Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Dec 27

Visit939Iowa+

I have both noted and ragged on the two guys from Nebraska who visited every incorporated place in Iowa this year and turned their travels into a book, “Visit 939 Iowa”. I am pleased and obligated to report that my … Continue reading

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Nov 08

Eating your way down the Lincoln Highway

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

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Oct 20

Taking a run through every town

For all the hubbub about the two Nebraska guys going to every BUT NOT EVERY town in Iowa, there’s another cross-state trekker out there, and he’s doing it the hard way. For the last six years, Tyler Sullivan of North … Continue reading

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Sep 22

It’s 941, not 939

I should have said something earlier. I should have said it when I made a post about it. The two Nebraska students who visited “all 939” towns in Iowa this summer — and got another article in the Register — … Continue reading

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Sep 15

Cafe 218 is gone; Dollar General coming to Dysart?

The old Cafe 218 in Vinton opened shortly after the US 218 bypass of Vinton did. For about a decade, it was vacant. As of the week before Labor Day, it’s gone. Stories: Vinton News, Vinton Today. The land is … Continue reading

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Aug 12

Iowa State Fair 2021: Metal detectors, NO TRAM

I once said a year without the Iowa State Fair would be unfathomable. Well, we’ve seen and heard a lot of unfathomable things lately. Now the Iowa State Fair is BACK, but with a couple of changes that show things … Continue reading

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Aug 11

When is Channel 14 not Channel 14?

KMEG, Sioux City’s CBS affiliate, is by a good margin the youngest of the “Big Three” network stations serving Iowa. It is more than a decade younger than any except WQAD, which preceded it by four years. Its youth is … Continue reading

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Aug 10

Derecho day

August 18, 2020: Derecho-damaged trees in Keystone. Sign says “Thanks firemen, Dave M and all volunteers. We appreciate you!!” See this blog post for more pictures. “You have 20 minutes!” I said to the front desk as I left the fitness … Continue reading

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Aug 09

Betty Lou Varnum, 1931-2021

If you were a child between 1954 and 1994 within range of WOI-TV Channel 5, you knew Betty Lou and “The House with the Magic Window.” Betty Lou Varnum died last week. The Magic Window was shuttered the instant ownership … Continue reading

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Aug 04

Subchannel shakeup part of Gray TV deal

Months ago, Quincy Media, formerly Quincy Newspapers, announced it was selling to Gray TV for $925 million. However, it’s not until now that those effects are showing, and it affects TV stations serving Iowa. The tip-off was an ad during … Continue reading

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