Fairfield News

Jefferson County Public Health will host an open house from 10 a.m. to noon Friday at its office on 200 W. Briggs Ave. in Fairfield to recognize the contributions and importance of public health.Public health administrator Chris Estle said the open house is also an opportunity to educate the public on the services her department provides. ?Public health is the health of the public. It?s all encompassing,? she ...

During a meeting Monday morning, the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of a new bulldozer for the county road department for the upcoming fiscal year.The county plans to purchase the $180,750 bulldozer from the multinational firm Komatsu Limited. County engineer Scott Cline said that Road Machinery and Supplies Company out of Cedar Rapids would service the equipment, which would include ...

DES MOINES ? Gov. Terry Branstad signed two major pieces of legislation into law Thursday.In back-to-back ceremonies, the governor signed a bill immediately barring cities and counties from setting minimum wages higher than the statewide $7.25 hourly floor and a separate measure making significant changes to the state?s workers? compensation law.?This is a bill I?ve waited for a long time,? said Branstad, ...

The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office reports the following incidents: Saturday4 p.m. ? Deputies are investigating a case in Batavia where two propane canisters were stolen Friday or Saturday night. Someone cut a padlock and the canisters were taken from a rack outside of the BP Gas station.5 p.m. ? Deputies are investigating a theft case in Brighton. Jeremy Lynn advised that someone stole a 2011 Kaufman Tilt ...

DES MOINES ? Iowa?s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 3.3 percent in January.The state?s jobless rate was 3.8 percent one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate increased to 4.8 percent in January.?Following a volatile year?s end to 2016, the Iowa economy began 2017 on a much stronger note,? said Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development. ?Iowa?s unemployment rate dropped even further ...

The topic of tax credits was a source of debate at Saturday?s Legislative Forum at the Fairfield Public Library.Audience member Deniz Comez asked the legislators what they thought about Rep. Pat Grassley?s House Study Bill 187, which would cap tax credits at $400 million, and then lower them $10 million a year to $370 million. Comez said the bill would harm renewable energy companies that rely on the tax ...

The Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce held its third Legislative Forum of the year Saturday at the Fairfield Public Library.The forum featured four local legislators: Rep. Curt Hanson (D-Fairfield), Rep. Dave Heaton (R-Mt. Pleasant), Sen. Rich Taylor (D-Mt. Pleasant) and Sen. Mark Chelgren (R-Ottumwa). Each gave opening remarks and then took questions from the public. Chelgren missed the first half of the ...

The Fairfield Police Department reports the following incidents logged into dispatch: Friday8:33 a.m. ? A caller advised that one of the school crossing guards at Pence Elementary School was assisting children across the street with her yellow flag up, and a vehicle drove through the crossing. Officers made contact with the presumed registered owners of the vehicle. However, it appeared that the caller might ...

The Fairfield Police Department arrested a 16-year-old male subject Wednesday morning who was wanted on a Muscatine County warrant for attempted murder.Noah Hass, 16, of Fairfield was taken into custody at 9:45 a.m., and held at the Jefferson County Jail for around an hour and a half before being released to Muscatine County law enforcement authorities. According to a WQAD article, Hass is wanted in conjunction ...

HORACE, N.D. (AP) ? The Farm Rescue farm aid nonprofit in the Northern Plains is getting an annual day of recognition.The National Day Calendar has proclaimed the third Thursday of March as ?National Farm Rescuer Day? beginning next year. It coincides with National Agriculture Week.North Dakota-based Farm Rescue does physical labor for farmers in need in both Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa and eastern Montana. ...

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Frustrated by what she described as Vatican stonewalling, an Irish woman who was sexually abused by clergy quit her post Wednesday on a panel advising Pope Francis about how to protect minors from such abuse.The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors said Marie Collins quit out of ?frustration? at an alleged lack of cooperation from other Vatican offices, known as the Curia. Her ...

DES MOINES (AP) ? A divided Iowa Supreme Court on Friday upheld a legal doctrine going back 100 years that allows agriculture drainage districts to maintain immunity from lawsuits seeking monetary damages. The ruling presents an obstacle for the Des Moines Water Works, which is pursuing a lawsuit in federal court in Sioux City filed in March 2015. The water utility for 500,000 Iowans alleges the three counties ...