Fairfield News

A Chicago commuter train was not speeding when it jumped its tracks and screeched up an escalator at one of the world?s busiest airports, the National Transportation Safety Board said today.NTSB investigator Ted Turpin said a preliminary review of Monday?s derailment at O?Hare International Airport showed that the train was traveling at 25 mph ? the correct speed ? as it entered the station. More than 30 people ...

A proposal to build a skate park near the Roosevelt Community Recreation Center was given wings Monday when the Fairfield City Council voted to create a request for proposal for the project.The proposed skate park would be west of the rec center and would be paid for entirely with money from a single donor. The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has pledged up to $150,000 to build a skate park.Melanie ...

The City of Fairfield and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach sponsored a free workshop Saturday and Sunday at the Fairfield Community Orchard on pruning fruit trees. In the two days, about 45 people turned out to learn about pruning from Avi Pogel and Scott Timm. Timm is the sustainability coordinator for the city of Fairfield. The workshop focused on techniques for pruning, training and shaping fruit ...

Fairfield Police Department reports the following calls received at dispatch:From Friday through Monday, police issued 24 verbal traffic warnings; three citations; two written citations; and dispatch received 13 911 hang-ups/misdials. Monday7:27 a.m. caller reported car parked in driveway was struck overnight, sometime between 10 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday, with major front-end damage to the parked ...

Jefferson County Sheriff?s Office arrested Jacob Ryan Scherer, 21, of Batavia at 11:24 p.m. Saturday in Batavia. He is charged with operating while intoxicated, first offense and excessive speed.The sheriff?s office took a report at 10:35 a.m. Monday about theft of a license plate removed sometime in the past two weeks from a utility trailer parked in Batavia trailer court.Sheriff deputies reported a deer/vehicl...

Fairfield Fire Department responded at 8:17 p.m. Sunday to a grass fire at 1426 Pleasant Plain Road and extinguished the controlled burn that got out of control. Firefighters returned to the station at 9:07 p.m.Firefighters used 50 gallons of water Friday to extinguish burning leaves at the city compost that were on fire at 3:50 p.m. Firefighters returned to the station at 4:25 p.m.

The Supreme Court seemed divided today over whether employers? religious beliefs can free them from a part of the new health care law that requires that they provide coverage of birth control for employees at no extra charge.The case involves family-owned companies that provide health insurance to their employees, but object to covering certain methods of birth control that they say can work after conception, in ...

On March 15, the Fairfield Police Department seized packages containing synthetic marijuana from The Snack Shack, 102 N. Court St., in Fairfield.Police Chief Julie Harvey said she would like the community and especially parents to be aware of synthetic marijuana and its potential dangers.A police department press release March 17 said the synthetic marijuana had been sold at The Snack Shack as potpourri.The ...

Teachers in the Fairfield Community School District toured several local businesses Friday as part of an in-service day.Eight businesses offered tours to groups of teachers, who learned about each business?s history, its products, and skills necessary to work there. The project was a collaboration between the school district and the Fairfield Economic Development Association.The eight businesses that hosted ...

About 25 people attended today?s Jefferson County Board of Supervisors meeting, which moved up to the second floor courtroom to accommodate seating everyone for the first 75 minutes.A majority of those in attendance were farmers, interested to hear the supervisors? discussion about the proposed Heartland Co-op grain storage facility.County resident Joe Ledger said he brought Jefferson County?s grain numbers ...

The Fairfield Hy-Vee Food and Drug Store teamed up with the Ide gymnastics and trampoline teams to help raise money and awareness for a new gymnastics center to be built at Roosevelt Community Recreation Center. Hy-Vee employees, including, from left: Portia Buch, Robert Anderson, Krystal Weirup, Cody Guffey, Kayla Weirup, Braxton Bainbridge and Michael Schnoebelen, were able to wear jeans to work by donating $5 ...

The Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, is seeking nominations for the Governor?s Arts Awards recognizing and honoring individuals, organizations and businesses in Iowa that have had a significant impact on the vitality of the arts in Iowa.The awards will be presented at the 2014 Iowa Arts Summit on June 6 in Des Moines.Nominations for the Governor?s Arts Awards must be ...