Author Archives: Jeff

Apr 22

New Hampton’s Heartland Days cancelled

Posted on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The coronavirus is starting to wipe out small-town summer festivals. KCHA Radio reported last week that New Hampton’s summer celebration, Heartland Days, scheduled for June 12-13, will not be held. I’m posting this because it is the first festival of … Continue reading →

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Apr 20

2020 Lincoln Highway conference cancelled

Posted on Monday, April 20, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

June 13, 2011: I-55 exit for US 30/Lincoln Highway in Joliet IL. It was pretty much inevitable. The 2020 conference was to be in Joliet, and it will be pushed back a year, to 2021. The 2022 conference will be … Continue reading →

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Apr 17

Iowa’s dominoes

Posted on Friday, April 17, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

A simple expression, in simple form. Not shown: the extinction-level-event domino called “football season”. At least they didn’t have to cancel Veishea this year.

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Apr 15

Back-to-back ‘Iowa Almanac’ moments

Posted on Wednesday, April 15, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

From last week, heard on KXEL, in Jeff Stein’s “Iowa Almanac”. Go to near the top of the April archives to hear more about these two events: On April 9, 1913, the Iowa Highway Commission became a state agency separate … Continue reading →

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Apr 13

Wapello connection debate solved?

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

I guess ramming your head into a brick wall/plain old obstreperousness sometimes DOES work. The Iowa DOT is prepared to allow an intersection with future four-lane US 61 and a side road south of Wapello, the Muscatine Journal reported nearly two … Continue reading →

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Apr 10

Last Sioux City I-29 project begins

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

The Iowa DOT says it started repairing a fire-damaged bridge on I-29 this week. The project will last about two months. This unexpected repair issue prevented I-29 from being open to six lanes throughout the city and “completing” the decade-long reconstruction … Continue reading →

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Apr 08

A civic duty that can still be done

Posted on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Fill out your census forms! (Because it’s the right thing to do, darn it.) Or rather, take the code that the Census Bureau put in the envelope that was mailed to you and go online and do it. (Doing the … Continue reading →

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Apr 06

Uni-Watch blog explores 1968-69 girls’ basketball

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

Paul Lukas’ Uni-Watch, which deals in the history and minute details of sports uniforms, recently did a feature on Iowa girls’ basketball. His starting point was a recent New York Times story about Denise (Long) Rife. Most of the post … Continue reading →

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Apr 01

Highway Gothic

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

I apologize for nothing.

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Mar 31

Joe Diffie, 1958-2020

Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Joe Diffie, who died Sunday from coronavirus, was one of THE definitive singers for 1990s country — for me at least. Third Rock From The Sun was the first CD I bought. I have 85% to 100% of it memorized. … Continue reading →

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