The Oscar-winning 1971 film, "Summer of '42," a coming of age story of a 15-year-old boy and his friends in a Massachusetts beach town during World War II, has gifted us the hauntingly beautiful theme song "The Summer Knows." Composed by Michael Legrand, it won a Grammy and became a pop sensation.
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Bill Tubbs
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8/28/24
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On June 27, I picked up three prescriptions for my continuing heart health – Eliquis 5 mg, Entresto 24-26 mg and Jardiance 10 mg – from a local pharmacy that cost a combined $6,956 for a 90-day supply. Fortunately for me, my supplemental insurance paid 83 percent, leaving me with an out-of-pocket cost of "only" $1,162.
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Bill Tubbs
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8/21/24
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Aug. 22, 1984: Former Eldridge residents John and Noreen Gosch planned to present their “In Defense of Children” program in the North Scott Fine Arts Auditorium. The Gosch’s son, Johnny, disappeared on Sept. 5, 1982, while delivering newspapers in Des Moines, and since then, the couple had worked to raise awareness of the issue of abducted children. A second paperboy, 13-year-old Eugene Martin, also disappeared in Des Moines on Aug. 12.
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Compiled by Erin M. Gentz
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8/21/24
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It was a long, hot day in the Claussen Show Barn on Saturday, Aug. 3. But I stuck around after the swine show for what promised to be a special event.
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Erin M. Gentz
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8/14/24
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I first became familiar with Minnesota governor Tim Walz earlier this year when he appeared jointly with our friend from Wheatland, Iowa, Democratic Party chair Rita Hart, on Iowa PBS' "Iowa Press." I remarked to Linda at the time what a commonsense, down-to-earth guy he was.
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Bill Tubbs
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8/14/24
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Aug. 14, 1974: The Dixon Businessmen’s Association planned to hold the first-ever Dixon Sweet Corn Festival. Events included a firemen’s breakfast, antique tractor pulls, a kiddy parade, and a street dance, as well as all-you-can eat sweet corn.
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Compiled by Erin M. Gentz
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8/14/24
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Enjoy the dog days of summer while they last – these precious days before school and after other activities when time stands still. Grass is green and grain is yellow and families are sneaking in vacations before our season of busy-ness cycles all over again.
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Bill Tubbs
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8/7/24
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Aug. 8, 1984: Several North Scott area communities were getting ready to welcome cyclists from across the state, as the first-ever Tour Iowa’s Greater Region (TIGER) bicycle ride was set to take off from North Scott High School, enroute to Cornell College in Mount Vernon. Approximately 500 cyclists were expected to take part in the ride, which would also travel through Donahue and Dixon before going through Tipton. After a night in Mount Vernon, the route would head north to Anamosa, before tracking back through Lost Nation and Grand Mound and ending back in Eldridge.
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Compiled by Erin M. Gentz
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8/7/24
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I’ve written about this before, but “The Little Mermaid” is not my favorite Disney story. For starters, the source material, as with most things Hans Christian Andersen, is horrifying. And I’ve always sort of been put off by Ariel’s willingness to give up a part of herself that she values so much, all for a guy she knows virtually nothing about.
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Erin M. Gentz
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7/30/24
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Imagine you're in your second month in a new job with a state-wide organization and the "big boss" pays a visit. That's what happened to new Scott County ISU Extension Director Samantha Culver last Wednesday when Iowa State University president Dr. Wendy Wintersteen and new vice president for Extension and Outreach Jason Henderson dropped in at the Scott County Extension Office in Bettendorf.
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Bill Tubbs
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7/30/24
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July 31, 1974: The Iowa State Highway Commission affirmed that construction of Freeway 561 north from Davenport to DeWitt was on its five-year plan. The schedule said right-of-way acquisition was planned near Eldridge from 1975-76, with construction expected to begin in 1977.
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Compiled by Erin M. Gentz
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7/30/24
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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.
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Erin M. Gentz
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7/24/24
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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."
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Bill Tubbs
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7/24/24
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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.
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Compiled by Erin M. Gentz
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7/24/24
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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.
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Bill Tubbs
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7/17/24
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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.
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Compiled by Erin M. Gentz
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7/17/24
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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.
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Bill Tubbs
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7/10/24
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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.
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Compiled by Erin M. Gentz
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7/10/24
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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.
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Erin M. Gentz
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7/3/24
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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?
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Bill Tubbs
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7/3/24
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