Some of you may be seeing the West Liberty Index for the first time this week with a free samoke copy. Maybe you’ve noticed it in the news racks at the local convenience store and maybe you picked up a copy for a buck every now and then.
One might think newspapers are dead, so why buy a copy or subscribe? You’re thinking there’s this free thing called the Internet out there and there’s more news there than I could ever read.
Well, let’s take a look at what you might have missed if you didn’t pick up a copy of the Index in just the last four weeks:
The West Liberty School District unveiled a plan to “Return to Learn” last Monday and we summarized and put it all together for you so you could read it by Wednesday. Exactly what was proposed, how it all came about and when kids would be getting taught remotely from home or in the classroom?
We had the story of Atalissa’s homegrown fireworks show put together by Alfredo Plata and Samantha Schmidt. It was quite a show and not many know that Plata, who doesn’t even live in the community, buys about $1,400 of his own fireworks to shoot into the sky.
The new playground at Kimberly Park is finally going up.
West Liberty’s police are looking into starting an educational program to teach kids about the dangers of things like sexting, vaping, drugs, stranger danger and more.
We’re staying abreast of the Comet girls’ softball teams and boys’ baseball teams that are both having pretty darn good seasons, with fresh pictures every week.
The Lions Club of West Liberty installed new officers despite the COVID-19 epidemic and the new president, Duane Forbes, shared his vision of social distancing.
We had a story and photos on West Liberty students getting their livestock products ready for the Muscatine County Fair’s virtual competition and even a story on the “Memory Makers” show that is taking place this week for youngsters interested in participating in a live show at the fairgrounds.
There was lots of Rotary news as the local organization handed out dozens of awards, some so unique there were only a few people in the Rotary District of even the world who were given the honor.
Everyone in town knows Chris Wilson and we did a story on the food service provider for West Liberty schools as she retired this year after serving the district for 29 years and previously working at local restaurants.
Seen the sharp-looking Eagle carving on Route 6 as you pass through West Liberty? Well, we had a story on Marilyn and Shooter Shaw’s gift to the city that took place just before Independence Day.
Then there was the story on Mylene Vargas, an Ecuador native that finally earned her United States Citizenship after 47 years thanks to special citizenship classes she took in West Liberty.
Even though construction hasn’t started, we’re giving updates all the time on the $4.4 million addition that will start this fall of the West Liberty Middle School.
Do you know Arlene and Derwood Keith, former business people here in town and teachers in Wilton? They just celebrated 65 years of marriage and gave their tips on how to keep the sparks alive.
Ever heard of Mary Kimberly? Well, she’s the lady who helped create Kimberly Park in West Liberty and donated most of the money to build the pool that now exists. Our writer, Phyllis Owen Sterba, put together a proud history.
Did you know there were people in the area raising honey? Well, we featured Sheryl Brown as she talked about her part-time hobby she turned into a business south of the city.
Everyone knows Kimberly pool closed, but we had the low-down on why the city council decided against opening the recreational facility this summer amid the COVID-19 crisis despite the wishes of the leader of the park department, Nick Heath, who really fought for you kids!
We reported on a rising music program at West Liberty High School that has a desire to attract more Latinos to band and vocal music
We talked to the Chamber of Commerce about all their cancellations this year, including the fair parade, Picnic in the Park and more.
So there you go. That’s just in the last four weeks. Stories you won’t find anywhere else – good, local community news about West Liberty and the area.
So check out our offer inside – for $25 you can get all that fresh local news every week and sometimes we even put stories in Spanish! That’s less than 50-cents a week or you can pick it up in local newsstands by Wednesday at $1 a copy.
We know times are tough, but being informed about your community is so important – something to be shared with the entire family. We’re all about local! There may be the Internet out there today, but newspapers were the first portable information devise!
Onward, upward.
Tim Evans has been Editor of the West Liberty Index since June 2019 and is an award-winning writer and columnist. He is always welcoming ideas for stories. He can be contacted at 217-840-8704 or by e-mail at indexnews@Lcom.net