Author Archives: Jeff

Dec 15

Meeting on I-35 in Ames today

Posted on Monday, December 15, 2025, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Iowa DOT will have an open house and information meeting at the Ames Public Library tonight regarding the six-laning of I-35 from the end of the present project near IA 210 to the US 30 interchange. PDFs are available … Continue reading →

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Dec 10

Veterans Day at North Tama

Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Obviously, this happened a month ago, but I’ve been busy.

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Dec 08

How about those Hoosiers?

Posted on Monday, December 8, 2025, at 10:05 AM by Jeff

If I ever update my Iowa State-vs.-Oklahoma football page, the first graphic will need a fix after all. As for the rest of the weekend’s events, I might have more about that on my Substack later. Might.

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Dec 05

A map of 2025 8-man football forfeits

Posted on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

High school football season has been over for a couple of weeks, but the issues created by the multiple forfeits is going to come up again. I did enjoy making the map, though. More than half of the teams in … Continue reading →

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Dec 03

Okoboji writers retreat recap 2025

Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I didn’t do a story on my time at the Okoboji Writers (and Songwriters) Retreat last year because I ran into a different story on my departure via Sioux City, but I did this year. If anything, I had to … Continue reading →

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Dec 01

Traer losing its doctor’s office

Posted on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

November 11, 2025: MercyOne Traer Family Medicine opened as the North Tama Medical Clinic in 1976. A decade after losing the town’s longtime dentist, and a few years removed from losing the town’s once-a-week optometrist, the town of Traer is … Continue reading →

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Nov 26

Public vs. private, times six

Posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

All but one of the seven Iowa high school football championship games pitted a public school against a private school. The outlier was Class A, MMCRU vs. St. Ansgar. (Semi-ironic, no?) That is more public vs. private finals in football … Continue reading →

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Nov 24

Voluntary and involuntary

Posted on Monday, November 24, 2025, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Erin Kiernan is voluntarily leaving WHO in Des Moines to spend more time with her family — and that’s in the most positive way possible. The TV staff surprised her with a seven-minute farewell segment. Today is her last broadcast. … Continue reading →

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Nov 18

John Fitzsimmons, 1959-2025

Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

John Fitzsimmons of Boone, a longtime member of the Lincoln Highway Association, died Saturday. He had a blog he occasionally posted to from 2016 to 2021. He billed himself as a “vagabond road artist”.  I last saw him at the … Continue reading →

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Nov 11

Gannett changes date style in stories

Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Here’s something that you might not notice unless it’s directly pointed out: Gannett newspapers nationwide, including the Des Moines Register, Iowa City Press-Citizen, and Ames Tribune, have changed how dates are written in their stories. This has been going on … Continue reading →

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