Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Aug 24

End of the buffet line

The closure of Ryan’s Steakhouse on Collins Road in Cedar Rapids in June was so abrupt that the employees weren’t notified. I was reminded that it was closed when I drove past it this week. And then it hit me: … Continue reading

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Aug 21

Eclipse day

As you may be aware, there’s a solar eclipse across the country today. Iowa is only going to get a partial experience of it, though. A little sliver of the very southwest corner is supposed to be in the “path … Continue reading

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Aug 10

SHOCK POLL: 4 in 10 Iowans are imposters

August 15, 2016: Boldly going where 1 million people go a year. I’m as crushed as Kyle Munson is about this revelation about the Iowa State Fair, which starts today: [A] recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows that 40 … Continue reading

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Aug 09

Rolling Stone article has Iowa-related inaccuracy

A Rolling Stone profile published more than six weeks ago has a factual error related to Iowa. (Fake news in Rolling Stone — whodathunkit?) In the article “Meet the Megadonor Behind the LGBTQ Rights Movement,” about multimillionaire (and Quark founder) … Continue reading

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Aug 08

They held an election and no one showed up

September 29, 2015: Outdoor post office boxes (left) replaced the post office building (right) in McIntire in 2011. Special elections are notoriously low-turnout things. See, for example, the vote last week on supervisor districts in Linn County, which existed only … Continue reading

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Aug 01

Wide IA 9 shield in Waukon

KCRG had a story last week about Waukon’s preparations as a host town for RAGBRAI. At the 2:01 mark of the video above is a shot of downtown. There is a “Jct 9” assembly visible — and the 9 is … Continue reading

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Jul 31

Grandpa, tell me ’bout the good old days

While taking a short trip recently, I didn’t take the iPod and bounced around on the radio instead. I was delighted to come across a station playing REAL country music — the ’90s songs I have had on CDs and … Continue reading

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Jun 27

Worst. Temp. Job. Ever.

June 20, 2016: Hello, I must be going. The Carroll Kmart was not in the large list of nationwide Kmart closures announced at the beginning of the year, but was included in a less-publicized round in spring. Two months after … Continue reading

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Jun 22

Lincoln Highway: Marshalltown, Iowa

March 26, 2010: Closeup of the clock tower at the Marshall County Courthouse. The Lincoln Highway’s original route through Marshall County went right through Marshalltown. It wasn’t relocated onto a straightaway until the end of 1947. The route through the … Continue reading

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Jun 19

The Lincoln Highway, as previously seen here

July 6, 2013: Youngville Station at the intersection of US 30/218 in Benton County. Over multiple days, I traveled the then-newly-signed Lincoln Highway Historic Byway across Iowa for its 100th birthday. Since this week is the Lincoln Highway Association’s annual … Continue reading

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