Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Why, my second Gunderburger, of course. (The first was almost six years to the day earlier, supper before North Tama played Valley-CEW at the school between Elgin and Clermont.) September 12, 2017: Yes, inject that Midwestern-ness directly into my arteries.

June 20, 2017: The centerpiece of the Merle Hay monument in Glidden has artwork from “Ding” Darling. Click here for larger version. One hundred years ago today, Merle Hay of Glidden became the first Iowan and one of the first … Continue reading →

I’ve made a lot of blog posts and writeups about Iowa population and politics-adjacent issues, but the 2016 election brought forth a forehead-smacking-obvious postulate that eluded me until June*: If level of education becomes a political factor, Iowa’s “brain drain” … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s “Message Monday” from the Iowa DOT: If you don't get the message today – ask the nearest millennial. https://t.co/RnUAg8GpyS pic.twitter.com/GPSVXQ1WI9 — Iowa DOT (@iowadot) October 2, 2017

When I saw the copies at the Alumni Center, I thought what was there was either an insert or a mistake. But then I looked closer. An eight-page paper the same physical size as a Farm Bureau Spokesman, with four … Continue reading →

Iowa’s youngest “big three” network affiliate turns 50 years old today. KMEG Channel 14 in Sioux City, a CBS station, is the only such affiliate in Iowa on the UHF spectrum. The switch to digital has largely rendered the VHF/UHF … Continue reading →

The sprawl monster has 4,500 more acres of Iowa to feast on. A few months ago, Waukee added two huge tracts of land* and one smaller one in annexation procedures. The vast majority is undeveloped but that will change. A … Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →