Fairfield News

A felony conviction may lead to the deportation of a Lockridge man charged with setting fire to his family?s home in October.Jefferson County Attorney Tim Dille said 31-year-old Geoffrey Karugo Kimani is only listed as a permanent resident, not a citizen, of the United States. The second-degree arson conviction entered Tuesday could be grounds for deportation to Kimani?s homeland Kenya; however, Dille said that

Two months into Fairfield?s new recycling program, Waste Management collected a record 65.04 tons of recyclable materials in December ? a 132 percent increase from Fairfield?s monthly 28-ton average.In November, Fairfield recycled 46.93 tons ? a 67 percent increase. If Fairfield were to maintain a 46.93-ton collection rate, the city?s annual tonnage of recycled material would increase to 563 tons. According to

Work is progressing at the Maasdam Barns, but the historical site isn?t ready to open for visitors just yet.According to Larry Nash, chairman of the Maasdam Barns Historic Preservation Committee, a Schaus-Vorhies Contracting Inc. crew is currently working on the roof of the milking barn to restore it to its original state.That work, Nash, continued, includes building and installing a cupola on the roof, as well as

The city of Fairfield is reminding dog owners it is time to register the dogs at city hall.Jan. 1 through June 30 is the time to register dogs at city hall. The fee is $10 for spayed and neutered dogs and $50 for non-spayed and non-neutered dogs.Any dog licensed after June 30 will be charged an additional $1 per month.Dogs younger than 6 months do not have to be registered.Dog owners must bring the date of their

JULIE JOHNSTON/Ledger photoWith an outside temperature of 47 degrees this morning, Ray Griffin and his grandson Matt Burnstedt decided it was a good time to get the Christmas decorations put away. Only one other person, Dan Bowers, was seen taking down decorations, who said, ?You won?t find a much better day than this for the job.?

One thing Republican state Sen. Sandra Greiner and Democratic state Rep. Curt Hanson can agree on is the focus of the upcoming legislative session: jobs and the budget.?I anticipate the bulk of our time will be spent trying to resolve budget issues,? Greiner said.Despite optimistic news from the Revenue Estimating Conference ? which estimated the state will collect $34 million more in taxes this current budget year

New lighting has been installed on the Matkin Trail Bridge over Highway 1 to increase safety for nighttime users.Steve Boggs of Boggs Electrical installed the new LED light ropes on the arc of the trail bridge Tuesday.?They showcase the bridge and the entryway more elegantly,? said Jefferson County Trails Council Chairman Ron Blair.The new lights replace metal halide lights that were so bright they were blinding

LOCKRIDGE ? Roughly 60 sows and 350 piglets were lost in a fire late Monday.The pole barn housing the animals was mostly engulfed when Lockridge firefighters arrived at 3033 215th St. around 10:30 p.m.?It was pretty much a complete loss as we pulled up,? said Lockridge fire chief Jeremy Loving. At that point, he said there was little the department could do beyond containing the fire to prevent its spread to a

The addresses of Fairfield-grown musicians Gemma Cohen, Miranda Mallard and Darla Murphy of folk-rock band Rock Paper Scissors are separated by state lines, country borders and one very large ocean.The distance ? which reaches out farther than 5,000 miles between two of the musicians ? has nonetheless done little to halt collaboration. Together, the three have written 12 original songs over the past few months using

The economic condition of Iowa?s children and families, including those in Jefferson County, continued to deteriorate in 2009, according to a new report released by the Child and Family Policy Center.The report, ?Iowa Kids Count 2009: Trends in the Well-Being of Iowa Children,? includes findings that show the percentage of people receiving food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program rose

Aliyah Shaner gives Asher and Abby (front) Shaner a shove to get their sled started down the hill at Waterworks Park Monday morning. The three, plus Michael Maile and Ammon Shaner, braved the cold to have a lot of fun. With temperatures expected to rise to nearly 50 by Friday, the snow will be melting and the opportunity to go sledding will disappear.For this photo, see the Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2010, printed edition of

Fairfield City Administrator Jeff Clawson cited a number of cost saving measures he has implemented as justification for his salary during his six-month performance review Wednesday afternoon.Following a glowing review from the Fairfield City Council Personnel Committee, which reported feedback from the full council and department heads, Clawson outlined $39,235 he has saved the city annually, as well as $55,100 in