Doug Lindner

SOLON– When the current Solon High School opened, Matt Lesan was an eighth grader.
He was there the day crews put up the basketball hoops in the new gymnasium and he snuck in to sink the first shot in the west side basket.
Former coach Ed Hansen had beat him to the east side.
Lesan went on to become Solon’s most prolific scorer, and now he’s back on the sidelines as the head coach for the varsity Spartan basketball team.

SOLON– City council members selected the proposal that was ready to roll.
Citing financial and legal readiness, the city approved selling an empty lot next door to City Hall to developer Mark Pattison during a Nov. 20 council meeting.
North Corridor Properites Investments will take possession of 120 W. Main St. in December and begin construction on a two-story mixed-use building with two commercial units on the ground level and a single, upper-level residence.
The city considered a competing offer from Uptown Main LLC, represented by developer Al Wells.

SOLON– We don’t know them all, but we owe them all.
The heartfelt message from Solon graduate and Vietnam veteran Mike Montgomery was delivered to Solon High School students Tuesday, Nov. 12,
during the district’s annual Veterans Appreciation Program.
Montgomery was a member of the 1963 football team and a 1964 graduate of Solon High School. Three months after graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Vietnam with numerous commendations and medals.
After his service, he obtained a doctorate in business administration with a minor in management.

SOLON– The City of Solon needs a new recreation activities coordinator.
Ben Flaherty, who joined the city in September of 2018, accepted a new position with the City of Ames. His last day was Thursday, Nov. 7.
Recreation Administrative Assistant McKenzie McIlrath will serve as an interim coordinator until the position is filled.
Flaherty, a native of Van Meter and a 2018 graduate of the University of Iowa, was initially hired on an interim basis but was elevated to a permanent employee in January.

TIFFIN– When Kelsey Swancutt decided the University of Iowa’s Stead Children’s Hospital would be the beneficiary of Corridor Market’s annual fundraiser, there was one name that came to mind.
Carson King.
Swancutt, 31, of rural Solon, has been a primary organizer of the Corridor Market, which provides a shopping venue for local small businesses twice a year in the area.
“Every event, we try to do some sort of charity aspect,” she explained. “We use our market and the ability to get people together as an outlet for whatever charity we choose.”