Author Archives: Jeff

Dec 11

Fool me three times, shame on…?

December 6, 2012: Cheerleaders and pom squads from both sides perform before the Iowa-ISU women’s basketball game. In 2010, with some decent hopes for the 16th-ranked ISU women’s basketball team, I went to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time to see … Continue reading

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Dec 10

Three changes needed for the 2015 Iowa highway map

Next spring, Iowa will publish its first two-year map under a cost-cutting measure. There won’t be another one until 2017. Along with the new US 34 bridge, there are at least three other areas that need modification.    Tama County … Continue reading

Posted in Maps | Comments Off on Three changes needed for the 2015 Iowa highway map
Dec 09

Benton County US 30 meeting Wednesday

We might find out tomorrow night what the DOT plans to do at the intersection of US 30 and 218 in Benton County as part of its plans to upgrade 30 to four lanes heading westward. At the last meeting, … Continue reading

Posted in Construction, Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Benton County US 30 meeting Wednesday
Dec 08

License Plate Letters — CZR

The sighting of a CZ-series plate in early December is a good bookend for 2014, and also signifies that it took 32 months for the first three letters of the alphabet to be run through. Remember, the letter-number combinations replaced … Continue reading

Posted in License Plates | Comments Off on License Plate Letters — CZR
Dec 07

Iowa State ties Rutgers in all-time losses

Because getting so humiliated in front of a national, undivided, broadcast TV audience that the opponent kneeled inside the 10-yard line with 5 minutes to go wasn’t enough. Oh no. Now comes the statistical part. Paul Rhoads has become mired in … Continue reading

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Dec 06

Major design changes coming to Iowa highway signage

Nov. 27, 2006: The then-new Ansborough Avenue interchange in Waterloo shows two signage trends that have become and are becoming standard in Iowa in the 2010s: Larger initial letters and skinny, squat arrows. The first appearance of non-Iowa-style traffic arrows … Continue reading

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous, Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Major design changes coming to Iowa highway signage
Dec 04

Eagle Grove loses its stoplight

The Eagle Grove Eagle reported at the beginning of November that the stoplight at Broadway and Commercial (IA 17 and C54) no longer functions. The equipment is a quarter-century old and would need to be replaced. The intersection will be … Continue reading

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Eagle Grove loses its stoplight
Dec 03

Seven votes

The combined vote total in Farragut and Hamburg to merge their school districts would have formed a supermajority in favor, but each district must vote separately. Hamburg opposed reorganization by seven votes. Not quite 1000 votes were cast overall, but it’s … Continue reading

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Dec 02

Farragut, Hamburg vote on merger today

In far southwest Iowa today, the Hamburg and Farragut school districts are voting on consolidation to become Nishnabotna. There have been plenty of meetings on the issue, with slightly higher stakes than a normal school merger because of the potential … Continue reading

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Dec 01

Belated recap of the US 34 opening ceremony

Six weeks late is better than never, right? My recent relocation made traveling to a highway opening in western Iowa a little more involved. But with an early morning ceremony Oct. 22, I likely would’ve been staying overnight in Council … Continue reading

Posted in Construction, Trip Reports | Comments Off on Belated recap of the US 34 opening ceremony