Opinion

The following cases were processed in Jefferson County Courthouse. Associate District CourtCharlie Thomas Chesshir, 32, of 100 North 16th St., had a deferred prosecution agreement dated July 12, 2012, revoked. He was fined $1,000 plus a 35 percent surcharge. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail, which was suspended. He was ordered to pay prosecution costs. He pleaded guilty to public intoxication, second ...

Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, the brilliant and ruthless commander who led a ragtag army of guerrillas to victory in Vietnam over first the French and then the Americans, died Friday. The last of the country?s old-guard revolutionaries was 102.A national hero, Giap enjoyed a legacy second only to that of his mentor, founding president and independence leader Ho Chi Minh.Giap died in a military hospital in the capital of ...

CORNING (AP) ? Famed late-night TV host Johnny Carson's birthplace in the southwest Iowa city of Corning will reopen later this month.The Des Moines Register reports the tiny house will reopen for visitors Oct. 23, the day Carson was born in Corning in 1925. The house has been closed during a restoration effort to return the house to its 1925 appearance. Carson lived in Corning and other southwest Iowa cities ...

Mary Ann Vestal, who lives at 2040 Coral Lane in Fairfield, went on a vacation to Maine in August. Little did she know, the peach tree in her yard was producing so much fruit the branches were in danger of breaking off. Fortunately for her and the peach tree, her neighbors Jonathan and Kathleen Worcester haulted the branches? steady decline by placing crutches underneath them. Vestal said this year has been a ...

Fairfield High School is adding a new event to homecoming this year ? an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament will kickoff Thursday Rally Night at Trojan Stadium with parents, high school students and school district staff members forming and joining teams.?The Ultimate Frisbee Tournament is replacing the jersey auction,? said Jeff Courtright, activities director. ?I met with the student council and advisors, and ...

DES MOINES (AP) ? While law enforcement officials continue to debate whether Iowa should allow gun permits for blind people, lawmakers say they doubt changes to the state law that allows it will pass.The Des Moines Register reports Monday there is little chance changes will be adopted next year to the 2010 law that has granted blind people and more than 50 registered sex offenders permits to carry guns.Proposed ...

Anyone interested in serving as mayor or on city council needs to return candidate papers and signatures this week to their city clerk.The deadline to file is 5 p.m. Thursday. Municipal elections are Nov. 5.Candidate papers are available from city clerks. Each candidate, including incumbents, needs petition signatures of persons eligible to vote from the area the candidate represents. Check with the city clerk ...

DES MOINES (AP) An Iowa soldier has received the Silver Star medal, one of the nation?s top combat decorations, for his actions in Afghanistan.Sgt. Ryan Steinkamp, who is 26 and from Johnston, was awarded the honor Aug. 28.The Des Moines Register reports Monday the award is recognition of his leadership in combat on April 17, 2012, when his squad was tasked with clearing insurgents from a village in Afghanista...

In a blistering warning to congressional Republicans, President Barack Obama said it would be the ?height of irresponsibility? for lawmakers to cause another economic crisis just five years after the collapse of the nation?s financial system.?I cannot remember a time when one faction of one party promises economic chaos if it can?t get 100 percent of what it wants,? Obama said today. ?That?s never happened ...

RIVERSIDE (GTNS) ? The Riverside City Council discussed Pat Callahan?s recommendation letter to the council Monday, and the discussion became heated quickly.Callahan, a consultant with Snyder and Associates, wrote a letter to the council in which he recommended three of the five councilors resign as a way to dampen tensions that have flared among the councilors.Councilor Bob Schneider said he would agree to ...

DES MOINES (AP) ? Education leaders in Des Moines have announced a partnership aimed at recruiting more minority teachers.Des Moines Public Schools, Drake University and Des Moines Area Community College say the partnership will work to identify aspiring minority teachers and help them acquire the education needed to teach in Des Moines. Students who complete the program and graduate with a teaching degree and ...

Filing for candidates is just around the corner for anyone interested in serving as mayor or on city council.Filing nomination papers begins Monday. The deadline to file is 5 p.m. Sept. 19. Municipal elections are Nov. 5.Candidate papers are available from city clerks. Each candidate, including incumbents, needs petition signatures of persons eligible to vote from the area the candidate represents.Check with ...