Andy Hallman

COPPOCK ? One man was killed and two others were injured in a car accident Saturday morning in Jefferson County.Jacob Aaron Nelson, 21, of Lockridge, was pronounced dead at the scene according to a press release from the Iowa State Patrol. One passenger in the car, Brett Nicholas Scott, 21, of Fairfield, was taken by AirCare to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.Another passenger, Maxwell ...

WASHINGTON, Iowa (GTNS) ? An unoccupied 2000 Buick Century stolen in Jefferson County this weekend was found at 1 p.m. Monday inside Coppock Quarry, owned by Douds Stone Inc., about 6 miles south of Washington.The vehicle was not in the pit, but on a ledge about 75 feet below the top of the quarry. Washington Fire Chief Tom Wide said the angle of the rock formations in the quarry prevented firefighters from ...

Fairfield police officers were called to the scene of an accident at 2:44 a.m. Wednesday where a vehicle drove into the side of a local business on South 23rd Street in Fairfield. According to the police report, an unknown subject drove a car through the north side of Bob?s Automotive Inc. Authorities say the incident is currently under investigation.

By Andy HallmanGTNS NewsJefferson County?s Special Response Team was called into action early this morning during a four-hour standoff with an armed subject believed to be dangerous.According to a press release from the Jefferson County Attorney?s Office, the incident began when the Jefferson County Law Center received a 911 call reporting a male subject, later identified as Kelley Robinson, age 45, at 2089 ...

WEST CHESTER (GTNS) ? Two people have died after they were thrown from their motorcycle in a head-on collision with a pickup truck near West Chester Saturday afternoon.The driver of the motorcycle was Ronald D. Rozema, 57, of DeKalb, Ill. and the passenger was Lynn M. Rozema, 55, of DeKalb, Ill.The two occupants of the pickup were transported by ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where ...

FAIRFIELD ? A Fairfield man was found dead Sunday after firefighters entered his home to extinguish a fire.Fairfield firefighters discovered the body of Richard Hendershot, 56, shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday at 800 N. 12th St. in Fairfield. Fire chief Scott Vaughan said firefighters received a call at 2:09 p.m., and spent the next three hours throwing water on the house and setting up fans to rid it of smoke.Vaugha...

WASHINGTON, Iowa (GTNS) ? Michael Powers auditioned to be on ?American Idol? last summer and even got to perform before the celebrity judges: Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.Michael Powers, originally of Pleasant Plain, may be featured on the show when it premiers its 11th season at 7 p.m. Wednesday on Fox.Powers works as a 911 dispatcher at the Washington County Communications Center. His ...

WASHINGTON, Iowa (GTNS) ? Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds began a tour promoting their plan for reforming Iowa?s educational system Thursday morning at Washington High School.Branstad said in his opening remarks that Iowa?s students must be prepared to compete not just against those from other states, but also against students around the world. He said he recently went on a trade mission to ...

WASHINGTON (GTNS) ? John Moore can sharpen everything, but a dull personality. Moore has taken up a hobby of sharpening saws, mower blades and many other tools. He set up a booth at Washington?s Farmer?s Market recently and offered to sharpen any steel blade put in front of him. When he?s not at a farmers market, Moore does custom sharpening at his shop in Packwood.Moore has lived in Iowa for more than a ...

FAIRFIELD ? The Fairfield Fire Department responded to a person stuck in the elevator at the Jefferson County Courthouse Monday afternoon. Firefighters arrived on the scene at 3:13 p.m. and used the elevator key to fix the problem. The person trapped in the elevator was released within minutes.

WASHINGTON, Iowa (GTNS) ? West Madison Street in Washington will change from a four-lane road to a three-lane road in 2012.The Washington City Council made the decision at its meeting Wednesday night. The vote was evenly split among the councilors, 3-3. Mayor Sandra Johnson cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of the three-lane layout. Councilors Mike Roth, Merlin Hagie and Bob Shepherd voted in favor of the ...

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 Washington County Sheriff said that he doubted the claims of a man who said he was sexually assaulted in the Washington County Jail.Martin Medrano Vargas said that Rudolph Edwards raped him while the two were inmates in the Washington County Jail on July 16, 2011. Edwards was charged with third degree sexual assault but was found not guilty by a jury last Friday.Medrano testified that he told a jailer that ...

Washington City Administrator Brent Hinson has suggested keeping the city?s levy the same next fiscal year, but property owners could still pay more on their tax bill.The city?s levy is $15.82 per $1,000 of valuation. A person who owns a $100,000 house pays the city $803 a year, because only about half of the property value is taxed. However, since the state is increasing the percent of property that can be ...

A judge has barred an interrogation from the court record in the case of a man charged with committing sexual assault in the Washington County Jail.Rudolph Edwards, 42, Country Club Hills, Ill., was interrogated on July 19, 2011, three days after the alleged incident. His defense attorney, Jeffrey Powell, asked Judge Myron Gookin to suppress the interrogation because he believed the interrogator, Washington ...