Author Archives: Jeff

“My” J.C. Penney — that is, the one that was closest to me — is now a victim of that retail company’s continued troubles. Crossroads Mall in Waterloo has lost an original anchor tenant. There won’t be a Penney’s in the … Continue reading →

July 5, 2013: Wagon Wheel Bridge across the Des Moines River in Boone County, upstream from the Kate Shelley High Bridges. The Boone County supervisors returned $2 million in funding to replace a bridge that’s spanned the Des Moines River … Continue reading →

When I wrote my resolution to visit every Iowa town, I noted (and then had to revise) the number of incorporated places “as of this writing” — and there was a reason for that. Center Junction in Jones County had … Continue reading →

The new Congress is being sworn in today, and Joni Ernst will be among those taking the oath of office for the first time. She is the first woman from Iowa to serve in the U.S. Senate. (Iowa has two other … Continue reading →

April 27, 2005: Ackworth, the second city in Iowa in alphabetical order, first in ZIP code order. [And this picture is nearly a decade old!] When I started Iowa Highway Ends, I had the far-off goal of eventually traveling every … Continue reading →

I am all for Iowa and Iowans not trying to be something and someone we aren’t. We have a certain image, and there’s nothing wrong with that, per se. When was the last time an Iowa-ISU football intro didn’t pan … Continue reading →