THIS IS SEGMENT 4. DON'T FORGET TO GO BACK TO THE FIRST SEGMENT AND READ FROM THERE ON FIRST.

THE MAQUOKETA VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT CLEANED UP A GAS SPILL FOLLOWIGN A 2 VEHICLE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AT PLATT AND PROSPECT. ONLY MINOR INJURIES AND NO FIRE FROM THE GAS SPILL. INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT, MICHAEL DONATCH, AGE 15, AND SANDRA DELL, AGE 48, BOTH OF MAQUOKETA.

THE JACKSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS APPROVED GETTTING A $400,000 LOAN FROM THE MAQUOKETA STATE BANK AT 3.24 PERCENT INTEREST, TO PLAY OFF THE DEBT TO THE STATE OF IOWA FOR SERVICES PROVIDED TO JACKSON COUNTY. TWO YEARS AGO, SUPERVISORS DISCOVERED BILLS HAD NOT BEEN PAID BY A PREVIOUS DIRECTOR OF THE COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT. THE MONEY WILL BE PAID BACK IN $100,000 INCREMENTS OVER 4 YEARS. THE MONEY WILL COME OUT OF THE ANNUAL MENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT BUDGET. THEY TOOK BIDS FOR THE LOAN AND MAQUOKETA STATE BANK
OFFERED THE LOWEST INTEREST.

DICK'S SUPER MARKET, AND CONVENIENCE STORE NEXT DOOR, OPENED WEDNESDAY AND THE BIG PARKING LOT HAS BEEN FILLED DAY AND NIGHT SINCE THEN. IT IS IN THE NEW WESTGATE SHOPPING AREA OFF WEST PLATT STREET, WEST OF MCDONALDS AND THE SUPER 8 MOTEL, AND RIGHT NEXT TO THE NEW GASSER'S TRUE VALUE WHICH OPENED BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

THE JACKSON COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL BOARD MET THIS WEEK AND VOTED TO GO AHEAD WITH THE NEXT PHASE OF THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, WHICH WILL NOW INCLUDE A NEW ENTRANCE TO THE HOSPITAL. THERE WILL BE 3 MORE PHASES FOR THIS SEGMENT, WITH A TOTAL COST OF $5.8 MILLION. THE FIRST SEGMENT , STILL NOT DONE, IS COSTING
AROUND $7 MILLION PLUS AND IS BEING PAID FOR BY MONEY ON HAND. THE ADDITIONAL
PHASES WILL BE DONE WITH BORROWED MONEY, TO BE PAID OFF BY HOSPITAL PROFITS.
THE PLANS ALSO INCLUDE A NEW BUILDING AREA JUST FOR OFFICES FOR ALL THE DOCTORS IN MAQUOKETA. BUT, THAT IS STILL UNDER STUDY AND LOCAL DOCTORS WOULD HAVE TO AGREE TO A PLAN WHEREBY THEY LEAVE AND SELL THEIR CURRENT BUILDINGS AND LOCATE IN A NEW ONE ADJACENT TO THE HOSPITAL.

THE MAQUOKETA FIREMEN HELD THEIR ANNUAL DINNER AND MEETING THIS LAST WEEK AND GAVE JERRY WIESE THE LEO CLASEN AWARD DURING THE EVENT. FIREFIGHTERS VOTE ON THE AWARD NAMED IN HONOR OF THE LATE LEO CLASEN, A VETERANN FIREMAN.
FIREFIGHTER JEFF MORITZ RECEIVED A PLAQUE FOR 10 YEARS OF SERVICE. FIRE CHIEF MARK BECK RECEIVED A CLOCK FOR 20 YEARS LOF SERVICE THREE NEW MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT ARE ROBERT EDWARDS, BRIAN BOWLING AND JEFF BAKER.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ANSWERED 96 FIRE CALLS LAST YEAR AND 35 RESCUE CALLS.

MEMBERS OF THE MAQUOKETA CITY COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE MET THIS WEEK AND WILL BE RECOMMEND TO THE ENTIRE COUNCIL, A 40-CENT TAX HIKE FOR NEXT YEAR.

THE MAQUOKETA CHAMBER HELD ITS ANNUAL MEETING THIS WEEK. CHAMBER DIRECTOR LINDA STURTZ PRESENTED HER ANNUAL AWARD TO LIFELONG MAQUOKETA RESIDENT DAVE HAYES. HAYES HAS BEEN THE ASSISTANT DEAN FOR CLINTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN MAQUOKETA SINCE 1980. AND THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD WENT GIVEN BY OUTGOING PRESIDENT BRUCE ENGEL TO JOHN CRESSEY, WHO WAS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER FOR 12 YEARS AND HAS BEEN ON THE CITY COUNCIL SINCE 1998. HE HAS BEEN A LONGTIME BUILDING CONTRACTOR IN MAQUOKETA. THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER IS
KELLY HESSONG, WHO RECENTLY CLOSED HER WOMEN'S CLOTHING STORE AND IN THE SAME BUILDING, HAS OPENED A NEW BUSINESS, CALLED "REFLEXTIONS". SHE IS HAVING HER GRAND OPENING NEXT FRIDAY.

ITS OFFICIAL, MAQUOKETA WILL BE GETTING A NEW "TACO JOHN'S RESTAURANT" THIS JUNE, ACROSS FROM WALMART, JUST WEST OF CRESSEY CONSTRUCTION. IT WILL BE OWNED BY TWO MAQUOKETA COUPLES, SANDRA AND BRUCE MYATT AND ANNE AND MIKE HAWKS.
THEY ARE HAPPY TO BE BUILDING THE FIRST OF A NEW DESIGN FOR THE COMPANY WHICH HAS ITS NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN CHEYENNE, WYOMING. IT WILL EMPLOY 20 FULL ADN PARTTIME PEOPLE.

MAQUOKETA TEACHERS ARE ASKING FOR A 5.3 PERCENT OVERALL BENEFITS PACKAGE INCREASE FOR NEXT YEAR. THE DISTRICT BOARD HAS COUNTERED WITH A 2.2 PERCENT INCREASE. THE FIRST NEGOTIATION SESSION WILL BE NEXT NEXT THURSDAY EVENING.

MAQUOKETA POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR THIEVES WHO STOLE DONATIONS FROM 4-H CANISTERS THIS WEEK, IN MAQUOEKTA. THEY SLICED OPEN THE CONTAINERS AT CAN CITY CONVENIENCE STORE AND ALSO AT THE SINCLAIR STATION. 4-H MEMBERS PUT THIS OUT SOLICITYING DONATIONS FOR THEIR ANNUAL VALENTINE EVENT.

MORE COURT NEWS: CHAD MILLER, AGE 26 OF MAQUOKETA WAS FINED $50 ON CHARGES OF OPERATING AN ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE WITHOUT A VALID LICENSE.
AND, STEVE STUTTING OF MAQUOKETA, WAS CHARGED WITH OW, 2ND OFFENSE AND FOR DRIVING WHILE LICENSE WAS REVOKED AND FOR HAVING NO INSURANCE. HE
WAS ARRESTED THIS WEEK AS HE WAS TRYING TO START HIS STALLED CAR AT CAN CITY CONVENIENCE STORE.

THE KMAQ FARM AND HOME SHOW IS NEXT THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. NEARLY 50 EXHIBITORS ARE SIGNED-UP FOR THIS BIG EVENT AT THE FAIRGROUNDS IN MAQUOKETA.

THAT'S IT FOR ANOTHER WEEK...

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND.

DENNIS VOY