Author Archives: Jeff

Sep 03

Harmony losing its high school

Posted on Thursday, September 3, 2015, at 10:03 AM by Jeff

The Harmony Rockets are being taken off the launch pad. The school district in eastern Van Buren County, whose high school is not in the town of Farmington but at the intersection of J40 and W46 along the Henry County … Continue reading →

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Sep 02

Center Junction disincorporation final

Posted on Wednesday, September 2, 2015, at 10:05 AM by Jeff

I missed the final approval of Center Junction’s disincorporation in June (PDF) and it’s surfacing again because of the former town’s integration into the Jones County E911 rural street system (stories: KCRG, Anamosa Journal-Eureka). I move the Board acknowledge that the … Continue reading →

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Sep 01

Broadway viaduct area part of Council Bluffs transfer of jurisdiction

Posted on Tuesday, September 1, 2015, at 10:01 AM by Jeff

June 12, 2006: The intersection of West Broadway and 16th Street in Council Bluffs, currently the location where IA 192 joins/departs US 6, will be removed from the state highway system in all directions in the near future. The Council … Continue reading →

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Aug 31

Revised IA 330-US 65 interchange plan released

Posted on Monday, August 31, 2015, at 10:10 AM by Jeff

The Iowa DOT has released its final plan (officially, “preferred alternative”) to remove the existing US 65/IA 330/IA 117 intersection and build an interchange. Construction is scheduled for 2017 and 2018 despite a prominent eminent-domain fight that is also the final, bitter … Continue reading →

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Aug 28

Class A football, 2002: Where are they now?

Posted on Friday, August 28, 2015, at 10:04 AM by Jeff

In 2002, North Tama was knocked down a peg in the football classifications, from Class 1A to Class A. The Redhawks bounced all over eastern Iowa in football districts, often ending up as the corner school in a far-flung region. … Continue reading →

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Aug 27

Sinclair blackout on Dish affects nearly every Iowa market

Posted on Thursday, August 27, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

For the umpteenth time in the past decade, Sinclair Broadcasting pulled the TV stations it owns off a cable/satellite provider’s lineup. This time it’s Dish, and while the blackout lasted less than 24 hours, the episode qualified as the largest … Continue reading →

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Aug 26

Dumping US 6 in Council Bluffs?

Posted on Wednesday, August 26, 2015, at 10:02 AM by Jeff

June 22, 2013: This sign’s days and US 6’s straight shot through Council Bluffs appear to be numbered. More than a decade after the Iowa DOT relieved itself of dozens of low-traffic spur highways across the state, the department has … Continue reading →

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Aug 25

Fort Dodge’s oldest elementary shut down

Posted on Tuesday, August 25, 2015, at 9:59 AM by Jeff

Earlier this month, a pre-school-year inspection of Duncombe Elementary in Fort Dodge — in the city, not in the town of Duncombe — “found cracked and crumbling walls along with bowing windows,” WHO reported. The century-old building (1912) is closed … Continue reading →

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Aug 24

Grundy County 12th-worst for ‘natural amenities’ in nation

Posted on Monday, August 24, 2015, at 9:56 AM by Jeff

The largest body of water in Grundy County is an artificial lake by Dike that’s less than 20 years old. (2014 USDA photo) By now you may have seen the Washington Post’s clickable map of a USDA database called the … Continue reading →

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Aug 21

Top of Iowa Conference takes effect

Posted on Friday, August 21, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Superconferences (and the threat of them) aren’t just for the college level. This fall, the North Iowa Conference and Corn Bowl Conference come together as a 16-team Top of Iowa Conference, spanning the north-central part of the state from Armstrong … Continue reading →

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