Andy Hallman

While some area residents will celebrate Thanksgiving in the comfort of their own homes, many of them will hit the road to visit friends and family. A few folks are even traveling out of state for their holiday engagements.    Neal Conry, who was raised in Fairfield and now lives in Ainsworth, is going to visit friends in Columbia, Mo. Conry said he expects to spend nearly four hours behind the wheel.    ?It?s been

Washington?s square will be brightly illuminated this Friday night when the town will marvel at the lighted holiday parade. The parade begins at 7 p.m. and is sandwiched between a few other events taking place in Washington Friday night.    The lighted holiday parade will begin at the high school and travel around the square. Parade entries are asked to register between 5 and 6:30 p.m. so that the master of

Many of the public buildings in Washington will close their doors for the Thanksgiving holiday. Students and teachers will enjoy the holiday break more than anyone because they have a five-day weekend. All Washington Community School students from the high school, junior high, Stewart Elementary and Lincoln Elementary will be released at 1:10 p.m. Wednesday and return to classes on Tuesday. St. James Elementary will

The Washington City Council unanimously approved the development agreement to rebate property taxes on the Bryson Block building at its meeting Wednesday night. Washington Preservation LLC, the entity that now owns the building at 101 S. Marion Ave., remodeled the building?s offices, apartments and retail space one year ago. The structure is currently home to the Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Washington and the

The water leak that was reported on the second floor ceiling of the library in October appears to have been fixed, according to Library Director Patrick Finney and the building?s project manager Dan Culp. Rains that fell the day of the library?s open house on Oct. 18 leaked into the building and damaged a few ceiling tiles on the second floor near the elevator shaft. A pair of construction firms ? Frank Millard and

Have you ever wondered why people eat different kinds of meals at different times of the day? And here I?m not simply asking why we eat different portions, but rather why the kind of food is different from the morning to the rest of the day.    For instance, the people who eat cereal on a regular basis eat it, I?m sure, almost exclusively in the morning. But I don?t see anything about cereal that lends itself to the

The number of homes available for subsidized weatherization is expected to double this coming winter, according to HACAP Operations Manager RenElla Crawford. Crawford said that between 40 and 50 homes in Washington County will receive federal assistance for home insulation this coming winter. That is double the figure of 22 homes that were weatherized in 2008-2009 and quadruple the number of 11 weatherized in

Washington residents had their second chance in as many weeks to provide input on the new high school that will be built adjacent to the junior high. Members of the architectural firm SVPA presented designs for the new school?s layout to a group of about 40 people Monday in the public library. After the presentations, the public had an opportunity to chime in.    The attendees were split into two groups that

After passing five ordinances at their meeting two weeks ago, the Washington City Council has a whole new slate of issues to discuss at its upcoming meeting Wednesday night. Among those is a hearing on a development agreement to rebate property taxes on the building at 101 S. Marion Ave. The building is currently used by the Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Washington and the Washington Economic Development Group.   

A multitude of search teams were dispatched Sunday afternoon to look for three young boys who went missing south of Washington earlier that day. The three boys were found just a few hours after the search began and were returned to their family.    The dispatch center in Washington received a call from the 2900 block of Highway 1 at approximately 4 p.m. Sunday stating that three boys aged 7, 9 and 10 were missing.

The Iowa Judicial Branch recently announced that all judicial employees will take 10 unpaid furlough days during the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends June 30. The budget of the state?s judicial branch is being cut by 7.1 percent, and the state also plans to eliminate nearly 200 jobs this fiscal year.    County Attorney  Barb Edmondson said the cuts and the 10 furlough days will assuredly affect the court

Washington?s downtown area was hopping Saturday as shoppers took advantage of Main Street Washington?s ?Holiday Stroll.? The stroll was the first event in a series of events organized by Main Street known as Showcasing Nights of Washington (SNOW). The stroll featured a few promotions to entice local consumers to shop in Washington.    Shoppers who bought items at 18 participating businesses received a stamp on their

Washington?s veterans were honored at a number of events in the city Wednesday afternoon and evening. Lincoln Elementary School held an assembly in the afternoon to listen to Wendel Guy and Richard Goodall from the American Legion speak about Veterans Day. Guy and Goodall presented the school with 15 American flags that will be hung in the school?s classrooms.    Later in the afternoon, the All-Veterans Memorial

Residents of Washington County took the first steps toward creating a new disaster relief organization Tuesday night. Karla Mongan of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) visited the United Methodist Church in Washington to speak about creating an organization known as ?COAD,? which stands for ?Community Organizations Active in Disaster.?    Mongan began the evening by showing members of the audience a

The city of Washington is considering adding new tennis courts in the next few years. The particulars of when they will be built or even where they will be built are still being ironed out.    Washington Schools Superintendent Dave Sextro said the baseball and softball diamonds by the junior high will be moved in late July 2010. He said that a new home for the diamonds has not yet been found, but once it is, it may