Andy Hallman

Washington resident Johnatan Sanchez was charged with serious assault following an incident that allegedly took place at Sunset Park. The 18-year-old Sanchez was placed under arrest and taken to the Washington County Jail. In addition to serious assault charges, Sanchez is also charged with second degree robbery, which is taking the property of another with the use of force or the threat of force. He was charged with

Local law enforcement agencies stopped more than a couple dozen motorists for seat belt violations in Washington Thursday night. Washington County Chief Deputy Jared Schneider said a total of 33 stops were made from 7 to 9 p.m. at a single intersection in the city ? East Washington Street and Sourth Second Avenue. The Iowa State Patrol, Washington County Sheriff?s Department and Washington Police Department

Today is the autumnal equinox, which marks the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. The National Council on Aging (NCOA) wants to use the day to educate the public about a different kind of fall: the one that afflicts millions of elderly individuals every year.    According to the NCOA, falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries for Americans 65 years old and older. In 2008, over 2.1 million elderly

Stewart Elementary School has begun a program of distributing backpacks full of food to children of low-income households. The backpacks are given to the children on Friday and are meant to supply them with nutritious meals over the weekend. The program was piloted at Stewart last spring, and was considered by school personnel to be a tremendous success. Today is the first day of the program for this school year.   

One of the most famous thought experiments in ethics is known as the trolley problem. The trolley problem is as follows: an unmanned trolley is heading down a track. A mad philosopher has tied five people to the track, who will be killed if the trolley continues on its course. However, there is an alternate track on which the trolley could run if a switch were flipped, and on this track is tied a single person. You

The Washington City Council had a special meeting this morning at 11 a.m. to approve a time-sensitive grant application and a resolution.    The council approved a grant application to go toward funding the city?s update to its comprehensive plan.    ?This is an opportunity to get money from the state government,? said city administrator Dave Plyman.    Plyman remarked that the city has not updated its

The city of Washington?s purchase of 126 acres west of Elm Grove Cemetery in August was a long time coming. In the summer of 2009, the city council passed a $3.5 million general obligation bond, which was to use property taxes to pay for that property acquisition and for a new water tower.    City Administrator Dave Plyman said the city needs the land west of the cemetery to build a new sewer plant and to expand the

The biodiesel industry once again came up empty in its bid to renew the $1-per-gallon tax credit from the federal government. Last week, the U.S. Senate voted 41-58 against a motion to suspend the rules and accept an amendment offered by Sen. Charles Grassley to extend the biodiesel tax credit, which expired at the end of last year.    Mike Bohannan, president of the biodiesel plant Iowa Renewable Energy (IRE) in

Ainsworth resident Jenna Waters was recently honored by the University of Iowa Children?s Hospital. The children?s hospital is raising funds through a program called ?Touchdowns for Kids,? whereby Hawkeye fans pledge funds to the hospital for every touchdown the football team scores this season. The hospital chose Waters as its poster child for its first year of fundraising for the program. Jenna?s photo has been

The City of Washington closed South Ninth Avenue to through traffic Monday because of roadwork. The avenue is closed from Washington Street to Van Buren Street, but both of those cross streets will remain open. The city held an informational meeting about the paving project at the old library Friday, which was attended by residents who were concerned about the inconvenience the roadwork would cause.    Construction

Have you ever lost something in a sofa, never to find it again? Former Washington resident Nathan Graber had a similar experience 18 years ago. One day in his eighth grade year, Nathan noticed his trousers felt a bit lighter than normal. The reason: his wallet was missing.    He remembered that he took his wallet to his friend Ryan Shultz?s house the day before. The two searched every nook and cranny of the house to

The Washington City Council heard another resident voice opposition to increasing speed limits on East Washington Street ? two weeks after deleting speed limits on the street from the city code. The council met at its regular place and time Wednesday, and listened to Washingtonian Penny Cahill explain why the speed limit on the street should be lower, not higher.    ?The number of semi-trucks and other large trucks

Free County held a meeting at the Pizza Ranch in Washington Monday which was attended by two supervisor candidates, a sitting state senator and 30 to 40 residents. Republican Ron Bennett and Democrat Richard Gilmore are candidates for Washington County?s fifth district, and both of them spoke at the meeting. Democratic State Senator Becky Schmitz also spoke at the meeting about work she has done in the Iowa

A group of veterans from southeast Iowa left for Washington, D.C., today to visit the National World War II Memorial. A public send-off for the veterans was held this morning at 7:30 in New London. After a short ceremony, the veterans traveled to the Moline Airport and then flew to the nation?s capital.    According to the memorial?s website, its purpose is to honor the 16 million who served in the armed forces

Three exchange students are enrolled at the Washington High School this school year, and they come from three different countries in southeastern Europe. Senior Bozidar Stankovic hails from Montenegro, a country on the Adriatic Sea, which is on Italy?s east coast. Junior Katerina Kazazi comes from Albania, which borders Montenegro to the south, and junior Marina Milosavlejevic originates from Serbia, which borders