Andy Hallman

A car caught fire at Piper Auto Salvage north of Washington Friday afternoon. Washington Fire Chief Tom Wide said the car was a salvage car and that it had caught fire once before. The car was the property of Piper Auto Salvage.

Lincoln Elementary fifth-graders Kayla Andrew (left) and Makenna Rich enjoy their physical education class outside Friday morning. Kayla is the daughter of Robert Andrew. Makenna is the daughter of Mary Jo and Matt Rich.

The City of Riverside has taken Ralph and Jan Schnoebelen to court over alleged nuisance violations. Magistrate Judge Daniel Kitchen heard arguments from both sides Thursday morning. Kitchen ruled that the Schnoebelens would have to pay a civil penalty of $100. Kitchen said the Schnoebelens have until Aug. 15 to clean up the pallets, barrels and scrap iron on their property. The Schnoebelens were represented by ...

The American Gaming Association released a survey of casinos around the nation. The survey revealed that the nation?s 483 casinos reported earnings of $34.6 billion in 2010, one percent higher than the prior year. In Iowa, revenue went down 0.7 percent from $1.38 billion in 2009 to $1.37 in 2010.The Riverside Casino and Golf Resort?s revenues have been fairly constant over the past four years. The casino?s ...

Documents obtained at the Washington County Courthouse reveal that Thomas Lee Hansen and the late Sharon Kay Gerot applied for a marriage license on April 29. Gerot was discovered dead two days later, May 1, at 1355 Deer Run Drive south of Riverside. Hansen has been charged with first-degree murder in relation to her death and is being held on a $2 million cash bond. According to Washington County Sheriff Jerry ...

The demolition of the collapsed buildings on South Marion Avenue will not take place at the end of May as originally scheduled. The Washington City Council debated the matter at its meeting Wednesday night. The council reviewed two bids for the demolition but voted to reject both. The council authorized City Administrator Dave Plyman to go out for bids again, but this time the bidders will not have to abate the ...

A fungus is something most people try to avoid, unless you?re a morel hunter. Then, you search far and wide for the fungus, and you don?t let even your closest friends know where you found it.A morel is an edible kind of mushroom that grows throughout North America, including Washington County. They are normally seen in the spring months of April and May. They grow in the neighborhood of deciduous trees such ...

The City of Wellman discovered wastewater coming out of a storm sewer Tuesday. Wastewater was found entering Smith Creek. Wellman Public Works Director Aaron Shumaker said he saw a plume of wastewater enter the creek, but that it had completely dissipated when it got 100 feet downstream. He characterized the impact from the wastewater on the creek to be ?extremely small.?Shumaker said in an interview Wednesday ...

The Riverside City Council discussed how many police officers should be at TrekFest. The council debated the issue at its meeting Monday night. The council voted unanimously to pay for the officers for TrekFest, as long as the bill was not over $800. The vote was 4-0.Councilor Betty Kaalberg was absent at the meeting because she was still in the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. Kaalberg has been in a ...

A resident of Riverside has been charged with first-degree murder. Thomas Lee Hansen, age 70, was charged with the crime in connection to the death of Sharon Kay Gerot, age 54, who was pronounced dead at about 4 p.m. Sunday. The two were cohabiting at 1355 Deer Run Drive at the time of Gerot?s death, according to Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar. The address is in a residential development about one mile ...

There are now looser fishing regulations for Foster Pond near Crawfordsville. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) made the announcement Thursday, and the new regulations go into effect today and will last through June 15.Anglers with a valid fishing license will be allowed to harvest any size and number of fish from the pond. This includes bluegill, largemouth bass, channel catfish and crappies. ...

The senior class wasted no time Friday as it scrambled to prepare the gymnasium for Saturday?s prom. The prom committee covered the gym floor and the walls with thin, sleek tarps of blue, purple and black colors. While some taped the tarp to the floor, others were busy building artificial shrubberies, which look nice but aren?t too expensive.The theme of the prom is a mixture of ?Alice in Wonderland? and an ...

The Washington Junior High School witnessed a motivational, funny and often moving presentation Wednesday afternoon. The school invited speaker Chris Hall to talk about how to keep a positive outlook on life and about the importance of treating others with respect.Hall spoke on behalf of an organization called ?Rachel?s Challenge.? It is named after Rachel Scott, a 17-year-old girl who was killed at the ...

Delores Franzen could give Lance Armstrong a run for his money. At 81 years young, Franzen makes her way around Washington exclusively on two wheels. She rides her bicycle to the grocery stores and transports her goodies in a basket on her steering wheel. Her greatest cycling exploit was riding to Keota and back on the Kewash trail in 2009.Delores grew up on a farm outside South English. Her parents died at a ...

The Washington Tree Beautification Committee will hold its tree giveaway Saturday in Central Park. The event begins at 8 a.m. At last year?s event, 100 people lined up to grab a tree. To ensure wide distribution, please take only one tree. All of the trees are ?bare root? and ready to plant. However, before planting residents should dial the number for Iowa One Call (1-800-292-8989). This should be done a minimum ...