In case you missed it, at last week’s Eldridge Summer Festival, there was a small special event in Wiese Park. Eldridge Police Chief Andrew Lellig and Cpl. Jacob Costas officially introduced K-9 officer Marty to the community in a brief demonstration. more

We were resting on a lazy Sunday afternoon when news broke about President Biden's monumental decision to suspend his presidential campaign. The only thing in my memory like it was LBJ's speech to the nation on March 31, 1968 in which he said, "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president." more

July 25, 1984:  “A Lil’ Bit of Country” was the theme of Walcott Day 1984, and a Dolly Parton lookalike contest was part of the fun.  City council member Jackie Huston was judged the winner. more

Last weekend was the biggest event of the summer at our house when our daughters, Anne Olson and Alisa Sleep, their husbands Matt and Joe and six grandchildren, three each from Urbandale, Iowa (Clara, Nolan and Ella Olson), and Verona, Wis. (Ava, Nora and Jacob Sleep) came for the Eldridge Summer Festival and Moonlight Chase. more

July 22, 2009: Walcott police sergeant Jim Vaughan was hired as the town’s new police chief. He would replace Dave Kopatich, who recently took the chief’s position in Eldridge. more

Speaking at the Rotary clubs of Ames and North Scott last August, Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand said, without hesitation, that officials who violate their trust and steal from public coffers should serve time behind bars. more

July 10, 1974: The Eldridge City Council questioned whether the police department would be able to guarantee 24-hour patrol coverage during police chief Harley Osmun’s upcoming vacation. At a previous meeting, Osmun had requested part-time help, which the council denied. During Osmun’s vacation, the three other officers would have to work a 56-hour week to ensure 24-hour coverage. more

I didn’t take Spanish in high school, so, like the character of Benny in “In the Heights,” I’ve only got a passing familiarity with the language. more

Thursday, July Fourth, is a day to fly your flag proudly – or not. I add "or not," because in this land of the free and home of the brave, flying the flag is a choice. Were it not so, would it have any meaning? more

July 3, 1974:  The North Scott School Board approved shortening the school day by 30 minutes, starting in the upcoming school year. Board members reported no negative public reaction to the proposal. Each period at the junior high and high school would be made five minutes shorter. At the elementary schools, recess would be made slightly shorter and class periods would be condensed. The board also established Sept. 10 as the date for a $1.4 million bond issue that would fund additions at Ed White and Alan Shepard, and a new school building at Park View. more

How I wish I could've been in Toronto (Canada, not Iowa!) last week with newspaper colleagues when ISWNE – International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors – handed out its annual Golden Quill and Golden Dozen awards. My advocacy for the Scott County Library was one of the winners. more

June 26, 1974: The Eldridge City Council rejected a request from the Eldridge Police Department for additional manhours. The request was made after a resident reported her vehicle had been involved in a hit-and-run accident and a police officer was not able to respond to the scene until an hour after the incident. Police chief Harley Osmun said the incident took place during the only period of the week that was not covered by an officer – 160 of 168 hours were currently covered. He said the council had given him an ultimatum in March when it prevented him from hiring a part-time officer. more

At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? more

The YMCA advisory board and friends held a farewell reception Thursday afternoon for North Scott YMCA director Chance Berger at Iron Tee, a fancy new arcade and golf driving venue at the Bett Plex just east of Middle Road in northern Bettendorf. more

June 20, 1984: Scott County Secondary Roads officials were awaiting the results of a feasibility study for a new Central Maintenance Facility in Eldridge. Workers said the current building was cramped and poorly insulated and ventilated. The total estimated cost of a new facility was $1.25 million. more

The people of Jackson County are lucky that Lowell Carlson chose a career in journalism, even if he didn't own the paper. The archives of the Bellevue Herald-Leader and to a lesser degree the Maquoketa Sentinel-Press are chock full of well-told stories, under Lowell's byline, of everyone from presidents to ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things. more

June 12, 1974: In the race for Scott County Board of Supervisors, Republicans Robert Duax, Bob Meyer and Les Schick, and Democrats Monica Walton, Wes Elliott and Pete Mathews emerged victorious in a primary that had 16 candidates between the two parties. more

Pity poor Donald Trump. No spring chicken himself, he's lived 77 years and never learned the time-honored value of "Win without bragging and lose without squealing" that shaped the character of generations of 4-H club members in this county and all across the USA. more

June 5, 1974: The North Scott School Board once again took up the issue of constructing a school building in Park View, asking voters to consider a $1.4 million bond issue in the fall. The bond would include a full, three-section building in Park View, as well as additions to Alan Shepard and Ed White. The board had recently been dealing with complaints from parents about space issues in the current elementary schools, with the district set to rent four classroom spaces outside of school property for the upcoming school year. more

Recently, I wrote about the US Postal Service's plan to shut down mail sorting at the modern Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) located south of the Quad-City International Airport, and transport mail from the greater Quad Cities to be sorted in Des Moines, then back-hauled to the local area. In one of the biggest jokes of the year, USPS said this would save money without slowing delivery. more