KPIX'S HANK PLANTE TO RETIRE AT MONTHS END

One of the first openly gay TV reporters in the country, Plante's work on the early stages of the AIDS epidemic, as well as numerous interviews with political types, made him a local talent with which to be reckoned -- and, let's face it, a star in his own right. (He earned several local and national Emmys, as well as the Peabody Award.)

What we will miss most, however, are Plante's phenomenal interviews. Take, for example, the one he conducted with Mayor Newsom in November. Fresh off his failed gubernatorial campaign, Newsom was livid at Plante for, you know, asking questions about the city's budget crisis while the mayor tanned golden brown in Hawaii. If you recall, after storming out of the chatfest, a dejected Newsom spit back, "Off the record, I'm amazingly disappointed. Amazingly. I just am, personally, you know."

Plante and his partner plan to retire in Palm Springs. We'll miss you, Hank. Seriously.