Q: Is this “Journey in Faith” that’s being done by the Catholic Church, is that just in the Archdiocese of Dubuque or is it in all the Archdiocese of Iowa or across the nation?
A: The specific “Journey in Faith” consolidation initiative is solely for the area’s diocese. It’s being led by Archbishop Thomas Zinkula of the Dubuque Archdiocese, which covers the northeastern part of the state, to address declining attendance and a decrease in priests. The Sioux City Diocese did something similar in 2024.
Q: President Trump said the United States produces more oil than we use and we don’t need to import any. If that is true, then why did the price of gas go up when Iran closed the strait?
A: The U.S. is the biggest oil producer in the world but disruptions such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz affect the entire supply chain. With the waterway closed, places like Asia and Europe will likely come to the U.S. to buy oil. Oil importers compete to get any available oil barrels, which drives the price higher. So, we will have enough oil during the war but the supply and demand from other countries will affect us economically.
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Q: In talking about tax policy and tax rate why don’t you use the average cost of a house in Cedar Falls or Waterloo rather than a $100,000 house since there are very few $100,000 houses in Waterloo or Cedar Falls?
A: When we report on tax rates we use the $100,000 number for people to easily calculate their taxes. For example, those with a house valued at $200,000 or $300,000 can double or triple that number. The formula to calculate a residential property’s taxes is to multiply the house’s assessed value by the rollback (this year, multiply the value by 0.4453), then divide that by 1,000. Multiply that number by the tax rate to determine the residential property taxes.
Q: I was wondering if it’s legal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. I just about got hit walking today.
A: Riding a bike on sidewalks is usually permitted in suburban or residential areas. Downtown districts, such as Cedar Falls or Waterloo, prohibit bike riding – as well as scooters, skateboarding and rollerblading – on the sidewalks.
Q: I would like to know if “Deadliest Catch” is going to come back on TV.
A: Yes. Filming for season 22 finished last month. An exact premiere date has not been announced.
Q: We would like to know what did Artemis II accomplish besides spending millions of dollars to take more pictures of a desolate moon surface?
A: Artemis II was the first manned mission to orbit the moon in 50 years and it is basically to prepare for the next mission. The exact purpose was to confirm NASA has the technology to support astronauts in deep space exploration and prepare to have more presence on the moon. The astronauts also retrieved data that will help with future missions and made sure operations they had in place, such as abortion and rescue procedures, worked. They also took some amazing photos of our planet, moon and galaxy.
Q: I would like to know how many rounds of golf were played on the three municipal golf courses in the year of 2025.
A: Across Waterloo’s three public golf courses, 85,678 rounds of golf were played. This includes 33,198 at Irv Warren, 27,018 at South Hills and 25,462 at Gates Park.
Q: Is Lindsey Vonn able to drive with her leg injury?
A: It’s unknown for sure but she is currently in a wheelchair and unable to stand, so probably not.
Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.
Read a collection of Call the Courier columns answering reader questions.
