Doug Lindner

SOLON– Valerie Drake was lost in Seoul, South Korea.
She had flown from Cedar Rapids to Detroit to South Korea’s Incheon International Airport and taken the bus to Seoul, but despite researching in advance, she took the wrong turn and couldn’t find her hotel.
It was night, she was exhausted and she didn’t have international service on her cellular phone.
But she planned it that way.
Drake, a 2014 graduate of Solon High School, traveled to South Korea for a summer program at Ewha Womans University, in Seoul, to help complete her minor in Korean at the University of Iowa (UI).

SOLON– Jim Martinek saw his fair share of city council meetings and courtrooms.
He’s ready to let that part go.
Martinek, Solon’s city attorney on-and-off since 1979, is pulling back from some of his obligations as both a public and private lawyer, although it’s not quite retirement.
Maybe semi-retirement.
“After 30-plus years, it’s been a pleasure to remain with the city in a reduced capacity as assistant city attorney, and turn the reins of the legal department over to the new city attorney Kevin Olson,” Martinek said.
Olson started a contract with the city beginning July 1.

SOLON– It’s been a constant rumble of construction for the Solon Community School District.
But the end is just over a year away, if all goes according to plan.
The school system is in the midst of a substantial facilities upgrade which includes two new buildings and two additions to the high school. School officials provided an update on progress at a joint meeting of the city council and school board July 10.
It’s an annual get-together for the two local elected bodies to discuss current projects, anticipated growth and possible areas of cooperation.

SOLON– “We want to be good neighbors,” assured Solon Community School District Superintendent Davis Eidahl.
He was speaking to residents of Eastwood Drive, a cul-de-sac sandwiched between Solon High School and the district’s new intermediate elementary, during a joint meeting of the city council and school board July 10.
Several of the street’s residents, including Janet Udelhofen, of 612 Eastwood Dr., presented the joint session with a petition asking the city and school to reconsider how the new school site is draining while under construction.

New lights first for 50-year-old baseball field

SOLON– The Solon Black and Orange Baseball Club would like to light the night and keep the Legion Baseball Field in use for generations to come.
The club has an extensive plan for renovating the 50-year-old field, and is ready to embark on fundraising for an ambitious, multi-phase improvement project.
The Legion Baseball Field, immediately west of the Solon Public Library, occupies most of the Legion Park– also home to the Solon Veterans Memorial and the Johnson County Freedom Rock.