Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Aug 12

Iowa State Fair 2021: Metal detectors, NO TRAM

Posted on Thursday, August 12, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

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?

Posted on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

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

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

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

Posted on Monday, August 9, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

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

Posted on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

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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Aug 03

Second person has visited every town in Iowa

Posted on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

In my search for media coverage of the two Nebraska college students visiting every town in Iowa, I discovered someone else who has matched me in travel. The Fort Dodge Messenger just last week reported that Dave Miglin of Des … Continue reading →

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Aug 02

Nebraska pair hitting northeast Iowa hard

Posted on Monday, August 2, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 16, 2020: New Vienna is one of 22 incorporated communities in Dubuque County. It took me 14 years to visit every town in Iowa, the last two after I made it a specific goal. Two college students are attempting … Continue reading →

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Jun 30

Iowa history update

Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

One of my 1993 4H projects is now out of date.* Johnson County, Iowa, is now named … Johnson County, Iowa. From NPR: It will still be Johnson County. But henceforth, the county is taking its name from a different … Continue reading →

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Jun 23

Early Centerville continues to vex me

Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Pinning down early highways in places that fall in the “large town” category is often difficult. Records are sparse and, because the state was not in charge of routes within city limits until later, county maps omit detail and city … Continue reading →

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Jun 07

Captain Kirk’s birthplace moved

Posted on Monday, June 7, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, the most famous Iowan who hasn’t been born yet, isn’t where it used to be. Or not where it was supposed to will have been. (“I hate temporal mechanics,” said the Miles O’Briens. Mileses … Continue reading →

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