Author Archives: Jeff

Aug 09

Rolling Stone article has Iowa-related inaccuracy

A Rolling Stone profile published more than six weeks ago has a factual error related to Iowa. (Fake news in Rolling Stone — whodathunkit?) In the article “Meet the Megadonor Behind the LGBTQ Rights Movement,” about multimillionaire (and Quark founder) … Continue reading

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Aug 08

They held an election and no one showed up

September 29, 2015: Outdoor post office boxes (left) replaced the post office building (right) in McIntire in 2011. Special elections are notoriously low-turnout things. See, for example, the vote last week on supervisor districts in Linn County, which existed only … Continue reading

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Aug 07

Lansing bridge meeting Tuesday

April 17, 2015: Iowa end of the Black Hawk Bridge in Lansing. Many more pictures of the bridge and intersection are on my Lansing page. The bridge piers are 120 feet too close to each other for modern navigation standards. … Continue reading

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Aug 04

Does US 30 need four-laning in eastern Iowa?

Ever since the mid-1960s, US 30 has been viewed as an eventual four-lane corridor across the state of Iowa. Over the years, it’s been improved in fits and phases across eastern and central Iowa, while the western part has fallen … Continue reading

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Aug 03

Clear Creek Amana plans for a new high school. Again.

Less than a decade after opening a new high school facility and 3½ years after approving a bond issue for a fourth elementary school, Clear Creek Amana needs more room. On Sept. 12 — the same day Gladbrook-Reinbeck will vote … Continue reading

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Aug 02

Gladbrook-Reinbeck dissolution vote set

On July 17 the Gladbrook-Reinbeck school board accepted the dissolution committee’s proposal on division of the district and set a vote for Sept. 12 concurrent with regular school board elections. A yes vote is to end the district; a no vote … Continue reading

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Aug 01

Wide IA 9 shield in Waukon

KCRG had a story last week about Waukon’s preparations as a host town for RAGBRAI. At the 2:01 mark of the video above is a shot of downtown. There is a “Jct 9” assembly visible — and the 9 is … Continue reading

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Jul 31

Grandpa, tell me ’bout the good old days

While taking a short trip recently, I didn’t take the iPod and bounced around on the radio instead. I was delighted to come across a station playing REAL country music — the ’90s songs I have had on CDs and … Continue reading

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Jul 28

Minnesota, ISU coaches share birth date a year apart

The Big 12 and Big Ten have both had their football media days now, and I have noticed a disturbing trend: There are coaches there who are approximately my age peers. This started with Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury (Aug. 9, 1979), … Continue reading

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Jul 27

Three all-private semifinals in state baseball tournament

Three of the eight semifinal matchups in the 2017 Iowa high school state baseball tournament will be between private schools. Mason City Newman and Remsen St. Mary’s, Dyersville Beckman and Iowa City Regina, and Davenport Assumption and Dubuque Wahlert all … Continue reading

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