Andy Hallman

Washington residents Bob and Karen Crossett have had a tumultuous year. The Crossetts spent four months in a motel after their house was ravaged by fire in January. The fire occurred in the second story of their home and destroyed the bedroom and left smoke damage in other rooms of the house. The bedroom was gutted down to the studs and had to be completely redone. The Crossetts moved back into their home in late

A couple of young documentarians are filming a video to promote the city of Washington. The two are Alex Thode and Brock Kimball, both juniors at the Washington High School. They are producing the film on behalf of the Washington Chamber of Commerce, and will upload the video to the chamber?s website and to Youtube before year?s end. Alex is the son of Veta and Mark Thode while Brock is the son of Brad and Julia

The pretrial of Washington resident James Dean Blum, 70, was held earlier today. The pretrial was an opportunity for the prosecution and defense to question the evidence that would be presented at the trial. The two sides agreed that any final motions will be heard on Sept. 27. The trial is set for Oct. 5.      Blum is charged with the second-degree murder of his wife Patricia Blum, who was found unresponsive in the

Iowans who owe the state court costs can have up to half of their debt forgiven. If the debtor pays 50 percent of his overdue fines he can have the other 50 percent waived and considered paid in full. The Iowa Department of Revenue said in a press release that 217,000 people in the state will be sent an application this month offering them partial amnesty. The program was approved by the Iowa Legislature this year

The Riverside City Council enacted a new speed limit on Buckeye Lane and Kleopfer Avenue at its meeting Tuesday night. The current speed limit on those streets is 25 mph and will be lowered to 15 mph sometime next week. The council lowered the speed limit because those streets will be used by children who cross them to get to the Riverside Elementary School.    City Administrator Tina Thomas said, ?I think everyone

The state of Iowa has a number of tax credits available to small businesses to help them get started and to help them succeed once they?re off the ground. Washington Economic Development (WEDG) director Ed Raber said that while a tax credit can help a business along, entrepreneurs should not think of it as a silver bullet.    Raber said that if he meets with a business owner and the first thing the owner asks him is

The JOURNAL    Sigourney resident Lucy Gamon has been appointed by Iowa Governor Chet Culver to be a district judge in Iowa?s Eighth Judicial District, which includes Washington County. Gamon has been an associate judge in the Eighth District since 1993, and is the daughter of Harold and Julia Gamon of Washington. The vacancy was created when District Judge E. Richard Meadows retired after 12 years of service.   

Sarah Lillie was raised a resourceful girl and has become a resourceful woman. Lillie has taken up the hobby of fashioning rugs and aprons from old denim jeans. The hobby started a few years ago and for a while was confined to making wares for her family. Earlier this year, Lillie began selling her homespun creations at the Farmers Market in Washington.    Lillie lives in the country between Washington and Wayland

Babbs Horak had an unforgettable adventure last month when she spent a week on the Mississippi River. Horak was a Washington resident for 40 years and now lives in Iowa City. During the first week of August, she kayaked down the Mississippi River from Dubuque to Muscatine with a group of about 150 people. The event is an annual occurrence known as the ?River Rumble? and is put on by a non-profit organization called

The universe is a complex place that is difficult to understand. Our comprehension of it has improved over time, especially since the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries. Of course, humans are not born with an innate understanding of most scientific principles, but have to learn them as adolescents and adults. This is evident when we hear the humorous ways in which young children explain the natural

The Washington City Council voted 4-2 to amend its Municipal Code to delete sections that dictate speed limits on Highway 92 in the city limits. The deleted portion of the code states that the speed limit on Highway 92 between Seventh and 14th Avenue is 30 mph, which is now the posted speed limit. Councilors Mike Roth, Russ Zieglowsky, Merle Hagie and Karen Wilson-Johnson voted for the ordinance while councilors Fred

The Washington City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance to eliminate stop signs on East Third Street at the four-way stop at the intersection with North Seventh Avenue. The ordinance must be approved twice more before it becomes law.    Councilor Merle Hagie said the stop signs for East Third Street were ?irrelevant? because the traffic on North Seventh also stops. Washington Police Chief Greg Goodman

Washington County SAFE Coalition Coordinator Annette Shipley said binge drinking is a problem in the state of Iowa, and that Washington County is no exception. Shipley said a survey of about 350 adults was done in Washington County this year about the adults? alcoholic drinking habits. The results of the survey indicated that 20 percent of adults use alcohol at ?high risk quantities.? Shipley said that figure is

The Washington County Compensation Commission awarded John and Jan Berdo just under $1 million in compensation for a 63-acre parcel of land northwest of the Washington Airport. The city of Washington has sought to acquire the land through eminent domain in order to extend one of the runways 750 feet farther northwest, to move it away from the Airport Road east of it.    The six commissioners met at the sheriff?s

The Washington Community School Board has asked the city?s police department about having an officer work in the school district full-time. Police Chief Greg Goodman said the school board and the police department are just in the initial stages of the negotiations, but he said both groups think a ?school resource officer? is a good idea.    Goodman said that if the plan goes through, the police would move an