Q: My question is about Diamond Star Academy, it’s on the corner of Ridgeway and Ansborough. I didn’t know if they had enrollment for this school year. Every time I go by there isn’t cars or anything I’m kind of wondering what the status is.
A: In a March 31 story, The Courier reported that Diamond Star Academy had 27 students enrolled for the 2025-26 school year from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Q: I’m just wondering why there is absolutely no work being done on La Porte Road, not even the segment that was supposed to be finished the first of this year. Has it even started? We’re two months into the construction season already.
A: La Porte Road from Bopp Street to Grimm Street will close May 26. City engineer Jamie Knutson said the section was delayed because Waterloo Water Works wanted to add watermain work and the contractor has been waiting to receive the materials. For the section from Ridgeway Avenue to U.S. Highway 218, the city is waiting for an amendment for the grant from the federal funding agency. Once that is given, the city will bid on the project and start construction.
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Q: Why has Cedar Falls allowed a high traffic, high pollution business like a car wash to operate out of an A-1 residentially zoned area like North Cedar? Why does the city send out notices to residents telling them not to wash cars in their own driveway because of the soapy run off but allows a commercial car wash to operate without any noise or pollution controls?
A: Amanda Huisman with the city of Cedar Falls said this: “If there are concerns about compliance for a specific property, please contact the planning division at (319) 273-8600. In general, the A-1 district does not allow commercial car washes. The city zoning code allows home occupations in any district, within certain parameters that are intended to avoid nuisances to neighbors. The city has a noise ordinance, setting noise limits in residential, commercial and industrial districts. Commercial car washes are regulated by the Iowa DNR for pollutants.”
Q: When did they stock Casey Lake at Hickory Hills with fish during their renovation?
A: Blue gills, bass and channel catfish were stocked last summer. A story on the lake’s renovation was published Thursday.
Q: What show was at the Paramount Theater Halloween of 1953?
A: The Halloween show at the Paramount was advertised as “Two Horror-ific Super Thrillers,” according to Courier archives. But the ad does not indicate which movies those were. It also stated “Our guarantee: if you can withstand the shock of the entire program … you’ll get a pass to a coming show as you stagger out! Girls! Don’t Come Alone!” Seats were 75 cents. Other movies showing at that time were “Arrowhead” and “Little Boy Lost.”
Q: How many of the original Statler Brothers are still alive?
A: Lead singer Don Reid and baritone singer Phil Balsley are still alive at the ages of 80 and 86, respectively. The first lead singer, from 1955 to 1959 and before the group really blew up, Joe McDorman, also is still alive. Tenor and guitar player Lew DeWitt died in 1990 and bass Harold Reid died in 2020.
Q: Why’s the United States national debt over $39 trillion? Who do we borrow money from?
A: According to the Peter G. Petersen Foundation, which supports reducing the national debt, 80% of the nation’s debt is held by the public. This includes the Federal Reserve which purchases and sells treasury securities, or low-risk debt obligations issued by the Department of Treasury, to finance government operations. The remaining 20% is from China, Japan, the United Kingdom and more than 30 other countries.
Q: I noticed they cut down a bunch of trees between Ansborough Ave and Sergeant Road near the Veridian. Do you have any idea why they did that?
A: 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 and is removing the trees to grade the area to provide the appropriate amount of ponding.
Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.
- COURIER STAFF
It grapples with some of life's most puzzling conundrums.
Q: Can I use my favorite fishing picture for a passport photo?
It strives to plumb the depths of the world's greatest mysteries.
Q: Why is a black eye called a mouse?
It pulls back the veil on the unexplained.
Q: Could an eagle abduct a small animal like a dog or cat?
And it is sometimes exceedingly stupid.
That's right, after a chorus of reader entreaties that never really subsided, The Courier is excited to announce the "Call the Courier" column is back for 2026!
Subscribers can call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with their questions.
We will endeavor to answer as many queries as accurately as we can. We will not bother with questions meant to gratuitously make a particular business or school or person look bad.
The feature at it's best is genuinely informative, and we are happy when it is fun and entertaining as well. We plan to print it weekly, but that could change depending on the amount of questions we receive. So submit your question. And look at page A3 to sample today's inquiries.
- COURIER STAFF
Q: Did Alec Baldwin ever serve in the military? If so, what branch?
A: No, he did not.
Q: Was Fred Grandy of "Love Boat" fame and from Sioux City, Iowa, ever involved in politics?
A: Fred Grandy, who played Burl “Gopher” Smith on "Love Boat," served in Iowa's former 5th and 6th Congressional Districts from 1987 to 1995. He ran against former Gov. Terry Branstad in the Republican primary for governor in 1994.
Q: What are the honorable flags that you can fly on a state flag pole? I grew up learning it was the American flag, the state flag and the Prisoners of War flag. Others are being flown and I find it disrespectful.
A: The U.S. Flag Code states if other flags are flown on the same pole as the American flag, the American flag should be on top and be larger than the other flags. This includes state flags, local flags or society flags, which represent groups, communities or movements.
Q: What organization was responsible for the photo of Trump dressed as the Pope?
A: President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence, or AI, generated photo of himself as the pope on his Truth Social page after the death of Pope Francis in May. The photo also was reposted by official White House pages on other social media sites. AI-generated images are made by computers and are not created by specific people.
Q: I heard more people are killed while they are on the phone rather than drunk driving. Is this true?
A: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,275 fatal crashes in 2023 involved distracted driving. This statistic includes cellphone use, but also things like adjusting a radio or GPS, eating or applying makeup. The same organization said 12,429 people died from drunk driving in 2023.
Q: Does Ted Danson wear a toupee? He seems to have more hair than he did a while ago.
A: Yes. While he uses hairpieces, most of his actual hair is real but thin in certain areas. There was even a scene in “Cheers” where Danson, portraying Sam Malone, took off his hairpiece, revealing his baldness to the other characters and the audience.
Q: Is it true that an “America’s Most Wanted” cameraman was shot and killed?
A: We can’t find any sources confirming this. But something similar happened in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2014 on the scene of "COPS," a show where television crews follow around police officers on calls. An Omaha TV station reported Bryce Dion, a sound technician for the show, went with police to a robbery where police and crew members became separated during the incident. The robbery suspect pulled out a weapon and Omaha officers fired at him, killing both Dion and the suspect.
Q: Who do I talk to to put up bird houses in George Wyth and Big Woods?
A: You can call Black Hawk County Conservation at (319) 433-7275.
Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.
Q: Could you give me any information about the new senior housing development that’s going up near the Highway 20 exit by the Casey’s?
A: A new senior housing complex called San Marnan Heights Senior Living is being built in between Tower Park Drive and Fisher Drive. The complex will have 110 units with 14 of those being memory care units.
Q: I was just wondering who did the sculpture in the Cedar Falls dog park? I just noticed it first a few weeks ago and I haven’t seen anything in the newspaper and was wondering who commissioned it and who did it.
A: The new sculpture in the shape of a fox is part of a three-sculpture series by University of Northern Iowa alum and public artist Beth Nybeth. Amanda Huisman, the Cedar Falls’ communications specialist, said a rabbit sculpture was installed in Pfeiffer Park just before Christmas and the final piece, an otter, will be installed on the trail system by Cedar Falls Utilities, weather permitting. The artist was chosen through a competitive call for art by the Cedar Falls Public Art Committee. The series is named “Ready or Not.” Huisman said a ribbon cutting event with the artist will be held in spring.
Q: Is the actor Miles Teller related to Teller from Penn and Teller?
A: No, they are not related. Just a coincidence of two famous people with the same last name.
Q: Should I cash in my jar of pennies or should I hang onto them?
A: Looks like most pennies will not be worth much, considering there are so many in production. There are a few types of pennies that have always been worth more money such as the 1943 copper Lincoln wheat pennies, which were accidentally made with copper instead of zinc during World War II. Pennies made before 1982 were still made with copper, so if you really want you could trade that in for a couple more cents. Pennies also remain legal tender indefinitely. Sounds like we should either keep them for sentimental reasons or cash them in for a few bucks.
Q: About damn time you brought back Call the Courier. I remember when I worked at the Courier over 40 years ago, it was a very popular human interest type of column. Now, when are you going to bring back “Pet of the Week?” Use them both to replace those god-awful “Sports Edition Extra” pages or the black-and-white comics appearing twice on some days.
A: We are also glad it’s back! We do run “Pet of the Week.” It is a sponsored ad in Saturday’s paper featuring pets from the Cedar Bend Humane Society. As for the “terrible” pages – you seem to be talking about E-edition pages. We try to run as much local content on our print days of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, while on the off days we are able to run more pages that are not local on the online paper.
Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.
Q: Does Elizabeth Klinge still work for KWWL?
A: Yes, Elizabeth Klinge is still working for KWWL as a weeknight news anchor.
Q: Is that lady riding a horse on that RX commercial that looks like Loretta Lynn, is that Sissy Spacek?
A: If you are talking about the GoodRx commercial, an actress named Kristin Carey plays “The Savings Wrangler” to help tame prescription costs.
Q: If a walker is crossing an intersection where there is a roundabout, who has the right of way?
A: The pedestrian has the right of way.
Q: I’ve noticed that a lot of the people in your 20 Under 40 series appear to have red hair. Why is that? I don’t believe my device is shifting the color as other pics look correct. Just wondering if there is a preponderance of redheads in the Cedar Valley.
A: Maybe you are looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. It appears that in this year’s 20 Under 40 cohort there are a few women with red undertones in their hair. According to worldpopulationreview.com, about 4% of U.S. residents have red hair. However, U.S. News & World Report says that Iowa has the 10th largest population of Irish descendents at nearly 13% – a group of people who are often associated with red hair. Perhaps it’s the luck of the Irish.
Q: Which is the oldest branch of the military service?
A: The U.S. Army, which celebrated its 250th birthday last year. It was formally founded by the Second Continental Congress in June 1775, soon followed by the U.S. Navy and then the Marines. The forerunners of the modern Coast Guard date to 1789 and 1790. The U.S. Air Force didn’t come into being until the 20th century.
Q: What is the state doing with all the tax money collected on online sales?
A: Sales tax revenue is added to the state’s general fund.
Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.
Call the Courier: Read a collection of columns answering reader questions
Read a collection of Call the Courier columns answering reader questions.
- COURIER STAFF
It grapples with some of life's most puzzling conundrums.
Q: Can I use my favorite fishing picture for a passport photo?
It strives to plumb the depths of the world's greatest mysteries.
Q: Why is a black eye called a mouse?
It pulls back the veil on the unexplained.
Q: Could an eagle abduct a small animal like a dog or cat?
And it is sometimes exceedingly stupid.
That's right, after a chorus of reader entreaties that never really subsided, The Courier is excited to announce the "Call the Courier" column is back for 2026!
Subscribers can call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with their questions.
We will endeavor to answer as many queries as accurately as we can. We will not bother with questions meant to gratuitously make a particular business or school or person look bad.
The feature at it's best is genuinely informative, and we are happy when it is fun and entertaining as well. We plan to print it weekly, but that could change depending on the amount of questions we receive. So submit your question. And look at page A3 to sample today's inquiries.
- COURIER STAFF
Q: Did Alec Baldwin ever serve in the military? If so, what branch?
A: No, he did not.
Q: Was Fred Grandy of "Love Boat" fame and from Sioux City, Iowa, ever involved in politics?
A: Fred Grandy, who played Burl “Gopher” Smith on "Love Boat," served in Iowa's former 5th and 6th Congressional Districts from 1987 to 1995. He ran against former Gov. Terry Branstad in the Republican primary for governor in 1994.
Q: What are the honorable flags that you can fly on a state flag pole? I grew up learning it was the American flag, the state flag and the Prisoners of War flag. Others are being flown and I find it disrespectful.
A: The U.S. Flag Code states if other flags are flown on the same pole as the American flag, the American flag should be on top and be larger than the other flags. This includes state flags, local flags or society flags, which represent groups, communities or movements.
Q: What organization was responsible for the photo of Trump dressed as the Pope?
A: President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence, or AI, generated photo of himself as the pope on his Truth Social page after the death of Pope Francis in May. The photo also was reposted by official White House pages on other social media sites. AI-generated images are made by computers and are not created by specific people.
Q: I heard more people are killed while they are on the phone rather than drunk driving. Is this true?
A: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,275 fatal crashes in 2023 involved distracted driving. This statistic includes cellphone use, but also things like adjusting a radio or GPS, eating or applying makeup. The same organization said 12,429 people died from drunk driving in 2023.
Q: Does Ted Danson wear a toupee? He seems to have more hair than he did a while ago.
A: Yes. While he uses hairpieces, most of his actual hair is real but thin in certain areas. There was even a scene in “Cheers” where Danson, portraying Sam Malone, took off his hairpiece, revealing his baldness to the other characters and the audience.
Q: Is it true that an “America’s Most Wanted” cameraman was shot and killed?
A: We can’t find any sources confirming this. But something similar happened in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2014 on the scene of "COPS," a show where television crews follow around police officers on calls. An Omaha TV station reported Bryce Dion, a sound technician for the show, went with police to a robbery where police and crew members became separated during the incident. The robbery suspect pulled out a weapon and Omaha officers fired at him, killing both Dion and the suspect.
Q: Who do I talk to to put up bird houses in George Wyth and Big Woods?
A: You can call Black Hawk County Conservation at (319) 433-7275.
Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.
Q: Could you give me any information about the new senior housing development that’s going up near the Highway 20 exit by the Casey’s?
A: A new senior housing complex called San Marnan Heights Senior Living is being built in between Tower Park Drive and Fisher Drive. The complex will have 110 units with 14 of those being memory care units.
Q: I was just wondering who did the sculpture in the Cedar Falls dog park? I just noticed it first a few weeks ago and I haven’t seen anything in the newspaper and was wondering who commissioned it and who did it.
A: The new sculpture in the shape of a fox is part of a three-sculpture series by University of Northern Iowa alum and public artist Beth Nybeth. Amanda Huisman, the Cedar Falls’ communications specialist, said a rabbit sculpture was installed in Pfeiffer Park just before Christmas and the final piece, an otter, will be installed on the trail system by Cedar Falls Utilities, weather permitting. The artist was chosen through a competitive call for art by the Cedar Falls Public Art Committee. The series is named “Ready or Not.” Huisman said a ribbon cutting event with the artist will be held in spring.
Q: Is the actor Miles Teller related to Teller from Penn and Teller?
A: No, they are not related. Just a coincidence of two famous people with the same last name.
Q: Should I cash in my jar of pennies or should I hang onto them?
A: Looks like most pennies will not be worth much, considering there are so many in production. There are a few types of pennies that have always been worth more money such as the 1943 copper Lincoln wheat pennies, which were accidentally made with copper instead of zinc during World War II. Pennies made before 1982 were still made with copper, so if you really want you could trade that in for a couple more cents. Pennies also remain legal tender indefinitely. Sounds like we should either keep them for sentimental reasons or cash them in for a few bucks.
Q: About damn time you brought back Call the Courier. I remember when I worked at the Courier over 40 years ago, it was a very popular human interest type of column. Now, when are you going to bring back “Pet of the Week?” Use them both to replace those god-awful “Sports Edition Extra” pages or the black-and-white comics appearing twice on some days.
A: We are also glad it’s back! We do run “Pet of the Week.” It is a sponsored ad in Saturday’s paper featuring pets from the Cedar Bend Humane Society. As for the “terrible” pages – you seem to be talking about E-edition pages. We try to run as much local content on our print days of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, while on the off days we are able to run more pages that are not local on the online paper.
Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.
Q: Does Elizabeth Klinge still work for KWWL?
A: Yes, Elizabeth Klinge is still working for KWWL as a weeknight news anchor.
Q: Is that lady riding a horse on that RX commercial that looks like Loretta Lynn, is that Sissy Spacek?
A: If you are talking about the GoodRx commercial, an actress named Kristin Carey plays “The Savings Wrangler” to help tame prescription costs.
Q: If a walker is crossing an intersection where there is a roundabout, who has the right of way?
A: The pedestrian has the right of way.
Q: I’ve noticed that a lot of the people in your 20 Under 40 series appear to have red hair. Why is that? I don’t believe my device is shifting the color as other pics look correct. Just wondering if there is a preponderance of redheads in the Cedar Valley.
A: Maybe you are looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. It appears that in this year’s 20 Under 40 cohort there are a few women with red undertones in their hair. According to worldpopulationreview.com, about 4% of U.S. residents have red hair. However, U.S. News & World Report says that Iowa has the 10th largest population of Irish descendents at nearly 13% – a group of people who are often associated with red hair. Perhaps it’s the luck of the Irish.
Q: Which is the oldest branch of the military service?
A: The U.S. Army, which celebrated its 250th birthday last year. It was formally founded by the Second Continental Congress in June 1775, soon followed by the U.S. Navy and then the Marines. The forerunners of the modern Coast Guard date to 1789 and 1790. The U.S. Air Force didn’t come into being until the 20th century.
Q: What is the state doing with all the tax money collected on online sales?
A: Sales tax revenue is added to the state’s general fund.
Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.
