PARTLY SUNNY DAY TODAY TURNED OUT PARTLY CLOUDY, NOT MUCH SUNSHINE. CHRISTMAS DAY WAS SUNNY. YESTERDAY'S HIGH WAS 45 AND TODAY'S 47.
TONIGHT, RAIN AND 40. TOMORROW, RAIN AND FALLING TEMPS DURING
THE DAY AND THE WARM WEATHER IS OVER.
SUNDAY, 31 AND MONDAY, 28. A HIGH OF ONLY 17 ON WEDNESDAY.
UP GO THE HEATING BILLS AGAIN.
BIGGEST CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR IOWA, GAS PRICES AT...OR UNDER ... $2.00.
CHRISTMAS WAS A QUIET DAY IN MAQUOKETA. WAL MART AND McDONALDS
CLOSED ALL DAY....I HEARD KWIK STAR WAS OPEN AND WAS REALLY BUSY.
WE HAD QUITE A FEW PEOPLE ATTEND THE MOVIES AT THE VOY 3 THEATRE.
BUSINESS WAS UP A LITTLE OVER LAST CHRISTMAS. OF COURSE, WE
WOULD HAVE HAD MANY MORE IF WE WERE SHOWING "THE INTERVIEW".
MAQUOKETA'S EMERGENCY CODE RED ENDS ON DECEMBER 31ST AND
WILL JOIN A NEW WINDS SYSTEM AND SAVE OVER $8,000 A YEAR.
THE WINDS STATE PROGRAM STARTS IN THE SPRING WITH THE
EMERGENCY NOTIFICAITIONS BY EMAIL, PHONE OR CELL PHONE.
SO, MAQUOKETA WILL BE WITHOUT A PROGRAM FOR A FEW MONTHS.
MAQUOKETA SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS HEARD THERE WAS A NEED
FOR AN AT-RISK TEACHER FOR FRESHMEN STUDENTS WHO HAVE TROUBLE ASSIMILATING INTO SCHOOL. NO ACTION WAS TAKEN AND THE BOARD WILL TALK ABOUT SUCH A NEW POSITION DURING BUDGET TALKS.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES:
IOWA: 4.3 IN NOVEMBER, FROM 4.5 IN OCTOBER.
THE U.S. RATE: REMAINED THE SAME AT 5.8.
JACKSON COUNTY: NOVEMBER REMAINED LOW AND THE SAME AT 4.1.
CEDAR COUNTY: BEST AROUND, 3.2 PERCENT IN NOVEMBER.
AT KMAQ, WE DID NOT GET AS MANY APPLICATIONS FOR THE NEWS
DIRECTOR JOB AS WE EXPECTED. BUT WE HAD GOOD APPLICATIONS AND HIRED SOMEONE, AND WILL ANNOUNCE THE PERSON MONDAY.
A RECEPTION WAS HELD AT THE COURTHOUSE LAST WEEK FOR RETIRING
JACKSON COUNTY SUPERVISOR STEVE FLYNN. HE IS IN TOWN TO
ATTEND HIS LAST MEETING NEXT TUESDAY. HE IS LIVING IN ARIZONA AND HAS BEEN PARTICIPATING IN COUNTY BUSINESS BY TELEPHONE.
CO-SUPERVISORS JACK WILLEY AND LARRY KOOS PRAISED THE
WORKING RELATIONSHIP AMONG THE THREE AND FLYNN BECAME EMOTIONAL WHEN HE THANKED BOTH FOR WORKING WITH HIM. HE
CALLED THEM A SECOND FAMILY.
LARRY McDEVITT HAS BEEN ATTENDING SUPERVISORS MEETINGS FOR
SEVERAL MONTH, WON THE NOVEMBER ELECTION AND WILL TAKE OFFICE
IN JANUARY.
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND.
DENNIS VOY
kmaq@kmaq.com
