Thursday, February 26, 2009

National Award To Washington For Blood Drives

The organization, America's Blood Centers is presenting a national award to the City of Washington. Iowa Blood Drives Bi-Monthly Civic Sponsorship Rotation puts on blood drives in the community throughout the year to generate donations for the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center. Yale Jarvis coordinates the drives. He received a letter from America's Blood Centers saying Washington is going to be awarded the 12th Annual National Humanitarian Service Award. The award recognizes a civic group that has encouraged the spirit of volunteering.

Sheriff's Office Move Delayed

The Washington County Sheriff's Office will soon be relocating to the new jail but their moving plans have been delayed slightly. Sheriff Dunbar says they were hoping to be moved out there last week. Dunbar says the person that is helping switch systems, such as the phones, has been ill and if he can't make it out this week, the office may have to wait a couple more weeks for the move. The sheriff says the main purpose for the move is to be able to quickly address problems that may come up at the jail.

New Chamber Director Starting Friday

The Washington Chamber's new director will start on the job Friday. The chamber board announced last week they had hired Tim Coffey. Coffey has been running a fund raising consulting firm in Washington primarily working with non-profit groups. He says as he takes the position he wants to work closely with WEDG and Main Street Washington to market the city in a higher visibility way. He also would like to make the benefits of being a chamber member more visible, with the hope of increasing membership.

Former Keokuk Resident Accused Of Murder In Missouri

Missouri officials have charged a former Keokuk County resident with first degree murder in the death of his roommate who also used to live in Keokuk County. According to Daviess County Sheriff Officials, Carlos Sarmiento is accused of killing Lance Davis. Keokuk County Sheriff Jeff Shipley says both men used to live in Keokuk County about two or three years ago.

Attorney Generals Warns Of Phishing Scams

The Washington Chamber of Commerce has recently circulated a warning issued by the Iowa Attorney General's Office warning of various phishing scams going around the state. Bob Brammer with the Attorney General's Office says these scams primarily involve email or text messages. He says they all are seeking personal information from you such as social security number or credit card number. Brammer says legit companies don't ask for such information in email. He says the only time you should be asked for your credit card number, is if you have gone to a website, selected items to purchase, and are closing out the purchase. Finally Brammer says while many times you may hear of individuals being scammed, small businesses should also be cautious.

Mid Prairie Home School

The Mid-Prairie Home School Supervisors are talking to the state lawmakers about Home School Drivers ed. Superintendent Mark Schneider says he hasnt really studied the issue too much yet. Schneider says he has a lot of faith in the home school department and believes that they would not be going after something if it didn't have merit. Schneider says the home schooling teachers at Mid-Prairie are some of the best he has worked with.

Fruit Tree & Brambles Clinic

Wondering how to get the most out of fruit trees? Keokuk County Extension Education Director Gary Bickmeier says they have a clinic coming up that covers just that. He says the Fruit Tree and Bramble Care and Selection clinic will look at several things including how to properly care for fruit trees. The program will be March 12th at 5:30 at Marie Atwood's across from the Sigourney John Deere. The cost is ten dollars and to register you can call 800-515-2680.