By Gene Fraise —- As I prepare to step down from public life, it’s been an honor and privilege to serve the people of Southeast Iowa. Fort Madison and other towns have struggled over the years as we saw our businesses leave and take their jobs out of Iowa and go overseas. Then, thanks [...]
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FORT MADISON – A convicted rapist once considered a prime suspect in the 1979 unsolved stabbing death of Cedar Rapids teen Michelle Martinko died this week in the Iowa State Penitentiary Hospice Care Unit, where he was serving a life sentence for an unrelated sexual crime. Dennis Lee McKee, 61, died a natural death from [...]
continue »The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) is pleased to announce that construction of U.S. 61 on a relocated alignment around the west and north sides of Fort Madison, commonly referred to as the Fort Madison bypass, has been completed and the roadway is in the process of being opened to traffic. The entire roadway is [...]
continue »The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) is reporting that unfavorable weather conditions occurring over the last few weeks are delaying the opening of the Fort Madison bypass until next week. Final construction activities are presently under way; however, progress remains contingent on the weather. The bypass will not be ready to open this week. The [...]
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FORT MADISON — “Enough is enough” was the theme Friday as members of the American Federal of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) complained that state correctional officials are ignoring a legislative directive to add more prison staff. Several dozen people rallied outside the gates of the Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison, claiming state [...]
continue »A team of Iowa anglers won their first Bassmasters regional title in nearly 20 years at the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Northern Divisional Tournament held Aug. 10-12 on the Mississippi River at Fort Madison. The Iowans’ total bag of 190 pounds 14 ounces exceeded the second-place Wisconsin team’s total by 25 pounds. Teams from Ohio, Indiana, [...]
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Visible progress on a new maximum security prison in Fort Madison is moving along faster than many in the Department of Corrections anticipated. The $130 million project is on pace to be completed by December 2012, according to Iowa State Penitentiary Warden Nick Ludwick. “The project is really springing up fast from the ground,” said Ludwick. “It’s nice to see the beginning [...]
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More than 100 correctional officers at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville “don’t feel safe,” according to veteran officer Marty Hathaway, who serves as President of AFSCME local 2985, the union that represents the workers. According to Hathaway, 59 positions have been cut over the last two years, leading to concerns about overall prison [...]
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Updating prep results from the Drake Relays Friday: BOYS Discus — 1. Sam Joens (Cedar Rapids Prairie), 176-5; 2. Micheal Smithburg (Fairfield), 174-11; 3. Justin Baker (Sioux City Heelan), 165-7; 4. Derek Seddon (Knoxville), 165-5; 5. Cade Lambson (Mount Ayr), 165-2; 6. Tim Nemechek (Elkader Central), 164-10; 7. Dallas Hinkhouse (West Des Moines Valley), 164-9; [...]
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Prison officials say the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison is on lockdown after four inmates were wounded in a stabbing. Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta says the state’s maximum security prison was placed on lockdown on Tuesday after the stabbings, which happened about 11:30 a.m. Scaletta says the inmates were being treated at [...]
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