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185 years & counting: Retiree’s new book reveals Iowa City’s amazing history – image after image

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185 years & counting: Retiree’s new book reveals Iowa City’s amazing history – image after image


The sweet smile of an elderly Kathryn Bartosky mixing donuts in her kitchen greets you on page 131 of Tom Schulein’s just-released book covering 185 years of Iowa City history.

An immigrant from Bohemia, this woman baked beaucoup batches of pastries for church socials and her neighbors well into her 90s. She was locally famous as the city’s beloved oldest resident when she died in 1954 at age 103.

On page 45, you’ll find a mysterious-looking stone cottage with an elfish “Lord of the Rings” vibe, one of more than 100 built by Howard Moffitt in the early 1900s. Moffitt was also a local legend with his unique designs and penchant for repurposing materials – old railroad rails for support beams and even wooden toilet seats for plaster lath in his houses.

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These are two of Schulein’s favorite entries among about 250 captivating historical photos which form his book Images of America: Iowa City, hot off the press this month.

The work joins an astounding 21,566 active titles from Arcadia Publishing, well known for their books covering the history of almost anything and anywhere – from Alcatraz Island and Hoover Dam to Ford’s Theatre and Hilo, Hawaii.

“I’ll get a small royalty,” the author told me, “but I’m not doing it for the money. It’s for the pleasure of promoting Iowa City.”

More: Five major publishers join federal lawsuit against Iowa law that bans books from schools

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A deep passion for Iowa City history

You’d be hard-pressed to find anybody around who has a greater fondness and expertise for Iowa City’s amazing past than Schulein.

Since retiring from teaching at the UI School of Dentistry, he’s spent his days collecting antique sewing machines and typewriters, plus giving some 160 presentations – most of them about Iowa City’s unique development from a pioneer town to a world-class community.

When another local Arcadia author and historian, Timothy Walch, recommended him for this book, Schulein hesitated because he saw it as “a daunting task.” But armed with access to the Press-Citizen archives and permission from the University of Iowa to use Fred Kent’s historic photo collection, plus his own exhaustive 10 years of study, the Iowa City man forged ahead.

More: Halfloves: Iowa City’s sonic trailblazers and their genre-bending journey

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Standout images from a long-ago era

Spend an hour or two reading this book—an easy read with historical photos and captions offering insight—and you will come away with a better sense of this amazing community’s vibrant past.

 A few of my favorites:

  • A 1920 photo of a battery-powered University of Iowa Hospital bus in front of the original 1897 hospital, indicating Iowa City had electric vehicles 100 years before they became popular today.
  • A flock of WWI-era biplanes lined up at a 1929 fly-in at the Iowa City airport.
  • Esther Winders, University Heights town marshal in the 1950s, a colorful character who packed a pearl-handled pistol and patrolled the streets on a Harley-Davidson.
  • An early photo showing a massive clinic floor at the School of Dentistry crammed with some 100 student treatment areas, each with its own elaborate antique dental chair and wooden cabinet.
  • Photos of world-famous locals, such as Grant Wood in his UI studio, James Van Allen, Ignacio Ponseti and George Gallup.

More: Iowa City’s 150-year-old Pagliai’s Pizza building a step closer to historic landmark status

Iowa City’s stint as a commercial and industrial hub

Schulein finds the city’s commercial and industrial past fascinating.

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There were three breweries on a single block of Market Street in the late 1800s and there were once four different glove factories in town. Another manufacturer of jewelry and novelties here billed itself as “largest in the U.S.”

An early photo shows a dry goods store founded in 1848. That building has been John’s Grocery since 1948 and was labeled as “the only surviving ‘mom and pop’ in Iowa City.”

“We are a city of many firsts,” Schulein said.

For example, Iowa City’s Mayor Emma Harvat, who served in the 1920s, was not only the city’s first woman mayor but was also said at the time to be the first female mayor of any U.S. city with a population over 10,000.

Lifelong resident Irving Weber wrote more than 800 historical columns for the Press-Citizen, which the Lions Club then published into eight volumes as a fundraiser. He also had a little-known “first” as the University of Iowa’s first All-American swimmer. Likewise, Hawkeye tackle Duke Slater, whose name now graces Slater Hall and the field at Kinnick Stadium, is pictured as the University’s first Black All-American football player.

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Also in this category, there’s a 1972 photo of the control room at the city water plant. Schulein said it was considered to be the first fully computerized surface water plant in the world.

“So many interesting things,” the author said. “On page 155 you’ll find the War Art Workshop, where the UI Art Department made posters alerting local residents to a practice ‘blackout’ in November of 1942.”

The list goes on and on.

“It’s kind of like a coffee table book, but in a smaller format,” Schulein said. “It was a labor of love for me, and my joy to make this contribution.”

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Find this new book locally at Barnes & Noble, or online through Amazon or the Arcadia Publishing website.

Richard Hakes is a freelance columnist for the Iowa City Press-Citizen.



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Chicago Cubs’ Matt Shaw expected to begin rehab assignment with Iowa

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Chicago Cubs’ Matt Shaw expected to begin rehab assignment with Iowa


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When the Iowa Cubs return to Principal Park in Des Moines on June 2, the Triple-A team will likely be bringing back a familiar face.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsel told reporters in St. Louis, Mo., on May 29 that super utilityman Matt Shaw would likely join Iowa when the team opens a six-game series against Toledo that Tuesday.

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“Matts doing super well,” Counsell said during a pregame meeting with scribes. “The plan kind of remains intact that we think he’s going to be able to start a rehab assignment on Tuesday in Iowa. So, assuming everything progresses like it progresses, he’s going to have basically a full weekend of kind of normal pregame stuff. He should be good to go on Tuesday in Iowa.”

Shaw was placed on the injured list back on May 22 with mild back tightness, retroactive to May 20. He was replaced on the big-league roster by prized Cubs prospect Pedro Ramrirez, who tore apart opposing pitching during his first stint in Triple-A in 2026.

Shaw, 24, was hitting .242 (23-for-95) with six doubles, three home runs, three stolen bases and a .291 on base percentage to go along with a .400 slugging percentage in 42 games with Chicago this season. He’s bounced around the field this season and provided an important option off the bench for the Cubs.

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Shaw remains one of the organization’s top young players. The Cubs selected in the first round of the 2023 draft. Shaw rapidly rose through the minor leagues and made his big-league debut with Chicago in 2025. After some early-season struggles, Shaw was briefly demoted to Iowa in 2024 before eventually making a return to the big leagues.

While the hitting wasn’t great, the defense was exceptional. Shaw found a home at third base and played so well he became a Gold Glove finalist in 2025.

Iowa starts the series on Tuesday at 6:38 p.m.

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.

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Iowa Supreme court affirms eviction order for Short’s Burger & Shine

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Iowa Supreme court affirms eviction order for Short’s Burger & Shine


Following a years-long legal saga, the Iowa Supreme Court recently upheld a decision to evict Short’s Burger and Shine from its South Clinton Street building.

The May 22 decision, delivered by Chief Justice Susan Christensen, agreed with the Johnson County District Court’s decision to evict the downtown burger restaurant after finding that it did not notify the building’s owner — a trust operated by Midwest One Bank — of its intent to extend the lease.

The decision concludes one part of the Short’s legal saga. The now-closed restaurant is also in litigation for a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit Short’s owner, Kevin Perez filed in 2024 against Midwest One Bank, the trust of late building owner Haywood Belle, Belle’s widow, a bank employee, and the City of Iowa City

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Iowa City’s Short’s Burgers and Shine closed in 2024

Short’s closed in early 2024 after the court determined Perez hadn’t renewed the business’s lease on time.

Short’s opened at 18 S. Clinton Street in 2008 with the goal of honoring the legacy and story of former building owner H.D. Short, who shined shoes for 50 years, beginning in 1920. The original ownership group included Perez, Dan Ouverson, and former Hawkeye and NFL player Nate Kaeding, who now runs the Gold Cap Hospitality ownership group.

Eviction proceedings started when Short’s temporarily closed in April 2022 “to fix poor building conditions” without notifying Midwest One Bank, the executor of Belle’s trust.

The closure breached a part of the lease agreement that said the restaurant would default on its lease if it “failed to engage” in normal business for more than 15 consecutive business days, the court found. The renovations also violated a provision that forbade structural changes or improvements without prior written approval.

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Midwest One Bank sent notice on May 10, 2022, that Short’s would default on its lease if it did not reopen for regular business and cease renovations within 10 days, according to court documents. Shorts responded, claiming it could not reopen for business until renovations were complete because the gas could not be turned back on until repairs were finished.

Midwest One Bank “terminated” the lease and started eviction proceedings in May 2022. Shorts was allowed to continue operating and occupying the building while the case was litigated.

Midwest One Bank filed two eviction claims and delivered notice that Short’s needed to vacate the building by the end of the lease on April 30. Short’s did not vacate, and Midwest One Bank pursued a third eviction claim, accusing the owners of failing to provide notice of renewal.

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Short’s argued that because they continued renovations, disputed eviction, and secured insurance, it was evidence of their intent to renew.

The restaurant owners also argued that pending eviction proceedings prevented them from renewal. The court argued that Short’s simply did not declare intent to renew for “whatever reason.”

“Mere forgetfulness does not entitle a party to equitable relief,” the decision reads.

Liam Halawith covers Johnson County local government and public safety for the Press-Citizen. Reach him by email at lhalawith@registermedia.com. Follow him on X at @liam_halawith.   

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Fired Iowa nurse aide wins jobless benefits after numerous resident-care complaints

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Fired Iowa nurse aide wins jobless benefits after numerous resident-care complaints


WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – An Iowa nursing home worker fired after being accused of repeatedly neglecting residents’ needs is entitled to unemployment benefits, a judge has ruled.

State records indicate certified nurse aide Abigail Kromah worked for Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center in West Des Moines from May 2024 through December 2025, when she was fired. She subsequently applied for unemployment benefits, which led to a recent hearing before an administrative law judge.

The hearing records indicate Kromah testified that when she was fired on Dec. 19, 2025, the employer informed her that the discharge was due to “numerous resident complaints” regarding the care she had been providing.

According to the judge’s findings in the case, Kromah had received multiple disciplinary warnings related to resident care. In August 2024, she allegedly received verbal and written warnings for failing to answer residents’ call-lights in a timely manner, failing to properly assist residents with their personal care, and for complaining about the residents in common areas of the workplace.

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Her employer testified Kromah was also given warnings for refusing work instructions from the nursing staff, and for telling a resident who needed to be toileted to go the bathroom in their briefs.

In August 2025, it was alleged that Kromah failed to check on a resident throughout the entire night. During that shift, a nurse had neglected to unclamp a feeding tube, which caused the tube to leak. When another nurse checked on the resident at 5 a.m., the resident was “drenched in feeding solution from head to toe,” according to the judge’s findings.

‘I can’t live this way… She’s horrible.’

Days later, the home alleged, a resident of the facility entered the hallway in his wheelchair at about 6 a.m., loudly complaining, “I can’t do this anymore,” and, “I can’t live this way.” The man allegedly refused to go back to his room, explaining that Kromah was there and “she’s horrible.”

The man reportedly stated had had switched on his call-light to have his urinal emptied, but Kromah never came to assist him, which meant the urinal overflowed and spilled on him. When Kromah eventually came to the room, the man allegedly said, she changed him into dry clothing but did not clean him.

The home alleged Kromah was given additional warnings in October 2025 for reportedly failing to answer residents’ call lights and failing to complete her rounds every two hours. One resident of the home had allegedly became so frustrated by the lack of response to his call-light that he contacted the police on one occasion, according to the judge’s findings.

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State inspection reports indicate Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center was cited for insufficient staff in January 2026, with one resident complaining the issue with call-lights had been a longstanding problem. According to the inspectors, the man said that on one occasion, he couldn’t get help to clear his airway and was afraid he was going to die unless he managed to clear it himself, which he did.

In ruling that Kromah was entitled to jobless benefits, Administrative Law Judge Michael Lunn noted that while she had clearly been warned about deficiencies in resident care, she appeared to have been fired for a separate issue — attendance — for which she had received no such warnings.

A discharge for misconduct cannot be based on past acts such as the resident-care issues, Lunn ruled, but must instead be based on a current act. With no current act of disqualifying misconduct, Lunn stated, Kromah was entitled to collect unemployment benefits.

Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to locate Kromah to seek comment for this article.

Copyright 2026 IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH. All rights reserved.

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