Author Archives: Jeff

Oct 29

Ride the wind

Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

October 21, 2020 If you can’t read the sign, it says: “2020 Derecho Scarecrow. Ride the wind and Wind up in Traer.” Traer was the only community in Tama County that had electricity the night of August 10. In other … Continue reading →

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Oct 28

Welcome to Etherville

Posted on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Typos are nasty things. I should know, since my job involves trying to find them. (Glass house alert!) One should try to nudge the writer discreetly. Pointing at the New York Times, which to my knowledge doesn’t have a copy desk … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Welcome to Etherville
Oct 26

Nora Springs bridge to be replaced

Posted on Monday, October 26, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

August 4, 2015: The old US 18 bridge on the west side of Nora Springs. The century-old bridge across the Shell Rock River in Nora Springs will be replaced next year, KIMT reports. The bridge was a showcase piece in … Continue reading →

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Oct 23

Iowa’s new election gender imbalance

Posted on Friday, October 23, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

After years and years of Iowa getting tsk-tsked for never electing a woman to Congress (I went into some reasoning for this in 2012), we shouldn’t let this year go by without pointing something out: Seven of the 10 major-party candidates … Continue reading →

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Oct 21

Updated spreadsheet: ISU vs. AP Top 25

Posted on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

This is a plug for a page I’ve had around but, since it doesn’t fit in the highway-related stuff, just kind of floats. I set up a sortable HTML table of Iowa State football’s record both against teams ranked in … Continue reading →

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Oct 19

Another matter of perspective

Posted on Monday, October 19, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The new exit for IA 141 from northbound I-35/80, along with a half-diamond to the south at Meredith Drive, opened Friday. The Register had a preview earlier in the week. Presumably, northbound/eastbound, the Meredith exit will be 127A, and the … Continue reading →

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Oct 16

Football seasons ending and starting

Posted on Friday, October 16, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The topsy-turvy churn otherwise known as 2020 in sports continues with both ends and starts. High school football playoffs begin tonight. This year, they’re built in a different way. Much like postseasons in basketball and baseball, every team is in … Continue reading →

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Oct 14

North Dakota Highway 91

Posted on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

ND 91 is really short, reports KFYR-TV in Bismarck. (Video un-embeddable.) The route in Harvey, along US 52 between Jamestown and Minot, is signed at 0.28 miles. That is just a hair longer than IA 405 was signed 1980-2003. I … Continue reading →

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Oct 12

Notes for October 2020 letting

Posted on Monday, October 12, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Things I noticed about the October 2020 DOT bid letting, scheduled for next week: One sign project is concentrated in two areas: Cedar Rapids and Jones County. The former is replacing a lot of gore signs (the “EXIT” where you … Continue reading →

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Oct 08

A matter of perspective

Posted on Thursday, October 8, 2020, at 10:06 AM by Jeff

Here is an aerial view of most of the town of Gladbrook. IA 96 is at the bottom, 2nd Street at the top, school in the middle. Now here’s an aerial view of the campus for College Community School District … Continue reading →

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