Andy Hallman

Faith Baptist Church will perform mission work this summer in a place it knows like the back of its steeple ? Washington, Iowa. The church will spend its energies completing service projects around town, including volunteering at Celebrate Washington Saturday. Members of the church set up a booth at the Washington Farmers Market Thursday where they gave away cookies and bottles of water.For the past couple of ...

The Washington City Council talked about traffic issues again at its council meeting Wednesday. The council heard from Rob Negrete, who runs an eye clinic at the corner of East Third Street and North Second Avenue. Negrete proposed solutions to the traffic problems at the intersection, which had been the subject of discussion at earlier council meetings this summer.The council talked about removing one of the ...

The Washington Municipal Band received a special treat Thursday when it performed a piece of music composed by one of its own members. Ross Schumaker, who plays trumpet and percussion in the band, composed a march for the municipal band in honor of its 80th anniversary.Schumaker?s march is called ?Semper Victoriam,? which is Latin for ?always victorious.? Band director Tom McNamar stepped aside Thursday to allow ...

Two cars collided Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. on the east edge of Washington at the intersection of Highway 92 and Wiley Avenue. One person was injured and taken to the Washington County Hospital and Clinics.Washington Police Officer Chad Huschka said the collision involved a funeral motorcade that was westbound on Highway 92. A car from the south turned onto Highway 92 because the light was green. A car in the ...

The Washington Planning and Zoning Commission met Tuesday night to discuss the city?s proposed comprehensive plan. The plan includes suggestions for development over the next 20 years. The commission unanimously approved the plan as it was written. The comprehensive plan was drafted by the firm RDG of Des Moines and shaped by a committee of Washington residents. Connie Larsen is both a member of the planning and ...

Terry McElyea moved to Washington 25 years ago, and he brought a little taste of his home state with him. McElyea hails from Sweetwater, Texas. Since he retired last year, McElyea has been making billfolds, purses, belts, holsters, bootjacks and even cases for e-readers, all out of leather. He likes to carve designs depicting the Old West into them that reflect his heritage.McElyea has had his leather creations ...

John Simmering smooths freshly poured concrete on a sidewalk near the intersection of Third Street and North Marion Avenue in Washington Thursday morning. Simmering said the little rain that fell last night did not interrupt the concrete pouring.

By Andy HallmanThe JOURNALThe intersection of Taylor Street and South 12th Avenue was the subject of much discussion at the Washington City Council?s meeting Wednesday. The council has heard from residents who would like to make the intersection a four-way stop. Only Taylor Street has stops now.The council voted 5-1 to pass the first reading of an ordinance to install stop signs on 12th Avenue at the intersecti...

The Washington City Council has discussed revising its ordinance on animal control so that it clearly states when pet owners need to put their animals on leashes. The council met Wednesday and talked about how to balance the rights of pet owners with the safety of the community.The council charges a dog owner $10 for the first offense of letting a dog run at large. City Administrator Brent Hinson told the ...

Don?t be surprised if you see a cyclist in Washington dressed in a police uniform. The Washington Police Department has operated a bike patrol since the mid-1990s, and has become more visible this summer as more officers have had time to devote to the patrol.Washington Police Chief Greg Goodman said police officers in other towns work full-time on a bike patrol and patrol on their cycle year-round. Washington ...

The city of Washington?s financial outlook has changed markedly since the beginning of the year. City Administrator Brent Hinson said at a meeting in January that if the city made no changes to its operating procedures, it would end fiscal year 2012-2013 with a deficit of over $500,000. Hinson said in an interview Tuesday that the city should end that fiscal year with a $400,000 surplus.Hinson said that there ...

Local law enforcement responded to a man who climbed atop a grain bin Monday night south of Washington on Highway 1. Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar said deputies, city police officers and firefighters talked to the man for just over an hour and convinced him to come down. The Washington Fire Department took its ladder truck to the scene and helped the man down from the grain bin. Dunbar said the subject ...

DAVENPORT ? A Kalona man was sentenced to nearly three years? imprisonment for falsifying his tax returns over four years. James Lavon Miller, 62, will serve 33 months for falsely claiming a total of over $6 million in refunds on his tax returns. The false tax returns were filed in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. United States District Judge John A. Jarvey also sentenced Miller to three years? supervised release. ...

RIVERSIDE ? The Riverside City Council called a work session last Friday to investigate a backup copy of the city computer?s hard drive. The meeting was attended by mayor Bill Poch and council members Nate Kasdorf and Bob Schneider, Jr.According to Schneider, a representative from the city?s computer networking firm, Iowa Solutions, said he could not tell if the backup copy had been accessed. At its meeting July ...

Motorists traveling through Washington should see patchwork on Highway 92 this week. Jason Huddle of the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) said the patchwork will start Wednesday near the intersection of Highway 92 and G36 and move south into Washington and then east on Highway 92 to the eastern city limits. Once the patching is done, West Madison Street will be milled and resurfaced. That portion of the ...