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This residence in the 1200 block of South Grand Avenue, shown Saturday morning, sustained moderate damage during a fire Friday evening. The burned car seen in the driveway was on fire first, causing the home to catch fire.

Photos by Nicole Cooke | Democrat

Two homes in the 600 block of West Fourth Street, shown Saturday morning, sustained damage during a fire early Saturday morning. The Sedalia Fire Department responded to the home on the left, then saw the home on the right was also starting to burn.

Photos by Nicole Cooke | Democrat

This vehicle caught fire Friday evening, causing moderate damage to the outside of the home in the 1200 block of South Grand Avenue.

Photos by Nicole Cooke | Democrat

The Sedalia Fire Department responded to three structure fires Friday night into early Saturday morning, all determined to be accidental.

According to information from SFD Deputy Chief Greg Harrell, SFD responded to a fire at a residence, 1209 S. Grand Ave., that was caused by a vehicle fire in the driveway around 7:30 p.m. Friday. The house sustained moderate damage to the outside of the structure.

Battalion Chief Paul Withers said the incident started with a fire in the vehicles engine area.

There was nothing suspicious, just a normal vehicle fire, Withers told the Democrat by phone Saturday morning. It did melt the siding on the house.

Withers said crews were on scene for about 45 minutes.

Around 4:28 a.m. Saturday, firefighters responded to a report of a house fire in the 600 block of West Fourth Street. Upon arrival, firefighters found a three-story home, 623 W. Fourth St., with fire and smoke showing, Harrell said via email. A home roughly six feet to the west, 625 W. Fourth St., started to burn as well.

The Missouri State Fire Marshals office was called in to assist SFD investigators to attempt to determine the cause.

The source of the fire was a ceiling fan in the back porch area (at 623) had overheated, melted, and when it fell down it fell on a lot of burnable materials, Withers said. Thats what started the fire. It was nothing suspicious, it was accidental.

The three-story home sustained heavy damage to the structure and contents, and moderate damage to the home next door, according to Harrell. No one was home at 623 at the time of the fire, but the occupants of 625 were inside their home. Withers said those residents were able to get back inside their home.

Withers said crews remained on scene until around 9 a.m. He added that the Pettis County Fire District had personnel on standby for mutual aid if needed and SFD called in overtime assistance due to two houses on fire at the same time.

No injuries were reported in either incident.

This residence in the 1200 block of South Grand Avenue, shown Saturday morning, sustained moderate damage during a fire Friday evening. The burned car seen in the driveway was on fire first, causing the home to catch fire.

http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TSD031917HouseFires.jpgThis residence in the 1200 block of South Grand Avenue, shown Saturday morning, sustained moderate damage during a fire Friday evening. The burned car seen in the driveway was on fire first, causing the home to catch fire. Photos by Nicole Cooke | Democrat

Two homes in the 600 block of West Fourth Street, shown Saturday morning, sustained damage during a fire early Saturday morning. The Sedalia Fire Department responded to the home on the left, then saw the home on the right was also starting to burn.

http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TSD031917HouseFires2.jpgTwo homes in the 600 block of West Fourth Street, shown Saturday morning, sustained damage during a fire early Saturday morning. The Sedalia Fire Department responded to the home on the left, then saw the home on the right was also starting to burn. Photos by Nicole Cooke | Democrat

This vehicle caught fire Friday evening, causing moderate damage to the outside of the home in the 1200 block of South Grand Avenue.

http://sedaliademocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TSD031917HouseFires3.jpgThis vehicle caught fire Friday evening, causing moderate damage to the outside of the home in the 1200 block of South Grand Avenue. Photos by Nicole Cooke | Democrat

Causes determined to be accidental

Nicole Cooke can be reached at 660-530-0138 or on Twitter @NicoleRCooke.

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SFD responds to multiple house fires over weekend - Sedalia Democrat

INDIANAPOLIS John Zody was re-elected Saturday as the Indiana Democratic Party chairman, staving off challenges from two other candidates.

Zody secured a second four-year term over challengers John C. Aguilera, a former two-term Lake County councilman and four-term state representative, and state Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago. Both Randolph and Aguilera are from East Chicago.

Zody in a news release on the party's website said he was "humbled and honored" to have been re-elected.

"I want to thank my opponents for their ideas and thoughts during this race. We learned hard lessons in 2016 but the aftermath has provided us with an enormous opportunity. To capitalize on this opportunity, we must be proactive," Zody said in the release.

Randolph, a four-term state lawmaker, previously had said he believed the Indiana Democratic Party needed a new leader after Democratic candidates lost in every statewide election last year. Aguilera had echoed that sentiment when he announced his intent to run.

"To win, we must develop a sustainable statewide organization, focus on outreach, develop a talent pipeline and carry a carefully-crafted message based around the values that makes us Democrats," Zody said in the news release. "Hoosier Democrats are ready. Im ready to go to work. This is our way forward, together.

Cordelia Lewis Burks was re-elected vice chair. Rick Sutton was elected to serve as party secretary, and Henry Fernandez was elected to serve as treasurer.

Excerpt from:
Zody re-elected as Indiana Democrat party chair - nwitimes.com

The Weatherford Democrat is moving ahead with plans to form the Community Advisory Board first announced on our Viewpoints Page in the March 11 edition.

Readers have responded to requests for applicants for the advisory board has been good but the paper wants to hear from more.

The board will three to five community members who will serve for six-month terms.

The first six-month term is expected to begin April 1 or shortly thereafter.

This relatively quick rotation period is meant to generate letters of interest from Parker County residents who would like to serve on the board in the future if a seat on the first one is not available.

The Democrat wants to get a head start on forming the second board, which would replace the first Oct. 1 or shortly thereafter.

Interested persons should contact eitherPublisher Jeff Smith (jjsmith@weatherforddemocrat.com) or Editor James Walker(editor@weatherforddemocrat.com).

In lieu of emails, applicants can send letters indicating interest that can be dropped off at or mailed to our offices at 512 Palo Pinto Street, Weatherford, Tx. 76086.and provide a short note explaining what they would hope to accomplish as a board member.

The goal of the Community Advisory Board is to add an element of transparency to the Democrats operations and decision-making and to increase its connection with all segments of its readership.

Board members will be able to question the publisher and editor over why some stories were produced, why others were not and decisions that were made concerning everything from where stories were played to words used in headlines.

The Democrat also is looking for suggestions from board members on stories that should be done and local topics it should be addressing in editorials on its Viewpoints Page.

Plans are for the board to meet once per month, most likely in the early evening, taking into account board members schedule.

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Democrat moves forward with advisory board plans - Weatherford Democrat

Ryan Blessing rblessing@norwichbulletin.com, (860) 425-4205 rblessingNB

NORWICH Saying it's time for "young and new leadership to steer the city forward," Derell Wilson indicated Thursday he will announce his entry this weekend into the race for mayor of Norwich as a Democratic candidate.

Wilson, 25, said in a news release he "is ready to take on the challenge of reviving and rebuilding a city in desperate need of fresh ideas and new leadership."

He is the first Democrat to announce his candidacy. Wilson is seeking the mayor's seat after Democrat Deb Hinchey announced last month she would not seek re-election.

An employee of the Norwich school system, Wilson servedas both the local NAACP Youth Council president and president of the NAACP State Conference of Youth and College Divisions. He is the brother of Terell Wilson, a former Norwich alderman who died in an automobile crash caused by a wrong-way driver in April 2016 on Interstate 95.

Wilson plans to announce his candidacy at 1 p.m. Saturday in front of the William A. Buckingham House, also known as the Buckingham Memorial, at 307 Main St.

Wilson said he plans to use "Our City, Our Voice," as his campaign's theme, and he will promote "families first, advancing initiatives that invest in our children."

"Wilson wants to bring together all parts of the city as one cohesive unit, working together to be the most efficient city that Norwich can be," Wilson's statement said. It also said he will "move the city forward in an ethical, transparent and inclusive way."

Republican Peter A. Nystrom, president pro tempore of the City Council and a former mayor until he was defeated by Hinchey, announced March 4 he plans to run again for mayor. Alderman Tucker Braddock, a Democrat, also has been mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate.

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Democrat Derell Wilson, 25, to announce run for mayor of Norwich - Norwich Bulletin

WAYNESBORO So now it looks like Del. Richard "Dickie" Bell will have a Democratic opponent this year after all.

Staunton resident Michele Edwards announced her intention Thursday to seek the Democratic nomination for House District 20. Bell has held the 20th District seat since 2010.

The Republican District Committee announced on Wednesday that Bell had secured the GOP nomination for this year's race, and at that time, it appeared his only challenger in the November election would be Libertarian candidate Will Hammer. Bell and Hammer were the only candidates on the ballot in the 2015 race, with the incumbent easily winning with more than 70 percent of the vote.

Now, though, it appears Edwards will make it a three-way race. The Staunton resident works for Partners Worldwide, an organization that seeks to end poverty. She is married to Wally Edwards, has two children, and is a member of Trinity Episcopal Church.

Edwards announced her candidacy at the Augusta County Courthouse on Thursday.

"You know, someone said to me recently that it would be a cold day in hell before an incumbent in Virginias 20thdistrict would be beaten,so I chose a cold day in Staunton, Virginia, to announce my plans to do just that," she joked, injecting some levity in a reference to the fact that unseating a Republican in the conservative district will be no easy task. But Edwards said she is up to the challenge.

Her platform includes creating jobs with good wages, spurring economic development, and curtailing the opioid epidemic that has hit parts of Virginia hard.

"I am profoundly concerned about the challenges our communities face right now,'' Edwards said. "The rise of opioids and other drug abuse, mental health issues and high levels of poverty all have a devastating impact on the health of families."

If elected, Edwards said she wants to ensure full funding of public education, find solutions to bring health care to all Virginians, support local businesses and attract new ones to the area and "protect the rights and dignity of all people." She also said she would work to reach across party lines to collaborate with other members of the Virginia House of Delegates, regardless of their party affiliation.

The 20th District includes the cities of Waynesboro and Staunton, and portions of Augusta, Highland and Nelson counties.

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Democrat announces bid for Bell's seat - The Daily Progress