Fairfield News

The Fairfield school district continues to prepare for the upcoming school year with the hiring, transfers and resignations of employees.During a special meeting Tuesday, the school board hired Rebecca Ritland as a third-grade teacher at Pence Elementary School. She is a graduate of Wartburg College and is an Iowa-licensed elementary, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten and kindergarten- through eighth-grade ...

DES MOINES (AP) ? A power company is moving ahead with planning and development for a hydroelectric generating plant at Red Rock Reservoir in south central Iowa.Missouri River Energy Services of Sioux Falls, S.D., said Thursday it will construct and operate the plant, which will be financed and owned by Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency. Construction is slated to begin in 2013, with the plant operational...

Workers from Bascome Tree Service and Adams Tree Service survey their clean-up job after part of a large, soft maple tree fell Thursday in the backyard of the John and Jane Louros residence at 1107 Liberty Drive in Fairfield. The tree fell across a back deck and rested in the yard.

Jodi Harwood, left, and her sister Ronda Whitney break out the cameras and smiles while getting pictures of their sons and Fairfield High School football players Thursday night at Meet the Trojans festivities. Parents had an opportunity to get on the field with cameras before the player introductions and scrimmage.

Washington Elementary School custodian James Elliott sweeps an empty gymnasium this morning. Teachers and office personnel were also getting ready for the 2011-12 school year that starts Wednesday.

MAGISTRATE COURTDavid Brian Tanner, 67, 402 W. Hempstead Ave., No. 3, pleaded guilty to trespassing and was fined $65. ASSOCIATE DISTRICT COURTJeremy Wayne Kaska, 32, of Brighton was found in contempt of court for a probation violation and was sentenced to 20 days in jail.Donald Lee Jennings IV, 22, of Stockport, pleaded guilty to second-offense public intoxication. A 30-day jail sentence was ...

The city was in a predicament. By the late 1800s, the slow-moving Chicago River had become a cesspool of sewage and factory pollution oozing into Lake Michigan, the source of drinking water for the bustling metropolis.The waterway had grown so putrid that it raised fears of a disease outbreak and concerns about hurting development. So in a first-of-its-kind feat, engineers reversed the river by digging a ...

It?s a microcosm of the budget battling that has consumed Congress all year: The Obama administration wants federal agencies to save money while Republicans push for additional savings to take a substantial bite out of the government?s towering pile of IOUs.White House budget chief Jacob Lew has ordered agency heads to submit spending plans for the upcoming budget at least 5 percent below this year?s levels. ...

The Jefferson County Sheriff?s Office responded to an accident at 5:56 a.m. Thursday on Highway 34. According to the accident report, a 2000 International truck driven by Richard K. Chockley of Plymouth, Ill., was eastbound when it struck an unknown object, possibly a deer. Estimated damages are $1,500 to the truck.

The Fairfield Municipal Pool is going to the dogs ? literally!Dogs and their owners will be able to swim and play from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday in the fenced-in outdoor pool at O.B. Nelson Park before the pool is drained for the season.Derik Wulfekuhle, director of the Fairfield Park and Recreation Department, said the event is hosted by and is a fundraiser for the Fairfield Dog Park Committee?s proposed off-leash ...

LIBERTYVILLE ? A machine shed in rural Libertyville was destroyed by fire Wednesday night.The Libertyville Fire Department was called to 1465 250th St., the property of Tim Warner, shortly after 11 p.m.?It was a pretty nasty fire,? said Gerrad Goodrich, assistant chief of the Libertyville Fire Department.Goodrich said the building?s roof caved in about 20 minutes after the firefighters arrived, and the ...

These traffic charges were filed with the Jefferson County Clerk of Court:Dennis E. Johnston, Grande Pointe, Manitoba, Canada, speeding.Stanley Edward Lehman, Lincoln, Neb., speeding.Barbara L. Rheinecker, St. Louis, Mo., speeding.Brandon Michael Coleman, Batavia, speeding, maximum gross weight violation.Neysa Nicole Baker, 304 South C St., failure to wear a seat belt.Jennifer L. Schlemmer, ...