Local News

 SPRINGFIELD — Library officials are expected to meet Thursday to discuss the feasibility of  a new downtown building. In December, the library board paid $225,000 for a Main Street lot near Fairgrounds Lane, according to property records. 

A warehouse was demolished there and an approximately 10,000 square-feet library is expected to be erected on the site to replace the current 49-year-old building. 

The new Washington County Public Library is expected to double the size of the existing structure.

FREDERICKTOWN — Washington County officials are already working toward setting up next year’s budget, which goes into effect July 1, and continued improvements at the Fredericktown park will be among the focal points.

In recent years, the park has been transformed with the resurfacing of the basketball and tennis courts and parking area, improvement of the walking track and re-roofing of the pavilion, as well as other upgrades, but one big problem remains.

A Washington County grandmother says she was nearly duped into wiring money overseas in a bogus scam that seems to be plaguing the region.
Earlier last week, Marion County Sheriff’s officers warned residents there of a potential scam targeting the elderly. Local authorities say they’ve received scattered reports of scammers here.
A Springfield woman told The Sun she was nearly a victim of that scam.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she received a phone call about 9:30 a.m., Jan. 11, from a man who posed as her grandson.

Washington County Schools Superintendent Robin Cochran is negotiating a new four-year contract with the district.
Preliminary terms of the agreement indicate Cochran will earn no less than her current annual salary of $109,249.25.
Details will be finalized sometime before July 1, Cochran said, when the new contract is expected to begin.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “I’ll be working to keep stability in the district.”