Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Apr 13

Analysis of 2022 RAGBRAI route

Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The full RAGBRAI XLIX route map was released March 27. It is abundantly clear to me that the map was drawn with assistance from Google Maps, based on the absence of certain county road markers and especially the presence of … Continue reading →

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Apr 07

Town of Hepburn to disincorporate

Posted on Thursday, April 7, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Hepburn, in Page County, the 932nd-largest town* in Iowa in 2020, is discontinuing its official existence. The Clarinda Herald-Journal reports that the process has been underway for months. The county will take over the streets and individuals will have to … Continue reading →

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Mar 28

Census Bureau: Dallas County cracked 100,000

Posted on Monday, March 28, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

On April 1, 2020 — but not known for more than 14 months later — Dallas County’s official population was 99,678. It was a temporary snapshot before vaulting a threshold. Last week, the Census Bureau released its 2021 population estimates … Continue reading →

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Mar 09

When a daily isn’t

Posted on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, at 10:01 AM by Jeff

At any point in the previous century this would have been earth-shattering news: The Des Moines Register is not going to print Saturday editions. Its last physical Saturday paper was March 5. Given developments over the past two years in … Continue reading →

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Feb 28

Jeopardy contestants go 0-for-Iowa

Posted on Monday, February 28, 2022, at 10:10 AM by Jeff

Last Friday’s “Jeopardy!” had a collision of two of my favorite categories — college football and geography — with questions about the Big Ten Conference. (There was another college sports-related category just on Feb. 10, “Their Current College Conference.”) But … Continue reading →

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Feb 09

A ‘demonym’ we all need to know

Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Clayton County Press-Journal, February 9, 1958: “Strawbareans” is a great word and I am fully in favor of bringing this term for the Clayton County town of Strawberry Point back into common use. (“Denonym” is the name of the word … Continue reading →

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Feb 04

COVID claims Old Creamery

Posted on Friday, February 4, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Old Creamery Theatre, which would have celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, is now another casualty of COVID-19 in the arts. Its website is now an obituary. Old Creamery started in Garrison and then moved to the Amanas, and … Continue reading →

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Jan 28

Hamburg Reporter got new owner

Posted on Friday, January 28, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

This happened four months ago, but worth a note: The Hamburg Reporter, in the southwest corner of Iowa, changed ownership. It had been a GateHouse paper, then a Gannett paper following the former’s purchase of the latter (but taking the … Continue reading →

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Jan 05

A missed tourism opportunity

Posted on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Council: Can’t build pig in Marengo city square (Cedar Rapids Gazette, January 4, 1966) MARENGO — Marengo isn’t going to have a pig in the city square park. In unanimous action, the city council Monday night favored construction of the … Continue reading →

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Dec 28

‘Nothing of much interest occurred to day’

Posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

via Library of Congress It is true that President James K. Polk’s diary on December 28, 1846, ended with “Nothing of much interest occurred to day”. However, through the Library of Congress, we know that wasn’t the entire entry. Polk, … Continue reading →

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