Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Feb 24

944, for real this time

Nearly two months after deciding against it, the city council of Center Junction reversed course and voted unanimously for disincorporation. The Jones County town of just over 100 people is by far the largest in Iowa to go this route; the … Continue reading

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Feb 12

What did Iowa do to you, “Agent Carter”?

Previously in Marvel’s “Agent Carter,” we had a 30-second scene where Peggy Carter met Dorothy Underwood from Iowa, who came to New York City to be a professional dancer. Now we know her name isn’t Dorothy Underwood, and she isn’t … Continue reading

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Feb 06

A History of Concrete Paving in Iowa

June 4, 2014: This concrete on old US 20 east of Cushing is from 1932. Old 20 west of Cushing to Sioux City was paved by 1924. If that headline has you clicking for more, you’ve come to the right … Continue reading

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Jan 15

Legislature maps symbolize Iowa’s rural-urban split

With the 2015 Iowa Legislature now in session, it’s a good time to look into the maps and composition of district control. Republicans control the House 56-43 (pending one election in the west), and Democrats hold the slimmest edge in … Continue reading

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Jan 09

JC Penney at Crossroads closing

“My” J.C. Penney — that is, the one that was closest to me — is now a victim of that retail company’s continued troubles. Crossroads Mall in Waterloo has lost an original anchor tenant. There won’t be a Penney’s in the … Continue reading

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Jan 08

Wagon Wheel Bridge at dead end

July 5, 2013: Wagon Wheel Bridge across the Des Moines River in Boone County, upstream from the Kate Shelley High Bridges. The Boone County supervisors returned $2 million in funding to replace a bridge that’s spanned the Des Moines River … Continue reading

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Jan 07

944…or not

When I wrote my resolution to visit every Iowa town, I noted (and then had to revise) the number of incorporated places “as of this writing” — and there was a reason for that. Center Junction in Jones County had … Continue reading

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Jan 06

Iowa history made in DC today

The new Congress is being sworn in today, and Joni Ernst will be among those taking the oath of office for the first time. She is the first woman from Iowa to serve in the U.S. Senate. (Iowa has two other … Continue reading

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Jan 05

Resolved: To visit every incorporated place in Iowa

April 27, 2005: Ackworth, the second city in Iowa in alphabetical order, first in ZIP code order. [And this picture is nearly a decade old!] When I started Iowa Highway Ends, I had the far-off goal of eventually traveling every … Continue reading

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Jan 02

‘Prince Farming’

I am all for Iowa and Iowans not trying to be something and someone we aren’t. We have a certain image, and there’s nothing wrong with that, per se. When was the last time an Iowa-ISU football intro didn’t pan … Continue reading

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