Doug Lindner

SOLON– The big bump is going bye-bye.
A section of Short Street between West Street and Iowa Street will be reconstructed this year to add parking and address a hump in the road where an alley intersects.
The project, along with two others, was approved by Solon City Council members at an April 4 meeting as part of the city’s proposed 2018 street improvements.
Also included for this season will be an asphalt overlay for a part of Kingston Drive, and another section of Short Street between Iowa and Dubuque streets.

SOLON– Jack Neuzil and his wife Fran were wrapped in his new Quilt of Valor, standing in front of a crowd in the lobby of the Solon Center for the Arts.
“You don’t know how important this is,” Neuzil quipped. “Up until recently I used to do a lot of projects. They kept me warm.
“I haven’t been able to do them for the last year, and this is going to save me.””
Neuzil, a longtime contributor to a vast number of Solon community projects and best known for his wooden dinosaurs, was presented his Quilt of Valor at a ceremony March 25.

SOLON– The vehicle counts are growing.
Time for another traffic light.
At a March 21 meeting, Solon City Council members authorized City Engineer Dave Schechinger to proceed with an application for state funds to assist with the construction of stoplights at the intersection of Highway 1 and 5th Street.
The intersection was the subject of a recent study by the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOJC), which measured traffic flow in April and again in September of 2017.

CEDAR RAPIDS– Tom Malatek just wanted to say thank you.
Malatek, 67, a lifelong resident of Ely and a longtime member of the Ely Fire Department and Solon American Legion, was having trouble with his right leg as he underwent treatment for multiple myeloma at area hospitals.
Mark Divoky, owner and operator of Mark’s Auto Body in Solon, heard of Malatek’s difficulty and offered the use of a wheelchair-accessible van he had recently purchased.

SOLON–Ben Krutzfeldt, Luke Ira and Jack Stahle spent part of their Solon childhood in the back of the end zone at the old high school football field.
There was one athlete they looked up to with awe.
“James Morris,” the three seniors said in unison.
Morris led the Solon Spartans to three consecutive Class 2A football championships and continued as a linebacker with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
“Whatever sport he was playing, he was dominating,” Stahle said.