Better communities program

Washington residents will have a chance to learn how to better their community September 8. The YMCA will host Kent Zimmerman, CEO of the Wallace Centers of Iowa who will discuss building communities through dialogue, active learning, and citizen engagement. Zimmerman will also show participants how they can apply for certain grants to improve the community.

400 voters cast absentee ballots

More than 400 voters in the Washington School District have cast absentee ballots so far ahead of next month's election. County Auditor Bill Fredrick says 213 of them came from satellite polling places earlier this week. Fredrick says all absentee ballots are stored until they are ready to be tabulated on the actual election day. There will be one more satellite polling location this Friday at Case Field during the Demon Football home opener.

M-P meet the candidates night

Mid Prairies Meet the Candidates night is this evening (8/27) at the high school. Education Association President Karri Bell says all candidates have been deeply involved in both the school district and surrounding communities. She says two candidates are incumbents with one being the current board president. Bell says the Meet the Candidates night will give participants an opportunity to better know all hopefuls and to find out which is the best choice for them. The event starts tonight at 6:30.

County to devise disaster mitigation plan

Washington County is working on a hazard mitigation plan, with some financial help from Homeland Security. County Engineer David Patterson says they already have an emergency preparedness plan in place. He says this is what to do in the long term in the wake of a disaster. Patterson says they are working with the East Central Iowa Council of Governments to develop the plan. The total grant amount is around $38,000.

Emergency planning to discuss H1N1

The Washington County Emergency Planning Committee is preparing for the H1N1 Virus. Public Health Adminstrator Edie Nebel says they're discussing planning and the forming of an ethics committee to deal with vaccination. Nebel says they're also talking about a Regional Emergency Preparedness exercise that's coming up in October. The Committee is meeting tomorrow (8/28) morning at the Sheriff's Office at 10:00.

Wellman Community Center expected to be done by November

Wellman will receive nearly $800,000 to help build a new community center thanks to the USDAs Community Facilities Program. Mayor Ryan Miller says the $6-million facility will fill many of the towns needs. He says the building will hold both workout and childcare facilities, and will be used by local schools. Miller says with the federal grants and funds raised from the community, they should have enough to finish and furnish the new community center. He says as of now the project is about 70-percent finished. He expects the center to open sometime in November.

WCRF fall grant cycle begins

Applications are available for the Washington County Riverboat Foundation's fall grant cycle. They can be downloaded on their website at www.washingtoncountyriverboatfoundation.org, or picked up at the their office in Washington. They advise applicants to review all guidelines before filing the application because some procedures have changed. The deadline to file is October 9.

Watermelon Day

The Washington YMCA's Watermelon Day celebration is this evening (8/27). Y Executive Director Greg Woller says the annual event serves as a sort of end of summer party. He says many of the activities will center on watermelon. Woller says they'll be closing down the block of East Main Street that the Y is on for the event. Things get started at 5:00. Admission is seven dollars. Kids under five are free.

Riverside 4-Hers bring home Swin Showmanship Award

Two Washington County 4-Hers earned top honors in livestock showmanship at the State Fair last week. Lexi and and Macey Marek of Riverside were named top showmen for the intermediate and junior divisions of swine showing. ISU Extension Director Gene Mohling says showmanship is different from other livestock competitions because it focuses on the presentation of the animal rather than the animal itself. Both Lexi and Macey are members of the Jackson Jets 4-H Club.

Facilities committee continues architect screenings

The Washington School Facilities Committee is moving to the next phase of architect screenings tomorrow (8/27). They'll be interviewing Cedar Rapids based OPN at 3:30, Des Moines based DLR Group at 5:00, and West Des Moines' SVPA at 6:30. Architects are being chosen to help with a proposed facility overhaul of all school district buildings, and construction of a new high school. Whether that happens is contingent upon voters approving more than $11-million in bonds during the September 8th Election.

Orscheln to move to old Wal-Mart building

Washington's old Wal-Mart building will be occupied again by next year. Orscheln Farm and Home's corporate office tells KCII their Washington store will be moving to the former Wal-Mart location sometime during the the 2010 calendar year. The store is currently operating in the 1600 Block of East Washington. Management at the local location say they are unable to comment at this time. The company specializes in outdoor, farm, ranch and rural lifestyle items.

Washington Co. behind state, federal unemployment numbers

Statewide unemployment numbers edged up to 6.5 percent last month, hitting a mark not seen since 1986. Iowa Work Force Development Director Elizabeth Buck says most jobs were lost in manufacturing. In Washington County, unemployment numbers dropped slightly from 5.3 to 5.2 percent last month. Local and statewide numbers are still favorable when compared with the nation as a whole. The U-S unemployment rate was at 9.4 percent in July.

Crop Update

Cool, wet weather continues to keep Iowa crop development behind schedule. However, most corn and soybeans are rated in good to excellent condition. Gene Mohling is a regional director with the ISU Extension Service. He says pests and disease continue to be a concern. 93 percent of corn is in or past the milk stage, which is on par with the five year average. 88 percent of soybeans are setting pods, which is about eight percent behind average.

ID thieves could use old medication bottles

Simply throwing away prescription drug containers may be a dangerous way to get rid of them. Senior Medicare Patrol Planning Director Brenda Sayre says the user information on the labels can be used by identity thieves to retrieve valuable personal information. Sayre says any papers that have social security numbers or Medicare numbers should be shredded to avoid danger. She also says blacking out a persons name or other personal information on labels is also helpful.

ICA regional meeting

New products and services will be the focus at the Iowa Cattlemens Associations regional meeting next Thursday (9/2). ICA Communications Manager Trent Wellman says the organizations executive vice president will be on hand to provide an ICA update, and a DNR representative will speak to the group about watershed programs for cow and calf operations. Wellman says the group will also hold an election for the Southeast Regional Vice President position. If you are interested in attending, call 1-800-888-1730.

Semi annual manure application traning

The Washington County Extension Office is reminding confinement operators and commercial manure applicators that they are required to undergo regular training. Iowa law mandates two hours of continuing education annually, and or take and pass an exam once every three years. The continuing education and the test are available at local DNR offices. For more information contact the Washington County Extension.

SE Iowans bring home big rabbit prizes

Two southeast Iowans won big at the State Fair this past week with a little help from some unusually large rabbits. Marge Westercamp of Batavia won top honors in the Largest Rabbit contest on Friday with Fawny, her 20 lb. 4 oz. pet. Westercamps rabbit easily stood above the next largest one by more than four pounts. Brightons Jennifer Wharton placed second with 16 lb. 2 oz. rabbit Jack.

Slain couple's estate sells for $1 million

The estate of a southeast Iowa couple killed by their son has been auctioned off to seven buyers for nearly one million dollars. Sandra and Michael Bentler, and their three daughters we're killed in 2006 at their home in rural Bonaparte. Their son Shawn was convicted of the slayings in 2007. The 445 acre estate was divided into seven tracts of land. One included the Bentler home and 28 acres of surrounding land. State law prohibits those convicted of murder from benefiting from their victims' deaths.

Redbrick School becomes museum

A new museum to the area's country schools has been established just outside Washington. Carlton Mangold, with the County Historic Preservation Commission, says the Red Brick School House was one of nearly 150 that once operated in Washington County. Mangold says about eight thousand dollars was donated to renovating the Red Brick School House. He says a great deal of historical items were also given to the effort. There will be an open house the last weekend in September.

Mt. Pleasant woman injured after rollover

A Mt. Pleasant woman was hospitalized last night after a crash on a Henry County road near highway 34. The Iowa State Patrol says 79 year old Sarah Hassenfritz lost control of her SUV near 260th and Nebraska Avenue when she entered the road ditch causing the vehicle to overturn. They say she was not wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash. Hassenfritz was taken to Henry County Hospital, and later transferred to University of Iowa Hospital. The State Patrol says the accident remains under investigation.