Kalen McCain

A high school student fires up a game of Mario Kart on her Nintendo Switch ahead of an esports competition. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

BRIGHTON — Members of the Brighton City Council did not manage to appoint a member at their meeting June 17, likely setting up the vacant decision-making seat for a special election in early August, according to municipal staff.

A handful of non-meat burgers line a shelf at the Fareway store in Washington, Iowa. A new law takes effect July 1 requiring that plant- and insect-based meat and egg substitutes contain prominent labels, and applies similar rules for lab-grown protein products. (Kalen McCain/The Union)

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BRIGHTON — Washington County has announced an Aug. 6 date for a special election in Brighton to replace resigned Council Member David Pratt. The vacancy is an at-large position, as are all seats on the Brighton City Council.

For roughly the last decade, a softball and baseball field in the southeastern corner of Washington County went unused. Its dirt infield was replaced by a persistent layer of grass, while vegetation in the outfield grew unevenly, undisturbed by the cleat-wearing footfalls of players running after fly balls.

2023 Washington County Fair Queen Taylor Bartholomew reads to students in a Stewart Elementary School classroom. Bartholomew has pushed to volunteer around the community as fair queen, saying she hopes to set a precedent for future county royalty. (Photo submitted)

WASHINGTON — Dozens of trainspotters gathered around the railroad tracks in Washington on Thursday, some of them traveling for hours or even days to reach the city, while others walked from just a few blocks up the road.

An anti-abortion group stood across the street from Mt. Pleasant Veterans Hall in 2020. (Ashley Duong/The Union)

Installation of paved shoulders means weeks of one-lane traffic, but long-term safety improvements