Make A Difference; School board meeting Monday; more

Commission asks everyone to make a difference

The Fairfield Beautification Commission is supporting the Make A Difference Day set Saturday.

Held annually the fourth Saturday in October, Make A Difference Day is the largest national day of community service. USA WEEKEND Magazine and HandsOn Network, the volunteer arm of the Points of Light Institute, have joined together to sponsor the day of volunteerism.

Nancy Horras, a member of the Fairfield Beautification Commission, said the commission is encouraging Fairfield citizens to do an act of kindness to make a difference.

School board to meet Monday

The Fairfield Community School District is holding a special board meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the Administration/Curriculum/Technology Center.

One item is on the agenda: a personnel matter.

Board members will be asked to approve an administrative recommendation for action regarding a classified staff member.

A school board work session is scheduled to follow at 7:10 p.m. Agenda items include discussions about finances: the Certified Annual Report; Special Education Supplement; and the Instructional Support Levy.

Board goals also will be discussed.

Work sessions are public meetings. No board actions are taken at work sessions.

Occupy Iowa protesters appear in court

 DES MOINES (AP) ? More than two dozen Occupy Iowa protesters arrested at the state Capitol last week have appeared in court on charges they trespassed on state property.

Four pleaded guilty during Wednesday?s hearing and were ordered to pay more than $300 in fines, court costs and other fees.

An attorney for many of the protesters, Sally Frank, says 24 others pleaded not guilty and are demanding jury trials.

The protesters were arrested Oct. 9 after they refused to leave the Capitol grounds after an 11 p.m. curfew.

Occupy Iowa is an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement that started last month in New York to protest corporate greed and the growing gap between rich and poor.

Organizers say about 80 protesters also marched to Wells Fargo?s Iowa headquarters before the hearing.

Iowa man pleads not guilty to financial aid fraud

CEDAR RAPIDS (AP) ? An Iowa man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he received improper federal financial aid by submitting fraudulent applications and falsely signing up himself and others for classes at community colleges.

Roy Lee Turner III entered the not guilty plea in federal court in Cedar Rapids Wednesday to a 31-count indictment charging him with mail fraud and financial aid fraud. He was arrested on Tuesday.

The indictment says that between 2006 and 2007 Turner recruited others to fraudulently apply for aid and sign up for classes at Kirkwood Community College and Des Moines Area Community College.

The U.S. Department of Education would pay the aid to the schools, which would then send the remaining money to addresses controlled by Turner. The indictment seeks to recover $62,000.