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Solon Mayor Steve Stange administers the oath of office to Lauren Whitehead at the beginning of a June 7 Solon City Council meeting. Whitehead was the winner of a May 30 special election to fill the unexpired term for former council member Mark Krall. The term runs through December. (photo by Doug Lindner)

Consultant looks at the NLFD with an eye toward the future

NORTH LIBERTY– The North Liberty Fire Department (NLFD) was formally organized in 1945 when the city was small and well separated from its neighboring towns. Now, the department, which covers North Liberty as well as Penn and Madison townships (56 square miles total), protects the lives and property of over 22,000 inhabitants.

NORTH LIBERTY– Pianos are complex instruments, hand-assembled by craftsmen, that produce melodious sounds for decades. However, like any mechanical device, eventually they need attention and tuning. The seven-county area, known as Iowa’s Creative Corridor, including North Liberty in particular, now has an artisan dedicated to restoring a piano’s full musical potential.
Steve Junge, of North Liberty, began offering professional piano tuning services in November. A corporate reorganization led to Junge reevaluating what he wanted to do. Music was the answer, but what aspect of music?

SWISHER– So far 2017 has been a very good year for Jeff Quint and his Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery located near Swisher.
On March 28 a key piece of legislation, long fought for by Iowa’s distilleries, cleared the Iowa House of Representatives, 93-1. House File 607 allows Iowa distilleries to sell their products by the glass, and as cocktails, in their tasting rooms. It also increases a daily sales limit from two bottles per person to a full 12-bottle case and raises a state-imposed cap on the annual production of distilled spirits.