Is Jethro’s BBQ still planning on coming to Waterloo? Your Call the Courier questions

Q: What is being built in the Fairview Cemetery in Cedar Falls? It looks like a building with no wall so far and I’m just wondering what it is.

A: The city is installing a columbarium, which holds cremains above ground.

Q: Is Jethro’s BBQ still planning on building a restaurant in the Waterloo area? 

A: City officials said they have not heard any other updates on Jethro’s, so probably not anytime soon.

Q: Why did they take all those trees down off Ansborough by the levy behind Pawsitive Pet Care? 

A: This question was answered last month, but the area is designated as a ponding area for the levee during floods. As part of Waterloo’s agreement with the Corps of Engineers, the city is required to maintain the ponds so they removed the trees to grade the area to provide the appropriate amount of ponding.

Q: I remember from my eighth grade civics class that there were special requirements to run for governor. Last night I looked at the Iowa State Constitution and discovered I was correct in what I remembered. According to the Iowa Constitution, a candidate for governor must reside in the state for two years. Since Zach Lahn resides in Kansas, votes in Kansas and flies back and forth between Iowa and Kansas, how is he able to run for governor here?

A: According to the Des Moines Register, Lahn was registered to vote in the 2024 general election, which just barely meets the two year residency rule. He has a house in Belle Plaine – as well as Kansas – and according to the Register, has been voting in Iowa since 2024.

Q: I understand that there were a lot of arrests at the My Waterloo Days function this week. I think it would be nice if The Courier had an article about that as I got kids, grandkids and great-grandkids and if there’s ruckuses down there, I do not want them there. I think The Courier owes it to their subscribers to put a story out about how many there was. I know we don’t want a lot of negative but we got to have truths.

A: The Courier reported in an online story Tuesday, which was in Thursday’s paper, that six people were arrested downtown last weekend. 

Q: Why do people that live in the Cedar Terrace area and surrounding areas have to pay a storm water runoff fee when we don’t even have storm water systems out in this area?

A: Waterloo’s city engineer Jamie Knutson said anything natural or manmade that conveys stormwater – which includes pipes, ditches, swales, creeks and rivers – is considered part of the stormwater drainage system. The Cedar Terrace area has ditches and swales. Also, any developed property is charged a fee.

Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.