Fairfield News

Thirty years ago, the U.S. ranked No. 1 in academic achievement and the number of college graduates in the world, and Iowa was the No. 1 state in the nation, said Jason Glass, director of the Iowa Department of Education in Fairfield Tuesday.?We were at a pinnacle,? he said as the featured speaker at the fifth and final in a series of colloquia on educational change hosted by the department of teaching at ...

DES MOINES (AP) ? A new public education campaign in Iowa is warning teenagers and their parents of the dangers of synthetic drugs, which mimic marijuana, cocaine and other illegal substances.Officials from law enforcement, public health and drug control policy announced the Speak Out Against Synthetic Drugs campaign on Monday, and hope its message can help adults talk to children about the products? dangers.Iow...

A page of news from the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Click on "May 2012 Chamber page" under "Related Information" shown below.

After hearing subcommittee reports Tuesday about recruiting more members to assist the Recreation Facilities Task Force (Phase 2), chairman Tom McMahon urged all subcommittees to meet within the next week.?We want to get everyone up to speed,? he said. ?We?re working through some timeline issues that are not yet clear, but we want to get to work on it.?And I?d like to meet all new subcommittee members you?re ...

A frequent backyard visitor who sings most of the time is the chipping sparrow, easily identifiable by his rufous cap and the dark streak through the eye. Their loud trilling song is one of the most common sounds of spring.

DES MOINES (AP) ­? The Iowa Legislature?s logjam on spending measures broke loose Monday when the Senate passed three budget bills in 16 minutes.It was a sign that lawmakers, now three weeks past the scheduled April 17 adjournment, are finally ready to go home.The votes came after committees reached deals on most of the major budget bills Monday. Senators quickly passed education, administration and infrastructu...

Couples retiring this year can expect their medical bills throughout retirement to cost 4 percent more than those who retired a year ago, according to an annual projection released today by Fidelity Investments.The estimated $240,000 that a newly retired couple will need to cover health care expenses reflects the typical pattern of projected annual increases. The Boston-based company cut the estimate for the ...

Fairfield Middle School seventh-grade band students, from left, Kaylee Watson, Ashly Elmore, Megan Miller and Dakota Pisano practice Friday for the final sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grades concert of the year. The concert is scheduled at 7 p.m. Monday in the FMS Cafetorium. Admission will be charged: $2 for adults and $1 for students; Fairfield Community School District activity passes will be honored. Does ...

MAGISTRATE COURTNicholas Dardeno, 41, of 806 W. Briggs Ave., pleaded guilty to simple assault. He was sentenced to one day in jail, which was suspended. He was fined $147 and must complete a batters education program.Cayne Lee Kerby, 20, of 500 N. Court St., Apt. 4, pleaded guilty to third degree harassment and was fined $195.

These traffic charges were filed with the Jefferson County Clerk of Court:Kyle Joseph Tramontana, 206 W. Jefferson Ave., failure to maintain control.James Benjamin Stevens, Glen Carbon, Ill., speeding.Debra Sue Chesshir, Wayland, speeding.Elizabeth D. Quarles, 1855 Crystal Springs Lane, failure to obey stop sign and yield right of way.Jason Michael Klett, Pleasant Hill, failure to display registration.Tiffan...

Maurice Sendak didn?t think of himself as a children?s author, but as an author who told the truth about childhood.?I like interesting people and kids are really interesting people,? he explained to The Associated Press last fall. ?And if you didn?t paint them in little blue, pink and yellow, it?s even more interesting.?Sendak, who died early today in Danbury, Conn., at age 83, four days after suffering a ...

WEST CHESTER (GTNS) ? Two people have died after they were thrown from their motorcycle in a head-on collision with a pickup truck near West Chester Saturday afternoon.The driver of the motorcycle was Ronald D. Rozema, 57, of DeKalb, Ill. and the passenger was Lynn M. Rozema, 55, of DeKalb, Ill.The two occupants of the pickup were transported by ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where ...