Andy Hallman

Don?t be surprised to see a crowd of people standing in line in Washington?s Central Park at 8 a.m. Saturday. The Washington Tree Beautification Committee will hold its tree giveaway at that time, and in the past the event has drawn about 100 people. Tree committee president Marde McConnell said the committee gave away 135 trees last year and plans to give away 125 this year. She said the committee has given away ...

The Washington County Sheriff?s Department and Washington County Attorney?s Office have investigated a fight between two men from Washington on March 22 and is charging one of them with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) and not charging the other man. Tim Peterson, 44, is being charged with OWI. The other man in the altercation, Shawn Reimers, 33, is not facing charges.The sheriff?s department ...

A large branch broke off from a tree and blocked part of 12th Avenue near the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Washington Friday afternoon at about 1:15 p.m. Police and city maintenance staff responded to direct traffic and remove the tree.

The proposed soccer fields on the north side of Washington will have to wait at least another year before they are seeded. Washington City Administrator Brent Hinson met with members of the Washington Area Soccer Association during the Park Board?s monthly meeting Wednesday afternoon. Hinson said the city might trade the 90 acres on 18th street, known as the ?school 90,? for land elsewhere in town. Last fall, the ...

The Washington Police Department conducted SWAT team training drills at the Washington Junior High School Friday afternoon. The police officers trained to respond to an armed suspect in the school. They practiced how they would enter the school, how they would enter each room and how they would relay information to the officers inside and outside the building.Washington Police Investigator Shawn Ellingson said ...

Members of the Washington City Council toured the new wastewater treatment facility Friday afternoon. Construction on the sewer plant began last spring and continued uninterrupted over the winter. Washington engineering technician Keith Henkel estimated the project was six to eight months ahead of schedule. City Administrator Brent Hinson said he expects the plant to be ready to treat waste in August.?They got a ...

Main Street Washington director Amy Vetter addressed the Washington City Council about the possibility of funding a grant to rehabilitate apartments downtown. The grant could be for as much as $1.6 million. The council agreed to direct city staff to help Main Street write the grant. A local match of 20 percent is expected, although some on the council said the match couldn?t come from the city. Vetter said she ...

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds spoke about their plan to reduce property taxes at a townhall meeting at the Washington Free Public Library Tuesday afternoon. After the meeting, Branstand and Reynolds took questions from the audience, which was about 30 people.Branstad distributed a sheet of paper to everyone in attendance that detailed his tax plan. Branstad said his plan would save Iowa ...

The local taxing jurisdictions passed their budgets last month, which included changes to tax rates residents pay. Many governmental bodies were able to reduce their tax rates without losing revenue because the property tax valuations have risen.Under the current tax rates, Washington residents have the greatest local tax liability at $42.39 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. That includes city, county, and ...

A group of 35 high school students from Minnesota made a stop in Washington Friday morning to perform volunteer work. The students are on a service trip to St. Louis and are making stops along the way. The group is known as ?Students Today Leaders Forever? (STLF) and is based in Minneapolis and has chapters in Wisconsin, North Dakota, Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan and Oregon.The students who visited Washington ...

Farmland values in Iowa have increased 24 percent in the past year, according to the March 2012 land trends and values survey conducted by the Iowa Farm and Land Chapter #2 Realtors Land Institute. The 24 percent increase comes on the heels of a 25 percent increase from March 2010 to March 11.The participants in the survey are specialists in farmland and are knowledgeable about land sales and land appraisals. ...

Washington residents George and Meda Fulton were named ?Outstanding Volunteers? by the Iowa Urban and Community Forestry Council. They will receive the award at the 22nd Annual Urban and Community Forestry Awards Luncheon on April 17 in Johnston.Emma Bruemmer, State Urban Forester with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forestry Bureau said in a press release, ?Meda and George Fulton are an outstandin...

Jack Seward of West Chester has announced that he will run for the District 1 seat on the Washington County Board of Supervisors. Seward will compete in the June 5 Republican Primary. Board chairman Jim Miksch occupies the District 1 seat. District 1 encompasses the western third of the county and includes West Chester, Wellman, Richmond, Dublin, Rubio, Lake Darling, Grace Hill and the rural areas west of ...

The Washington County E911 Board came up with a proposal for what to charge Henry County to use Washington County?s 911 infrastructure. The proposal is to charge Henry County $19,000 per year over the next five years to cover the maintenance on the equipment. Last fall the Henry County Board of Supervisors notified Washington County that Henry County was interested in sharing 911 equipment.The board discussed ...

Junior high students gathered at Immanuel Lutheran Church Saturday for an all-day event intended to discourage drugs and alcohol while promoting healthy decision-making. The event is known as ?Operation Snowflake? and is in its fifth year in Washington.The day began at 8 a.m. when 70 junior high students arrived at the church to eat breakfast. The students listened to a couple of speakers in the morning. One ...