http://www.westlibertyindex.comThe latest news from the West Liberty Index.http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3535Residents 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.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-09-01http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3536Fire caused an estimated $15,000 in damage to a Rochester home at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25.Stuart Clark2010-09-01http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3537"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."Lindsay Hoeppner2010-09-01http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3520After 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.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-08-25http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3522Ernie 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.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-08-25http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3521John Archer of West Liberty has announced that he is now the Democratic candidate for the Iowa House District 79.2010-08-25http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3504U.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.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-08-18http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3505Upscale 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.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-08-18http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3494Mari 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."Lindsay Hoeppner2010-08-11http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3495The West Liberty High School Marching Band is bringing a bevy of classic Disney characters to life. On the football field, that is. Monday, nearly 30 band members battled the sweltering heat and humidity in an effort to perfect the group's first routine for its Disney-themed show, "Fantasmic!"Lindsay Hoeppner2010-08-11http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3503After Marc Simpson graduated from college and spent nearly one year working in the electronics field, he began looking for something more. "It just didn't trip my trigger," he said. As a result, the rural West Liberty native began brainstorming ways he could be helpful, meet new people and work in the community he grew up in. "It just hit me," Simpson said. "Real estate seemed like a good fit, and it has been."2010-08-11http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3483"You can't be for big government, big taxes and big bureaucracy and still be for the little guy." Not only is the above 1988 testament from Ronald Reagan Rep. Jeff Kaufmann's (R-Wilton) favorite quote, it's a fundamental tenet the state legislator exudes in his political views and when selecting a guest speaker. Case in point? Republican Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-08-04http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3484The West Liberty Community School District Board of Education last Thursday accepted bids and directed the sale of $4,430,000 in general obligation school refunding bonds to United Missouri Bank of Kansas City, Mo.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-08-04http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3482First Lady Mari Culver will make stops in Eastern and Central Iowa this week, beginning with a stop in Johnson County. She'll then travel to Muscatine, Des Moines, Washington, Keokuk, Mahaska and Marion counties.2010-08-02http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3468Todd and Jon Thompson like small town atmospheres. "It's the type of community we like to operate in and work with," said Todd, who, along with his cousin, Jon, took over ownership of West Liberty Pharmacy on July 1.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-07-28http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3469For 28 years, Jill Kumlien has battled multiple sclerosis, and her daughter, Ashley, wishes for a cure. A runner for 12 years, the younger Kumlien decided to quit her job on a cruise ship and spend six months running from San Francisco to New York, raising awareness and funding for research along the way.Gregory R. Norfleet2010-07-28http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3455Sweltering heat didn't keep Muscatine County residents at home on Sunday. Rather, this year's Muscatine County Fair Parade was one of the largest to ever usher in West Liberty's most decorated annual event - the Muscatine County Fair.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-07-20http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3456Marilyn McKillip has a passion for cooking. For over 20 years, the West Liberty resident has worked as a cook at the Simpson Memorial Home. Although she retired from full-time work a couple of years ago, she couldn't stay away. Now, McKillip only works part-time, making desserts and salads, but through her experience, she has become somewhat infatuated with the art form.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-07-20http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3439"Family, Fun, 4-H, Food, Friends and Finally, a Ferris Wheel." West Liberty's largest annual event - the Muscatine County Fair - will run Wednesday, July 21 through Sunday, July 25. The big week will begin a little earlier, however, with the Muscatine County Fair Parade and Fun Run this Sunday, July 18.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-07-14http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3440Francis Thicke has a new vision for food and agriculture. The Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Democratic nominee, who holds a PhD in agronomy and soil science, operates an organic dairy farm near Fairfield. "I see that we have some major challenges facing Iowa agriculture, and we're not really addressing those challenges," Thicke said during a stop in West Liberty last Thursday.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-07-14http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3441The West Liberty Heritage Foundation is calling for the help of West Liberty community members.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-07-14http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3451In 1874, J. Loring Brooke doubled as a bank officer and a lawyer. Eventually, J. Loring's son, Robert Brooke, took over the firm and partnered with Robert Barclay. Around the same time, Gustavus Allbee began his own law firm in Muscatine. Nearly a century later, the two firms merged in the building that once doubled as both a bank and a law office.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-07-14http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3425No responsibility. Sounds good, right? The Simpson Memorial Home Board of Directors thought so, which is why last Monday, June 28, the board approved design and construction plans for a cluster of independent living homes, which will soon relieve retired individuals of the unneeded stresses of maintaining their own home.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-07-07http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3426Morality. Ethics. Integrity. Those were the principles Paul Harris had in mind 105 years ago as he assembled a group of business and professional men who wanted to service the community, engage in fellowship and promote each other's businesses.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-07-07http://www.westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=3427Thirty years ago, George Pearl was just beginning his career with the city of West Liberty. When Pearl was beginning his part-time summer job with the cemetery department, however, he didn't realize his foray into the city department would result in a pursuit that has spanned three decades and counting.Lindsay Hoeppner2010-07-07