Unconstitutional recess appointments, the Fast and Furious scandal, the Keystone pipeline project, making Veterans Administration services more accessible, extending unemployment benefits and payroll tax cuts and many more topics were discussed when U.S. Senator Charles Grassley spent an hour answering questions from the two dozen citizens who met with him at Jamie’s Coffee Mill and Deli in Mount Ayr Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Grassley’s stop in Ringgold county was one of 34 he is making during January as part of his effort to visit each of Iowa’s 99 counties each year.

  Retail sales in Ringgold county totaled $13,580,514 for the second quarter of 2011, an uptick of 1.4 percent over the 2010 total to the second highest second quarterly sales on record.

That’s the news from the latest sales tax report from the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance.

   All five of the large group speech contest entries from Mount Ayr Community high school and one from Diagonal high school received division I ratings and advanced to state following the district speech contest held Saturday, Jan. 21 in Osceola.

The MAC speech team included two group improvisation entries, two radio broadcast entries and a short film entry. Advancing from Diagonal was a group improvisation team.

   It’s homecoming week in the Diagonal Community school district, leading up to games with Seymour on Friday, Jan. 27.

 

   Some of the tests were stronger, but the Raider boys basketball team met all of them again this week as they won three straight games.

   It was a profitable week for Mount Ayr Community Raiderette basketball as the girls were able to put a pair of wins back-to-back in Pride of Iowa conference play.

   A second place finish in the tough John J. Harris wrestling tournament in Corning by 126-pouner Erik Freed was the highlight of the week of wrestling for the Mount Ayr Community Raiders this past week.

In dual action the Raiders lost to Corning 48-30 and to Van Meter in a tie breaker 36-36 in Van Meter Tuesday, Jan. 17.

   Mount Ayr Community high school’s Sparks drill team has been invited to perform at halftime at the state tournament and will be on television in early February.

Coming Events

1/28/2012 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Mount Ayr First Christian Church
1/29/2012 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Diagonal community building
2/3/2012 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Ann's Restaurant, 221 W. Fifth Street, San Juan, TX
2/5/2012 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Mount Ayr
2/5/2012 4:45 PM - 6:45 PM
Mount Ayr Assembly of God Church, 1605 W. South Street
U. S. Senator Charles Grassley answers questions during a town meeting at Jamie’s Coffee Mill and Deli in Mount Ayr Tuesday, Jan. 17.
U. S. Senator Charles Grassley answers questions during a town meeting at Jamie’s Coffee Mill and Deli in Mount Ayr Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Click the photo above for a gallery of photos of the week.

  

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January 26, 2012 Issue Front Page