made us feel so loved.” her daughter Angie (her “baby doll”) She was preceded in death by her parents Vince & Louise several wonderful in-laws (Al and Aileen Althoff numerous nieces and nephews and her precious and beautiful daughters We can only imagine what that glorious heavenly reunion was like It was their first (and still only) loss of the season “We’ve been looking forward to this since December 20th,” North Linn’s Emilee Beuter said Trailing by 16 points early in the second quarter Class 1A second-ranked North Linn came all the way back and toppled 2A No in a Tri-Rivers Conference West Division girls’ basketball showdown Friday night at Maquoketa Valley High School “That’s as proud of a team as I’ve been in a long time,” Lynx Coach Brian Wheatley said “We were on the verge of getting blown out.” 10-1 Tri-Rivers West) was spinning its wheels and facing a 24-8 deficit But the Lynx crept within 27-18 by halftime Friday’s outcome most likely means a shared divisional championship for the two clubs 11-1) already owns a piece of the title; North Linn can earn the other piece if it can get past Starmont on Tuesday at Arlington “I think people take a (divisional title) for granted,” senior Molly Boge said “It’s not a little thing.” North Linn made its fateful move — a 12-0 run — early in the third quarter which gave the Lynx their first lead of the game at 30-29 “My teammates were making tough drives to the basket on Grace Richter’s drive with 4:50 remaining But Boge spotted Bridgewater open at the top of the key and Bridgewater swished a 3-pointer to put the Lynx in front for good at the 3:03 mark Beuter led all scorers with 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds Boge scored nine points; Bridgewater and Carly Ries added eight apiece Richter paced Maquoketa Valley with 13 points The Wildcats hit 6 of 9 shots in the first quarter on their way to an 18-8 lead I started us in a 1-3-1 run and they were on pace to score 80 points,” Wheatley said The Lynx held the Wildcats to 19 points (on 6-of-28 shooting) in the final three quarters NORTH LINN (44): Allie Haughenbury 1-8 1-2 3 MAQUOKETA VALLEY (37): Lanni Beaman 2-6 0-0 6 North Linn 8 10 16 10 — 44 Maquoketa Valley 18 9 6 4 — 37 3-point goals: North Linn 3-14 (Haughenbury 0-3 Construction is underway on Monday for an expansion project at Sacred Heart Preschool and Childcare leads a group of 3 year olds through song and dance at Sacred Heart Preschool and Childcare in Maquoketa on Monday Preschoolers look out the window to check on the status of the construction underway at Sacred Heart Preschool and Childcare in Maquoketa on Monday Dec Construction is underway for an expansion project at Sacred Heart Preschool and Childcare in Maquoketa on Monday MAQUOKETA, Iowa — A Maquoketa child care center recently broke ground on an expansion project that will increase the number and age range of children for which staff can care. The $627,000 project at Sacred Heart Preschool and Childcare will add two classrooms to the 302 Eddy St. facility and expand a third, adding 32 child care slots, according to Center Director Andrea Kuhlman. Kuhlman said the center currently has about 130 children between the ages of 3 and 12 enrolled. The two new classrooms will each be able to hold 12 children — one room will be for children aged 0 to 18 months and the other for those 18 months to 3 years. This will allow Sacred Heart to care for infants and toddlers for the first time, according to Kuhlman. She expects this to benefit the parents of students who attend the center, as nearly 25% of Scared Heart parents also have children younger than 3 and must take them to other area child care centers. “I have one mom who drives all the way to DeWitt to drop off her child and comes back to Maquoketa for work, when her older two children are here (at Sacred Heart) ... because we’re not currently licensed for kids under age 3,” Kuhlman said. “It would be ideal for them to have all their kids in the same place.” The project also will revamp Sacred Heart’s entrance, and a small room adjacent to the kitchen will be expanded to create space for an additional eight preschoolers. According to Kuhlman, the project is almost entirely privately funded, although the city of Maquoketa did contribute $40,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding. City Council documents from a recent meeting show that the total cost of the project is estimated at $627,778, with an estimated substantial completion date of July 18, 2025. Maquoketa City Manager Josh Boldt said the expansion project will be significant for both the city of Maquoketa and Jackson County. “It’s a state and nationwide problem how long these waitlists (for child care) are,” he said. “We felt that day care was the right thing for us to (support) to attract young families and keep the workforce sustained here.” Boldt noted that the project at Sacred Heart is the second major child care expansion project to kick off in Maquoketa this year. Work is ongoing for the first phase of a $1.3 million construction project at Sunshine Learning Center, which received a $480,000 Community Development Block Grant paired with $120,000 in matching funds from the city of Maquoketa. That project is poised to increase Sunshine’s capacity by 19 child care slots while modernizing and expanding the aging facility. Boldt said increasing child care options in Maquoketa is critical, particularly after several in-home providers in the city ceased operations in 2023. The city also expects to soon see significant business growth in the Highway 61 Industrial Park, where Mississippi Valley Metals plans to expand its local footprint and Quality Flow Environmental aims to open a new plant. “We have some good employers coming in that will be providing good jobs … but none of that matters if families don’t have child care options,” Boldt said. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account. President Donald Trump participates in a National Day of Prayer at the White House. WATCH#14 Maquoketa Valley improves to 8-0 after 59-43 win over Edgewood-Colesburgby Curtis Feder Maquoketa Valley is set to shoot up the rankings boasting the best record in class 2A while defeating ninth-ranked Springville last week and defeating Edgewood-Colesburg 59-43 Tuesday The Wildcats' 8-0 start to the year is the best since the 2020-21 season when the team reached the state championship game Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application A gathering to celebrate Tim’s life will be 4:00 to 7:00 p.m Cremation will take place at Trimble Crematory under the direction of Cremation Society of the Quad Cities Timothy Wayne Skladzien was born February 21 the son of Robert and Beverly (Helmold) Skladzien He worked for Wendling Quarries for over 25 years He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved dog Condolences may be shared at CremationQC.com Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Jovita and Pedro Atienza on their wedding day Iowa — Pedro Atienza was a major in the ROTC band at Padre Garcia National High School and Jovita Dimapasock was a festival queen it was almost inevitable that they would end up together located in the Philippines’ Batangas province the Kabakahan Festival celebrates the founding of the town and its cultural heritage One of the highlights of the celebration is the marching of the school band as it accompanies the grand float to the home of the festival queen where she is escorted onto the float and taken along the parade route The now-Jovita Atienza had had her eye on Pedro for a while The two were together through their high school years he went to study medicine at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila focusing her studies on pharmacology and medical technology There wasn’t a lot of time to date between their studies they followed Filipino tradition — Pedro and members of his family visited Jovita’s family home and asked her parents for her hand in marriage with plenty to eat and lots of wedding plans and decisions to be made at Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Padre Garcia They recently celebrated 58 years of marriage They have four children — Sol Atienza-Wozniak the Atienzas made a life-changing decision to immigrate to the United States where Pedro took the necessary tests and continuing education to practice as a general surgeon They had two young children in tow and had just made a huge leap of faith to a country they had never been to they knew it was a place that offered a world of opportunities for them and their family “They pretty much came with two suitcases,” Buddy “And they ended up in Des Moines in the middle of the winter.” But Pedro and Jovita were going to make the best of their time “(Pedro) was a doctor and I was a pharmacist,” Jovita said “We really thought we would work here for one year and then take that experience back home.” But in the era of Ferdinand Marcos’s dictatorship in the Philippines “It could hurt our green card status if we left,” Pedro said “We were concerned that if we visited home After practicing in Des Moines and Davenport Pedro took a position with Medical Associates in Maquoketa Jovita opted not to return to work as a pharmacist so she could stay at home with their children she went back to work as a bookkeeper for some of the offices in the Medical Associates network And we usually took two vacations a year where we had Dad’s full attention.” South America and many times to their home country — often accompanied by their children and other family members Buddy met his extended family in the Philippines for the first time when he was 14 years old There was a lot poverty that we don’t see here and it made me appreciate the sacrifice my parents made to make a new life for themselves in this country.” The couple has also enjoyed several cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean They take an extended trip back to the Philippines every year and are leaving soon for a three-week vacation to Las Vegas with two other couples Buddy said it was important to his parents that all of their children were independent and had an education “They were supportive in everything we wanted to do,” Buddy said They had a few rules: Once you get married and we’ll pay for school as long as you don’t fail giving their children an education was the best thing they could do for their futures Pedro has a large garden and anything that’s harvested is used by Jovita in the kitchen The big secret to their many years together has been their ability to not dwell on too many things because sometimes your partner doesn’t understand,” she said Love That Lasts is a series highlighting local couples who have been married for around 50 years or more To nominate a couple to be featured in this series contact reporter Michelle London at 563-588-5655 or michelle.london@thmedia.com how long the two have been married and their wedding date Today’s Business of the Day has been Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative Christie Remley discusses the 90 year history of MVEC along with the MV Link expanding its reach 10:30am and 1:30pm weekdays to hear the Business of the Day…and don’t forget to join us later in the day for your chance to win Maquoketa Valley Academic Excellence Banquet More Weather Details BARABOO, Wis. — Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association is pleased to announce the first sale date at the newly renovated facility in Maquoketa, Iowa. Beginning Tuesday, September 24th, the market will have weekly sales starting at 10:30 A.M. for fed cattle Feeder Cattle sales are set to occur the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month “We are excited for the opening of our livestock marketing facility in Maquoketa,” said Mark Clarke Executive Vice President of Marketing and Chief Operating Officer “With over 100 years of experience in livestock marketing Equity is pleased to be bringing enhanced services We look forward to welcoming many new patron members to our cooperative in the coming months.” With the first sale date approaching, Equity is seeking market staff as well. To learn more about employment opportunities visit the careers page on Equity’s website or contact Aimee Comte, HR Generalist, at 608-460-1223 or [email protected] To learn more about the cooperative and for more information on the Maquoketa market, visit www.equitycoop.com Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association is a federated cooperative headquartered in Baraboo with collection points in Menominee and Nisula and a livestock marketing center in Arlington Equity services producers in many states and assists producers with the marketing and financing of their agricultural businesses –Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association disarray set in motion a chain of events leading to the fed cattle backlog from plant closures slowing the supply chain throughout 2021 While the market likes to avoid the unkown the last two years put the beef business in uncharted territory The first quarter of 2021 expected to […] — Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association is pleased to announce the results of its recent 2022 Regional Board of Directors elections will transition to the role of Chairman of the board Adam has been serving as District X representative on the regional board of directors since 2011 fencing for their grazing operations is a large cost and time-consuming job or implementing more intensive grazing plans that require movable fence Not only is fencing affecting ranchers’ bottom lines because of […] — Female beef cow slaughter is approaching 750,000 head more than a year ago this week Total heifer kill through weekending 10/1/2022 was 364,000 head over last year while beef cow slaughter was 336,000 head over last year fourth quarter female beef animal slaughter outpaced 2020 by 154,000 head USPOULTRY Releases SPC Applications Guide to Enhance HACCP Plans USDA Appoints Members to National Dairy Promotion and Research Board Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Mary Lou Althoff radiated joy. The Maquoketa woman never missed a chance to express her love for her friends and family, whether by sending them a handwritten card, serving them dinner or wrapping them in a hug. And her laugh, which usually turned into a snort and continued for minutes on end, was family legend. “She took delight in everybody and everything ... and everybody felt delight when they were around her,” said her daughter Angie Krueger. “You can’t experience love like she gave and not be impacted by it.” She was born Sept. 27, 1950, to Vince and Louise Nemmers and grew up in Otter Creek, where she attended school at St. Lawrence Catholic Church. Her class consisted of one other girl and six boys, one of whom was Ken Althoff. Ken recalled liking the “cute” Mary Lou from a young age, but “it was a one-way street,” he said. Mary Lou was not interested at the time. After attending the Academy of the Visitation in Dubuque, Mary Lou enrolled at Marycrest College in Davenport. Meanwhile, Ken had joined the National Guard, and when he came home after basic training, the two ran into each other at a graduation party in 1970. “We started talking, and things seemed different then,” Ken recalled. “I asked her if she wanted to go out, and she said yes, and I was just flabbergasted.” The couple married on June 23, 1972, just after Mary Lou earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Marycrest. That fall, she began teaching at Kennedy Elementary School in Dubuque, where she taught for four years before staying home for awhile to care for their three daughters: Shelley Althoff, Tara Althoff and Angie Krueger. When Angie was a toddler, Mary Lou returned to work and spent the next three decades teaching at Marshall, Table Mound and Eisenhower elementary schools. For most of her career, she taught kindergartners. “Her whole goal (as a teacher) was molding lives,” Angie said. “She could love her students, take care of them and influence them so much.” The Althoff family was dealt a double dose of tragedy when their two oldest daughters died in car accidents six years apart on the same stretch of Iowa 64: Shelley in 1991, at age 14, and Tara in 1997, at age 16. In the midst of their grief, the Althoffs leaned on their faith, family, friends and co-workers. They built an addition to their Maquoketa home, which Mary Lou dubbed the “angel room,” filled with photos and mementos of Shelley and Tara. Mary Lou and Ken threw themselves into the community, attending every school activity in which Shelley and Tara’s friends participated and hosting Christmas parties for the girls’ classes. They joined a local chapter of Students Against Drunk Driving — the crash that led to Shelley’s death was caused by an intoxicated driver — and Mary Lou shared her story at retreats. “She gave of herself so much, it was unbelievable,” Ken said. As her family saw it, the sadness Mary Lou experienced simply increased her determination to bring joy into the lives of everyone around her. “You would’ve never known how hard her life was,” said Angie’s oldest son Caleb Krueger, 18. “It would make sense if she was a little bitter at life, but she was just so happy.” Caleb and his three younger brothers — Elliot, Gabe and Toby — were showered with love and support by their grandmother. At their sporting events, Mary Lou was known for her siren-like cheers and could occasionally be caught muttering “miss” under her breath when the opposing team went up for a basket. Whenever she saw the grandsons, she brought her “grandma bag” full of gifts, and she always hugged and kissed the boys goodbye. “She expressed her love through her hugs, and it was a different kind of hug from everyone else. It was so warm and loving,” said Elliot, 16. Mary Lou never turned down a chance to hang out with her grandsons, whether that meant joining them for a vacation to Disney World, playing laser tag, creating themed Halloween costumes or having a water balloon fight. She and the boys staged hilarious photos for Mary Lou and Ken’s Christmas card, including a snapshot of Mary Lou lying in front of a truck in which the boys sat, wearing reindeer costumes. It was captioned, “Grandma got run over by some reindeer.” Mary Lou’s quirky sense of humor was also evident in her many catchphrases, which included well-worn sayings such as “many hands make light work” but also the exclamation “jeekers moses,” the adjective “snazzy” and the directive to “call the cats in” — used when she didn’t want to wash the dishes and would prefer to have the felines finish the job. After retiring in 2014, Mary Lou learned to quilt and volunteered at her grandsons’ elementary school in Cedar Rapids. Nothing made Mary Lou happier than cleaning windows. She would wash windowpanes with a rag and a mixture of vinegar and water and dry them with newspaper, which she claimed left no streaks on the glass. She went out for girls’ days with her friends, including one trip to the casino after which she texted Caleb to report her winnings: 55 cents. “Never once did I feel judged or unwelcome from her,” said Angie’s husband, Ben Krueger. “She was just the kindest.” The day after hosting Thanksgiving for the family in November, Mary Lou felt a bit sick and tired. She went upstairs to rest, experienced a cardiac event and died peacefully in her sleep. Nearly 500 people attended her wake and funeral, including former students and colleagues. “They all had the same message: ‘I thought she just really loved me,’” Angie said. “And she did. She made you feel like the only person she loved.” An article about the future of a local television station’s meteorologists was the most-read story of the past week on TelegraphHerald.com. The 26th season of the Midwest Auto Racing Series, otherwise known as the MARS Late Model Championship Series, kicked off over the weekend with the season-opening Nippy 50 at Iowa's Maquoketa Speedway, the Jeff Hoker-promoted event that debuted last season. Bobby Pierce again topped Ricky Thornton Jr. to cap a $25,000 sweep ($10,000 Friday, $15,000 Saturday) at the 3/8-mile Iowa oval. Saturday's victory was Pierce's eighth of the 2025 season. Brian Shirley finished third behind Pierce Garrett Alberson and Ryan Gustin completed the top five Brandon Sheppard started from the pole but finished sixth and failed to lead a lap See below for Saturday's Nippy 50 results at Maquoketa Speedway on the MARS Late Model Championship Series This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Authorities said four people were injured Wednesday evening in a multi-vehicle crash north of Maquoketa Two people were transported by helicopter due to serious injuries while two others were transported by ambulance to local hospitals for treatment according to a press release from the Jackson County Sheriff's Department The injured individuals were not identified in the release The release states that a passenger vehicle was struck by a semi-tractor trailer traveling north on U.S The passenger vehicle came to rest in the southbound lanes of the highway a secondary crash then occurred in the southbound lanes where two parked motor vehicles were struck by a southbound vehicle One driver was cited with failure to stop or yield upon entering an intersection Home / Business News / Agriculture Federal ag officials will contribute $4.7M to the project A proposed Maquoketa facility would collect manure from dairy farms and other cattle operations and process it into carbon and fertilizer products — and it might create dozens of jobs Illinois-based Quality Flow Environmental announced its intention to build such a facility last year in an industrial park of that city Department of Agriculture announced this week it is contributing nearly $4.7 million to the project "There are a lot of dairy operations up there in Northeast Iowa and opportunity to convert their dairy waste into fertilizer," U.S Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday while attending the Farm Progress Show in Boone The federal grant is among numerous investments the USDA has made to help diversify fertilizer production Fertilizer prices spiked in recent years due to short supplies caused by the pandemic Russia's invasion of Ukraine and trade restrictions Quality Flow plans to start construction in 2025 with the hope to be operational by the end of the year It has been negotiating with large dairy farms in the Maquoketa area and beef operations to haul their manure by truck to the new facility where it would heat the material under certain conditions to yield organic fertilizer for crop fields biochar to enhance soil quality and biocoal to burn for fuel The facility would have the ability to adjust the amount of nitrogen phosphorus and potassium in the fertilizer "The dairy farms are very enthusiastic and pushing us to get going," McCarthy said an endless supply of fertilizer for farms in this area." The company also plans to pre-process the waste material at the dairy and beef operations to remove liquids from it That water could be treated for reuse at the operations or put back into the ground He said the company is seeking livestock operations within a 200-mile radius of Maquoketa including those that use biodigesters to extract methane from decomposing manure Quality Flow can use the leftover material from those processes it is anticipated to have 40 full-time employees Comments: (319) 368-8541; jared.strong@thegazette.com 2025Photo: SWKrullImaging / iStock / Getty Images IA) -- Dye spills into Prairie Creek in Maquoketa The Iowa DNR reports that a 330-gallon tote of wood mulch dye was punctured on a semi-truck and the dye spilled into the creek via a storm drain The dye is not expected to have any impact on fish or local wildlife There's no better way to spend the first day of fall than at one of Iowa's most gorgeous state parks On September 22nd, my mom and I traveled to Jackson County to visit Maquoketa Caves State Park My mom was in town from Michigan and I wanted to take her somewhere fun and unique It's been years since my last visit to the park so it was the perfect option for both of us My mom and I left Cedar Rapids around 9 a.m It ended up being the best time to be there We had the caves and the trails almost completely to ourselves Afterwards, we headed to another Jackson County favorites: Bluff Lake Catfish Farm The Sunday special is all-you-can-eat fried chicken and shrimp Here are some photos from our day in Maquoketa: There's no better way to spend the first day of fall than at one of Iowa's most gorgeous state parks!\nRead More On September 22nd, my mom and I traveled to Jackson County to visit Maquoketa Caves State Park Afterwards, we headed to another Jackson County favorites: Bluff Lake Catfish Farm Iowa — Maquoketa Valley is state-bound after a commanding performance against Denver pulling away in the second half for a decisive 52-34 victory The Wildcats' defense and ball movement proved too much to handle securing their spot in the Class 2A state tournament.