December 2019

Thu
26
Dec

Fayette Police Department conducts toy drive

Fayette Police officers (l-r) Stone Allen, Chief Ben Davis, and Sgt. Brian Waid are shown early in the toy drive. They would eventually collect 248 toys to be given to children who have been affected by domestic violence or abuse. (Jack Swanson photo)

 

Fayette Police Department conducts toy drive

 

By Jack Swanson
jswanson@fayettecountynewspapers.com

 

All he wants for Christmas is to make someone’s day…..and even though he is a police officer, not in a way that Dirty Harry would have liked.

Fayette Police Chief Ben Davis and officers Sgt. Brian Waid and Stone Allen decided this year they were going to bring a little Christmas into the lives of children who to receive one act of kindness, could be something they have never experienced before.

This year the Fayette Police Department started their first ever Christmas toy drive.

They asked for donations of new, unwrapped toys from the public. In exchange they would give the donors a Christmas ornament with the Police Department’s name on it. Originally the Chief had planned to let parking violators pay their fines with a toy but the legal aspects of that plan did not work out.

Thu
26
Dec

Joyce Nuss

Joyce Nuss

 

Joyce J. Nuss, 83, of Tripoli, died Wednesday, December 18, 2019, at Tripoli Nursing & Rehab, following a recent cancer diagnosis.

Thu
26
Dec

Verna Medberry

Verna Medberry

 

 

     Verna Anna Medberry, 96, of West Union, Iowa, formerly of Volga and Elgin, Iowa passed away on Thursday, December 19, 2019, due to natural causes. Verna was born October 1, 1923, the daughter of Henry W. and Sabina Gross at her family’s Eldorado, Iowa farm home.  She attended Dover Number 2 School in Eldorado until she entered West Union High School.  She continued her post-secondary education at Cedar Rapids Business College and upon graduation 1942 was employed at 1st National Bank, West Union, Iowa until her marriage to Glen Medberry August 14, 1949.  They farmed north of Volga, Iowa until retiring to Elgin, Iowa.  Glen passed away Feb. 10, 2014.  Verna resided at Stoney Brook Village, West Union, Iowa the past five years.

Thu
26
Dec

Jim and Mary Lou Rogers

Jim and Mary Lou Rogers

 

Jim and Mary Lou (Van Horn) Rogers will be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary on December 27, 2019.

They were married at the EUB Church in rural Sheffield, Iowa.  They have two children Douglas of West Des Moines, Iowa. and Luanne (Randy) Lansing of Nashville, North Carolina.  They also have two grandchildren,  Jordan (Haley) Lansing of Ely, Iowa and Jaime Lansing and special friend Tyler Moses of Morrisville, North Carolina.

The Rogers lived in West Union from 1962-1998.  Jim was employed by the Farmers Home Administration and NEIA Realty and Appraisal.   Mary Lou worked for Brown’s Department Store/Tierneys. 

A private dinner has been held.

Cards may be sent to Jim and Mary Lou at 180 West Cardinal Street in Garner, Iowa 50438. 

Thu
26
Dec

Attorneys give City last chance to settle Fox case out of court

Attorneys give City last chance to settle Fox case out of court

 

By Jack Swanson
jswanson@fayettecountynewspapers.com

 

Attorneys for the former West Union police officer who has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the city, claim that the City of West Union’s refusal to accept a settlement agreement, will end up costing taxpayers much more in the end.

Sierra Fox’s attorney, Katie Ervin Carlson, submitted sent a letter to West Union’s legal team, Wilford H. Stone and Holly Corkery of Lynch Dallas, P.C., Cedar Rapids, urging them to convince the City to accept the agreement and “do the right thing.” That letter was filed in Fayette County District Court.

Fox ‘s lawsuit, filed in April, claims she was a victim of sexual harassment, sex discrimination and retaliation while serving as a police officer.

In the letter, Carlson claims the West Union City Council, despite the advice of their legal advisor, Mayor Adam Keller and City Administrator Nick McIntyre, rejected the settlement agreement reached during a daylong mediation on Nov. 15.

Thu
26
Dec

World War II era vet, one of the last of his breed

Geroge Woodard, WWII Army Air Corps

 

World War II era vet, one of the last of his breed

 

 

By Jack Swanson
jswanson@fayettecountynewspapers.com

 

The war in Germany had already been wrapped up and it looked as if it as just a matter of time before Japan would be defeated. It was 1945 and a young George Woodard had just graduated from West Union High School. Two months later, at age 18, George was drafted.

“It was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me,” George said enthusiastically.

Not quite the reaction one would expect from almost anyone who was drafted, especially in the midst of the largest war in history.

“I remember being pretty happy about it. My dad had been in the Army so I thought it was the thing to do,” the World War II era veteran related. Although he would end up working as a financial clerk stationed stateside until the war ended, George didn’t know where he would end up at the time.

George had already seen the war take its toll on people he knew closely in his hometown.

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