Author Archives: Jeff

Jul 26

How it started

Ames Times, January 23, 1908: Will play in the Big Nine Will join Missouri Valley Conference. Student body delighted. Bigger games with bigger teams next season. Ames accepts the invitation to join the Missouri Valley Athletic Association. Such is the … Continue reading

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on How it started
Jul 23

US 61 switch moves four-lane closer to completion

Starting today, traffic on part of US 61 between Burlington and Mediapolis will move to new southbound lanes for construction of northbound lanes, according to a DOT press release. This step is important because it moves much and maybe all … Continue reading

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on US 61 switch moves four-lane closer to completion
Jul 22

Hello darkness my old friend

Conferencepocalypse again ISU fans shout a big Oh boy Save us from the Land of Misfit Toys The Longhorns and Sooners have wandering eyes They’ll say goodbyes ‘Cause there’s the smell of money And the people bowed and prayed To … Continue reading

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on Hello darkness my old friend
Jul 21

Lansing bridge update

The final design for the replacement of the Black Hawk Bridge over the Mississippi River at Lansing … looks a lot like the old bridge, except as a unified piece. The “Blue Alternative” is slightly upstream of the present bridge, … Continue reading

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on Lansing bridge update
Jul 19

Redhead Express pulled into the terminal

While looking through old blog posts related to the Iowa State Fair I noticed that a link I had in one of them had 404’d. The band Redhead Express, a four-sister act I happened to catch in 2018, disbanded the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Redhead Express pulled into the terminal
Jul 16

A new (old) wrinkle in Vinton’s highways

Vinton is a larger town than you might think. By that, I mean it has a population above 5,000, but because the highways are only in the west and middle, much of it is residential areas where travelers don’t go. … Continue reading

Posted in 1920 Highway Sytem | Comments Off on A new (old) wrinkle in Vinton’s highways
Jul 14

Photo 39,005

October 27, 2018 After Iowa State’s 40-31 Homecoming victory over Texas Tech, we looked at the decorations on campus. The preceding pictures were chalk on Victory Lane, so I’m posting this instead, which was near the stadium entrance. This, like … Continue reading

Posted in Sequences, Sports | Comments Off on Photo 39,005
Jul 12

Interstates rearranged in DC

June 26, 2009: This sweet old sign on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, will have to come down, if it hasn’t already. Notice the faint markings of a previous interstate shield under the DC-marked I-395 shield. The AASHTO’s Special Committee … Continue reading

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Interstates rearranged in DC
Jul 09

US 65, IA 14 serve as each other’s detours

From the Iowa DOT and Corydon Times-Republican: Starting earlier this week and lasting through next week, US 65 is closed in Humeston for a sewer project. The official detour is on US 34, IA 14, and IA 2, sending US 65 … Continue reading

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on US 65, IA 14 serve as each other’s detours
Jul 07

A notable non-event of 2020-21

Sure, a lot of things didn’t happen in the past year and change. One thing that didn’t happen, though, is unique. In 2020-21, for the first time in the 55-year modern era of Iowa school districts, no community lost its … Continue reading

Posted in Schools | Comments Off on A notable non-event of 2020-21