Oct. 3, 2001: Controversy surrounded a flyer mailed out by members of the Eldridge Family Aquatic Center Committee. Residents raised questions after the city logo appeared twice in the flyer, once next to the words “vote yes.” City hall was also listed as the return address for the mailing. That led to concern that the city had paid for the mailer, and even accusations that the committee was trying to dupe residents into believing the city was endorsing the pool project. A resident even raised questions about campaign finance violations, as the brochure didn’t include a financial disclosure. Council member Brad Noel and mayor Larry Rauch said no city money had been used for the project.  more

When I was a kid in Chilmark, Mass., my parents counted the votes on election night.  Voters cast paper ballots and the town gathered them in a hand-cranked ballot box. My parents then joined the city clerk, whose son was my best friend, to count the votes. With a few hundred ballots it took several hours. It was a social occasion. more

Flannery O’Connor said that a good man is hard to find. more

Sept. 23,. 1976: Eldridge farmer Roy Keppy was named the national chair of the Farmers for Ford Committee of Gerald Ford’s presidential campaign. Keppy personally met with Ford, as well as representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “It was a real thrill to meet the president,” said Keppy. “He was real easy to visit with. He really impressed me … I’m honored to be asked to assist in the election of President Ford.” Keppy, a nationally known pork producer, was recruited for the position by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz. more

Scott County’s Reagan Dinner last Thursday, Sept. 10, was a veritable who’s who of Iowa Republicans. more

Sept. 19, 2001: The North Scott area was reeling in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Throughout the school district, principals praised their staff for handling the day with professionalism. In most of the buildings, older students were allowed to watch some of the events on television and guidance counselors were available for all students. “A lot of reassuring was done that day,” said Alan Shepard counselor Kelly Mangels. more

Maybe it’s just a sign I’m getting old, but whenever the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks comes around, despite my understanding of linear time, I’m often taken aback thinking about the fact that there are adults walking around that have no memory of a pre-9/11 world. So, I wonder what their understanding of that day is like. If you lived through it, how do you explain that day? more

The Midwest is a boring place, and no one ever leaves. It is an old joke that when settlers came out of the east, dull and easily contented ones stayed in the Midwest. “Good enough,” they said, setting the enduring character of the place. more

Sept. 10, 1986: John Langenhan, a sixth-grade teacher at Virgil Grissom, was named the new principal of the Princeton elementary school. One of 30 applicants and six finalists for the job, Langenhan said he was “looking forward to continuing my commitment to quality education and to the Princeton area.” He had been a teacher at the school for 10 years and said it had always been one of his goals to be in administration. Karen Lortz, who previously held the position, left the district to take a job near Cedar Rapids. more

At the risk of sounding parasocial, last week was a rough one, with a pair of celebrity deaths, Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. more

Sept. 7, 2011: A large, standing room only crowd turned out for a North Scott School Board candidate forum at the Scott County Library. There were eight candidates for four seats on the board. These included incumbents Paul Dierickx, Tim Lane and Krista Long; first-time candidates Dennis Albertson, Dennis Kirby, Barb Kuhl and John Maxwell; and former school board member Joni Dittmer. more

Aug. 29, 2001: Iowa state law dictated that all communities with a population of 3,500 or more be divided into at least two voting precincts by the end of August. Eldridge missed the deadline as members of the city council disagreed over whether the town should be split into two or three sections and how the community should be divided up. more

Most of the time I attend government meetings in person. It’s hard to get to know people when they crackle through a microphone and freeze up on your screen. But last Tuesday I tuned into the Long Grove city council meeting online—and you’ll see why that’s important in a moment. more

Aug. 19, 1976: With some reluctance, the Buffalo City Council agreed to grant a special use permit to the Scott County Landfill Commission. This would allow the commission to pursue a new landfill on a 100-acre site owned by Linwood Stone Products, located within the Buffalo corporate limits. Under the agreement, Scott County would pave Linwood Road from Highway 61 to Highway 22 at no cost to the city. Although some residents had objected to a landfill in their community, commission chair Birch Holden said, “We think all their concerns are unfounded. We’ll be a good neighbor.” more

“What if they hired a mediator?” That question has been asked more and more often by those of us following discussions over the future of fire service in Eldridge. Both the city and the fire department are aggrieved and bitter. Both have said bitter and grievous things. In recent weeks, what looked like bluffs—the fire department would pack up and go home, the city would trudge blithely forward—have become realities.  more

Aug. 17, 2011: Miss America, Teresa Scanlan of Nebraska, visited Cinnamon Ridge Dairy Farm in Donahue. Her appearance was part of an upcoming episode of “America’s Heartland,” which aired on PBS. The program was designed to promote agriculture. Scanlan was also interested in agriculture, and had recently penned an editorial called "All Americans Have a Stake in the Success of Our Farmers and Ranchers,” which was published across the country. While at the farm, she was also able to meet with a group of students from Davenport and 36 visitors from Ukraine, whose visit was sponsored by John Deere. more

I am an inveterate moviegoer. I once had an English teacher tell me that the best thing I wrote were a few spontaneous paragraphs on The Empire Strikes Back. I thought my essays on Raymond Carver and Flannery O’Connor had been pretty good. Guess not. more

Aug. 8, 2001: A group of volunteers worked alongside workers from Scott County Ready Mix to pour more than 100 yards of concrete for a new skateboarding park in Eldridge. A committee supporting the skatepark had been formed a year earlier, and members had sought input from local youth, including on design aspects. The land was donated by the public works department, and the city also helped match fundraising efforts. While the concrete was expected to be completed by the time school started, metal skateboarding equipment would be purchased in three stages, corresponding with skill level. more

Gather round, friends, and I shall tell you about Countryside Community Theatre’s production of “Mean Girls” – a cautionary tale of fear and lust and pride, based on actual events where people died. more

Best to get the bad news out first. Our subscription prices are going up. more