Andy Hallman

The future of the collapsed building on South Marion Avenue off the square was discussed at the Washington City Council meeting Wednesday night. The council heard from Sergey Floryanovich, who owns a dentist?s office that shares the north wall of the collapsed building. The site was once home to the grocery store ?La Cruz? before collapsing during remodeling in 2006. Floryanovich has been in his current office for

Untreated wastewater spilled into a tributary of Crooked Creek in Washington for about 40 minutes early Monday morning. The spill occurred near the dog park in Sunset Park. Jason Whisler, a wastewater treatment plant operator, said he got a call at 6:42 a.m. Monday from an automatic dialing device that alerts the plant operators of a problem. Upon investigation, Whisler discovered the spill was caused by a pump

A pair of firetrucks rushed to the Frontier Restaurant in Washington Tuesday morning after smoke was reported in the café?s basement. Fire Chief Tom Wide arrived at the café shortly before 8:30 a.m. and instructed the restaurant staff and customers to evacuate the building.    Firefighters hurried to connect their water hoses to nearby fire hydrants. In the end, the firefighters discovered that there were no flames

The Washington County Fair is now in full swing. The 4-H dog obedience show on Sunday was the first act in a weeklong play filled with entertainment for the whole family. Judges Pam Wagner and Traci Scott critiqued the 22 dogs and their masters in the large showring on a warm summer afternoon. Jessica Schoonover of Crooked Creek was christened the overall grand champion at the dog show. Whitney Gibbs of the Horse and

The Emergency Management Commission discussed its emergency support function at its regular meeting Wednesday. Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Larry Smith said the purpose of the emergency support function is to provide transportation support in the event of an emergency.    ?If we have bad weather and we have to close certain roads, we need to be able to communicate,? said Smith.    The portion

The Washington County Fair will start within a matter of days and local residents can hardly wait to get into the fairgrounds. Local folks aren?t the only people interested in the livestock judging and evening entertainment. Libby McFadzean is from Scotland and is here visiting a friend. McFadzean has gone to the Washington County Fair in the past and may go again this year.    ?I come here every summer for a couple

The Washington Historic Preservation Commission was awarded a grant of just over $8,500 from the state of Iowa earlier this week. The grant will go toward repairs of the Alexander Young Log House at Sunset Park. The historic preservation commission has 2 ½ years to use all the grant money. Mary Patterson, chairperson of the historic preservation commission, said the log house is in need of a number of repairs, many

Ryley Dale Jones, 22, of Brighton, was arrested Wednesday and charged with first degree theft and third degree criminal mischief. Jones is charged with stealing over $10,000 in property and knowingly causing damage to another?s property. First degree theft is a Class C felony while third degree criminal mischief is an aggravated misdemeanor. Jones? bond will be set later today.         Washington County Deputy Chad

The Riverside City Council met Tuesday to discuss a property that is allegedly in violation of nuisance, junk and junk vehicle ordinances. The property is at 450 E. Fourth St. and is owned by Ralph Schnoebelen, who is a member of the council. The property is zoned as commercial and includes Schnoebelen?s business and the warehouse northwest of it.     The council began the evening by holding an outdoor public

A group of community members has donated countless hours to improve the fairgrounds this year. One of the major projects was to put many of the overhead electrical wires underground. Many of the buildings on the southern and western portion of the fairgrounds are now supplied by electricity in the ground.    Ace Electric did much of the electrical work in the fairgrounds. Ace Electric employee Dick Newman said he

A blacksmith is a person who crafts iron or steel objects by heating metal and bending it into shape. For Columbus Junction resident Scott Peters, blacksmithing was for many years nothing more than a leisurely hobby. In recent months, Peters has discovered that he can turn his forging skills into a little extra spending money by selling the tools he manufactures.    Peters makes hand-held gardening tools such as

John Ramsey could write a book on woodworking. Ramsey, of rural Washington, is a self-taught carpenter who uses his free time to make everything from dressers to wooden ducks. Ramsey has made many of the pieces of furniture that adorn his home such as stools, chairs, cabinets and desks.    Ramsey?s interest in woodworking began in high school more than four decades ago. At that time, Ramsey was involved in another

The Washington County Fair is less than a week away. The fair begins Sunday and lasts to Friday. Fair-goers will notice a few new buildings on the southwest section of the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds sports a multi-species barn, show ring and bathroom. Four-H Youth Coordinator Kati Peiffer said the multi-species building will house an assortment of animals. Peiffer said more than a year?s worth of fundraising went

The issue of parking on the square was debated at the Washington City Council meeting Wednesday night. Washington resident and former council member Sherri Dusenbery addressed the council with a concern she had over the city parking lot on North Marion Avenue across from the Post Office.    Dusenbery carpools in a van to the University of Iowa in Iowa City that leaves from the parking lot on North Marion. She said

Washington was recently paid a visit by a couple of traveling cyclists. To say they were out-of-towners is an understatement. Brian Gottlieb and his wife Rachel Timmons are riding their bicycles across the country from Oregon to their home in Washington, D.C., and just happened to make a stop at the farmers market Thursday evening. The couple spent the night in town and planned to hop back on their bikes Friday