Author Archives: Jeff

Jul 15

Roundabout plan renewed for Urbana corner

Posted on Wednesday, July 15, 2020, at 9:55 AM by Jeff

In late 2016, after a multi-fatality crash at the IA 150 curve west of Urbana, the DOT started looking at ways to change the intersection. The first was a simple, obvious intersection. Traffic to and from Urbana (old IA 363) … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on Roundabout plan renewed for Urbana corner
Jul 14

Tama County Fair cancelled

Posted on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, at 10:15 AM by Jeff

The Tama County Fair in Gladbrook stood a slightly better chance of not being called off, compared to other county fairs, because it is so small, pretty much 4H/FFA exclusive. But then both the softball and baseball teams at North … Continue reading →

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Jul 13

The Gone-der-burger, 13 months too late

Posted on Monday, July 13, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Gunder is a map dot in Clayton County with one establishment to its unincorporated name: The Irish Shanti, home of the Gunderburger, a whole pound (post-cooked!) of delicious cow packaged between two slices of bread, served with crinkle fries or … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on The Gone-der-burger, 13 months too late
Jul 10

De Soto getting its first stoplights

Posted on Friday, July 10, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The DOT has an online meeting for a small project on US 169: “installation of traffic signals at the I-80 ramp terminals along with turn lanes.” This is on the north side of the town of De Soto, and based … Continue reading →

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Jul 09

Viking Road interchange complete

Posted on Thursday, July 9, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Pavement markings and cleanup on IA 58 at the Viking Road interchange in Cedar Falls were to be done earlier this week, a DOT press release says. I was a skeptic that it could be done, even when they said … Continue reading →

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Jul 08

2020 Winding Stairs Festival cancelled

Posted on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, at 10:05 AM by Jeff

The obvious and inevitable, again. It didn’t help that North Tama softball forfeited the rest of the season less than 36 hours earlier after “potential indirect exposure” to COVID-19. The Winding Stairs Festival Committee hearts couldn’t be more full due to … Continue reading →

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Jul 06

Requiem for an iMac

Posted on Monday, July 6, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I have in the past rambled about my late 2009 desktop iMac and how I was going to ride it until it died. Well, at 11:53 PM on June 15, it did. Specifically, the hard drive woke from sleep but … Continue reading →

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Jul 03

The Great Interruption

Posted on Friday, July 3, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Traditions are still no match for the plague. The latest victims: Pufferbilly Days in Boone and the Knoxville Nationals. But it’s not just the big stuff. Let’s look just in southern Benton County in the first half of 2018: February … Continue reading →

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Jul 01

Those old-time town shenanigans

Posted on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Have you heard how the Sioux Rapids Boosters slickered the smart guys up at Spencer? Well here is the tale. Sioux Rapids sent a bunch of boosters out in cars to advertise the Fourth of July celebration. Spencer merchants made … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Those old-time town shenanigans
Jun 29

Some awful wallops

Posted on Monday, June 29, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Langland Lands Powerful Blows (Ames Tri-Weekly Tribune, February 19, 1919) Ole Langland, editor of the Cambridge Leader, takes some awful wallops at Ames people for wanting the Jefferson highway to pass through Ames in place of making the zig-zag through … Continue reading →

Posted in 1920 Highway Sytem | Comments Off on Some awful wallops