Monthly Archives: July 2015

Jul 17

Revisiting “Back to the Future” locations

Posted on Friday, July 17, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

LA Weekly went to every (or nearly every) shooting location in Back to the Future, and the comparisons of then and now, especially the Universal backlot and Whittier High School, are very interesting. The backlot certainly has changed — kind … Continue reading →

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Jul 16

River Road closed near Montrose

Posted on Thursday, July 16, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Daily Gate City in Keokuk reported at the beginning of the month that part of River Road near Montrose has collapsed and will be closed until further notice. I assume from context that the road is X28, named Mississippi … Continue reading →

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Jul 14

On the Iowa DOT director’s “fewer roads” statement

Posted on Tuesday, July 14, 2015, at 10:11 AM by Jeff

The director of the Iowa Department of Transportation, Paul Trombino, said recently the state of Iowa is going to have a smaller road system. This potentially explosive statement has been picked up by the Gazette, but before that, the Atlantic’s CityLab was … Continue reading →

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Jul 13

A very specific corridor

Posted on Monday, July 13, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The DOT has a meeting scheduled for a “corridor preservation plan” at the I-35 interchange with IA 175 at Ellsworth. The map (PDF) shows that there is a very specific corridor to preserve — four of them, actually, one in … Continue reading →

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Jul 10

Texas’ ISU license plate mentioned in Supreme Court case

Posted on Friday, July 10, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

(No, not that one. Or that one, either.) In a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Texas has the right to deny Sons of Confederate Veterans a specialty license plate, Justice Samuel Alito dissented by way of a sports analogy: … Continue reading →

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Jul 09

Dows depot still open, just not as welcome center

Posted on Thursday, July 9, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

A month ago I mentioned the new Iowa highway map did not include the Dows welcome center, further confirmed by the removal of signs for it on I-35. Austin Draude of KLMJ Radio in Hampton let me know that while … Continue reading →

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Jul 08

The last outs for Northeast Hamilton

Posted on Wednesday, July 8, 2015, at 10:21 AM by Jeff

May 28, 2012: Northeast Hamilton completed a major construction project at the beginning of the decade. The final event for Northeast Hamilton High School in Blairsburg will be a baseball game against North Tama tonight. The regular season ends Friday … Continue reading →

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Jul 07

So early it’s almost late

Posted on Tuesday, July 7, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Hallmark Channel has decided “You know what, they say we’re the Christmas movie station, let’s go with it in every way possible.” The premiere. Of a Christmas movie. A week after Independence Day — or six days after also … Continue reading →

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Jul 03

Gladbrook residents submit petition for dissolution of district

Posted on Friday, July 3, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

WAIT WHAT When a town loses its only school, it hurts. It really hurts. The school district has exhausted its options, and the residents must move on with the new reality as best they can. Except, in this month-old article … Continue reading →

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Jul 02

A drive through the Bohemian Alps

Posted on Thursday, July 2, 2015, at 10:13 AM by Jeff

A trucker has put up his video log of US 30 from near Vining (but he pronounces it “Vinning”) to west of Tama on YouTube. About halfway through the segment he passes the 30/E66 junction (the split with the Lincoln … Continue reading →

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