NEWS BRIEFS; Fairfield FFA, horticulture class raise plants to sell

Fairfield FFA, horticulture class raise plants to sell

Members of the Fairfield FFA Chapter and the Fairfield High School horticulture class have been planting and growing plants this semester as part of their class work, and the plants are now ready to sell.

The sale will begin Monday and continue until everything is sold.

People interested in the vegetable and flower plants can stop at the high school between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday or by appointment.

?I know our hours are sort of strange, but I?m glad to meet with people anytime as long as I know when you will be coming,? said FFA advisor and FHS ag teacher Ann Johnston.

Johnston said this is the best greenhouse she?s seen the students have in the three years she has been teaching in Fairfield.

?We have marigolds, impatiens, tomatoes ? four or five varieties ?, jalapenos coming out of every crevice our building, bell peppers, snap dragons and much more,? said Johnston, including wave petunias.

Johnston added she and the students would appreciate it if buyers could return the empty packs and flats returned for reuse.

Flood awareness community meetings set

DES MOINES ? Iowa Insurance Commissioner Susan E. Voss, along with interagency partners, has announced the schedule for flood awareness community meetings being held throughout Iowa this May and June.

The schedule for ?Don?t Test The Waters Iowa: Community Forums by Iowa?s Flood Awareness Interagency Coalition? is:

? 6:30 p.m. May 5 at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa.

? 6:30 p.m. May 26 at the public library in Council Bluffs.

? 7 p.m. June 8 at the Des Moines Botanical Center.

? 6 p.m. June 15 at Coe College Auditorium in Cedar Rapids.

The presentation will educate residents on flood preparation efforts and resources available to them as well as the flood protection efforts being provided by the federal, state and local governments.

Following the presentation, a panel made up of national, state and local government officials and other flood experts will be available to answer questions.

Planning tools, tips and other guidance is available on the state?s website at www.DontTestTheWatersIowa.gov.

Officials warn of DHS impostors in Ottumwa

DES MOINES (AP) ? The Iowa Department of Human Services is warning Ottumwa residents to be wary of people claiming to be social workers who are knocking on doors.

Spokesman Roger Munns says the agency told Ottumwa police on Thursday that three residents within the last several days have allowed impostors into their homes after they identified themselves as department workers.

Munns says the men left after residents answered questions about their families. The residents later called the agency because the questions and demeanor raised doubt.

Officials say department social workers who asked to interview people are required to display a state-issued ID badge. Workers won?t enter a home without permission unless there?s an emergency, in which case they will be accompanied by police.