Author Archives: Jeff

Nov 15

Iowa’s 1920 highway system: The Great Truncation

Posted on Monday, November 15, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

September 7, 2006: IA 128 in Clayton County is an orphan segment of IA 56 created in November 1924. In the 1920 highway system, only one non-spur route (IA 29 in Plymouth County) had an endpoint that was not in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1920 Highway Sytem | Comments Off on Iowa’s 1920 highway system: The Great Truncation
Nov 10

Mainline northbound I-29 shutting down at I-480

Posted on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Next week, for the first time since the interstate system was constructed, there will be a way to get from I-29 to eastbound Broadway in Council Bluffs. It just comes at the expense of everything else, including the interstate itself. … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on Mainline northbound I-29 shutting down at I-480
Nov 08

Eating your way down the Lincoln Highway

Posted on Monday, November 8, 2021, at 10:10 AM by Jeff

WHO’s Roger Riley drove Iowa’s eastern half of the Lincoln Highway for a feature story. This means he got PAID to eat prime rib at the Lighthouse Inn near Cedar Rapids, an omelet at the Lincoln Cafe in Belle Plaine, … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous, Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Eating your way down the Lincoln Highway
Nov 05

Texas football as Kelsea Ballerini songs

Posted on Friday, November 5, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

What song, or at least song title, best describes Texas football, or Texas athletics in general? The obvious answers — “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” or “Take the Money and Run” — got used plenty in June. That was when Texas and … Continue reading →

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Nov 03

North Tama volleyball in state semifinals

Posted on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The North Tama volleyball team lost multiple small leads in their state quarterfinal sets Tuesday against Le Mars Gehlen, but pulled it out in the fifth set to win the match and advance to the state semifinals. It was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Schools, Sports | Comments Off on North Tama volleyball in state semifinals
Nov 01

Elk Horn-Kimballton…minus Kimballton

Posted on Monday, November 1, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Iowa Department of Education map A finger of the Audubon school district touches the city of Kimballton. More than half a century ago, that finger tied two K-12 school districts, multiple county school boards, and the Iowa Supreme Court up … Continue reading →

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Oct 29

Plainfield school has been demolished

Posted on Friday, October 29, 2021, at 10:10 AM by Jeff

Three years after the last students left the Plainfield school building, the site is now open land. KCHA Radio says the building was demolished last month. The Nashua-Plainfield School District is trying to decide what to do next. The land … Continue reading →

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Oct 27

Busy week for North Tama sports

Posted on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Tonight, the No. 12 North Tama volleyball team faces No. 4 Lisbon in Van Horne. At stake is either North Tama’s third state volleyball appearance in six years, or Lisbon’s first ever. Stories: North Tama Telegraph (covering the regional semifinal … Continue reading →

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Oct 26

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it

Posted on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Union High School in La Porte City had ONE football cheerleader this year. But she’s being a very good sport about it (story: KCRG), and she was also chosen homecoming queen. Union went 3-6 this season, but … how can … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it
Oct 25

Notes on second redistricting plan

Posted on Monday, October 25, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The second redistricting plan is out and has some surprises. The LSA did not do what it did in the 2000s and use a different color for the district outlines in its second plan, because like in the 2010s it … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps | Comments Off on Notes on second redistricting plan