Author Archives: Jeff

Jul 25

Rick Reilly puts in a dig at Ames

Posted on Monday, July 25, 2011, at 6:13 PM by Jeff

There were plenty, and I mean plenty, of slams on Ames and Iowa State as a whole last summer during the Big 12 Missile Crisis. I may put those up in the future, but right now, the list starts here. … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on Rick Reilly puts in a dig at Ames
Jul 23

NY Times: 47,000 is a “small town”

Posted on Saturday, July 23, 2011, at 11:53 PM by Jeff

The headline: Small-Town Doctors Made in a Small Kansas Town Yes, rural areas of this country desperately need doctors. But where are they going? SALINA, Kan. — This state, so sparsely populated in parts that five counties have no doctors … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography | Comments Off on NY Times: 47,000 is a “small town”
Jul 21

Cleanup, additions in the school timeline

Posted on Thursday, July 21, 2011, at 11:30 PM by Jeff

While double-checking the years of some entries, it became evident that more schools than I thought became a K-6 or K-8 while sending everyone else to one or more other districts, but not receiving any students in return. In light … Continue reading →

Posted in Schools, Tama County | Comments Off on Cleanup, additions in the school timeline
Jul 16

Last at-bat for East Central

Posted on Saturday, July 16, 2011, at 11:50 PM by Jeff

Clinton Herald: [Taylor Keeney] wasn’t just closing the gate for the night or on the season — which ended with the loss in the district semifinal — or on his high school career. The gate was closing on East Central … Continue reading →

Posted in Schools | Comments Off on Last at-bat for East Central
Jul 15

King Tower Cafe, 1937-2011

Posted on Friday, July 15, 2011, at 10:53 PM by Jeff

Cause of death: Progress. This is only 10 months after the US 30 bypass/bisection of Tama/Toledo opened. The King Tower was on the easternmost part of 30 that was bypassed, part of the original Lincoln Highway, near the bridge. More … Continue reading →

Posted in Tama County | Comments Off on King Tower Cafe, 1937-2011
Jul 14

Last at-bat for WCLT

Posted on Thursday, July 14, 2011, at 12:28 AM by Jeff

The Woden-Crystal Lake-Titonka softball team lost Wednesday night to North Sentral Kossuth/Armstrong-Ringsted, closing the door on the last part of that school district. NSK/AR is, itself, a shared program of two schools, which were three only a decade ago. (Talk about … Continue reading →

Posted in Schools | Comments Off on Last at-bat for WCLT
Jul 13

Weather Service recap of not-tornado

Posted on Wednesday, July 13, 2011, at 6:00 PM by Jeff

Technically, it’s called a “derecho.” As the system passed through the northern Des Moines metro area at 3:30am, it rapidly intensified and accelerated eastward. Over the next hour and a half the storm plowed eastward through Story, Marshall, and Tama … Continue reading →

Posted in Tama County | Comments Off on Weather Service recap of not-tornado
Jul 12

US 30 four lanes across Marshall County

Posted on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, at 3:23 PM by Jeff

Delayed many years by budget troubles and one more year by rainy weather, US 30 is now four lanes from State Center to IA 330 – and, by extension, from Ogden to the casino in Tama County. It happened last … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on US 30 four lanes across Marshall County
Jul 11

License plates to be printed in black

Posted on Monday, July 11, 2011, at 12:37 AM by Jeff

Now they’ll be even harder to tell apart from Minnesota’s. The color of the print on newly issued Iowa license plates will change from blue to black starting next week. Now at YMC, the standard plates have about a thousand … Continue reading →

Posted in License Plates | Comments Off on License plates to be printed in black
Jul 09

Livermore school torn down

Posted on Saturday, July 9, 2011, at 12:25 AM by Jeff

Sometime between July(ish) 2010 (lower left)… (Iowa Geo Info Server) …and Wednesday, when I drove by and found stairs leading to an expanse of dirt. The Algona Upper Des Moines recently had an article about reunions in nearby Ottosen. Livermore, … Continue reading →

Posted in Schools | Comments Off on Livermore school torn down