Author Archives: Jeff

Jun 12

Strike up the band, strike out the band law

Posted on Monday, June 12, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Clarinda votes for bands. Authorizes two mill tax to pay for all. Clarinda, Iowa, March 28, 1921, voted almost two to one a two mill tax for the support of its bands of music. The tax will be available for … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Strike up the band, strike out the band law
Jun 09

3 Tama County churches in United Methodist schism

Posted on Friday, June 9, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

More than 80 United Methodist churches in Iowa are ending their affiliation with the denomination. (Stories: Register, Gazette) The action is part of a slow-motion schism over gay rights that the COVID pandemic has made extra messy. The Garwin, Geneseo, … Continue reading →

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Jun 07

Jefferson Highway notes in Decatur County

Posted on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

This 1918 construction document for “Inter County Highway” shows the plan for a truss bridge south of Leon. Note the intricate illustration for the river. The 2023 Jefferson Highway conference starts today in Mason City. The Jefferson Highway, also known … Continue reading →

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Jun 05

Last bell at Crescent Elementary

Posted on Monday, June 5, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

October 15, 2021: “Crescent Elementary School is the heart of the community,” the Council Bluffs district says on a webpage that probably won’t exist by this time next year. Crescent Elementary had its final day May 25. The student population … Continue reading →

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Jun 01

2023 state map doesn’t have the blues, it has the teals

Posted on Thursday, June 1, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Memorial Day weekend in odd years means the release of the new Iowa highway map. The 2023 map (extremely large PDF) was available online a week ago. But when I loaded it, things felt off. The shade of blue was … Continue reading →

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May 30

Ring the bells for Traer’s Big Birthday Bash

Posted on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The original plan for June 3 was to have a kickoff for Traer’s sesquicentennial celebration that would culminate with the Winding Stairs Festival in August. Instead, the Big Birthday Bash got really big. Here’s a full schedule of events (via … Continue reading →

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May 26

License Plate Letters — NBC, NGP

Posted on Friday, May 26, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

It’s probably hard to see, but at the beginning of the year, NBC TV tweaked its classic Peacock logo. Trade publication NewscastStudio has an explanation with before-and-after GIFs. Overall, 2023 is the 70th anniversary of eight TV stations that at … Continue reading →

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May 24

Traer’s Q website restored

Posted on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I have done my best Indiana Jones impersonation and plumbed the depths of the Internet Archive to bring back a little bit of the 20th century: Traer’s Quasquicentennial (125th) anniversary website. This set of webpages appears to have eluded multiple … Continue reading →

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May 19

US 30 intersection by United school to partially close

Posted on Friday, May 19, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The second of two intersections on US 30 between the United school and the IA 17 interchange will be converted to a right-in-right-out intersection within a year. The meeting was in April. The diagram is here. The intersection with T … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on US 30 intersection by United school to partially close
May 17

IA 141 project has many parts to avoid one intersection

Posted on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The DOT is having a meeting Thursday at Jester Park in Granger regarding changes to access to IA 141, with new construction. The plan wouldn’t make the highway controlled-access, but it wouldn’t be uncontrolled access either. The project would take … Continue reading →

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