Andy Hallman

Several towns in southeast Iowa are celebrating Independence Day with a ?bang.? Some are shooting off fireworks while others are holding concerts and parades. The city of Washington is partnering with Just Cause to provide fireworks at the fairgrounds on July 4. The fireworks will start at dark. They are also providing a ?free swim? at the Steele Family Aquatic Center from 2 to 6 p.m. that day. That means the ...

WELLMAN ? The town of Wellman has planned one of the grandest festivals ever held on a Wednesday. Wellman will celebrate Independence Day next week with a day full of food, games and dancing, not to mention fireworks.The fun begins Tuesday night with a dance at Parkside Activities Center from 7 p.m. to midnight. Local band ?Hard Barney? is the headline act and it will perform with special guest ?The Rockin? ...

If you like flowers, you are in luck. The Daughters of the American Revolution have organized a garden walk in which four Washington homes will showcase their well-kept flower beds and lawns.The four homes on the garden walk belong to Shirley Steele, Gary and Jeanne (Prochaska) Kos, C.J. ?Griff? and Vivian Griffith, and Steve and Tammy Roth. The flowers around the Alexander Young Log Cabin are also part of the ...

The Washington County E911 and Communications Commission met at the former Washington Public Library Monday night. Washington County Communications Supervisor Cara Sorrells updated the board and commission members about a number of developments affecting dispatchers. Sorrells on surcharge task force Last month, the State Legislature passed a bill to reduce all counties? monthly landline surcharges to $1. Washingto...

The houses in the 300 block of West Main Street were evacuated Monday night because of a gas leak at 320 W. Main, a two-story apartment complex. The leak was reported at about 7:30 p.m. by visitors in one of the apartments at the address. Alliant Energy turned off power and gas to the residence. Power was restored later that night but the gas was left off while the leak is being investigated. The residents were ...

What was once a pastime is now a source of income for Brenda Shipley. Shipley, of Washington, has taken to painting birdhouses in her free time. She has honed her craft for over a decade and now sells her creations at the Washington Farmers Market.The birdhouses come in many colors and shapes. Shipley loves to decorate her birdhouses by painting flowers on them. A few of her birdhouses are even in the shape of ...

The Washington City Council debated Wednesday whether to lock in a 3.5 percent increase in the water and sewer rates. The council voted 5-0 to approve the third reading of an ordinance which included the increases but which stipulated that the council could amend the increase with a resolution. The annual increase will take effect July 1, 2013. Councilor Merlin Hagie was absent from the meeting. Councilor Bob ...

A new program is available for homeowners that will pay for most of their energy-efficient home improvements. The program is called the Home Energy Savers program and is administered by HACAP and funded by Alliant Energy. The program pays for up to 90 percent of the home improvements of eligible applicants.Michele Canfield, community development specialist for HACAP, spoke about the program at the Washington ...

If you think traveling across the United States makes for a long car ride, try doing it on your bike. Then try doing it twice. That is essentially what Levi Ammundsen of British Columbia has set out to do. Ammundsen, 20, is cycling across the country from the West Coast to the East Coast, and then back west across Canada. Ammundsen made a pit stop in Washington, Iowa, Wednesday night to rest for a while and ...

Flags are being flown throughout Washington today to honor a special visit. The traveling Vietnam War Memorial known as ?The Wall that Heals? arrived in the town today at 11:45 a.m., greeted by dozens of flags along East Washington Street. The Washington Optimists Club handed out flags to people who welcomed the memorial?s arrival.The Optimists routinely display 115 American flags in town as part of a fundraiser ...

RIVERSIDE ? A committee of Riverside residents has gathered information on surrounding community centers, and it presented that information at the Riverside Community Building Sunday night. The committee collected the information to get a better idea of how to build a new community building in Riverside.At a meeting in April, the committee made a list of about 20 questions to ask the neighboring towns that had ...

The trial of Thomas Lee Hansen has been continued for a fourth time. The new trial date is Oct. 8 and the pretrial is set for Sept. 21. Hansen, 71, is charged with the first-degree murder of Sharon Kay Gerot, who was 54 when she died on May 1, 2011. The two were living together at 1355 Deer Run Drive south of Riverside at the time of Gerot?s death.Hansen?s trial was originally scheduled for Jan. 24. It was ...

A racecar driver was killed at the CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction Friday when his car collided with another. Tim Sands, 48, of Conesville, was pronounced dead after he was airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics from Trinity Medical Center in Muscatine.Mark Huston, a member of the Louisa County Fairboard which owns the racetrack, was in the stands Friday night to watch the races. He said he ...

The auditor of the state of Iowa, David A. Vaudt, issued an audit report today on Washington County. The report indicated the county had tax revenue of $32,239,644 for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011. That included $1,123,496 from the state in the form of tax credits. The county forwarded $22,447,288 of the local tax revenue to the townships, school districts, cities and other taxing bodies in the ...

KEOTA ? The most extroverted town in America hopes to welcome thousands of visitors this weekend for the annual Keota Fun Days. Andy Conrad, co-chairman of the Fun Days, estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 people visited Keota during the town?s celebration last year, and he thinks the town could repeat that feat.Keota Fun Days is a two-day event that begins this evening and lasts all day Saturday. The activities ...