An evening of helicopter training

FEATURED PICTURE · Photo by MarySue Kruse/West Liberty Index A helicopter from St. Lukes Hospital in Cedar Rapids landed adjacent to West Liberty Elementary School last Tuesday night to engage members of the West Liberty Fire and Ambulance squad in safety training. Those in attendance learned about basic weather conditions to keep in mind when helicopters are flying, landing procedures, possible areas helicopters can land on, situations in which helicopters should be called in for assistance and the proper procedure of loading a patient into a helicopter.

Barbara Grassley stumps for Miller-Meeks
by Lindsay Hoeppner · September 01, 2010
Residents of Iowa’s Second Congressional District shouldn’t have a hard time selecting which candidate to vote for in the U.S. Congress race when they hit the polls in November.
At least, that’s what Barbara Grassley, wife of five-term U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), thinks.

Rochester home suffers fire damage
by Stuart Clark · September 01, 2010
Fire caused an estimated $15,000 in damage to a Rochester home at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25.

Rotary, school district mull idea of RotaKids
by Lindsay Hoeppner · September 01, 2010
“Hey, we got trouble, oh we got trouble!
Right here in River City.
Trouble with a capital ‘T.’
And that rhymes with ‘you’ and ‘me’ and that stands for Technology!’”
So said Loring Miller in a modified sales pitch reminiscent of Professor Harold Hill’s showstopping “Ya Got Trouble” from Meredith Wilson’s 1957 Broadway musical, “The Music Man.”

School district awarded safe room grant
by Lindsay Hoeppner · August 25, 2010
After months of waiting, the West Liberty Community School District has been awarded a statewide grant that will assist in funding for the construction of a tornado-proof safe room at the high school.

Local crooner set to retire from music industry
by Lindsay Hoeppner · August 25, 2010
Ernie Peniston has jammed with the best of them — The Temptations, James Brown, Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks.
He was even good friends with Prince at one point.
Yet the 60-year-old blues crooner, who resides along the Cedar River between Atalissa and Moscow, is modest about his musical achievements.

John Archer seeks local House seat
August 25, 2010
John Archer of West Liberty has announced that he is now the Democratic candidate for the Iowa House District 79.

Sen. Harkin visits “Henry Boys”
by Lindsay Hoeppner · August 18, 2010
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin said it’s time the “Henry Boys” get something back.
Last Tuesday, the Iowa Democrat met with a group of the developmentally challenged men, locally known as the Henry Boys, who were uprooted from their century-old Atalissa schoolhouse turned bunkhouse home when local, state and federal authorities descended on the property over a year and a half ago.

New dining establishment opens in West Liberty
by Lindsay Hoeppner · August 18, 2010
Upscale dining at a reasonable price.
That’s what Joe and Cheryl Parrish have wanted to bring to West Liberty to the past four years.
The West Liberty couple’s dream was finally made a reality last month when Century Grille, located at 100 East Third St., opened.

Iowa first lady makes stop in West Liberty
by Lindsay Hoeppner · August 11, 2010
Mari Culver is pushing for the help of local Democrats leading up to the Nov. 2 election that has her husband, Gov. Chet Culver, pitted against former Gov. Terry Branstad.
“We need to do everything we can,” Iowa’s first lady told a crowd of 17, at Local Grounds last Tuesday. “We need volunteers, we need to write checks, we need to talk to our neighbors and we need to get the facts.”