Fairfield News

The Fairfield Fire Department responded to a grass fire at 1:55 p.m. Wednesday at 2581 Glasgow Road.

These traffic charges were filed with the Jefferson County Clerk of Court:Timothy Lynn Crabtree, West Point, speeding.Joseph Nathanael Schneekloth, 209 1/2 S. Main St., speeding.Stephen James Olson, What Cheer, failure to wear a seat belt.Patrick Michael Ives, 805 W. Taylor Ave., speeding.Brian Thomas Reid, 506 Belaire Drive, operation without registration.Jeffrey Ayers Eldred, St. Louis, Mo., speeding.Debo...

The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service will honor Fairfield dairy farmers, Francis and Susan Thicke, as the 2012 Organic Farmers of the Year.The owners and operators of Radiance Dairy in Fairfield have been recognized during the past 11 years with other awards, mostly from within Iowa.?It?s always an honor to be recognized by your own industry,? said Francis Thicke. ?This award is more regional. ...

A Jan. 8 heart attack kept Randy Major from his first council meeting as Batavia mayor the following night.Now, almost two months and one council meeting later, he?s delving into city business.?It got to be real comfortable real quick,? Major said, explaining he?s been able to draw on his 12 prior years of experience as a councilman.So far, city officials have mostly been focused on carryover issues. Major ...

Joe Hird operates a jackhammer while completing a catch basin repair with Wayne Swafford outside Curves this morning. When water sits in the gutter line without draining into the basin, it causes the concrete to deteriorate. Fairfield Public Works Superintendent Darrel Bisgard said his crew is able to take on projects like this ? and manhole repairs ? thanks to the unseasonably nice weather.

Despite weeks of quiet bargaining, legislators acknowledged Tuesday that deep divisions remain about paying for an overhaul of Iowa?s mental health system.Lawmakers of both parties support dramatically changing the system, now financed by local property taxes and augmented by federal Medicaid funding. Although legislators want to use state money to replace at least some of the local property taxes, they haven?t ...

Some residents of Dyersville are opposed to a proposed baseball and softball project that would be built at the ?Field of Dreams? movie site, saying they don?t want the urban sprawl to ruin their dreams of living in the country.About a dozen people spoke up at the City Council meeting Monday, asking the council to help them protect the city and nearby farms, the Dubuque Telegraph Herald (http://bit.ly/wMaG4k ) ...

The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors voted this morning to remove the 1,320 feet of 227th Street east of Highway 1 from the proposed special assessment project.A resolution to proceed with paving Grimes Avenue west of Brookville Road and 930 feet of 227th Street west of Highway 1 was unanimously approved. As was a resolution directing French-Reneker-Associates Inc. to proceed with preparing plans and ...

Session report for week six.There was extra hustle and bustle at the Capitol last week as preparations were being made for the visit of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping. The first floor of our Capitol was set up with round tables, set for the State Dinner. Historians cannot document another State Dinner ever being held in the Capitol, so this was a very historic occasion.I?ve attended a lot of banquets in my ...

Session report for week six.It was wonderful to be back in Fairfield for the weekend. Diane and I enjoyed Fairfield area talent at the Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts where we enjoyed ?Love, Dance, Bad Romance? Feb. 11. We were impressed by the great performances, and of course, the children are always to be admired for their talent.I arrived in Des Moines late Feb. 12 ahead of the snowstorm. The next ...

The Jefferson County Sheriff?s Office arrested Sally Heckethorn, 56, of Brighton at 12:15 a.m. today at her residence for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and possession of meth.Stanley Gene Heckethorn, 58, of Brighton was arrested at 10:58 p.m. Tuesday at his residence for possession of meth, conspiracy to manufacture meth and felon in possession of a firearm.Joanne Millard reported an estimated $300 ...

If tulips, daffodils and crocus are coming up in Dorothy Bell?s berm bed on Fillmore Avenue, can spring be far behind? We still have more than a week left in February, and soon the trees will be budded as well. This is cause of concern for some. Will it be another year of little or no fruit because the trees flowered too soon and got hit with a freeze, or will it indeed be an earlier than normal spring? Only time ...