WE HAD SOME SUNSHINE TODAY, BUT NOT MUCH. DID GET UP TO 32 DEGREES.

MAQUOKETA SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPT. KIM HUCKSTADT HAD PLANNED TO
RETIRE AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, BUT HAS CHANGED HIS MIND
AND WILL STAY AT LEAST ONE MORE YEAR. HUCKSTADT SAID THIS MORNING
HE HAD TOLD BOARD PRESIDENT BRIAN TABOR HE INTENDED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DISTRICT'S EARLY RETIREMENT PROGRAM AND LEAVE AT THE END THE THIS SCHOOL YEAR. HUCKSTADT SAID TABOR ASKED
HIM TO DELAY HIS PLANS AT LEAST ONE YEAR. TABOR CITED THREE
REASONS: THERE ARE THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS WHO HAVE SERVED ONLY FOUR MONTHS. AND THERE ARE THREE BIG CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN
THE DISTRICT COMING UP (WINDOW REPLACEMENT, THE GEO-THERMAL PROJECT, AND A WELDING SHOP ADDITION AT THE HIGH SCHOOL) AND
THE DISTRICT'S FINANCES ARE COMPLICATED. SO, HUCKSTADT SAID HE
AGREED TO STAY THROUGH THE END OF THE 2013 SCHOOL YEAR AND SAID
THAT NO TIMELINE FOR FUTURE EXTENSIONS WAS DISCUSSED.
AT THIS WEEK'S SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, THE BOARD DID ACCEPT FOUR
EARLY RETIREMENT APPLICATIONS FROM TEACHERS. APPROVED TO RETIRE ARE: JEAN ANDERSON, WHO IS IN HER 40TH YEAR IN THE DISTRICT.....
DEB CARSON, IN HER 39TH..... COLLEEN PETAROS, IN HER 37TH YEAR.....
AND BEV BRAUER, IN HER 34TH YEAR.
THERE COULD BE MORE. THE DEADLINE FOR TEACHERS AND EMPLOYEES TO APPLY FOR THE EARLY RETIREMENT PROGRAM IS FEBRUARY 1ST.

NEXT, NEWS FROM THE HOSPITAL BOARD MEETING YESTERDAY.
THE BOARD HEARD THAT THEY WILL LIKELY HAVE A PUBLIC MEETING AT THE END OF MARCH ABOUT PLANS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE HOSPITAL.
REMODEL THE PRESENT OR BUILD A NEW ONE....THAT'S THE ISSUE.
A SCHEMATIC LAYOUT AND COST ESTIMATE ARE BEING WORKED ON.
BOARD MEMBERS WILL BE VISITING HOSPITALS IN ANAMOSA AND
WEBSTER CITY. BOTH HAVE ARE NEW REPLACEMENT HOSPITALS.

DAVE AND KATE MOORE OF DUBUQUE, ARE PARENTS OF A BOY BORN
JANUARY 19TH AT MERCY IN DUBUQUE. HE JOINED A 3-YEAR OLD SISTER.
PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS ARE DAVE AND NANCY MOORE OF MAQUOKETA
AND KEVIN AND SUE ELLISON OF WYOMING. DAVE WORKED AS A STUDENT
ANNOUNCER AT KMAQ FOR 6 OR 7 YEARS STARTING IN THE LATE 90'S.

JACKSON COUNTY'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WENT UP TO 6.6 PERCENT
IN DECEMBER. IT HAD BEEN 6.2 PERCENT IN NOVEMBER. THE
STATE RATE IN DECEMBER WAS 5.6 PERCENT. THE JONES COUNTY RATE
IS 6.2 AND CLINTON COUNTY IS 6.7.

A MAQUOKETA WOMAN WAS INJURED IN A ONE-VEHICLE ACCIDENT AT 8:45 MONDAY MORNING ON HIGHWAY 62, THREE MILES EAST OF ANDREW.
DEBBIE WILHELM, AGE 47, WAS DRIVING EAST, SWERVED TO AVOID AN
ANIMAL AND WENT INTO THE DITCH AND HIT AN EMBANKMENT.
NO CHARGES FILED BECAUSE OF THE ICE ON THE ROAD. DAMAGES WE ESTIMATED AT $3,500 TO HER 98 CHRYSLER AND WILHELM WAS TAKEN
TO THE HOSPITAL IN MAQUOKETA WITH INJURIES.

ANN KEELEY, AGE 47, FORMERLY OF MAQUOKETA, DIED SATURDAY IN ARIZONA AFTER AN EXTENDED ILLNESS. HER FATHER, BOB, DIED LAST DECEMBER 19TH. SHE LEFT MAQUOKETA SOME TIME BACK TO HELP TAKE CAR OF HER DAD.
I KNEW HER BECAUSE SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE MAQUOKETA EAGLES CLUB AUXILIARY AND HELPED SERVE THE WEDNESDAY NOON MEAL FOR ROTARY THERE. HER MOTHER EULA (MOHR) KEELEY DIED A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
SHE WAS A BEAUTICIAN AND HAD HER SHOP ON WEST PLATT STREET.

LAST NIGHT IN MANCHESTER, THE MAQUOKETA BOYS WON THEIR 10TH BASKETBALL GAME, BEATING WEST DELAWARE, 61 TO 54.
AND THE GIRLS LOST THEIR 5TH IN A ROW....HERE....BY JUST A POINT.
WEST DELAWARE 49, MAQUOKETA 48.
TOMORROW NIGHT, BOTH TEAMS TRAVEL TO DEWITT AND WE WILL
HAVE BOTH GAMES HERE ON OUR INTERNET SITE, STARTING JUST BEFORE
6 P.M. WITH MATT CLARK DOING THE PLAY-BY-PLAY. MAQUOKETA SHOULD
WIN BOTH GAMES.

"GOOGLE" KCTV AND CLICK-ON THE VIDEO THERE, OF ROCKY LAMAR.
ROCKY WAS FEATURED ON THE KANSAS CITY TV STATION FOR COACHING HIS UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL TEAM ACROSS THE RIVER FROM KANSAS CITY, IN OVER 600 GAMES. IT IS A NICE FEATURE WITH COMMENTS BY ROCKY OF COURSE, AND IN THE VIDEO, YOU'LL ALSO GET A GLIMPSE OF ONE OF HIS ASSISTANT COACHES, ADAM HEPKER OF MAQUOKETA (SON OF CINDY AND LEIGHTON). BILL FLEMING WAS ALSO ONE OF HIS ASSISTANTS, BUT NO LONGER. BILL IS CURRENTLY WRITING A BOOK ABOUT MAQUOKETA HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL. BILL'S CARDINALS WON A LOT OF GAMES FOR
MCHS. I'M SURE HIS BOOK WILL BE A GOOD ONE, AND GOOD SELLER.
WILL HE MENTION ME IN HIS BOOK? HE BETTER! I GAVE BILL AND
HIS PLAYERS A LOT OF MOVIE PASSES OVER THE YEARS. IF I REMEMBER,
HE LIKED KFC CHICKEN TOO.

LONG REPORT....BETTER END THIS AND CALL IT A DAY.

DENNIS VOY