Mount Union
The Mount Pleasant Community School District is pursuing plans to establish a public charter school serving students in grades 6 through 12, potentially introducing a year-round calendar, a four-day instructional week, and a different approach to classroom learning. According to a November 6 weekly staff update from district administration, the...
The Pizza Ranch in Fairfield has closed, the restaurant announced on social media this week. The owners said the closure happened last month due to unexpected circumstances that left the restaurant with only one manager. Pizza Ranch has operated in Fairfield for more than eight years, with the current ownership group having run the location for approximately eight of those years since 2019.
New holiday activities, financial support for a major community project, and city improvements were among the topics discussed by the Mount Pleasant City Council Tuesday evening. Sophia Walderbach, a Mount Pleasant High School senior interning with Main Street Mount Pleasant and the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance, presented plans to...
Plans for a massive $15 billion southeast Iowa steel plant project that will bring thousands of jobs to Lee County are a step closer to reality. The Lee County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved this week a term sheet setting the framework for local tax and community benefit payments for the Mesabi Metallics steel project, which is expected to be the largest integrated steel complex in U.S. history.
A new Medical Examiner Investigator was appointed by the Washington County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. Joshua Laws of Washington was appointed to the role, and will join Washington County Medical Examiner Dr. Paul Towner on staff in a medical examiner investigator role. Laws also currently serves on the Washington County Ambulance, Fire Department, and EMS and Rescue Unit.
A proposed solar farm near Letts is headed to a public meeting with state regulators after Louisa County turned down a permit for the project. The Louisa County Board of Adjustment voted 4 to 1 in September to deny a special-use permit for Southpaw Solar. The company has since asked the Iowa Utilities Commission to hold an informational meeting about a state certificate for the project.
LEE COUNTY – The Lee County Board of Supervisors put their stamp on an incentive package that was discussed last week to spur construction on a $15 billion steel plant in Lee County. The board approved the term sheet with a unanimous 5-0 vote in what Supervisor Chuck Holmes...
Residents in the Mediapolis area are being advised of a planned power outage scheduled for Thursday night into Friday morning. According to a notice shared by Mediapolis News and posted by KILJ Radio, Alliant Energy has scheduled an outage to perform maintenance on its Mediapolis substation. Power is expected to...
LE MARS — Le Mars Community pitcher Brett McInnis signed his letter of intent to play baseball for Southeastern Community College at a ceremony on Wednesday. “After this last summer season, I went to a lot of camps and I decided I was talking to quite a few coaches. Southeastern called me one day and they were straightforward with me. They gave me really some inspiration to come there. Ben (Beznoska), the pitching coach there, is a really cool dude and he’s talked to me, he’s worked with professional guys and he said that I have the potential to make it anywhere I want to. So, he really inspired me to go there,” McInnis said. “I didn’t think I was going to go the JUCO route at all, but then Southeastern stuck out to me a lot and talking to guys, I thought it was the best way for me to play professional baseball one day.”
At the beginning of Monday’s work session meeting of the Burlington City Council, Mayor Jon Billups said he and other council members have been in contact with members of the Burlington Public Library Board of Trustees about issues at the library. At last week’s council meeting, two people addressed the council about issues with homeless people being a presence at the library, including using study rooms as daytime sleeping quarters, odors in the upholstered seating and an increased amount of personal baggage and belongings brought into the facility. The HawkEye reports that Mayor Billups said the council members have talked to the board of trustees about current policies and holding a joint work session with the council at a future date. The Library Board of Trustees sets policy for operation of the public library.
Two downtown Burlington commercial parcels will go up for auction tomorrow, offering buyers the choice between buildings with established businesses, and a historically significant property that’s open for change. The HawkEye reports that the live online auction is scheduled for 11 a.m. The two parcels in the 500 block of Jefferson Street will be offered separately. The current owner says said considerable investment has gone into the buildings, including structural work at the rear of the properties and renovations to the occupied commercial spaces.Some prospective buyers are attracted to buildings with operating businesses, while others have ideas for starting something new in the building that is currently vacant.
FORT MADISON – A non-eventful easy Thursday evening in downtown Fort Madison turned into an eventful one thanks to the generous contributions of Fort Madison’s SIRRC board. The Southeast Iowa Regional Riverboat Commission made a $101,000 contribution to Old Fort Madison Preservation, Inc. at OFMP’s new digs at...
Legal and state regulatory options have now been launched by Ranger Power of Chicago to avoid the Sept. 1 denial of a special use permit by the Louisa County Board of Adjustment. The HawkEye reports that Zoning Administrator Bruce Hudson told the Louisa County Board of Supervisors this week the company had filed a lawsuit over the denial of the permit for the proposed 450 megawatt solar, energy storage and agrivoltaics Southpaw Solar Energy project in northern Louisa County. In addition to the lawsuit, the company has also submitted an application to the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) for a state permit. If granted, the permit would override the local decision and allow the facility to be constructed on approximately 5,700 acres. The local board denied the special use permit because of the impact of the proposed facility on some of the county’s best farmland.
Potential sites for solar panels on county property were presented and discussed by the Washington County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Eagle Point Solar gave a presentation on multiple county sites that solar panels could be added. The sites include the Orchard Hill facilities and Emergency Operations Center on Lexington Boulevard, the secondary roads shop at 821 East 7th Street, and Washington County Courthouse grounds in downtown Washington. These would be freestanding solar arrays.
Blue Rose Ballroom & Bistro has received a Rose Award for Excellence in Design from the Fairfield Beautification Commission, recognizing the business for its exceptional craftsmanship and commitment to creating a space of remarkable beauty and character. The commission praised the venue’s sophisticated blend of Venetian plaster, natural wood, custom...