Andy Hallman

PACKWOOD ? Pekin Community Schools closed today because of an electrical fire that cut power to the school buildings.The fire was reported at 7:30 a.m. in the electrical transformer on the school grounds. The Packwood Fire Department arrived within five minutes and put out the fire, which was confined to the transformer box. The transformer supplies power to the school buildings.Packwood Fire Chief Dave ...

The city of Fairfield wants to make sure the town looks nice when the RAGBRAI riders come to town July 26.To that end, city officials are reminding residents to mow their lawns and trim their trees and bushes if they block sidewalks.Fairfield Code Enforcement Officer Scott Vaughan said residents must remember to keep their grass or weeds under 10 inches tall. If they do not, they will receive a written warning ...

Jessica Christofferson displays the 6-inch mushroom recently discovered by her boyfriend, Adam Sisler.

The Fairfield City Council agreed to a plan Monday to borrow money for the pool and gym project and pay it back with anticipated donations.The council agreed to the idea of borrowing up to $4.5 million, which would be paid off in five years. The funds would go toward both the pool and the gym. The funds would come from donations that have been promised to the project but have not yet been made.The vote on the ...

Three people who were involved in saving a young boy from drowning at the Roosevelt Aquatic Center were honored with ?Lifesaving Heroism Awards? at Monday?s Fairfield City Council meeting.The three who received the award were Riley Hammel and Paige Palmer, both lifeguards at the aquatic center and Fairfield High School students, and Dorothy Henson, a desk attendant at the aquatic center.The incident for which ...

Heather Watson of Stockport is one of the many mushroom-hunters in the area. During a search for the fungi last week, Watson discovered the giant mushroom seen here, measured at 6.5 inches.

Author and ecologist Richard Register delivers a lecture, ?Rebuilding our cities sustainably,? Wednesday night at Dalby Hall in the Argiro Student Center at Maharishi University of Management. Register spoke about the ways in which cities could be planned to use fewer resources, such as making them more compact by ?building up,? relying on skyscrapers, instead of ?building out.? He said compact cities are more ...

Pence Elementary second graders spent their morning planting flowers around the outside of the school. Erin Harlan, left, and Knox Clingan place sod around freshly planted hostas.

Colby Jones, left, indulges his sweet tooth Saturday by purchasing a bottle of honey from Charles Newton at the Fairfield Farmers Market.

The Fairfield Beautification Commission presented a Historical Preservation Rose Award to the Jefferson County Courthouse Monday. The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors accepted the award on behalf of the taxpayers of Jefferson County. Pictured are, from left, supervisors Lee Dimmit, Becky Schmitz and Dick Reed, and Nancy Horras, Mark Shafer, Nancy Morrissey, Karin Hauring and Suzan Kessel.

Fairfield Economic Development Association hopes to grow the local economy by enticing former residents to move back to town.The program is known as ?Welcome Home to Iowa: Fairfield Connection.? FEDA is partnering with the staffing firm Manpower of Ottumwa to put on the program.Carrie Jaeger, program director at Manpower, said a key part of the ?Welcome Home? project is letting Fairfield alumni know jobs are ...

Cary Spray, left, of ?Nature?s Way? serves a muffin to Lulu Miller during the first outdoor Fairfield Farmers? Market of the season Saturday in Howard Park.

A woman who grew up in Fairfield has made it big in show business with casting jobs for major television networks.Lisa Matt is only 24 years old and has already worked in casting famous television shows such as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Real Housewives of Miami and Swamp People.Matt was raised in Fairfield and attended several schools in her youth. She was homeschooled through fifth grade. She ...

Cancer survivors gather for a group picture Saturday at the Jefferson County Relay for Life in the Fairfield Middle School.

Mark Brownlee scoops popcorn at a Relay for Life booth run by Louden Depot Community Credit Union.