Author Archives: Jeff

Jan 20

License Plate Letters — PDS

The National Weather Service has the rare designation “Particularly Dangerous Situation” for potentially extreme weather. The most recent one issued in Iowa, according to the Iowa Environmental Mesonet, was in a pair of tornado warnings issued for parts of Polk … Continue reading

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, License Plates | Comments Off on License Plate Letters — PDS
Jan 16

Well, _I_ care

Cyclone Fanatic forum thread title: “The 3-point streak ends, but no one seems to care” There’s another piece of college sports I can’t count on anymore, I guess. The end of Iowa State women’s basketball’s 945-game 3-point streak, which started … Continue reading

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on Well, _I_ care
Jan 14

‘Visioning survey’ for southernmost part of US 151

There’s only about a 25-mile segment of US 151 in Iowa that isn’t four lanes, but that segment has raised concerns about its safety. There are no turn lanes, and sometimes the line of sight isn’t great. One possibility is … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on ‘Visioning survey’ for southernmost part of US 151
Jan 09

The year in vibes, as written on my Substack

My year-ender is partially my most-read pieces of 2024 (though not detailed beyond that), partially some election analysis, and partially committing myself to some sort of USA 250th anniversary project. If you need some background on why the vibes were … Continue reading

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on The year in vibes, as written on my Substack
Jan 06

Rundown of TSIP grants for fiscal 2026

A month ago, the Iowa Transportation Commission approved fiscal year 2026 grants for the Traffic Safety Improvement Program. I worked on a Substack piece that ran the week afterward. The best part was that six days after the press release, … Continue reading

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on Rundown of TSIP grants for fiscal 2026
Jan 02

Dear Politico: That is NOT Waterloo, Iowa

On New Year’s Eve, Politico released a collection of anecdotes from the 2024 campaign trail. It’s called either “What I saw on the fearful road to Trump’s (second) victory” (the title shown in the tab) or “The Ground Is Shifting in … Continue reading

Posted in Geography | Comments Off on Dear Politico: That is NOT Waterloo, Iowa
Dec 30

License Plate Letters — PCC

I better end the year marking where Iowa is in its license plate issuances, but I have the feeling I’m behind. Regardless, this at least shows that Iowa has entered the P’s, after assigning the O series that it did … Continue reading

Posted in License Plates | Comments Off on License Plate Letters — PCC
Dec 27

Roundabout to be built in Holstein

At the Iowa Lincoln Highway Association chapter meeting this fall, someone said he heard that some semi drivers are avoiding US 20 in northwest Iowa, even though it’s now a four-lane road, because of limited slowdowns at Correctionville and Lawton. … Continue reading

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on Roundabout to be built in Holstein
Dec 24

Kenyon Road bridge reopens

The Kenyon Road viaduct/bridge in Fort Dodge has reopened after rehabilitation work. KCCI has a story on it because there were rumors on social media that it was “shaking”. Ditto the Fort Dodge Messenger. The city’s website has a completion … Continue reading

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on Kenyon Road bridge reopens
Dec 19

US 30 corridor completed

I wrote about this Thanksgiving week and didn’t get around to plugging it here. You might also have read it in the Marshalltown Times-Republican, North Tama Telegraph, AND Tama-Toledo News-Chronicle. (I get paid in exposure, unless you’re one of my paid Substack … Continue reading

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on US 30 corridor completed