Category Archives: Tama County

May 16

US 63 closure scrambles routes to Traer

Posted on Monday, May 16, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Starting next week, according to a DOT press release, US 63 will be closed between IA 8 and IA 96. It’s for a (very needed) asphalt resurfacing project and discussed more in this blog post. Toledo-Gladbrook traffic is fine, but … Continue reading →

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May 09

IA 8 in Tama County to close for months

Posted on Monday, May 9, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Hey, remember this post? I didn’t! But now it’s here: Starting today, IA 8 between Traer and IA 21 is closed through at least late July for culvert construction (news tip: KCRG). The official detour is D65 through Buckingham. The closure … Continue reading →

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Apr 11

Traer Fire Department hosts grain bin rescue exercise

Posted on Monday, April 11, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

On Thursday, the Traer Fire Department and other rural fire departments participated in grain bin accident training. The department and local insurance agencies brought in special equipment for showing how to rescue someone trapped in a bin. The story led … Continue reading →

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Mar 30

Tama still looking for contract on Lincoln Highway bridge

Posted on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 7, 2013: A pickup crosses the Lincoln Highway bridge on the east end of Tama. The concrete letters are more than a century old. The Lincoln Highway bridge in Tama has moved to its third round of bids for … Continue reading →

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Feb 25

The ghost of the Traer Sale Barn

Posted on Friday, February 25, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Iowa DOT’s migration of old construction plans to its online portal has revealed how fastidious its record-keeping is. The weak spot is that the plans don’t always indicate exactly what year the project was completed. Having the letting date … Continue reading →

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Feb 16

State wrestling tournament time

Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at 10:10 AM by Jeff

A post solely to push this tweet: As we creep closer to state wrestling in #IOWA I need to admit the first 39+1 yrs of my life I spent not appreciating wrestling like apparently my entire adopted state does, did … Continue reading →

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Feb 14

Double or nothing

Posted on Monday, February 14, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

After the current Iowa Legislature session is over, a real scramble will begin as state legislators and challengers have to introduce themselves to new electorates. The 2020s redistricting plan, for the first time since the 1970s,* separates Traer from Tama-Toledo, … Continue reading →

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Jan 24

North Tama continues look at infrastructure

Posted on Monday, January 24, 2022, at 11:00 AM by Jeff

Earlier this month, the North Tama school board had another work session to discuss long-term plans for the school complex, reports the North Tama Telegraph. A “hefty packet” of information about construction possibilities and, more importantly, funding options was offered … Continue reading →

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Jan 03

Street View has visited Tama County

Posted on Monday, January 3, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Far too many times I have looked at images on Google Maps Street View and wished that, instead of covering the same roads multiple times, the vehicles would go out and capture either the roads that are only in low … Continue reading →

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Dec 17

Geneseo school’s 100th anniversary

Posted on Friday, December 17, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

September 23, 2011: The 1920 Geneseo Township school building was featured in a Des Moines Register article on Barb and Dave Else’s book, For All The Small Schools, cataloging Iowa’s abandoned schools. It’s in the small percentage built alone on … Continue reading →

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