A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to watch the latest Pixar film, Hoppers, directed by Daniel Chong. While I’ve always been more of a fan of rival animation studio DreamWorks, Pixar still has quite a few films that I enjoy, and this was certainly one of them. more

April 2, 1986: The Eldridge Planning & Zoning Commission approved the Perris Village Apartment Complex project, which would be located on West Donahue Street between North 2nd and North 3rd streets, across from Centennial Park. The apartments would be open to senior citizens and families on a first-come, first-serve basis. Estimated rent was $190-$200 for a one-bedroom, and $225-$230 for a two-bedroom. “I really think this type of apartment complex is what Eldridge needs, and I think we’ll be under construction within in the next 30 days,” said developer Jim Granzow. more

The Iowa House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to ban the plant-based stimulant, kratom. The bill would classify kratom as a hallucinogenic Schedule I controlled substance, making it illegal to possess. A first offense would be a serious misdemeanor; a second offense would be an aggravated misdemeanor, and a third offense would be a class D felony. I voted “no.” more

In 2009, my parents bought the Massachusetts dairy farm where I grew up. Leased it, really, for 30 years, and bought the five acres which held a farmhouse, barn, and field where they planted an orchard. more

March 30, 2011: A group of North Scott High School students pitched in in Princeton to help stave off flooding from the Mississippi River. Nearly 200 students were bused out to Boll’s Community Center, where they filled almost 7,000 sandbags. “It’s just very humbling to see this amount of help for the citizens and town,” said police chief Brian Carsten. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” more

March 17, 1976: An open house was planned to celebrate the dedication of North Scott Junior High. Instruction at the school officially began on Jan. 5. more

I got to do one of my favorite kinds of interviews last week when I talked to North Scott’s robotics team, Guild of Gears, at the Regional Innovation Center – the kind where the interviewee does all the talking. more

When I was growing up, my family ate dinner together near every night. My parents had left their first careers to restart a defunct dairy farm. Now we had our own meat, milk, eggs and vegetables, and we were going to eat them as a family. Those dinners ensured that I saw both of my parents every day; that our family was not an arbitrary or accidental group; that it was a living, working thing no less full of love for the demands of life. more

March 14, 2001: Eldridge would soon be getting a new grocery store, as Steve Grolmus, owner of the Super Valu in Park View, announced plans to build a 20,000-square-foot store on LeClaire Road. The Eldridge City Council approved tax incentives for the project, which Grolmus said would be beneficial, since he needed to build a store from the ground up. He estimated the new North Scott Foods would employ 60-80 people. A survey was also being conducted to determine market interest for the store, which would help inform what inventory was available. “We want to build the store that the community wants,” said Grolmus. more

I had the honor to serve as the North Scott Rotary Club’s guest speaker on Friday. Usually, I sit in the audience and watch elected officials, business owners and prominent citizens speak. more

March 3, 1976: Caterpillar filed a motion to dismiss a $50 million lawsuit against the company filed by the City of Eldridge. The suit was regarding Caterpillar’s announcement it planned to voluntarily annex into the City of Davenport. The $50 million represented the amount Eldridge estimated as the loss of tax revenue. Meanwhile, the company also announced plans to expand its Mount Joy plant, adding on to the manufacturing and office facilities. more

I hopped out to Dixon on Friday. Partly to grab some photos for the Legion supper, but also the recovering Catholic in me still can’t resist fried fish on a Lenten Friday. more

The soil can rest easy for a few months. There will be no zoning variance for a power plant hoping to site on farmland east of Maysville after a decisive vote from the Scott County Board of Supervisors. more

Feb. 24, 2021: The North Scott YMCA took a big step towards becoming a reality, as work began to demolish a building on the Petersen property along LeClaire Road. The building once housed a farming implement dealership but had lately been used for storage by the city. The school board planned to livestream the bid opening for construction of the new building.  more

Like many students at our local high school, I had one specific dream job growing up. more

Take exit 292 off I-80 westbound and you will find the cheapest gas around. That’s the sort of thing you learn when you drive an old pick-up truck that jolts along at 15 miles to the gallon. A few weeks after a visit to New York this fall, I sent a picture of the price of gasoline to a friend who commutes to Connecticut. I was paying $2.24 a gallon. more

Feb. 21, 2001: Area firefighters fought a losing battle during a blaze at the River City Business Park, formerly the Caterpillar plant, in Mount Joy. One of the buildings was destroyed, and water was in short supply. A water tower on site was quickly drained, and waterlines feeding the fire hydrants were too narrow to deliver water as fast as needed. Meanwhile, smoke could reportedly be seen as far away as Moline. more

Noah and I headed off to Des Moines last week for the Iowa Newspaper Association convention. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend for the last few years, and I enjoy going because the organizers try to come up with a slate of interesting panels to attend. And as you all know, I’m a big fan of learning. more

There’s a headline I keep seeing: kids these days don’t want to have fun. more

Feb. 11, 1976: The City of Eldridge filed a $50 million lawsuit against Caterpillar and the City of Davenport over the company’s request to annex into Davenport. The suit alleged that Caterpillar conspired with Davenport to deprive Eldridge of the exclusive jurisdiction to annex land where the plant was located in Mount Joy. The suit also said that Caterpillar undermined the 10-year moratorium agreement between the cities on annexation, and that a sewer agreement between Davenport and the company in 1966 “provided unfair inducements for the plant to annex to Davenport.” more