Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Third in a series. The dam broke just after the 1990 census. West Des Moines had a small spot in Dallas County right before that — a portion tucked south of University Avenue that included the Des Moines Golf and … Continue reading →

Second in a series. On a national level, the 1980s had plenty of positives after a bumpy early start. In Iowa, though, like the rest of the Farm Belt, those bumpy years were part of a precipitous fall that, arguably, … Continue reading →

First in a series. The Census Bureau released its 2017 county-level population estimates in April. It’s not a full decade, but it is seven data points, and the trend for rural counties may be even worse than it was. The … Continue reading →

If you believe articles from an industry publication, the fast-casual Italian food franchise Fazoli’s is in good shape and plans to release “a completely clean food menu” this summer. (Because chemicals are bad, you see, and unpopular with the youths.) … Continue reading →

April 23, 2018: If you want to assemble a clothing collection, now’s the time; Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids is having dueling down-to-the-walls sell-offs at Younkers and Sears. The upbeat tone of the “closing forever” radio ads is a little … Continue reading →

The public notice page of the July 15, 1993, Osceola Sentinel Tribune started off with the minutes of the Clarke County Board of Supervisors’ June 30 meeting. Between a seasonal-employee hire and rejecting bids on care of the courthouse lawn … Continue reading →

In a deep review of the online legal descriptions of Iowa highways, I’ve noticed some quirks in the conventions. A road will often connect or start at/with “an unnamed street”, but in each town that street clearly has a name. Older … Continue reading →

I don’t know his name, but everyone in Iowa has heard his voice. As the YouTube ad above shows, the man who does the voiceovers for Adventureland’s radio and TV ads has been doing it for a long time. Last … Continue reading →

While going through one of my piles of mail*, I leafed through the Iowa 4-H Foundation’s summer newsletter. It was there that I found out — and this still may be news, considering the only external coverage was a blurb … Continue reading →

This kind of snuck up on me (and perhaps others) in a pair of trips to different Fareway locations recently: I knew the Boone-based grocery store chain is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, but didn’t know that the “Economical … Continue reading →