Today, June 14, is Flag Day, designated by Congress and signed by President Harry Truman in 1949 to commemorate the flag resolution adopted by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia on June 14, 1777. more

When I say we here at The NSP love telling your stories, I really mean it. more

June 20, 1973: Dixon experienced its worst flooding in 138 years after the banks of Walnut Creek and Mud Creed overflowed due to flash flooding. Wave depths of 16-30 feet swept over the road from Dixon to Big Rock, leaving debris scattered. Fire chief Clarence “Butch” Richeln Jr. and assistant fire chief Leon Moeller narrowly escaped drowning after their boat capsized during an attempt to evacuate Mrs. Perry Doss from her flooded home. They were rescued by sheriff’s deputies and posse members, patrolmen with the Iowa Highway Patrol, Dixon residents and members of the fire department. more

Like good reputations which take a lifetime to build but can be destroyed with one senseless act, structures which take years to build can come down in no time at all. Four such structures are coming down in the Quad Cities: more

It’s rarely ever truly quiet in the North Scott Fine Arts Auditorium, even in the summertime. And I have got loads to tell you about the theatrical productions you can expect to see there in the next year or so, starting with Countryside Community Theatre. more

June 27, 1973: An attempt by cattle rustlers to steal cows from the Harold Kearney farm northwest of Donahue was thwarted thanks for 17-year-old Richard Rank of Bettendorf. Rank spotted the cattle rustlers and attempted to chase them down, but one of the thieves struck him in the head with a rifle as they attempted to escape. Cattle theft had been plaguing Iowa throughout the spring, and it was thought these thieves had planned to kill and butcher a cow and carry the meat away by helicopter. Rank said a similar incident had taken place at his father’s farm near DeWitt.  more

You see the big signs every time you drive into town – “Eldridge: Hometown With a Vision.” more

July 4, 1973: The Eldridge Lions Club was gearing up to host a summer festival in town. World champion horseshoe pitcher Glenn “Red” Henton of Maquoketa was set to host an exhibition and said he would take on all challengers. In addition to the horseshoes, activities included a white elephant sale, the Scott County Cookout King contest, children’s Olympics, and a dance. more

The page 1 headline in the daily paper the day we left, June 18, was "Attack on school kills 41 in Uganda."  more

So what did Eldridge get for $3.5 million in federal tax dollars? more

So, just where is Bomont? more

July 14, 1983: North Scott softball team played a marathon 16-inning game at the Bomberette Invitational in Huxley. While they ended up on the wrong side of a 3-2 score to Dowling Catholic, coach Dennis Johnson said, “There are no losers in a game like this. I was very proud of the way we played.” more

It’s been an upside down week since our team of eight Rotarians returned from the central African country of Uganda on June 30. First, the good: we got to Eldridge the day the LeClaire Road and First Street intersection opened. more

July 18, 1973: Henryk Michal Zouner, the Polish minister of agriculture, was in Scott County and visited the Roy Keppy and Hugo Schnekloth farms to see their pork and beef production setups. He also met with agricultural scientists from Iowa State University. more

I had settled in for my first full night's sleep upon arrival in Kampala, Uganda, on June 20, when I sneaked a peek at the new issue of The NSP on my computer. The item about an Eldridge city councilman, Bruce Cheek, telling a visitor, Kristal Schaefer, chair of the Scott County Library trustees, that he would vote No to extend the city's lease with the library, left a lump in my throat. more

July 25, 1973: John Kemp of Park View and Jerry Geist of Eldridge showed off two northern pike they caught in the Wapsipinicon River. One weighed 7.5 lbs., and the other 13.5 lbs. more

Pity the weatherman. Sometimes we want his/her forecast to be right, and sometimes not. With temps expected in the mid- to upper 90s, and maybe even 100, this is a week we wish they’d be wrong – especially with “BIXBRAI” on Saturday. more

It’s a really busy time for us at The NSP, but if you’ll indulge me this week, I’ve got a few quick notes. more

Waiting at the airport for our flight to depart Kampala, Uganda, on June 29, I struck up a conversation with a woman from Europe who, in her role with an international aid organization, spends months at a time in this central African country. more

Losing in sports is never fun. It’s an awful, gut-wrenching feeling. more