Andy Hallman

Trick-or-treaters should be mindful of traffic as they criss-cross town Saturday night. That is the advice of Washington Police Chief Greg Goodman and Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar. Dunbar said he?d like kids to wear white or bright costumes when they go from house to house. He said there are now reflective costumes that children can wear to make them more visible to cars.    ?We?d like to see them wear a

Voters in Washington County will decide whether to continue the $1.50 monthly landline surcharge on Nov. 2 or let it revert to $1. The surcharge pays for telecommunications equipment for emergency services and not for salaries, insurance, building repairs or other costs. If the ballot measure passes, it will remain $1.50 for another two years.    At its meeting in June, the Washington County E911 Board voted to

Rodney Stogdill is running for the District 3 seat on the Washington County Board of Supervisors. Stogdill is a Democrat who is challenging incumbent Republican Steve Davis.    Stogdill hails from rural Wayland. He has been the owner and operator of Rider Sales in Washington for the past 17 years. He serves on the Habitat for Humanity Board. He volunteers to help with the Sixth-Grade Fun Day, which involves taking

The Washington City Council talked about the speed limit on South Iowa Avenue at its meeting Wednesday night in the former library. The council approved the second reading of an ordinance to change the speed limit on South Iowa Avenue from 55 mph to 45 mph from Lincoln Street to the city limits.    Councilor Merlin Hagie said the city has communicated with the county about the speed limit on South Iowa beyond the

The Riverside City Council continued its struggles with its nuisance laws at its meeting Tuesday night. Riverside resident Carolyn Hudson spoke about a nuisance that the city recently abated on her property. She said she would have gladly done it herself if she had received more information from the city.    ?All I received was a note saying I needed to trim my bushes,? said Hudson.    Hudson said she assumed the

More and more votes in the county are cast before election day, according to figures from Washington County Auditor Bill Fredrick. Fredrick said the number of absentee ballots requested has nearly doubled since the election in 2006. In 2006, nearly 7,600 people in the county cast a ballot, about 1,300 of which were absentee ballots. Fredrick said the number of absentee ballots requested this year is just over 2,500. 

A debate between the candidates for the Iowa Senate District 45 seat was the fourth and final forum held at the United Presbyterian Church Monday night. Incumbent Democrat Becky Schmitz has been in office four years and faces challengers Sandy Greiner of the Republican Party and Douglas Philips of the Iowa Party.    Chamber of Commerce Director Tim Coffey was the moderator for the forum and asked the candidates a

The third debate at Monday?s forum in the United Presbyterian Church pitted three candidates against one another: Democrat Larry Marek, Republican Jarad Klein and Green Party member David Smithers. The three men are vying to fill the Iowa House District 89 seat, which Marek has held since 2008.    Marek gave the first opening statement, in which he talked about his personal life and familial heritage, remarking that

A crowd of nearly 100 people turned out for a piano concert at the Washington Free Public Library Saturday evening. Réne Lecuona, professor of piano at the University of Iowa, performed three classical numbers for the audience. The event also served as the public dedication of the library?s new grand piano, a Model A Steinway from 1888.    Susan See, the Iowa Mennonite School music teacher, remarked that she invited

A group of 30 veterans from southeast Iowa have flown to Washington, D.C., to visit the National World War II Memorial. The group congregated in Muscatine bright and early this morning for a public send-off at 7 a.m. The veterans then hopped in a bus to the Moline Airport where they boarded their plane. They will spend four days in the capital.     The National World War II Memorial they will visit was built in 2004

Recent visitors to Stewart?s Pump-N-STUF in West Chester have noticed that the black cat that used to hang around the shop is nowhere to be found. Cindy Zielstorf, the manager of Stewart?s, said the stray cat has finally found a home. A couple from Keota inquired about the cat and took it home with them last month. Zielstorf said she is happy the cat is with a loving family but nevertheless it was hard to see him

Three of Iowa?s Supreme Court justices are up for a retention vote on Nov. 2. Michael Streit, David Baker and Chief Justice Marsha Ternus are all seeking another eight years on the bench, which is the length of a supreme court justice?s term.    District Court Judge Michael Mullins is also up for retention. Mullins practiced law in Washington for 19 years from 1982 to 2001. In 2002, he was appointed to the eighth

Stewart Elementary was evacuated Wednesday night because of a gas leak near the building. The evacuation occurred at about 5:30 p.m., a few hours after class was dismissed. The leak was fixed and class resumed as scheduled Thursday.     Middle School Principal Kurt Mayer was in the school at the time the evacuation order was given. He was there for a SINA review meeting (Schools in Need of Assistance) for Stewart

The Washington Chamber of Commerce will put on a candidates forum Monday evening at the United Presbyterian Church. The event is split into four separate forums for each of the four, featured races. It begins at 6 p.m. and is expected to last three hours.    The first forum of the evening will be for the Iowa Senate District 45 seat held by Democrat Becky Schmitz. Schmitz will be joined by Republican challenger

The Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP) is experiencing a shortage in its food pantries. Barb Elsasser, the food reservoir program manager who works in Hiawatha, said the shortage is occurring in its food pantries in all seven of the counties it serves. She said the scarcity of food is due to increased demand.    ?The numbers reported to us show that there has been a 20 percent increase in demand since the