Andy Hallman

The Washington City Council approved the second reading of an ordinance to expedite the removal of junk vehicles from the city at its meeting Wednesday night. The council debated one of the changes that Councilman Mike Roth had written into the ordinance since the previous meeting. The new ordinance states that towing and repair businesses may not store an inoperable vehicle outside on their property for more than 30

The E911 Board and the Communications Commission will have a joint meeting at the former library Thursday at 7 p.m. The commission may soon have a few new faces after the mayors of six surrounding towns ? Wellman, Kalona, Riverside, Ainsworth, Crawfordsville and Brighton ? meet at 6:30 p.m. to elect representatives to the commission. Those mayors will elect two representatives and two alternates to serve on the

Main Street Washington is putting together the ?Taste of Washington? Saturday evening, which will feature special deals at six participating restaurants in downtown Washington. The event will last from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and will include live entertainment.    Gary McCurdy and Randy Swift will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. at Dodici?s Shop, east of the square. McCurdy, whose nickname is the ?Tubador,? will play tuba while

The Washington City Council will discuss a proposed development agreement to use tax increment financing (TIF) to fund the renovation of the Mills Seed Building.    In December, the council voted to authorize City Administrator Dave Plyman to negotiate the establishment of a TIF district with Jeremy Patterson. Patterson told the council he wanted to refurbish the Mills Seed Building and move it from its current

Education, biofuels and budget cuts were among the topics discussed at the state legislative briefing in the Washington County Courthouse Saturday morning. State Senator Becky Schmitz and State Representative Larry Marek, both Democrats, answered questions from an audience of roughly 30 people, each of whom was given an opportunity to ask a question of the legislators.    Marek spoke about how the state was in

By Andy HallmanThe JOURNAL    The Parkside Activities Center and Sunrise Child Care Facility in Wellman opened its doors for the very first time Sunday afternoon for an open house. The opening marks the culmination of nearly two years of construction and $6 million that went into the project.    The activities center features a number of amenities. On the west side of the building there is a gymnasium with six

Many businesses and public buildings around the country took the day off Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. King was famous for leading efforts to end racial discrimination and segregation during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Patti Miller, a resident of Fairfield, came to know King personally through her involvement in the civil rights movement in Mississippi and later in Chicago. She

State Senator Becky Schmitz and State Representative Larry Marek will attend a legislative briefing held Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon on the second floor of the Washington County Courthouse in Washington. The two Democratic legislators are expected to provide an update on issues being debated at the capitol and will also field questions from the audience.    Ed Raber, chair of the Washington Chamber Government

The Chamber of Commerce building in Kalona was packed with people Wednesday evening for Iowa Senator Charles Grassley?s town hall meeting. A crowd of over 100 people listened to Grassley field questions about cap and trade, biofuels, and the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, among other issues.    Ray Tinnian, a defense attorney in Kalona, asked the Republican senator to give his thoughts on what rights foreign

The Washington County Public Health Board unanimously voted to recommend a 1 percent pay raise for the 26 public health employees at its monthly meeting Tuesday morning. The recommendation goes to the County Board of Supervisors for approval.    Peggy Wood, the public health fiscal administrator, said the cost of giving the public health employees a 1 percent pay raise would be $13,000.    Jim Miksch, who was there

A two-vehicle collision resulting in one injury occurred on Highway 218 Wednesday afternoon. David Richardson, 43, of Crawfordsville, was transported by ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals for a non-life threatening injury he sustained in the collision.    According to the Iowa State Patrol, the collision occurred at approximately 3:20 p.m. when a semi driven by Caleb Caldwell, 24, of Bowling Green, Mo.,

A crowd of about 25 people gathered in St. James Catholic Church in Washington Tuesday night to discuss how to prepare for and respond to disasters in the county. Those in attendance signed up to be volunteers for what is known as a COAD, or ?Community Organizations Active in Disaster.? The attendees broke up into small groups that sought to tackle one specific aspect of disaster relief or disaster preparedness.   

The Washington County Board of Supervisors approved the changes to the County Roads Union Contract for next year that includes an additional funeral day and a 25 cent pay increase at its weekly meeting Tuesday morning. The additional funeral day is a paid leave of absence and applies only to attending the funerals of the employee?s aunt or uncle. In order to receive the paid leave, the contract states that the employ

Residents of Washington County will once again discuss the creation of a county-wide disaster relief organization at 7 p.m. in St. James Church in Washington Tuesday. The meeting will be about taking the necessary steps to creating a COAD, which is a collection of community organizations that assist disaster victims.    Larry Smith, chairman of the Washington Emergency Management Commission, said he hopes to hear

Snowstorms and freezing temperatures are not the only problems we face in these cold winter months. Carbon monoxide exposure also increases over the winter as people turn on their furnaces and close their homes to the frigid outdoor air.    Washington firefighter Mark Chenoweth said any method of home heating that is fueled by gas emits carbon monoxide and that it is important to ventilate the fumes.    ?You have