Two charged after car chase ends in Atalissa
Edition: Jan. 12, 2023
By Garrett Ammesmaki
Two have been arrested in a Wednesday morning vehicle theft that included a brief on-foot chase in Atalissa.
Deputies were responding to a complaint from a resident on a vehicle theft when they located the stolen maroon KIA van a short distance away on Third Street. Two suspects were trying to tow a second vehicle from a residential yard.
The male driver of the vehicle attempted to flee the scene before crashing into a shed on the property. The driver then tried to flee on foot, while the female passenger was taken into custody.
Keegan Leonard Lee Gravert, 26, of Coralville, and Crystal Marie Patterson, 22, of West Liberty, were transported to Muscatine County Jail.
Gravert has been charged with two counts of theft in the first degree, interference with official acts, prescription drug violation, possession of burglar tools and driving with an expired license.
Gravert also had an outstanding warrant from Scott County from July 28, 2022, according to Iowa Courts Online records. Gravert was charged with burglary - third degree, theft – second degree and criminal mischief – second offense. All these charges are Class D felonies.
Patterson has been charged with two counts of theft in the first degree, interference with official acts, prescription drug violation, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of burglar tools and escape.
The Iowa State Patrol, the West Liberty Police Department, Wilton Police Department and Atalissa EMS assisted the sheriff’s office.
Garcia-Vazquez gets third place at state
Edition: Feb. 9, 2023
By Ryan Timmerman
While the inaugural girls state wrestling meet was a little anticlimactic for West Liberty High School’s Silvia Garcia-Vasquez, she wasn’t complaining.
The sophomore made it to the third-place match at the Xtream Arena in Coralville on Friday after making it through Thursday’s preliminary rounds.
In the third-place match, she only had to take the mat to have her arm raised as her scheduled opponent, Anamosa’s Adison Musser, couldn’t wrestle due to a concussion suffered in the semifinal round, thus handing the Comet 115-pounder a top three finish.
“It feels good. There were a lot of ups and downs this season, both mentally and physically,” Silvia said. “But we got through it.”
“My first few matches, I just tried to go into them with a winning mentality and try to do my best no matter the outcome,” she added.
City council hires Geertz for city manager
Edition: March 30, 2023
By Xiomara Levsen
The West Liberty City Council announced who they offered the city manager position to at the city council meeting Tuesday, March 21.
“It is still being finalized, but the city council has decided that they want to offer this position to City Clerk Lee Geertz and it was a unanimous decision,” Mayor Ethan Anderson said.
“Definitely, a lot of discussion was had. It was not reached easily but that was a unanimous decision and that’s always good to hear,” he added.
Sportsmanship, friendship steals the show at Comets’ season opening track and field meet
Edition: April 6, 2023
By Ryan Timmerman
While the West Liberty High School girls’ track and field team finished fourth at last Tuesday’s co-ed meet in Wapello, it was an event that didn’t count toward the scoring that displayed the Comets’ character.
The 200-meter wheelchair race, an event that didn’t count toward the team score, stole the show for West Liberty.
In the competition, Comets’ freshman Payton Maas was joined by teammates Pearson Hall and Alyssa Lenz. Maas finished the race in 1 minute, 23.44 seconds.
It was a spur-of-the-moment thing as the sophomore Hall, who just got done running the 200-meter dash, ran alongside Maas and freshman Lenz joined.
“(Payton is) just a really good friend,” Hall said, “and I thought it would be a good way to pay her back for that.”
Hall finished her 200 in 29.65 seconds to take third, one spot behind freshman teammate Kiley Collins, who ran a 29.17. Durant’s Emma Meincke won the race with a 28.20-second finish.
West Liberty Foods will expand outside of city
But are committed to staying in the area says CEO Brandon Achen
Edition: May 18, 2023
By Xiomara Levsen
West Liberty Foods plans to expand its operation outside of West Liberty, though it will remain committed to the city.
“I’ll address the new plant,” West Liberty Foods Chief Operating Officer and President Brandon Achen said during WeLead’s annual meeting Friday, May. 12.
He has gotten a lot of questions about where the new facility would be going and when it would be built from community members.
“There’s been a lot of talk around town lately and I think it’s because we’ve had some interest in a piece of ground near town here,” Achen said. An exact location hasn’t been chosen.
“We do want to be near town, but not in town,” Achen added. “We don’t want to be in town because we don’t like the heavy truck traffic through town, near school zones and it hurts the infrastructure of the city and we’d like to have access to major interstates.”
West Liberty Foods has found a property north of West Liberty, but hasn’t purchased it and hasn’t had any land surveys done on this property.
“We’ve just identified it and there’s still a lot of work to do,” Achen said. “We do want to get a piece of ground locked down in the next year, so we know where the facility is going to go.”
Construction on a new facility won’t begin for quite a while either.
“We have a lot of big projects going on at our other facilities as well right now and the West Liberty project is one that is very large in scope and in dollars,” Achen told everyone at the meeting. “We’re working on the financing right now for that.”
RAGBRAI comes through West Liberty
Edition: Aug. 3, 2023
By Xiomara Levsen
Over 20,000 bicyclists came through West Liberty and rural Muscatine County Saturday, July 29, for RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa).
“I love it,” said Jessica Koch, who was waiting for her friend from Maryland to come down North Calhoun Street Saturday morning. “I enjoy coming out and saying ‘Good Morning’ to them all and just seeing the accomplishment that they’ve been able to do.”
West Liberty Chamber of Commerce Director Charles Brooke said he thought the event Saturday went well in town. Mary Larson, his co-chair on the RAGBRAI committee, also told Brooke after the event was over she felt it went well.
“All of our work paid off,” Brooke said. “The late-night conversations, meetings on a weekly basis since April and dodging a small rainstorm Friday night paid off.”
RAGBRAI has come through West Liberty before, and each time Brooke said the bicyclists love it.
“West Liberty is always on RAGBRAI’s radar, and we always show up,” he said.
West Liberty was the second stop after Iowa City Saturday morning. Everything downtown and on Calhoun Street was cleaned up by 12:30 p.m.
This was an amazing experience for West Liberty to be on the RAGBRAI route for the 50th anniversary, Brooke added. He would love to see the bicyclists return to West Liberty in the future.
Groundbreaking ceremony held
Subdivision will be 10 acres; largest housing development project
Edition: Aug. 10, 2023
By Ken Brooks WeLead Executive Director
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday, Aug. 2 for a 45-home subdivision located on 10 acres on the north side of the city.
This development is the largest of the housing development and expansion projects in West Liberty.
Jason Dumont with GHS Development, the property developer of the new subdivision, is enthusiastic about his projects in the growing community.
“We are very excited to be doing this project in West Liberty," Dumont said. "Over the last few years we have seen the commitment and excitement within the community to improve the school's facilities through a massive fundraising effort, the results of which are a nearly complete state of the art athletic facility on the west side of town.”
“The City administration is committed to bringing more housing opportunities to the community, and WeLead, the economic development office, has been very helpful in helping us to fill the housing needs in West Liberty,” he said.
Greyson Conlon will be handling all the marketing and listings for the new subdivision through Robertson Realty in order to have a local presence in town for buyers.
“We are also committed using local labor from the community when we can,” Dumont said. “We have done several similar projects over the years in communities near Iowa City, and we feel West Liberty is a great place to bring our housing project experience and products.”
This project will be bringing 45 new homes to the area with a mixture of duplexes, single family, and townhomes. Dumont says that they have designed the project to tie into the expanding trail system and incorporated a wet basin for water retention, which will be stocked with fish and will be available for use for the residents of the development.
West Liberty Economic Area Development Corporation (WeLead) Executive Director, Ken Brooks, is happy to have Dumont's investment in the community.
“Jason Dumont and his team are not only bringing their knowledge, skills, and experience to the table with this housing project, but they are also bringing a great deal of passion and enthusiasm,” says Brooks.
D.C. deal brings childcare for soldiers
Edition: Aug. 24, 2023
By Erin M. Gentz
Military families in the West Liberty area will have access to childcare options thanks to a pilot program between the city, childcare network WeeCare and the Department of Defense.
Mayor Ethan Anderson, city council member Dana Dominguez, and city manager Lee Geertz were in Washington, D.C., last Thursday for a ceremony to sign an agreement for the program, known as the Childcare Intergovernmental Support Agreement.
West Liberty was one of two communities in the nation chosen to start the program, along with Clay County, Mo., in the Kansas City area.
“Parenting our kids well is likely one of the most important things that any of us will do in our lives,” said Anderson during the ceremony. “And the one thing that every parent knows is that feeling of relief when you need to leave your child, and you know that you are leaving them with someone you trust. You know that they are in good hands. It’s worthwhile to invest in it.”
All active Iowa Army National Guard and Iowa Army Reserve members within a 100-mile radius of West Liberty are eligible to sign up for the program.
WeeCare had been looking for municipalities to partner with, and council member Dominguez learned about the program while visiting a friend in Los Angeles, where WeeCare is headquartered.
“After speaking with a WeeCare representative and learning more about the opportunity, I knew it was one we couldn’t pass up,” she said.
WeeCare is an online childcare network that helps families connect with qualified providers in their community. They also support childcare providers and help businesses offer their employees childcare benefits.
The program officially launches in November, at which time Army families who are looking for childcare can sign up directly through the WeeCare app.
“The Army recognizes the impact that childcare has on the lives of our soldiers and their families,” Army deputy chief of staff for installations Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen said in a press release. “Through increased initiatives to identify and secure accessible and affordable childcare options, we enable our military parents to fulfill their responsibilities without sacrificing the well-being of their children.”
New recreational court targeted for Atalissa
Edition: Aug. 24, 2023
By Tim Evans
The City of Atalissa is working to get residents a first-time multi-purpose recreation court to be built south of the city maintenance building on Cherry Street.
This was learned from the Monday, Aug. 14 meeting of the city council at city hall.
Mayor Angie Dickey said the city is going after grants and other sources of funding to finance the estimated $30,000 court that was initially set to be a basketball court but has ballooned into a multi-purpose court that could include facilities to play volleyball, tennis and pickleball.
She said local foundations, utilities and businesses are being sought out for funding. The court would be built on a presently vacant lot nearly across from the city’s playground park to include cement and a drainage system.
City council members brought up the idea in the spring and sought bids and community input on the project, but when they saw the price tag and knew they only had about a $3,000 annual recreation budget, they decided to seek grants from five different entities and are having great success, according to the mayor.
“Oh my gosh, that’s a lot of money,” Dickey said of the project when she learned about the bid, noting the only other court in town is located at the Zion Lutheran Church, but said those basketball courts have seen better years.
The mayor said she hopes the project can get done this fall, pending weather and getting final approval on the grants, but said the project could definitely become a reality for residents. She credited the council for working together on the project.
Schools welcome public to Early Learning Center
Oct. 23 open house and ribbon cutting celebrates renovations
Edition: Sept. 14, 2023
By the West Liberty School District
Students have had a little time to settle into their new digs at the Early Learning Center, and plans are now underway to showcase West Liberty's newest educational gem to the public.
The West Liberty School District will host a ribbon cutting and open house.
The building has been a multi-year project, and part of the district’s long-term capital plan to accommodate growing enrollment.
The district serves approximately 170 preschool and kindergarten aged students, and the new building was completed just in time for the 2023 school year.
“We are very happy to have students in the new building,” said Superintendent, Shaun Kruger.
“School construction projects across our area have experienced significant delays due to supply chain constraints, so we were thrilled that we could start in the new ELC instead of having to move part way through the school year,” he said.
The new ELC is a significant upgrade from the former building in look and function. Some highlights include larger classrooms, modern design, ADA and code compliance, and more square footage to accommodate district growth.
It also increases efficiencies for the district in staffing, use of recreational facilities, and busing.
“It is so much nicer to have all of our elementary students in one building,” said Principal Kirk Ryan. “I can’t count all the hours I spent last year just commuting between two buildings. The new school is much nicer – modern, larger, and better suited to meet our needs as we grow.”
A playground was added specifically for the ELC, the entire kindergarten wing of the elementary school was remodeled, a raised garden was added to the courtyard of the middle school, and new technology was added to the auditorium.
The auditorium technology will better accommodate hosting speaking events and presentations.
It will also allow events to be livestreamed for those who can’t attend. This will be a boost for fine arts programs.
Puppeteer pens memoir
Edition: Sept. 28, 2023
By Xiomara Levsen
Monica Leo’s life with puppets spans the globe and covers 45 years.
She’s got it all down in a memoir titled, “Hand, Shadow, Rod. The Story of the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre,” due in October.
The idea to publish a memoir came to her during the pandemic. Mary Swander, a friend of Leo’s, was teaching a class virtually about how to write a memoir.
“And I thought, ‘why not?’” Leo said. “It was one of my pandemic projects and I had a lot of fun doing it.”
The memoir begins in 1978, during the decade Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre was started.
“It’s not necessarily chronological or sequential,” Leo said. “It’s organized a little bit more by subject.”
One chapter is about the work done in Germany. Leo worked with another puppeteer in Dresden.
“Before the wall came down in 1987, we were the only western puppet troop that was invited to perform in a national puppetry festival in East Germany,” Leo said. “During that time, we saw a lot of what puppeteers did before the wall came down. And then we were back a few years later and ran into the same people and saw what happened and how they had to adjust to a market economy.”
The memoir also talks about the farm crisis in Iowa, she added. They performed in many small towns and noticed the impact.
“The downtowns being decimated because Walmart moved in and all that kind of stuff,” Leo said. “That’s in there, too.”
Stephanie Vallez works at Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre with Leo. She is the subject in the last chapter of the memoir called “Stephanie Saves the Day.”
“That chapter about Stephanie – a lot of it is about what we were doing during the pandemic,” Leo said.
Fire agreement moves forward
Edition: Nov. 16, 2023
By Jacob Lane
The West Liberty city council met Tuesday, Nov. 7 to discuss the future of the West Liberty Fire Department.
Members of the Fire Task Force came to a tentative, yet promising, agreement on Monday, Nov. 6, regarding the future of the West Liberty Fire and Ambulance Department.
“The Task Force has worked really hard for many months, well over a year, with a lot of bumps in the road, stops and starts, a lot of learning, a lot of trouble shooting, a lot of brainstorming and a lot of talking with other people,” Mayor Anderson told the council. “It’s a big deal to be this close to the finish line.”
The Fire Task Force, which includes members of the Rural Township Trustees, the City of West Liberty and the West Liberty Fire Department, has been crafting a 28E agreement that establishes a new agency over the local volunteer fire department.
Basically, they are looking to establish a new fire and emergency entity that will provide services to West Liberty and the surrounding community. The language of the 28E is still being finalized.
However, any agreement still needs to be approved by both the West Liberty City Council and the Township Trustees. After several years of turmoil between the department and the city, it looks like a solution may be on the horizon.
If approved by both, it would both put the 28E Agreement into place and settle the lawsuits between the city and rural trustees.
After that, a new board to govern the agency will be put in place, new bank accounts will be created, and new bylaws will be written. Mayor Anderson is grateful to all the work put in by the Fire Task Force to reach an agreement.
‘Puff’ the magic play enchants
High school students' latest production riffs on magic
Edition: Nov. 23, 2023
By Jacob Lane
“Third or nothing!” chanted the wannabe wizards of Puff House during West Liberty High School’s production of “Puffs the Play,” Nov. 16-18, in the high school auditorium.
The zany, satirical, and very unauthorized production, that takes place alongside the events of Harry Potter, proclaims itself to be for anyone who has never been destined to save the world.
“Having the audience here and having that energy is really nice,” said Wesley Heath, who took on the role of the lovable leading loser of House Puff, Wayne Hopkins. “Seeing it come together at the end, I think everyone did really well.”
The crew included 23 students, 11 teacher cameos, parents and school staff, along with support from the fine arts booster club. Many community members donated their time to make the set come alive.
Clocking in at a little over two hours, Puffs relied heavily on the acting talents of the cast, making use of a singular, yet engaging, set that included four doors representing the four competing houses.
We, of course, were treated to the misadventures of the Puff House. The story followed the band of misfits as they grew closer over an eventful seven years at a certain wizard school alongside a certain wizard boy.
“I wanted to do a show that the students could have fun with and already had an idea of the background story,” said director Dorianne Rees. “Plus, who doesn't like cheering for the underdogs.”
Local officer saves a life
West Liberty Officer Derek Holmes honored for saving youth’s life
Edition: Dec. 14, 2023
By Jacob Lane
West Liberty Police Officer Derek Holmes was on duty during a slow Sunday afternoon. He was right in the middle of lunch when he heard the call: A self-inflicted gunshot.
“During the drive out there, my brain really started racing,” he says. “I’m wondering, what am I going to find, what am I going to see… I was just trying to process the nature of the call.”
It was a little after 1 p.m. on Jan. 29, 2023, as he sped to the location just outside of West Liberty. Information was scarce and Officer Holmes knew next to nothing about the situation.
Upon arrival he went inside the house. There, laying on the floor of the kitchen, was 11-year-old Will Daufeldt. He had just suffered an accidental, but self-inflicted, gunshot wound.
Will was scared, but at that moment he felt safe.
“He was calm, and so that made me calm,” Will said about Officer Holmes’ arrival. “He asked for a rag and put pressure on me to stop the bleeding.”
“Not many people survive from a gunshot to the chest,” he adds.
The accident occurred as Will and his cousin were about to go squirrel hunting. In their haste to head out the door, Will’s shotgun discharged right into his stomach.
An emergency call was placed and all available first responders were on the way. However, Officer Holmes was first on the scene, and he knew time was short.
“Instinct really kicks in; there’s no explanation for it,” he says. “Your training, everything you’ve seen or have been shown or taught, it just all kicks into gear…there’s just no way to explain it.”
Holmes has been an officer for a little over 10 years. He became a police officer for Columbus Junction in 2013, then joined the force in West Branch two years later.
In 2022, he made the move to West Liberty. So, at the time of the accident he was relatively new to the community. But in that moment, years of proper training took over.
“I said, ‘Will, I’m sorry, buddy, but this is going to be what hurts,’ and I started stuffing the gauze into his wound,” he says. “I continued to apply pressure; I was also radioing in information.”
Wind turbine development causes concern
Future wind energy development in eastern Iowa concerns local farmers
Edition: Dec. 28, 2023
Author: Jacob Lane
Renewable energy companies have set their sights on Muscatine, Cedar and Scott counties for future development. Right now they are looking to lease local land for wind turbines.
“We decided on a project in Muscatine County due to there being reliable wind there,” says Liberty Project Developer Olivia Neter.
Liberty is a subsidiary of Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., which is a Canadian renewable energy and regulated utility conglomerate with projects across North America.
They’re looking to lease around 15,000 acres of land in Muscatine County, enough room for around 45 to 60 turbines that would generate 300 megawatts of energy.
“Right now, we’re looking at 6 megawatt turbines,” she explains. The turbines they’re proposing are around 656 feet in height to the tip of the blade; however, size is subject to change.
However, several landowners in the proposed project areas of Muscatine County have concerns about the installation of wind turbines on the east side of Iowa.
Those concerns range from the environmental and economic impact of turbines, the stringent terms for leasing land for turbines and the overall viability of the project.
“It’s just hypocritical to me that they call it clean energy when it causes so much disruption to humans and the environment,” says Rhonda Staley Meredith.
Eric Furnas, the Planning and Zoning administrator for Muscatine County, states that the county is aware of their presence.
“While we are aware that developers are from time-to-time gauging landowner interest in potential projects in Muscatine County, we have not received an application for a Commercial Wind Energy Conversion project,” he says.
“Our goal is to maintain land use plans and regulations that allows for renewable energy projects (including the rights of landowners to lease their land for these purposes) while also balancing the protection of surrounding property owners, the environment and public infrastructure,” he adds.
The terms for leasing out land for turbine development is another concern being raised by property owners in Muscatine County.
Wind energy companies have been canvassing Muscatine, Cedar and Scott counties for months trying to gauge interest in a potential wind farm project.
As stated, the goal is to lease the land needed, not buy it. However, the terms to which one agrees to when signing a lease can be daunting.
In the case for Liberty, the company is hoping to lock in landowners into 30-year contracts. Once a lease is signed Liberty will install the necessary infrastructure, which includes clearing out land to build a large enough cement base to hold the turbine.
“Once landowners are signed, they’re signed,” says Neter for Liberty, “Once you have infrastructure on your land, it’s installed; we’re not going to decommission the facility once it’s installed.”
