IT IS WINDY AND COOL TODAY....ONLY IN THE 30'S. A FROST WARNING TONIGHT,
WITH A LOW IN THE 20'S. WE HAD SOME SNOW FLURRIES AROUND 10 THIS MORNING. THE MAQUOKETA RIVER HAD MINOR FLOODING OVER THE WEEKEND,ON MAINLY THE FARM LAND AROUND IT.

THE JACKSON COUNTY UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FELL A BIT IN MARCH. IT WAS
5.9 PERCENT IN FEBRUARY AND WENT DOWN TO 5.6 PERCENT IN MARCH.

THE COMMITTEE RAISING MONEY TO OPEN THE OLD OUTDOOR POLL THIS SUMMER HAS REACHED THEIR GOALL OF $25,000. IN FACT, THEY EXCEEDED THEIR GOAL. THE GROUP IS EXPECTED TO PRESENT FINAL FUNDING FIGURES TO THE CITY COUNCIL AT THE MAY 5TH MEETING. SATURDAY NIGHT, ABOUT 500 PEOPLE WATCHED THE "SWINGING WITH THE CARDS" DANCE CONTEST AT THE MAQUOKETA HIGH SCHOOL. EIGHT MAQUOKETA HIGH SCHOOL DANCE TEAM MEMBERS WERE PAIRED WITH LOCAL CELEBRITIES. FIRST PLACE WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL DANCE TEAM MEMBER TAYLOR FOWLER AND CURT COLEMAN, CEO OF THE JACKSON COUNTY REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER. THEY DANCED AS KEN AND BARBIE.
SECOND PLACE WENT TO DANCE TEAM MEMBER ELLEN FULLER AND STATE FARM INSURANCE AGENT JEFF FERGUSON. AND THIRD PLACE WENT TO DANCE TEAM
MEMBER COURTNEY MOORE AND CHIROPRACTOR BRENT PAULS. JUDGES WERE MARK PROESCHEL, STACY DRISCOLL, LENKA CARSON AND DENNIS VOY. AND, THE
AUDIENCE GOT TO VOTE FOR THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD AND IT ALSO WENT TO
THE TEAM OF FOWLER AND COLEMAN. AT INTERMISSION, THERE WAS A CAKE AUCTION AND 11 CAKES WERE AUCTIONED OFF. THE TOP BID FOR CAKES WENT
FOR A CHICAGO CUBS CAKE DONATED BY SHEILA LINDSTROM AND IT WENT FOR
AROUND $200 TO KEN MOORE OF KEN MOORE CONSTRUCTION. TWENTY ADDITIONAL CAKES WERE SOLD AT SILENT AUCTION.

A MAQUOKETA MAN WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WITH MINOR INJURIES AFTER HE WAS HIT BY A CAR IN THE WAL MART PARKING LOT SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
WESLEY COLISTER, AGE 27, WAS TAKEN BY AMBLANCE TO THE HOSPITAL WITH MINOR INJURIES. THE POLICE CHARGED RICK HURT, AGE 22, OF MAQUOKETA,
WITH RECKLEY DRIVING.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AT 5 P.M. TODAY AT BRIGG'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND SPECIAL SHORT CITY COUNCIL MEETING AT 5:30 P.M.

JR'S WINE AND SPIRITS IN MAQUKETA HAS BEEN SOLD BY JACK AND PAM ROSENBERG TO RON READ OF MAQUOKETA. RON TOOK OVER LAST TUESDAY
AND THE LIQUOR STORE IS NOW KNOW AS THE HITCHING POST.
RON, NOT MARRIED, MOVED BACK TO MAQUOKETA ABOUT 2 AND A HALF-YEARS AGO AND HAD WORKED UNTIL NOW AT A PLATICS PLANT IN PRESTON. HE TOLD ME
HE WANTED TO HAVE HIS OWN BUSINESS. THE STORE WILL CONTINUE TO BE
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK AT 111 SOUTH OLIVE STREET. THERE IS A DRIVE-UP WINDOW.
HE GOES BACK A FEW YEARS IN MAQUOKETA. HIS DAD, THE LATE MAC READ, HAD
AN APPLIANCE STORE IN MAQUOKETA AND THEN SOLD IT AND WAS A PARTNER IN WADY INDUSTRIES IN MAQUOKETA. GOOD LUCK TO RON IN HIS NEW ENDEAVORS.

KEN MOORE, OWNER OF KEN MOORE CONSTRUCTION, FLOOR COVERING AND RENTAL BUILDINGS IN MAQUOKETA, HAS PURCHASED THE BURNED-OUT "DEPOT" SUPPER CLUB ON EAST PLATT STREET IN MAQUOKETA. SOME OF HIS STAFF STARTED WORKING TODAY IN TAKING DOWN WHAT IS LEFT OF THE BUILDING.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL BE HAPPY TO SEE THE STRUCTURE DISAPPEAR. THE FIRE AT THE NIGHTCLUB WAS ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, AND OF COURSE, MANY YEARS AGO IT WAS MAQUOKETA'S BUSY RAILRAOD DEPOT. I BELIEVE KEN HAS NO DEFINITE PLANS FOR THE LAND AT THIS TIME.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK. THURSDAY IS MAY DAY. TIME TO PLAN YOUR BASKETS.

CHECK THE NEW PHOTO BELOW AND CLICK-IN THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT.
DENNIS VOY