Andy Hallman

The Washington County E911 Board hosted two special guests at its meeting Monday night. Kyle Schindler, left, and Adam Todd are Boy Scouts and they attended the meeting in order to earn a ?Citizenship in Community? badge. Schindler is the son of Dawn and Greg Schindler. Todd is the son of Teresa and Mike Todd.

Washington County HACAP has been accepting applications for LiHEAP from people 60 and over and from households with a disabled person in them since Oct. 1. Applicants for the rest of the public will be accepted starting today, Nov. 1 continue through April 30, 2013.LiHEAP is a home-energy assistance program for low-income individuals and families. Applications may be done through the mail or in person at HACAP?s ...

Lincoln fourth grade teacher Janet Conrad places an ?I voted!? sticker on Ryan Maschmann, son of Jamie Maschmann, after he voted in the school?s mock presidential election Tuesday. The students were not given any instruction in whom to vote for. They seemed to prefer four more years of the sitting president as they voted 237 to 102 (70 percent) in favor of Barack Obama over Mitt Romney.

The tax rates on agricultural and residential properties will increase for Iowans beginning next September. The Iowa Department of Revenue announced last week that it would increase the percent of a person?s property value that can be taxed. The increase is about 4 percent.The percent of taxable value on residential property will rise from 50.75 percent to 52.82 percent. Residential property includes farm ...

The Washington County E911 Board and Communications Commission learned Monday that the county will not share 911 equipment with Henry County. Henry County had been interested in sharing equipment with Washington County, but decided to use Lee County?s equipment instead because it offered a lower price.Lee County offered to let Henry County route its dispatching calls through Lee County?s equipment for about ...

St. James Elementary students played a game of Team Handball in physical education class today. Claire Horak (right) tries to score a goal while Grady Knutson puts his body on the line to block any ball from going through. Horak is the daughter of Paul and Lynn Horak. Knutson is the son of Tom and Tina Knutson.

The Van Buren County Attorney?s Office has determined that the deputy who shot Brighton resident Robert Dooley on Oct. 16 did so in self-defense and will not press charges against the deputy.According to a press release from the Van Buren County Attorney?s Office, Van Buren County Sheriff?s Deputy Jon Tharp shot Dooley, 59, while Dooley was standing on the side of Highway 2. Dooley was armed with what appeared ...

The voting age in the United States is 18, but young people are still interested in learning about the political process. Even elementary students have taken an interest in the presidential election.Lincoln Elementary School joined schools across the nation today when it held its own mock presidential election. The students took turns visiting computers where they could vote for either Barack Obama or Mitt ...

Taylor Blodgett (back) and her friend Amanda Schurbon climb across some ropes at New Dawn in Sunset Park Saturday afternoon. The girls said they tried to do as many fun things as possible that day, and that their efforts were largely successful.

The scariest monsters and the most valiant superheroes will be strolling with the towns in the county this Wednesday on Halloween Night.Washington will have a trick-or-treat around the square Wednesday afternoon from 5 to 6 p.m. After the tricking and treating is accomplished, the little ghosts and goblins can stick around for free hot dogs, snacks and drinks, which will be served in Central Park. The town?s ...

Washington County?s unemployment rate continues to fall. According to the Iowa Workforce Development, Washington County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in southeast Iowa at 3.6 percent.That is noticeably lower than where the figure was a year ago when it was 4.4 percent, which was only slightly lower than the year before that.Statewide unemployment dropped to 5.2 percent, compared to 5.9 percent in ...

The students at Lincoln Elementary School enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather Wednesday by playing all manner of outdoor games. Juan Carlos Cano, seen here, passes the ball to a classmate in a game of four-square. Cano is the son of Maria Sanchez.

Public works employee Dale Haifley cuts overgrown trees and shrubs with a hedge trimmer Friday morning at Water Tower Park. Haifley and parks director Tim Widmer said there are trees and other plants that grow around East Creek in the park, and that they have to trim them periodically to keep the park looking nice and so they can easily mow around them.

Washington residents have had a few weeks to drive on the newly paved West Madison Street. When it was repaved earlier this month, the street went from a four-lane road to a three-lane road. The people who use the road often agree that the change has slowed down traffic, although the residents have mixed feelings about whether the change has been for the better or the worse.Beth Leppert lives in Richland, but ...

The City of Washington spent millions of dollars building a new sewer plant and a new gravity sewer line leading to it. And yet, there is more work to be done to improve the city?s sanitary and stormwater sewers. The city is finding out just how much work with the help of a remote-controlled camera they have sent into the city sewer.The city bought a new sewer camera about a year ago and have been using it in ...