Iowa

‘Big Boy’ steam train to roll through Eastern Iowa

Published

2 years ago

September 5, 2024

Press Room

‘Big Boy’ steam train to roll through Eastern Iowa

BELLE PLAINE, Iowa (KCRG) – Big Boy is coming to town.

For those not in the know, that’s the world’s largest steam train.

Big Boy Number No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in 1941. It was retired in 1961 and returned to service in 2019. It made a trip through Iowa that year, and now it’s rolling through once again.

A Marion man and train enthusiast watched the train’s journey five years ago. He said he plans to witness the wonder all over again.

“The engineer saw us, blew the the whistle, which is—makes your heart beat like crazy,” said Mark Weiser of the last time he saw the train.

“It is a bygone era. Even though I’m old, steam engines were gone by the time I was born in ‘48. There were just a few around. You don’t see much of them today, so it’s unique. It’s historical.”

Wesier is far from the only person who has this fascination.

Stephen Beck, City Administrator for Belle Plaine, said there were around 1,000 people watching Big Boy when it paid a visit in 2019.

City officials expect a similar crowd this time around.

“We’re going to try to over prepare,” he said. “We have some extra law enforcement. The railroad has special agents and security detail that follow the train.”

Beck said he hoped, with Big Boy fans coming to town, nearby businesses would get a boost. He didn’t have any specific projections about what he hoped the financial impact would be. Overall, he said he just wanted people to enjoy the train while being safe.

“Remember the safety precautions that the railroad has put out to stay at least 25 feet away from the tracks.”

Weiser said he was planning to keep those safety precautions in mind while getting to see a piece of history go by.

“If you can share it or experience it, it’s going to be something you’re not going to forget,” said Wesier.

Big Boy travels from Boone to Cedar Rapids on Sept. 5. In the middle of that trip, the train will stop in Belle Plaine around 12:15 p.m. Big Boy will leave Cedar Rapids at 9:00 a.m. Friday.

You can see Big Boy’s full schedule here.

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Iowa

Body recovered from retention pond after reported drowning in Iowa Colony

Published

8 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Body recovered from retention pond after reported drowning in Iowa Colony

Iowa Colony police say a caller saw a man go underwater in the Meridiana subdivision and did not resurface.

IOWA COLONY, Texas – Iowa Colony police recovered the body of a man Saturday night after witnesses reported seeing him go underwater in a retention pond in the Meridiana subdivision, authorities said.

Officers were dispatched around 7:04 p.m. to a pond behind the 10400 block of Kahlo Court after a caller reported a man was swimming, submerged and did not resurface, according to the Iowa Colony Police Department.

Police said responding officers immediately began searching the area. The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Colony Fire Department and Manvel Fire Department assisted at the scene, and the Fort Bend County Dive and Water Rescue Team was called in to help.

Divers with the Fort Bend County team located the man around 10:10 p.m. and pronounced him deceased, police said.

The man’s identity and the cause of death have not been released. Police said no foul play is suspected and the investigation remains ongoing.

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Iowa

Illini rip Big Ten rival Iowa to reach Final Four for first time in 21 years

Published

20 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Illini rip Big Ten rival Iowa to reach Final Four for first time in 21 years

HOUSTON — Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 25 points and Illinois ended Iowa’s underdog March Madness run by dominating in the frontcourt, beating the Hawkeyes 71-59 on Saturday to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.

This will be the sixth trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national title. The Fighting Illini will face either Duke or UConn next weekend in Indianapolis.

The much taller Illini (28-8) outrebounded Iowa 38-21 in the South Region final. David Mirkovic led the way with 12 rebounds.

Coach Brad Underwood’s emphasis on recruiting in Eastern Europe has paid off in this tournament. Tomislav Ivisic of Croatia, who stands 7-foot-1, and his 7-2 twin brother Zvonimir have shined in March.

Andrej Stojakovic, who was born in Greece but whose father is Serbian three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic, scored 17 points for third-seeded Illinois.

His famous father watched proudly as his son punched his ticket to the Final Four, and Wagler’s parents — who met when they played basketball at a junior college in Kansas — cheered wildly throughout for their son, who was named MVP of the region.

Bennett Stirtz scored 24 points for the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes (24-13), who knocked off top-seeded Florida in the second round as part of an impressive run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, a four-time Division II national champion at Northwest Missouri State.

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Iowa

Rick Barnes reacts to Tennessee’s win over Iowa State

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Rick Barnes reacts to Tennessee’s win over Iowa State

No. 6 seed Tennessee (25-11) defeated No. 2 seed Iowa State (29-8), 76-62, on Friday in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

The Vols advanced to their third consecutive Elite Eight under 11th-year head coach Rick Barnes.

“One, very humbled by it,” Barnes said. “Certainly proud of our basketball team. They worked really hard. Defensively, I thought we knew we would have to have a great effort defensively. Certainly Iowa State, outstanding. T.J. (Otzelberger), outstanding program, coach.

“This time of year is always tough when you lose a key guy like they did, and that’s part of the tournament. That’s the tough part about it, but just really proud of our guys and the effort they made and against a team that they play as hard as any team we played all year. The start of the game, I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that all year, and we were able to withstand it. Again, just really proud of the effort from our entire team. Everybody had a hand in us winning this game.”

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