THE SUN CAME OUT FOR AWHILE THIS MORNING.

THEN IT LEFT.. THEN THE WINDS CAME.. THEN THE TEMPERATURE STARTED DROPPING...END RESULT...A NASTY DAY.

WANT TO SEE A GOOD PICTURE OF THE OLD MAQUOKETA BOTTLING WORKS?
GO TO THE KMAQ MAIN PAGE AND CLICK TO DENNIS' DAILY PHOTOS...AND TAKE A LOOK.

ALSO...IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HEAR A TAPE OF THE "JUST TALK SHOW" ON KMAQ THIS PAST MONDAY MORNING, GO TO THE KMAQ HOME PAGE
AND AND CLICK TO THE KMAQ RAGBRAI PAGE AND CLICK ON THE TAPE.
YOU'LL HEAR THE 20-MINUTE INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY KMAQ NEWS DIRECTOR SHERI MELVOLD, INTERVIEWING LINDA STURTZ, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR....RAGBRAI CO-CHAIRMEN ATTORNEY PHIL TABOR AND BUSINESSMAN STEVE FLYNN AND ALSO MAQUOKETA BUSINESSMAN TOM TIFFENTALER, WHO HAS BEEN ON RAGBRAI HIMSELF.

ALSO..CHECK OUT KMAQ'S NEW PAGE ESPECIALLY FOR THE 150TH UPCOMING JACKSON COUNTY FAIR. GO TO THE KMAQ HOME PAGE AND CLICK ON JACKSON COUNTY FAIR.

BOB ANDERSEN, POLICE CHIEF THE PAST 10 YEARS IN MAQUOKETA, TOLD THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE THIS MORNING THAT HE PLANS TO RETIRE AFTER 39 YEARS WITH THE DEPARTMENT, THIS JULY 1ST. HE HAS BEEN ON SICK LEAVE SINCE A HEART ATTACK JANUARY 25TH. HE INTENDS TO APPLY FOR A DISABILITY RETIREMENT. THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE WILL RECOMMEND TO THE ENTIRE COUNCIL THAT HE BE PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT BECOMES EFFECTIVE.
ALL OF THIS MEANS, HE WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO WORK AT ALL.
ASSISTANT CHIEF CRAIG JACKSON HAS BEEN HANDLING THE DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. ONCE THE CITY COUNCIL GETS ANDERSEN'S LETTER OF RETIREMENT, THEY WILL BEGIN THE PROCESS OF HIRING A NEW CHIEF. UNDER CITY ORDINACE, THE CIVIL SERVICES COMISSION PLACES ADVERTISMENTS AND CONDUCTS TESTING. THE COMMISSION EVENTUALLY PROVIDES A LIST OF 10 NAMES TO BE GIVEN TO THE MAYOR AND THE FINAL APPOINTMENT WILL BE MADE BY MAYOR MESSERLI. THE MAYOR SAID THIS MORNING THAT HE INTENDS TO INCLUDE THE PERSONNELL COMMITTEE IN THE INTERVIEWS AND HE ALSO SAID HE DOESN'T MAKE QUICK DECISIONS AND PLANS TO GATHER AS MUCH INFORMATION AS NECESSARY BEFORE ANNOUNCING HIS DECISION. THE ENTEIRE COUNCIL THEN CAN EITHER RATIFY THE MAYOR'S DECISION OR VOTE IT DOWN. MAYOR MESSERLI IS A PART-TIME DISPATCHER FOR THE DEPARTMENT AND PLANS TO QUIT THAT JOB AT THE END OF MARCH SO THAT HE CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE CHIEF SELECTION WITHOUT A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

I HAVE MORE NEWS, BUT RUNNING OUT OF TIME, SO WILL HOLD IT UNTIL TOMORROW.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK THE WEB SITE PAGES I MENTIONED EARLY IN THIS REPORT...

DENNIS VOY