Jun 10

The perils of preparation

Posted on Monday, June 10, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

On the one hand, special sections must be set up ahead of time, mostly ready to go when the buzzer sounds or the final out is made. So, seeing that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch‘s e-edition prematurely congratulated the Blues for winning the Stanley Cup, part of me says, there but for the grace of God go I.

On the other hand, the Post-Dispatch dispatched its copy desk earlier this year, and the first apologetic tweet contained a common language error.

(Later, repeated tweets saying the same thing did not have the same error.)

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Jun 07

What did Iowa do to you (again), Agents of SHIELD?

Posted on Friday, June 7, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

After a really long hiatus, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is in a summer season. Production of a show like this costs a lot of money, and visual effects are carefully planned, down to clips that might only be seen for a few seconds.

But somehow, they can’t afford a simple fact checker or continuity supervisor for the little things. This is from the episode that aired May 31.

agents_shield_SiouxCity

(Image cropped and rotated from screengrab.)

This is at least the second reference to Iowa (or “Iowa”?) in the show. Weirdly, both episodes also had a Burning Man reference.

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on What did Iowa do to you (again), Agents of SHIELD?
Jun 06

D-Day, 75 years later

Posted on Thursday, June 6, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Iowa man pilots historic C-47 in 75th anniversary of D-Day

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Jun 05

Warren County Courthouse comes down

Posted on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

A prominent New Deal-era government building in Iowa met its demise last week. This will be the third replacement of a county courthouse in Iowa in the 21st Century.

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Jun 04

May 35

Posted on Tuesday, June 4, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Because I can, and a billion and a half people can’t.

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Jun 03

Thanks, Grandma

Posted on Monday, June 3, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

IF

Today is the 109th anniversary of Grandma Lyons’ birth. For a period of years, she gave her grandchildren savings bonds with their birthday gifts. Now, 30 years later, they’re starting to be cashed in. I was able to do it at the very bank they were made at.

The Treasury Department stopped selling paper bonds at the end of 2011. The current interest rate is absolutely horrid (that, of course, has been true of financial institutions for years). It makes more sense to contribute to a 529 college savings plan instead.

Posted in Tama County | Comments Off on Thanks, Grandma
May 31

Traer gets DNR grant

Posted on Friday, May 31, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff


October 1913: Excerpt from Sanborn Co. map showing Traer’s power plant.

A May 23 press release from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has three items worthy of blog posts.

The first is the closest to home: “City of Traer— $20,000 to abate asbestos from the old coal power plant. City will remove building in the future.”

I’m pretty sure the building in question is right beside City Hall and has the town siren on top. Its rear was half a block from the railroad tracks. I had the chance once of getting to hear some stories about the coal-fired power plant while I was waiting for a haircut. To my chagrin, I didn’t write enough down.

UPDATE: As seen from the alley, May 31, 2019.

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May 30

A misadventure in timing

Posted on Thursday, May 30, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The scene: Where the tall corn grows

Status of the protagonist: Getting cross-eyed staring at spreadsheets, realizing that one was set up with different alphabetization rules than the other

The internal dialogue: “Woof, transferring one data set to sync with another slightly different one is harder than I thought. But I’d like to work with the most recent population estimates rather than the 2010 numbers.”

Thirty-six hours later:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019
City and Town Population Totals: 2010-2018

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May 29

More 2018 photos sprinkled across pages

Posted on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I’ll get the good-sized batch of photos related to my trip for the US 20 completion ceremony later, but in the meantime, aside from the collection in Mount Pleasant, here’s a list of pages with a new photo or two: 130, 258, 394 North, 406 (again), 921, 941, 945.

More extensive revisions and additions for:

  • IA 28, with new photos in Windsor Heights and what’s left of old Army Post Road at 42nd Street
  • IA 72 (see blog post)
  • IA 77, both at IA 92 and its pre-1980 end in Richland
  • IA 107, traveling the entire route for the first time since 2003, with new and larger photos at each featured point
  • IA 111, expanding from the one photo I took in 2003 with my second visit to Kanawha
  • IA 114, extensive coverage at both ends and a sign that’s more than 40 years old
  • IA 134, for the first time in 15 years
  • IA 927, covering the new signs at the I-280 interchange, of which there are many
  • Also regarding 2018, Lambs Grove has been added to the RAGBRAI city list after consulting the Newton RAGBRAI site — which seems to have 404’d.
Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on More 2018 photos sprinkled across pages
May 28

Planning to replace the Gordon Drive Viaduct

Posted on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Gordon Drive Viaduct in Sioux City, whose original structure is 83 years old, has been on lists of bridges most in need of replacement in Iowa. The Iowa DOT is starting work on its replacement.

These stories from KTIV and KMEG cover the meeting last week, where the DOT said it wants to have a proposal in the next year. Construction wouldn’t begin until the middle of the next decade at the earliest. (On the plus side, I-29 will be done by then! After that, the only project set for the area is that the US 20 Morningside Drive exit is supposed to have bridges over an abandoned railroad line taken out in 2023.)

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