Andy Hallman

Members of the City of Fairfield?s ways and means committee disagreed on giving raises to the city?s department heads.The ways and means committee met Wednesday to delve into the proposed 2013-2014 city budget. The issue that divided the committee was whether the city could afford to give five department heads $5,000 raises in addition to a 3 percent cost-of-living salary increase.The five department heads that ...

Fairfield Police Officers examine their new computers Tuesday afternoon prior to a training session at the Jefferson County Law Center. The officers pictured are Sgt. Aaron Price, left, Ofc. David Wall, center, and Ofc. Kathy Blumhagen. The computers will be used in the officers? patrol cars.

The city of Fairfield is contemplating an agreement to extend police protection to Maharishi Vedic City.In return, Vedic City would pay the city $13,000 a year. Vedic City council member Chris Johnson said in an interview today that the Vedic City councilors have observed the Fairfield Police Department already has a significant presence near Vedic City because it patrols the airport.?We already work with ...

The United States Postal Service announced Wednesday that it will eliminate Saturday mail delivery later this year.Mail delivery will run from Monday through Friday beginning Aug. 5, 2013, according to a postal service press release. The postal service hopes to save $2 billion annually from the move.Rich Watkins, postal service media contact for the Quad Cities, said it will take time for customers to become ...

The Fairfield Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff?s Department conducted a series of underage drinking stings on Fairfield businesses Friday night and Saturday morning.Law enforcement officers cited 10 of the 23 establishments they checked for providing alcohol to an underage person. According to a press release from the police department, this number was abnormally high. The press release stated ...

Two men were arrested early Wednesday morning after leading police on a chase in Fairfield.Jeramia Gillespie, 29, of Eldon, was charged with eluding a police officer, operating while intoxicated ? first offense, excessive speed, interference with official acts, failure to have a valid driver?s license and failure to obey a stop or yield sign.Shawn Seamans, 22, of Ottumwa, was charged with possession of drug ...

The Fairfield Ways and Means Committee took its first look at the proposed 2013-2014 city budget Thursday night.The budget prepared by City Administrator Kevin Flanagan includes an increase to the city?s levy of about 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The levy is now $15.83 per $1,000 of assessed valuation and the 2013-2014 budget has it at $15.98.Iowa residential property owners will be taxed at 52.82 ...

Angela Jones, right, and her son Ian, 4, play with block letters during Pence Elementary School's Literacy Night Tuesday.

Kids never knew they could have so much fun inside a school building until they attended Literacy Night at Pence Elementary School Tuesday. Annie Messer, right, and her daughter Evie Messer, 7, play an educational game on a computer in the second-floor computer lab.

Fairfield city workers haul away snow around the square Thursday morning that had accumulated since Tuesday night. Area roads remained snow- and ice-packed this morning which forced several schools to delay their morning bell.

A Fairfield man attended the city council meeting Monday to voice his frustrations over a bicycle ticket he received for riding on the wrong side of the road.Dan Tudor, a student at Maharishi University of Management, was issued a ticket on Dec. 8 for riding on the wrong side of the road. Fairfield Police Chief Julie Harvey said Tudor also was pulled over for riding his bike on the sidewalk in the downtown and ...

Mayor Ed Malloy gave a report on the Blue Zones Project at Monday?s city council meeting.The Blue Zones Project is an effort to improve the quality and length of life. It is part of Iowa?s ?Healthiest State Initiative,? which is attempting to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation by 2016, according to the program?s website.Malloy said grocery stores, schools, restaurants and other organizations would be ...

Fairfield was named one of the country?s top 20 towns by a national news magazine.Fairfield Chamber of Commerce director Nancy Morrissey gave Susan Spano of Smithsonian Magazine a tour of the community over the weekend. Spano is compiling a list of the top 20 best small towns in America.Morrissey and Spano toured the town?s cultural attractions to find what makes Fairfield unique.The top 20 towns will be ...

Fairfield has been chosen as the final overnight stop on RAGBRAI this summer. The announcement was made Saturday night at the RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party in Des Moines. RAGBRAI will come to Fairfield on Friday, July 26. Terry Baker, assistant director of the Fairfield Iowa Convention and Visitors Bureau, attended the Route Announcement Party. She said she was very pleased upon hearing the news, which did ...

Fairfield resident and mainstay in the 34th Army Band John Jackson died Saturday at age 102.Jackson served in the National Guard from 1933 to 1974, and fought in Northern Africa and Italy during World War II. He was a charter member of the Washington Municipal Band in 1932. Jackson went on to become the 34th Army Band?s First Sergeant, which meant he was the highest ranking non-commissioned officer in the ...