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NORTH LIBERTY– With the amount of growth North Liberty experienced in recent years, parts of Ranshaw Way have become a bottlenecked route for commuters. Fortunately for them, one of the busiest parts of the former Highway 965 will finally get the expansions it needs to match its rush hour traffic. The construction project known as 965 Phase 3 will span four blocks from Penn Street to Zeller Street. Shive-Hattery, of Iowa City, was selected to design the project, and the expansion will go out for bid in February.
City Administrator Ryan Heiar is eager for its fulfillment.

NORTH LIBERTY– Falco, the North Liberty Police Department’s (NLPD) first K-9, has made a bit of a splash since arriving recently. So much so, 33 people were willing to literally make a splash in the frigid waters of the pond at Centennial Park, and donate $50 each toward his food, on-going training and medical care, to do so.
The event, formally known as the Freezin’ for a Reason Polar Plunge, and informally as “Feed the Beast” was held Sunday, Jan. 28, with temperatures in the 20s and a steady breeze, which only added to the chill.

NORTH LIBERTY– Sometimes you have to tear it down to build it back up again.
That was the case for Real Deals on Home Décor, which has spent the better part of January undergoing a major facelift. Located at 225 Beaver Kreek Centre, the business will host a grand re-opening Thursday, Feb. 1 through 3 to honor the occasion.
“We tore everything down,” said Dawn Lenth, who purchased Real Deals with her husband Brian on Dec. 29 last year. “All the walls came down, and we had to go through and do a full inventory and just start packing stuff up so we can start rebuilding.”

TIFFIN– The Spartan varsity wrestling squad moved its dual meet record to 17-5 on the season with a pair of conference sweeps.
Solon traveled to Tiffin Monday, Jan. 21, for a rescheduled double dual with Clear Creek Amana (CCA) and Center Point-Urbana. The Spartans overcame an early Clipper lead for a 46-24 win, then blew past the Stormin’ Pointers, 54-21.
Thursday, Jan. 18, Solon headed up to Epworth for a double dual with Western Dubuque and Central DeWitt. The Spartans overwhelmed the Sabers, 47-24, and scored a solid victory over the Bobcats, 40-24.

JOHNSON COUNTY– Area firefighters, largely volunteer, have dealt with not only a number of challenging house fires, but also brutal sub-zero cold and dangerous wind chill factors. Extreme conditions are not unusual for firefighters as they routinely work in one of the most Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) environments possible; a “working” structure fire, where flames, toxic smoke and the potential for structural collapse are among the risks. Adding the aforementioned weather conditions, firefighting becomes even more hazardous.