Andy Hallman

Scot Andrew Flora, 42, of North Liberty was charged with eluding the police after an incident that occurred in Washington Monday morning. Flora is also charged with second-degree theft and possession of methamphetamine.    Washington Police Chief Greg Goodman submitted a sworn affidavit Tuesday morning in which he recounted the events that transpired the previous day. Police Officer Jamie Townsend also submitted an

James Dean Blum was sentenced to 50 years in prison Monday for the second-degree murder of his wife Patricia Blum. Blum will get credit for time served. Blum must serve no less than 70 percent of his sentence. Blum will not be eligible for bond on appeal.    Blum has 30 days to file a notice of appeal. He can appeal the jury?s verdict, evidentiary matters in the trial, or the sentence. Blum?s attorney, John

The Communications Commission has narrowed its focus to two possible sites for the new dispatch center. One is the former county jail, adjacent to the dispatch center, and the other is the second floor of the former library. At its meeting Monday night, the commission pored over site plans for the two facilities.    Architect John Mahon prepared three site plans for each location, and handed a copy of the plans to

Washington will lose its Iowa Workforce Development Center. The announcement came Thursday through a press release from Iowa Workforce Development. The agency will shrink from 55 field offices to 16 ?one stop? offices. The downsizing will begin in late 2011 and end by early 2012.    Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) Communications Director Kerry Koonce said it?s too early to tell when the Washington branch will

Jarad Klein fielded all the tough questions from the audience at the legislative briefing Saturday morning. Klein, a Republican representative in the Iowa House, is normally one-half of the local legislative tag team who speak at the briefings, but his Republican colleague in the Senate, Sandra Greiner, could not attend the event.    Klein spoke about Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) and its plan to close 39 offices

The trial of Andrew Tyler Brock, 19, of Washington, has been moved up nearly two months to March 1. It was originally scheduled for April 25. Brock is charged with three counts of vehicular homicide in connection to a three-vehicle collision in May 2009 in which three people died.    The collision occurred at the intersection of Lexington Boulevard and Highway 92. Brock is charged with the inadvertent deaths of

A resolution to ban guns from public buildings died at the Washington City Council meeting last week. The resolution will now be taken off the council?s agenda.    The resolution had been tabled since the council?s Jan. 19 meeting. Councilor Mike Roth motioned to untable the resolution Wednesday, so it could be discussed and voted on. The council was evenly split 3-3 on the motion to untable. Roth, Karen

Stewart Elementary School is now in the habit of practicing a ?lockdown? twice a year. The school had its second lockdown of the year Wednesday afternoon. The secretary informed the school at 2:45 p.m. that the building was locked down. The school remained in lockdown until 3:15 p.m. when school was dismissed.    Police Chief Greg Goodman and officer Chad Huschka searched the building just as they would in a real

The immigrants traveled thousands of miles to a strange land, leaving their loved ones behind in the Old World. Some of them arrived only to be told to turn around and get back on the boat. That was the experience of Stewart Elementary second graders Friday afternoon, who were re-enacting in their classrooms the voyage of millions of immigrants to Ellis Island in the early 20th century.    The second graders have

The JOURNAL    Lincoln Elementary students got plenty of exercise Monday. The kids participated in ?Jump Rope for Heart? and ?Hoops for Heart,? which are fundraisers for the American Heart Association.    The fourth and fifth graders traveled to the high school in the morning to use that building?s gymnasium. There, they jumped rope both individually and in teams of three people with a longer rope.    The sixth

Lori Jo Bean was given five years of probation at her sentencing hearing Monday morning. She was also given a suspended sentence of 17 years in prison, which she will not serve barring misconduct during her probation. District Court Judge Michael Mullins handed down Bean?s sentence. In December, Bean was found guilty of the involuntary manslaughter of Joye L. Gentzler, who died in February 2008. Gentzler spent the

Valentine?s Day is a romantic day for married couples and courting youngsters ? a day to show their appreciation for one another. The day carries special significance for Melanie and Dennis Hawkins, not only because they were engaged on that date but also because it is their anniversary.    Melanie and Dennis graduated from Washington High School in 1992. They were friends in high school, but went their separate

Water and sewer rates loom large over the heads of the Washington city councilors. The Department of Natural Resources has ordered the city to construct an $18 million sewer plant. To pay for the project, the city will raise its sewer rates considerably. Councilor Mike Roth said the rate increases will be a ?tough pill to swallow? and recommended the council hold a public meeting solely on the subject of water and

The blizzard that rolled through the area last week prompted a response from the county?s emergency management coordinator. Larry Smith, the emergency management coordinator for Washington and Keokuk counties, was in contact with Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) foreman last Tuesday, Feb. 1. The DOT official informed Smith that they would pull their crews from the road at 7:30 p.m. because the snow was blowing

Bobbie Wulf did not ask for an increase to her department?s budget during her meeting with the Washington County Board of Supervisors Wednesday. Wulf is the director of Washington County Mental Health, whose budget will remain at roughly $2.3 million.    Wulf requested that the supervisors continue to levy the maximum allowable property tax to fund mental health. The property tax is already at its limit in