Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

There is a tiny parcel of the Marshalltown school district, half a square mile, that isn’t directly connected to the rest of the district. It is connected via what, in the Iowa legislative redistricting process, is called “point contiguity” — … Continue reading →

The continuing decline of rural newspapers is creating conflicts with state regulations. The last edition of the Rockwell Pioneer-Enterprise was September 8. The Iowa Newspaper Association website listed its circulation at 174 — and a mailing address in Buffalo Center. … Continue reading →

Monday’s “Jeopardy!” started the show’s 39th season. It has a new, extended, and varying opening, with images of prominent champions (starting with Amy Schneider) and the studio audience. One thing, however, remains the same: Iowa remains largely a mystery to … Continue reading →

July 26, 2012: A Czech list of the food offerings in Clutier on RAGBRAI XL. While checking out various Iowa State-related places before last Saturday’s football game*, I learned something about a former ISU player. Brent “Big Play” Curvey restarted his “Coaches … Continue reading →

Viking Cruises has introduced a boat designed to ply not the oceans and seas of the world, but the Mississippi River. The Viking Mississippi will go from St. Paul to New Orleans on 15-day excursions. Decorah News reports that hundreds … Continue reading →

October 12, 2021: Two intersections in Walker, in northern Linn County. Ely has streets named Dows, Rowley, Traer, and Walker. Walker has streets named Dows, Ely, Greene, Rowley, and Traer. Mount Auburn has a Traer Street. Rowley has a (very short) Ely … Continue reading →

The Iowa State Fair killed off the interior tram last year, said nothing about it coming back, and kept the official website on a “safety protocols” wording that might have passed last year but not now. It’s up to a … Continue reading →

If you’ve read the book, or walked/drove around last week (this week not so much), you already know that the Midwest is God’s gift to Planet Earth. But, in a region spanning from the Badlands to Appalachian Ohio, how can … Continue reading →

Prices at the Iowa State Fair are going up. KCCI has a story (not embeddable), including an interview with a major concessionaire who says prices are going up 50 cents to $1. Perhaps the first sign of this was last year, … Continue reading →