Author Archives: Jeff

Jan 12

Adair-Casey losing its high school

Posted on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

(Here would be a good spot for a Duffy cartoon: The Adair water tower with a frowny face.) The school district that won the first two state championships in Iowa’s current 8-player-football classification is no longer able to continue on … Continue reading →

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Jan 11

‘The Good Wife’ goes to ‘Iowa’

Posted on Monday, January 11, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Prime-time CBS drama “The Good Wife” focused Sunday’s episode on fictional presidential candidate/Illinois Gov. Peter Florrick running against the actual candidates for the 2016 Democratic nomination. In the end, the Iowan who got shown in the best light might have … Continue reading →

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Jan 08

North Tama smallest public school in 11-man football

Posted on Friday, January 8, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The classifications (but not districts) for the next two years of Iowa high school football are out, and North Tama finds itself looking up. With 107 students in grades 9-11 (the “BEDS number”), North Tama will be the smallest public … Continue reading →

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Jan 07

Year in review: Up and down Door County

Posted on Thursday, January 7, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

September 14, 2015: The north end of WI 42 brings you right to a ferry to Washington Island. It does not lead to the Ultimate Question. An unexpected four-day break offered me the chance to close some gaps in my … Continue reading →

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Jan 06

Year in review: Clinching US 61 in Wisconsin (and Iowa, again)

Posted on Wednesday, January 6, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

June 18, 2015: US 61 still runs through Lancaster, Wisconsin, despite WI 129 being an obvious bypass route. Going through town is a less-straight alignment for 61. A roadgeek meeting in Madison plus a two-day summer trip offered chances to … Continue reading →

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Jan 05

Year in review: Circumnavigating Iowa

Posted on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

When I looked at the towns in Iowa I had yet to visit, I noticed many of them were on the periphery of the state. Then, I noticed that my least-recently-visited counties were also on the periphery of the state. … Continue reading →

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Jan 04

Construction progress reports

Posted on Monday, January 4, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

From the Gazette: “Highway 100 extension on schedule and budget” From the Sioux City Journal: “Highway 20 widening heads to finish line” Both of these projects are expected to be completed by the end of the decade, and the I-74 … Continue reading →

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Dec 31

Ten years ago today: Dan McCarney’s last bowl game

Posted on Thursday, December 31, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

December 31, 2005: A photo I didn’t use so long ago of a fan-made sign at the ISU-TCU Houston Bowl. Remember the chaos at the end of the Nebraska-Michigan Alamo Bowl? Remember when instant replay in college football wasn’t a thing? … Continue reading →

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Dec 30

Des Moines represents ‘backwoods rubes’ in column

Posted on Wednesday, December 30, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

It’ll cost you $400 to eat at the Times Square Olive Garden on New Year’s Eve night. To those of us foolish enough to think income of $250,000 a year is nothing to sneeze at, forking over four Benjamins (before tax) for … Continue reading →

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Dec 29

Year in review: Completion of US 20 in Illinois and Indiana

Posted on Tuesday, December 29, 2015, at 3:00 PM by Jeff

October 9, 2015: US 12/20/45 share the road for a while on Mannheim (not Steamroller) Road. In October I went after one of the more prominent missing segments in my highway travels: US 20 between Rockford and about Portage, Indiana. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Year in review: Completion of US 20 in Illinois and Indiana