Council on Aging, LaX Café form partnership for senior meals

Nearly 13 years ago, Julie Roberts, then a proprietor of the Dusty Café, said she and her family were humbled by an outpouring of community support when her daughter, Soni Broeckel, and Soni's cousin, Shyla Smith, were in a car accident that left them both seriously injured.

“This community absolutely pulled together and raised money and did silent auctions,” said Roberts.

Soni, then 14, and Shyla, then 13, were airlifted by Medstar helicopters to Sacred Heart in Spokane after both were ejected from a 1983 GMC truck on the Hay-LaCrosse Road south of LaCrosse.

Roberts said the community pulled...