Monthly Archives: November 2017

Nov 16

Two diverging diamond exits proposed for Linn County

The six-lane I-380 through Cedar Rapids begins/ends at the Blairs Ferry Road exit, which is partially integrated into the IA 100 volleyball interchange. However, with growth in Hiawatha, that is not sufficient for the northern part of the metro area. … Continue reading

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Nov 15

Accident report site has a typo

The Iowa State Patrol has a website that includes two weeks’ worth of official crash reports statewide. The site can be searched by date, type of accident, or county. There’s a map on the main page that shows how patrol … Continue reading

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Nov 14

Gravity, and defiance of it

Iowa State dug deep into the depth chart for a quarterback in a game no one outside the locker room thought was winnable. It was 1992, 25 years ago to the day. Iowa State 19, Nebraska 10. But in the big … Continue reading

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Nov 13

Two longform explorations of Iowa locations

FiveThirtyEight looks at Howard County, the county in the nation with the largest presidential election swing, going from an Obama landslide to a Trump landslide. Howard County is on the edge/just outside of the Driftless Area, a region of the … Continue reading

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Nov 10

Non-conference basketball: Why bother?

It’s the first day of basketball season. December 17 will be the sixth time that Iowa State, Iowa, UNI, and Drake will play in Des Moines as part of the Big Four Hy-Vee Classic. (Nope, can’t have anything not corporate … Continue reading

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Nov 09

Is Winnebago still an Iowa company?

October 4, 2016: A 1959 trailer is on display at the Winnebago visitors center in Forest City. The center is where factory tours begin, but not where you’ll find the company’s top management anymore. Last year, as I finished visiting every … Continue reading

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Nov 08

What’s better than a Gunderburger?

Why, my second Gunderburger, of course. (The first was almost six years to the day earlier, supper before North Tama played Valley-CEW at the school between Elgin and Clermont.) September 12, 2017: Yes, inject that Midwestern-ness directly into my arteries.

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Nov 07

What’s worse than a roundabout?

Waterloo Courier: CEDAR FALLS – City officials are preparing to begin the third and final phase of the University Avenue project in 2018, which includes a double roundabout at the on- and off-ramps at Iowa Highway 58’s interchange.

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Nov 06

Northeast Hamilton one step closer to elimination

Late last month, the Webster City and Northeast Hamilton school districts approved reorganization petitions for a vote in April. The story from the Webster City Freeman-Journal mentions “two possible district maps” and I admit I don’t know what this means … Continue reading

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Nov 03

100th anniversary of Merle Hay’s death

June 20, 2017: The centerpiece of the Merle Hay monument in Glidden has artwork from “Ding” Darling. Click here for larger version. One hundred years ago today, Merle Hay of Glidden became the first Iowan and one of the first … Continue reading

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