Three main areas where work will be done this year by the legislature were discussed when state senator Joni Ernst met with a dozen area residents in the first legislative coffee of the year Saturday in Mount  Ayr.

    A Mount Ayr Community high school team placed third and qualified for the state meet when Drake University hosted the regional academic decathlon competition on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 26-27.This prestigious academic competition is the only one of its kind.

        Mount Ayr Community fourth, fifth and sixth graders will present their winter concert on Monday, Feb. 6 at 7  p.m. in the Mount Ayr Community elementary school gym.

     Two more conference games -- two more wins.

The Raider boys basketball team kept rolling up the wins this past week with a 51-35 win over Bedford Tuesday, Jan. 24, and a 70-31 victory over Southeast Warren Friday, Jan. 27.

   It was back to 50-50 for the Mount Ayr Community Raiderettes in girls basketball action this past week.

The girls fell to league-leader Bedford 59-24 Tuesday, Jan. 24, then slipped past Southeast Warren 37-35 in Liberty Center Friday, Jan. 27.

   Regular season for the Mount Ayr Community Raider wrestlers drew to a close this past week with a pair of dual meets and the Quad State Invitational.

   Their second win of the season over Seymour was added along with another couple of losses when the Diagonal Maroonettes played their basketball games this past week.

   Diagonal’s Maroons dropped a trio of games this past week, including a heart-breaker at the buzzer against Seymour in the homecoming contest Friday night.

   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.