Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Dec 16

If nominated I will not run; if elected I will not serve

A reversal of sorts from Monday’s blog item about Branstad: Second Swaledale write-in candidate turns down council seat Is it possible more tiny towns in Iowa will end up disincorporating because they can’t get people to run the town? This … Continue reading

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Dec 15

A sense of humor, the DOT has

Drivers on major Iowa highways yesterday were greeted with a batch of “Star Wars”-related messages encouraging good traffic safety practices. Did you know “Star Wars Episode VII” comes out Friday? (he typed, while a Star Wars-themed Ford commercial played on … Continue reading

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Dec 14

Branstad now nation’s longest-serving governor

For Iowans born after 1974 (including myself), Terry Branstad has run Iowa for more than half our lives. Now his record for longest-serving governor in US history is official. On Monday, Terry Branstad will have been Iowa’s governor for one … Continue reading

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Dec 08

Bloomington Road bridge is a goner

August 24, 2013: The Bloomington Road bridge over Big Creek in Linn County is part of the Lincoln Highway loop route through Marion. Linn County had it taken down at the end of 2015. As previously noted, a classic truss bridge in … Continue reading

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Dec 04

Politico: Iowa still matters

As the Iowa caucuses get nearer, so too does criticism about the state’s role in the presidential process. But Colin Woodard, whose research has divided much of North America into 11 “nations,” writes in Politico that Iowa’s settlement heritage makes … Continue reading

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Oct 27

Where is Harmony City?

“Then would you mind telling me what you’re doing in the middle of a plain in Iowa — and what I’m doing here, for that matter?” Occasionally in books or movies a character will drop a reference to some place … Continue reading

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Oct 22

Register’s ‘Lost Schools’ on IPTV tonight

The Des Moines Register‘s documentary about the changes and decline of rural Iowa’s school districts airs on Iowa Public Television at 7 tonight. Former North Tama principal Nick Pace is among those interviewed. In conjunction with that, Iowa Public Radio interviewed reporter … Continue reading

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Oct 19

More about Iowa’s northern and western borders

Years ago, I wrote about my research into the back-and-forth of the 1830s and 1840s in creating the shape of the state of Iowa. I mentioned that I had never seen any proposal of a northern border of 45° from … Continue reading

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Oct 13

Should we really be encouraging this sort of thing?

The 2015 Burlington tourism guide features a smiling family on the cover. There’s nothing unusual about that. They’re all wearing flip-flops except the youngest, who’s wearing Crocs. That’s a warning sign, but they are at a pool with water slides, … Continue reading

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Oct 09

No, that’s not how you spell it

September 27, 2015: This window covering in downtown Davenport made me do a double-take. Let’s ask some cheerleaders what’s wrong with this. They might have a chant that can help us.

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