September 2019

The Felix Grundy Days committee has booked one of the most popular cover bands in Iowa for this year’s festival, and according to chairwoman Mindy Greany, the Cedar Falls-based Pork Tornadoes are indicative of a larger push to attract more patrons to the downtown area in early July.
           
“In order for us to keep having great festivals, we have to keep bringing in bigger, better bands for Saturday night,” she said. “If we keep improving our Saturday night entertainment, we can keep making Felix better each year.”
           

“That is one last thing to remember: writers are always selling somebody out.”- Joan Didion
           
A few months back, I wrote a column about the death of literacy in America and how the President of the United States, who can’t be bothered to decipher one page briefs and has probably never made it through a whole book other than his own, sets an example for the rest of us with his willful ignorance. Well, sometimes, you’ve got to give credit where credit is due, and today, it’s time for me to eat crow. Donald Trump has made reading Great Again.
           

The BCLUW board of education unanimously approved out of state field trips for the high school art and science clubs during Monday evening’s regular meeting at the high school media center.
           
On behalf of the Art Club, Cindy Frost will take students to the Madison, Wisconsin, area from April 27-30, and the trip will include a play, several art-related sessions around the University of Wisconsin campus and a jazz festival. High school science teachers Anthony Jahr and Roberta Vanderah will take their club to Chicago from March 9-12.
           

The Grundy County Board of Supervisors heard requests from a total of eight departments and went into executive session to discuss a potential land acquisition for conservation during a lengthy meeting on Monday morning.
           
The fair board was the only group to ask for a major increase in contribution from the county, requesting a total of $62,000 ($13,000 more than the usual $49,000). Last year, the board received $59,000 on the understanding that it was a one-time deal for facilities upgrades.