Andy Hallman

Members of the Fairfield Wallyball Club pleaded with the city council Monday to ensure the proposed gym would include a room for their hobby.The wallyball club members were afraid there would not be room for a wallyball court based on the recent proposal of the pool and gym committee to scrap racquetball courts from the plan.Wallyball is similar to volleyball except it is played on a racquetball court and ...

About 70 people in town attended presentations Thursday about the emerald ash borer and what it will do to Fairfield?s ash trees.The Fairfield Arbor Committee invited forester Tivon Feeley of the Department of Natural Resources to speak about the menacing insect at three meetings at the Fairfield Public Library.Feeley said the emerald ash borer leaves telltale signs of its presence both on the inside and ...

Area residents have been wondering about a loud boom and jolt experienced around 8:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.Donna Smith, who lives in the 700 block of South Eighth Street in Fairfield, said her daughter, Maddie, 14, was at home at the time and reported the boom was forceful enough to shake the house.?She wasn?t sure what happened, but she came running out of her bedroom,? Smith said. ?She told me about it right ...

The Fairfield Economic Development Association has announced Adam Plagge will be the new executive director of the organization.Plagge will replace former executive director Tracy Vance, who announced his resignation in October. Vance now works for the Jefferson County Sheriff?s Office.Plagge?s duties begin Jan. 15 when he officially becomes FEDA director. He is the seventh executive director in the association?...

MT. PLEASANT ? Nichole Bruegge and Justin Brown?s baby came one day before its due date of Jan. 6.The Fairfield couple is lucky it did because it meant they would be the parents of the first baby from Jefferson County born in 2014.Bruegge said she and Brown learned of the due date many months ago. At the time, they were not anticipating having the first baby of 2014. She said it was not even on her mind.The ...

Larry Hall has been a barber for so many years it was difficult for his customers to imagine he?d ever retire.Hall has been a familiar face in downtown Fairfield for more than 50 years, having cut hair at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Court Street since 1961. In recent years, Hall has cut down on his hours at the office, working only Mondays and Tuesdays. In 2013, Hall decided it was time to reduce those ...

The Fairfield Arbor Committee met at the Fairfield Public Library Thursday to discuss strategies for responding to the emerald ash borer that is threatening ash trees in town.Once the emerald ash borer infects a tree, the tree becomes very brittle in about eight years and its branches will break easily, creating a safety hazard. This has prompted the city to look into removing the ash trees in town before they ...

Winter has arrived in full force, blanketing the ground with snow and sending thermometer readings to new depths.Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management publishes tips for how to survive the harsh season whether one is working outdoors or just trying to stay warm at home. HomeThe agency recommends storing enough drinking water to last five days in the event of an emergency that cuts off running water ...

The Fairfield City Council had a busy year in 2013 that included large capital projects and a few controversial ordinances.The city passed an ordinance in September to raise sewer rates 20 percent to cover the repair of the sewer conveyance system near Lamson Woods, which is one part of a much larger $42 million project to repair sewer mains throughout town.The sewer rate is calculated based on how much water a ...

Mark Jacobs is a retired CEO who worked at a power company, and he believes his business background is what Iowa voters are looking for when they elect a new senator in 2014.Jacobs is running as a Republican to replace outgoing Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, who has served in the Senate since 1985. Jacobs has never held political office before, and was most recently employed in Houston as the CEO of Reliant ...

Irene Murphy serves hot apple cider on a cold Friday night at the ICON Gallery. The ICON Gallery was open for Fairfield 1st Fridays Art Walk, whose theme was ?Gingerbread Extravaganza.?

The Jefferson County Compensation Board unanimously recommended giving salaried county employees a 2.5 percent raise at its meeting today.The seven-member board debated for about 15 minutes about the size of the raise and whether it should be across the board or if some employees should receive more than others. The board decided to recommend an across-the-board increase.In 2012, the compensation board approved ...

The Fairfield Public Safety and Transportation Committee will ask the city council to consider a Social Host Ordinance to curb underage drinking.The committee met Monday and heard from Fairfield Police Chief Julie Harvey and Don Sanders of Jefferson County Alcohol Consumption Task Force told the committee about instances of adults supplying alcohol to underage children. It?s against Iowa law for an adult to give ...

Douglas Flournoy will replace Connie Boyer on the Fairfield City Council after defeating Patrick Bosold in a run-off election Tuesday.The election was extremely tight with Flournoy capturing 51 percent of the ballots cast, or 557 votes. Bosold received 530 votes. The figures are unofficial results from the Jefferson County Auditor?s Office.Flournoy won the run-off election for the at-large seat after finishing ...

The city of Fairfield and Alliant Energy are partnering to remove ash trees from the city-owned parking.Alliant Energy line clearance inspector Morgan Poole met with Fairfield public works superintendent Darrel Bisgard and city councilor Michael Halley Monday morning to discuss removing the ash trees. Some of the city?s ash trees are infected with the emerald ash borer, and the city believes it will lose all its ...