Author Archives: Jeff

Jan 24

Dubuque transfer has a catch

Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

September 2, 2008: North end of IA 32 in Sageville. The Iowa Transportation Commission approved the transfer of jurisdiction of all of IA 32 and the part of US 52/IA 3 inside the city of Dubuque at its meeting in Ames … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Dubuque transfer has a catch
Jan 23

RealClearPolitics analysis of Midwest presidential vote

Posted on Monday, January 23, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Maps, stats, and charts abound in the RealClearPolitics study of how Donald Trump nearly swept the Midwest in 2016. Iowa is one of the states selected for extra study, and was picked out again in the conclusion to the RCP … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, Maps | Comments Off on RealClearPolitics analysis of Midwest presidential vote
Jan 20

The flags on “Designated Survivor”

Posted on Friday, January 20, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m trying to hold interest in “Designated Survivor” but there are plot elements rubbing me the wrong way. The “winter finale”, which included a woman walking away from a serious car crash and being well enough … Continue reading →

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Jan 19

A long wait for Pleasantville

Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

October 8, 2004: Northbound former IA 181 at the junction of IA 5 and 92 south of Pleasantville, a year after the Pleasantville bypass opened and IA 5 was upgraded completely to four lanes between I-35 and Knoxville. The Knoxville … Continue reading →

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Jan 18

CAL losing junior high, high school

Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Coulter-Alexander-Latimer school district, hammered by the population decline affecting nearly all of rural Iowa and the end of a sharing agreement with Dows a decade ago, is unable to hold on to its independence. CAL will send grades 7-12 … Continue reading →

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Jan 17

One contractor, two sign color problems

Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 2, 2014: City limit sign for Hudson just north of IA 58’s rebuilt south end. Black-on-white and all-caps are both non-standard. When IA 86 opened from IA 9 to the Minnesota border in November 2013, the “Dickinson County” sign … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on One contractor, two sign color problems
Jan 16

How do you ‘rebrand’ a corner?

Posted on Monday, January 16, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The federal government gave the final approval last week to redo the I-35/80 interchange with IA 141 and add ramps at Meredith Drive, the Des Moines Register reports. Here’s the nugget that makes it weird: The interchange is located at … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on How do you ‘rebrand’ a corner?
Jan 13

Pilot Knob is not Iowa’s second-highest point. Or the third.

Posted on Friday, January 13, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

October 4, 2016: The view from the Pilot Knob observation tower, which is 30 feet tall. Enjoy it before I drop some earth-leveling news. While working on the page for IA 237, the old spur to Ocheyedan, I had a … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Pilot Knob is not Iowa’s second-highest point. Or the third.
Jan 12

Council Bluffs remakes Broadway intersection

Posted on Thursday, January 12, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

June 22, 2013: East Broadway in downtown Council Bluffs. The owner of the Mississippi State flag isn’t lost, just here for the College World Series. This photo is west of the Broadway/Kanesville intersection on the historic Lincoln Highway. Although (as … Continue reading →

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Jan 11

G is for Gladbrook

Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 7, 2015: The former Gladbrook-Reinbeck Middle School was the Gladbrook High School before 1988. The Gladbrook school is another recent addition to the list of closed schools in Iowa. This closure in 2015 triggered something that had never happened … Continue reading →

Posted in Schools, Sequences, Tama County | Comments Off on G is for Gladbrook