How do you block spam calls on a landline? Your Call the Courier questions

Q: Is Mary Bolton going to bring her sheep and border collies to Irish Fest? What day is it and when and where is it located at and how much does it cost? Do you pay when you get there or how does that work?

A: Yes, the border collie sheepherding event at Irish Fest is at 1:45 to 2:15 p.m. and 3:45 to 4:15 p.m. on Sunday at Lincoln Park. Three-day tickets are $40 per person. Sunday-only tickets are available for $30. Tickets can be purchased at iowairishfest.com or at the event gates. Attendees can also get in on Sunday with the donation of two canned foods or nonperishable products until 10:30 a.m., which will be given to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. 

Q: Who’s the girl that plays the saxophone on Svengoolie?

A: Anita X. Orcist is played by professional jazz musician Natalie Scharf. 

Q: When is the Cambridge Senior Living going to be opened? 

A: Cambridge Senior Living at 707 Tower Park Drive will be open spring 2027, according to its Facebook page. 

Q: Is there any other news in Iowa besides data centers? 

A: Of course there is other news, considering there are multiple pages in the newspaper and news stories on TV and radio. News about data centers is everywhere because they are a fairly new phenomenon and they are popping up across the state and nation, and is a divisive topic. 

Q: I get a call from Burlington that says it is related to Medicare, and I get five to six calls a day. What are you supposed to do about it? How do you block it on a landline phone? 

A: You can register your phone number with the Federal Trade Commission to be put on a “do not call” list by visiting donotcall.gov. Also try contacting your landline provider to see if they offer spam-blocking features. 

Q: We would like to make a donation to disabled veterans. What address would we send the check to? 

A: Try contacting Americans for Independent Living, which provides resources and services for veterans, at (319) 232-2552. Black Hawk County Veterans Affairs could also help direct you to a specific organization. They can be contacted at (319) 291-2512.

Q: President Trump says he is going to retaliate for U.S. soldiers killed by Iran. We’d like to know how many Iranians have U.S. bombs killed since they started this war? 

A: No official casualties numbers exist, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan think tank. That organization says the Human Rights Activists News Agency has documented 1,701 civilian deaths in Iran, which includes a U.S. strike on an elementary school killing at least 175 people. Iran says at least 3,000 Iranians have been killed, according to an NPR article. That same article quotes Pentagon figures showing as of July 29, 18 U.S. troops have been killed and 624 wounded since the war began in late February. 

Q: When is the Cattle Congress for this year? 

A: The National Cattle Congress Fair will be Sept. 24 through 27.

Q: I was wondering if the photo enforced cameras were still effective on Highway 63 and Ridgeway intersection. There’s an awful lot of red light running and if there’s not tickets to be given there should be somebody there watching for it.

A: Waterloo Police Captain Gus Farmer told The Courier that the automated traffic enforcement camera at Highway 63 and Ridgeway Avenue is operational for red light violations. Anyone with questions on red light cameras can email ATE@waterloopolice.com or call (319) 291-4340.

Q: What’s this crypto coin that Trump and his sons are making so much money on and other people are losing money on it? Where do you buy this stuff? I’m not going to buy any because I don’t want to lose money, but why is Trump making this? How can he make so much money and other people lose money? 

A: President Donald Trump’s memecoin – or a cryptocurrency named after an internet joke that has no actual value – symbolized as $TRUMP brought in $636 million to the president himself while 1 million buyers of the coin lost $3.81 billion, according to The New York Times. He profited from the return income whenever anyone traded the coin, whether its value went up or down. People can buy cryptocurrencies on online platforms like Coinbase, using a credit card to buy specific coins.

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