Author Archives: Jeff

Apr 14

School expansion, demolition in Midland district

The Midland junior/senior high school in Wyoming has an awkward setup: two separate complexes across the street from each other. The 1914 building was kept by itself while an entirely new building was constructed in the mid-20th century (before the … Continue reading

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Apr 13

AHSTW staying AHSTW after consolidation

A proposed consolidation of the AHST and Walnut school districts next year would result in … the AHSTW school district, the Council Bluffs Nonpareil reported last month. The new district, which would erase one of the straighter boundaries out there … Continue reading

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Apr 12

I-41 official in Wisconsin

May 13, 2010: US 41 will be removed from these signs at the Marquette interchange and on its short stretch of surface road in Milwaukee in order to run concurrent with the new Interstate 41. Another 175 miles of interstate … Continue reading

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Apr 11

Prescott school district will cease to exist

The vote in is, reports the Creston News-Advertiser, and by a slim margin, the Prescott school district will be absorbed into the Creston school district. Voter turnout was in the mid-single-digit percentages. Consolidation will not be official for a while, … Continue reading

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Apr 10

Aug. 23 set as hard start date for schools

After months of debate, the Iowa Legislature agreed that school should be allowed to start a full week to 10 days earlier than spelled out in current law, which is what should have been done all along. An Aug. 23 … Continue reading

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Apr 09

Appomattox

July 9, 2008: Appomattox Court House, Virginia, the site of the end the Civil War, or at least the beginning of the end, as scattered Confederate armies surrendered over the next few months. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. … Continue reading

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Apr 08

South Dakota raises interstate speed limit to 80

Travelers with lead feet leaving western Iowa have something to celebrate: Speed limits on I-29 and I-90 in South Dakota were raised to 80 mph one week ago. That includes the space between Sioux Falls and Minnesota, where it will go … Continue reading

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Apr 07

Historic US 20 pavement will be victim of expressway

June 4, 2014: Old US 20 east of Cushing. (Same picture I used Feb. 11) After the recent passage of a 10-cent increase in Iowa’s gas tax, the DOT has fast-tracked more work on US 20 to make it four lanes … Continue reading

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Apr 06

Traer getting new sidewalk curbs on US 63

Oops, I sat on this so long it hatched! Months ago, while perusing the Iowa DOT’s document archive, I came across a project in Traer that had not been done yet. The contracting date was last September, and work has … Continue reading

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Apr 04

License Plate Letters — DGP

Not to be confused with DGB, the recent sad football flameout at Missouri (now Oklahoma). A first-generation (1997) Appanoose County plate was spotted in the wild recently, having now evaded two replacement cycles.

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