Archive for April, 2009

VA Grant discontinued

Posted: Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 6:28 am

A state grant designed to help veterans who might not qualify for certain types of assistance is drying up. Sue Rich, with Washington County Veteran's Affairs, says that might not be a bad thing. She says instead of applying for the grant, each county will get a $10,000 allocation. Rich says it's good that each county will receive the money. However, she says they might not be able to spend it on the same things the grant covered. Rich says that includes transportation costs, outreach services and education.

Selecting local board and committee members

Posted: Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 6:27 am

The chairman of the Washington County Board of Supervisors wants a clearly defined system in place for how they go about nominating people to commissions and committees. Jim Miksch says it's important for the supervisors to appoint the best possible candidates. Miksch says many of the supervisor appointed boards will have spots opening up this year. He hopes to have a system in place by this fall. One possible hang up is pending legislation that would require them to appoint an equal number of men and women to such commissions.

Rubio to construct wastewater system

Posted: Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 6:27 am

Rubio Iowa has been selected for the USDA Rural Development Earth Day Event on April 21st. Washington County Supervisor Wes Rich says Regional Utilities Sanitary Service has been working on the Rubio wastewater collection and treatment project now for a couple of years. There will be a brief check presentation next week. The money will go towards a wastewater collection and treatment system for the town of Rubio. Representatives from USDA-RD, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, County Representatives, and Regional Utilities Sanitary Service Representatives will be present. The public is invited to attend the Event at 10:00AM on April 21st in the Rubio Community Center.

Online classes gaining popularity

Posted: Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 6:27 am

Few would argue that the internet has revolutionized nearly every aspect of society. One such area is education. Nancy Rash is the director of the Kirkwood Washington Center. She says a student can get a degree from her institution and almost never come to campus. Rash says it works out very well for many of their students who are also working, or may have children. She says the sky is essentially the limit when it comes to online course offerings. She says they are only as limited as the technology, and its cost.

Kalona Clean Up

Posted: Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 6:26 am

The Kalona City clean up day will be held the weekend of mothers day. Karen Christner, Kalona City Clerk, says they do not have any information on hours just yet. Residents will be able to take their trash to a designated spot in the Kalona Park. Again the Kalona City Clean up day will be held the weekend of mothers day in the Kalona City Park.

National Telecommunicator Week

Posted: Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 6:26 am

This is National Telecommunicator Week, and Washington Safety Center 911 Supervisor Cara Sorrells says her staff deserves the recognition. They recently held a banquet and awards were given out for things like exceptional handling of suicidal callers, perfect attendance and longevity. Sorrells says the entire staff was recognized for operations during last years flooding. She says even though Washington County wasn't greatly impacted by the catastrophe, the calls coming into the Communications Center doubled as motorists tried to get from one place to the other. Sorrells also says no one calls 911 because they are having a good day.

Local ranch joins Angus Association

Posted: Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 6:26 am

The 3 Z Ranch in West Chester is now a member of the American Angus Association. Bryce Schumann, CEO of the national breed registry says they are the largest beef cattle registry association in the world. He says they have computerized records including detailed information on nearly 16 million registered Angus. Schumann says they record ancestral information and keeps production records on individual animals for its members.

Marek hopeful legislature will adjourn this week

Posted: Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 at 7:08 am

A state lawmaker from Southeast Iowa is hopeful the legislature will end its session this week. Representative Larry Marek says they hope to have a budget in place. He says one area of uncertainty for him is a proposed middle income tax break. Marek says the legislation would save money for about 75% of the population, but would also cost the other 25% more. Marek, along with Fairfield State Senator Becky Schmitz will be in Washington this Saturday morning at 10:00, for a legislative briefing at the courthouse. 

SE Iowa receives EFSP money

Posted: Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 at 7:08 am

Congressman Loebsack announced that $49,191 has been awarded to the Second District by the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) through the Recovery Act. These funds will bring immediate relief to communities to address unemployment, poverty, and unmet needs. The second District includes Washington, Louisa, Henry and Jefferson County. After the floods of 2008, our local emergency shelters were overburdened and overstretched. Congressman Loebsack says as we continue to bring in funds for disaster relief, it is important not to let our families who were spared from the floods fall by the wayside as they struggle with the current economic downturn. The funds will be distributed to support social service agencies and will be used to supplement food, shelter, rent, mortgage and utility assistance programs for people with non-disaster related emergencies.

Washington Co. to charge for fireworks permit

Posted: Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 at 7:07 am

Washington County residents who want a fireworks permit will soon have to pay for it. County Auditor Bill Fredrick says the board of supervisors recently approved the $10 fee. Fredrick says the fee will help them recover costs from long distance phone calls, and postal costs associated with granting fireworks permits. The new rule goes into effect tomorrow