Author Archives: Jeff

Apr 24

New York Times discovers evidence of Brewers fans in Iowa

Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2014, at 2:49 PM by Jeff

I thought they were a myth! The New York Times has an interactive “Map of Baseball Nation” that uses Facebook (ugh) data to drill down into Major League Baseball fan preferences by ZIP Code. Iowa is pretty much what you … Continue reading →

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Apr 24

I-74 project almost close enough to touch

Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2014, at 11:00 AM by Jeff

May 22, 2012: This view of I-74 into Illinois will still be what drivers see until sometime in 2019-20. The Quad-City Times breaks down the current construction timeline  in the five-year plan for the I-74 bridge in an article from Monday. … Continue reading →

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Apr 23

Last weeks at Clearfield school (Hey, that picture looks familiar)

Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, at 1:42 PM by Jeff

KMA Radio has a story about the end of the school year approaching for the small southern Iowa district of Clearfield, which will dissolve. The story includes a photo of the school — my photo of the school, which I … Continue reading →

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Apr 22

Altoona’s Archer Motel torn down

Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2014, at 6:28 PM by Jeff

If you’re familiar with Hubbell Avenue heading out of Des Moines, the old, non-chain motels there are a reminder of pre-interstate times, when it was a primary way in and out of town. Three motels were clustered at the intersection … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Altoona’s Archer Motel torn down
Apr 22

Ultimate list of Iowa movies

Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2014, at 11:25 AM by Jeff

On this website I have a list of all the times I know about Iowa mentions or settings in various forms of entertainment, but it looks like I’ve been one-upped. Way upped. The Des Moines Register reprints a much, much … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Ultimate list of Iowa movies
Apr 21

Railroad in Marshall, Hardin counties abandoned

Posted on Monday, April 21, 2014, at 1:48 PM by Jeff

This 1875 map shows the recently abandoned railroad through Albion in the recently dissolved Iowa Township in Marshall County. On the south side of Albion, a little more than a decade after an at-grade railroad crossing replaced a very old … Continue reading →

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Apr 18

Mediacom is charging a sales tax on franchise fees

Posted on Friday, April 18, 2014, at 11:24 AM by Jeff

One peril of auto-pay: You never know when or how you’ll be nickel-and-dimed. So this actually started with my November cable/Internet bill. “We have recently reviewed our federal, state, and local tax collection process, and have made updates in accordance … Continue reading →

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Apr 17

Former NT band teacher in the news

Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2014, at 10:03 AM by Jeff

On the wires this week: A story about a 79-year-old flute player in a fifth-grade band in Dubuque, with a quote from director Brian Enabnit. I am assuming this is the same Brian Enabit who led North Tama’s high school … Continue reading →

Posted in Tama County | Comments Off on Former NT band teacher in the news
Apr 16

Happy Map Day

Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2014, at 10:18 AM by Jeff

Belated Map Day, anyway. The DOT released the 2014 Iowa highway map online yesterday. The most notable change is the logo in the upper right corner — it has the newly designed version rather than the one created in 1975. … Continue reading →

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Apr 15

School nomenclature gymnastics

Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2014, at 7:16 AM by Jeff

The school district in the central portion of Clinton County has an issue with being called…Central Clinton. The Clinton Herald has the longer story, which was picked up by the AP. The official name is “Central Community School District of … Continue reading →

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