The number-one marble racing entity on the internet is Jelle’s Marble Runs. The Netherlands-based YouTube channel has 1.5 million subs, nearly 800 videos, dozens of “teams” and race “venues,” surprisingly elaborate lore, and a sheen of professional quality rivaling any ESPN sportscast. Part of that quality comes from the stellar commentary of Iowan Greg Woods.
Recreation
Posted inCommunity/News
Seize the means of water testing with a free kit from Nitrate Watch
I wasn’t great at science in high school. Following a set of basic lab protocols was somehow harder for me than memorizing the entirety of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel. I scored even worse on the science portion of the ACT than the math portion, which is saying something. That said, I love […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘We’re on a knife’s edge’: Art Cullen chides Reynolds’ meanness, Big Ag’s death grip on Iowa land and livelihoods
“When I was a kid in the 1960s, you could drive from Carroll to Storm Lake, and see cattle lining green hills the entire way,” Art Cullen said in a matter-of-fact voice. “Now it’s all row crops, and cattle in feedlots. It’s a different situation. Those green hills are plowed up.” That transformation, the economic […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Photos: Iowans recreate Civil War encampments, battles and the Gettysburg Address at annual Muster on the Maquoketa
Iowa may have been the scene of only one minor skirmish during the Civil War, but historians and live-action roleplayers stage battles in the state annually to highlight Iowa’s larger role in the fight to end slavery and preserve the union. The Jackson County Historical Society gathered historians, schoolkids and dozens of Civil War reenactors […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Rob Howe: What we overlook when we celebrate Kirk Ferentz’s wins
Beth Goetz stepped to the Kinnick Stadium podium Saturday night with an announcement for Hawkeye Nation. “I gotta take the opportunity on behalf of the athletic department, the University of Iowa and all Hawkeyes to congratulate Coach on this monumental achievement.” Iowa’s athletic director was speaking for a whole lot of people, curious for someone […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Rob Howe: The ‘prep portal’ is souring high school sports in Iowa
You’ll notice a pattern in my columns for Little Village. They’re giving old-man-yells-at-cloud vibes. Yes. Yes, they are. Hopefully, almost 35 years covering sports leads to a little wisdom finding its way in as well. That brings us to today’s rant — What are we doing to high school sports, people? And by we, I […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Trump EPA rescinds Biden-era decision to expand Iowa’s impaired water list
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded its previous decision to add seven segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters due to their high nitrate concentrations. In November the agency decided the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ list of impaired waters only “partially” met the requirements of the Clean Water Act to identify waterways with identified pollutants […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Wildfire destroys, but ‘good fire’ keeps tallgrass ecosystems alive. In Iowa, more women are picking up the drip torch.
Just after 12:30 p.m. on June 2, a group of 13 women and nonbinary folks gathered in a loose circle at the base of a ridgeline at Stone State Park. They were dressed in the standard outfit for prescribed-fire practitioners: flame-resistant Nomex yellow work shirts and green pants, heavy leather boots, yellow helmets and shatter-resistant […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Lake gets recreation-friendly upgrades as the new pedestrian bridge connecting east and west Cedar Rapids begins to rise
Cedar Rapids locals will soon have a renewed Cedar Lake Park to visit. Close to the downtown area and visible from the well-trafficked I-380, the park has long been a fixture of Cedar Rapids, boasting a 1.6-mile trail loop and ample bluegill, bass, carpie and catfish catching opportunities — but it has suffered from old […]
Posted inCommunity/News
After a mid-season coaching controversy, the Hawkeye Softball team bonded and thrived. So why are players transferring?
Soo-Jin Berry wrapped up our interview in May with an important closing thought. “Coach Karl is the best,” Hawkeye Softball’s starting shortstop stated with conviction. Karl Gollan stepped in as the team’s acting head coach during the middle of a season completed in early May. He led the University of Iowa to one of its […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Rob Howe: Why I’m writing about sports for Little Village
My career changed significantly in October of 2020. It was not unexpected. University of Iowa fans warned me a few months earlier that I’d be ruining my career reporting on racial bias in the school’s football program. Amplifying voices of the former student-athletes making those claims burned bridges with many Hawkeyes and their intensely loyal […]
Posted inRecreation
Can I eat that? An educational outing with the Prairie States Mushroom Club
Hunters waited at the Ryerson’s Woods trailhead in Iowa City on a beautiful late April Saturday morning. Older men with walking sticks wore blaze orange caps. University students in shorts and sneakers chatted among themselves. A handful of middle-aged women and a few retired folks rounded out the group. I joined them with my notebook […]
