Fashion Bug in Altoona to close early next year
Fashion Bug women’s clothing shop in Altoona will close in early 2013. The store is in Pine Tree Plaza, 550 36th St., Suite N, and is one of more than 530 Fashion Bugs closing next year. The Altoona...
View ArticlePanchero’s to open in Altoona next spring
A Cedar Rapids development company is building a three-bay, 5,000 square foot retail center on Eighth Street in Altoona. Hunter Cos. has already found tenants for the building, which is expected to be...
View ArticleNew Altoona retail building will house Bianchi Boys Pizza & Pasta
Bianchi Boys Pizza & Pasta in Altoona is moving to a new location next spring. Restaurant owners Jeff Bianchi and his cousin Rick Bianchi are constructing a building at 2437 Adventureland Dr.,...
View ArticleAltoona dancer to compete in Switzerland
A month after Iowa sent the next Billy Elliot to New York, another local dancer will strut his stuff in an international competition in Switzerland. Adrian Oldenburger, 15, of Altoona was one of 84...
View ArticleAnkeny resident escapes house fire uninjured
An Ankeny resident escaped a house fire unharmed today thanks to a smoke detector. Firefighters responded to the blaze in the 7500 block of NW 16th Street at about 7:45 a.m. The fire started in the...
View ArticleAltoona consignment boutique also serves as a J.C. Penney Express store
LaTeDa, a consignment boutique featuring women’s clothing and accessories, has opened in Altoona in the former Altoona Herald office at 100 Eighth St. S.E., Suite H. Owner Lou Ann Seavey bought the...
View ArticleThree escape unharmed from fire at Des Moines area business
No one was hurt in a fire that burned a business north of Des Moines Wednesday. The fire at Washer Systems of Iowa Inc., in the 6000 block of NE 14th Street, was reported at about 11:20 a.m. Three...
View ArticleHair salon replaces coffee shop in Altoona
Ashley Fix has relocated her Custom Image Salon to 110 First Ave. North in Altoona. The hair salon had been in the Prairie Cove retail center in Altoona for five years and in Bondurant for a year...
View ArticleAltoona session kicks of Tomorrow Plan public meetings Tuesday evening
The first of six open houses to discuss the draft Tomorrow Plan vision and strategy document will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Altoona Fire Station. Tomorrow Plan is a vision and...
View ArticleCar dealer opens in Altoona
Martinson’s Used Cars has opened a dealership at 1203 Eighth St. in Altoona. The business opened Feb. 1 across the street from the Altoona Campus community wellness center. The dealership building...
View ArticleAltoona Wednesday storm prep
The Altoona snow ordinance will go into effect as soon as one inch of snow accumulates. Snow plowing plans and preparation are already well underway, beginning with some minor adjustments and repairs...
View ArticleNo injury-causing accidents in Altoona, Bondurant or Pleasant Hill
No injury-causing car accidents occurred Thursday in Altoona, Bondurant or Pleasant Hill, according to reports from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Few motorists ventured out on the roads in the...
View ArticleAltoona roads remain ‘slick’
Crews have cleared the snow from Altoona’s streets, but the roads remain slippery. “Our guys were out starting at 1 in the morning; they’ve been on all the roads in Altoona — aertieal through...
View ArticleAltoona sandwich shop closed
The Quiznos restaurant at 550 36th Ave. S.W., Suite B, in Altoona has closed. The restaurant was located in the Pine Tree Plaza retail center. Quiznos lease expired at the end of 2012 and the tenant...
View ArticleFake war hero sentenced to 1 year in prison
An Iowa man who claimed to be a war hero to scam the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of more than $100,000 in health care benefits will spend more than a year in federal prison. Jeffrey Scott...
View ArticleEastern Polk County communities clash in court over proposed $53 million project
Two Eastern Polk County communities are clashing in court over a 71-acre industrial development potentially headed to eastern Polk County. The city of Altoona filed a lawsuit in Polk County district...
View ArticleMedical marijuana headlines conference on drug endangered children
What are the risks to children in places where medical marijuana is grown and used? That will be the subject at a keynote address at the Iowa Drug Endangered Children Conference Monday at the Meadows...
View ArticleReminder: Highway closures start tonight near Adventureland
A U.S. Highway 65 ramp that connects to eastbound traffic on Interstate 80 in Altoona is scheduled to close for several weeks starting at 10 p.m. Sunday, the Iowa Department of Transportation said. The...
View ArticleYanni’s Grill in Altoona will close at the end of the month
Yanni’s Grill & Vineyard in Altoona will close April 28. The restaurant, which is at 3160 Eighth St. S.W., is one of two Yanni’s owned by Oswaldo “Ozzy” Ochoa. The other eatery at 410 S. Ankeny...
View ArticleFacebook is behind $1 billion data center project in Altoona, statehouse...
Facebook is the company behind a $1 billion data center that’s expected to land Altoona, a project that’s being touted as “the most technologically advanced data center in the world,” legislative...
View ArticleFacebook’s expected arrival could mean big things for tech community
The imminent arrival of one of the most high-profile technology companies in the world to Altoona has industry leaders changing their status updates to “feeling hopeful.” Facebook’s future $1 billion...
View ArticleBranstad won’t confirm Facebook plans, but acknowledges deal in works for a year
Gov. Terry Branstad acknowledged Monday that state officials have been working for about a year to lure a major new company to Iowa, but he declined to confirm the high-tech corporation is a Facebook...
View ArticleState considering $18 million in tax credits for Altoona data center
The state is considering $18 million in tax credits for a $300 million data center in Altoona. Facebook is believed to be behind the project, referred to as Siculus Inc. The company says its...
View ArticleNew Altoona data center will feature latest in energy-efficient technologies
The huge data center Facebook will build in Altoona has been touted as the “most technologically advanced data center in the world” even before anything but a ceremonial shovel has hit the ground. But...
View ArticleMetro area Village Inn restaurants get a new look
Area Village Inn restaurants are getting face-lifts. Cosmetic changes to the inside and outside of the eateries are being completed on a staggered schedule. The Ankeny store, 1024 E. First St., was...
View ArticlePancheros opening Friday in Altoona
Pancheros Mexican Grill will open a restaurant Friday in a new Altoona retail center. The fast-casual restaurant is at 3580 Eighth St. S.W. The 20-year-old chain is known for its freshly made tortillas...
View ArticleSoutheast Polk schools vote to oppose massive warehouse project
Several Southeast Polk parents told the school board Thursday that they would consider moving their children if a $35 million warehouse complex is built near the district’s Pleasant Hill campus. Siding...
View ArticleMaurices clothing store opens in Altoona
Maurices women’s clothing store has opened at 550 36th Ave. S.W., Suite L, in Altoona. The space was formerly a Fashion Bug clothing store. The store opened last Wednesday. Maurices, which sells...
View ArticleU.S. Cellular revamps three area stores
U.S. Cellular has remodeled three of its metro area stores, modernizing them and making them more customer-friendly, the company said. The Altoona and Ankeny locations and a Des Moines store recently...
View ArticleJohnny’s Italian Steakhouse set for Altoona development
Construction on a third metro-area Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse is set to begin in late fall in the Shoppes at Prairie Crossing in Altoona, south of Bass Pro Shop. Heart of America Group, the Quad...
View ArticleBlue means stop; New lights go up in one Altoona intersection
Police in Altoona have a new tool to catch drivers who run red lights. Blue lights that turn on when the signal turns red have been installed on traffic arms at one intersection. The lights, visible...
View ArticleBreakdown forces retirement of Adventureland’s Silly Silo
One of the best barometers to determine the health of your stomach in all of Iowa has been retired. The Silly Silo at Adventureland Park in Altoona has made its last spin, Molly Vincent, a spokeswoman...
View ArticlePizza, custard and financial services companies open in new retail building...
Three businesses have moved into a new retail building at 2437 Adventureland Drive in Altoona. Bianchi Boys Pizza & Pasta, Classic Frozen Custard and GameTime Financial Concepts have opened in the...
View ArticleMany throw hats in ring for eastern Polk County seats
Thursday was the deadline for mayoral and city council candidates to turn in nomination forms to be on the November ballot in several eastern Polk County communities. Pleasant Hill is poised for a race...
View ArticleNew Starbucks planned for Altoona
Coffee lovers in eastern Polk County in need of a new fix may soon be in luck. Starbucks will be a tenant of a new retail center on Eighth Street Southwest in Altoona, according to a site plan...
View ArticleBusiness Safe Trick -Or- Treat set for Thursday in Altoona
Members of the Southeast Polk football team are stepping up to help bring out the masses for Thursday’s Business Safe Trick -Or- Treat in Altoona. Many businesses will feature football players handing...
View ArticlePerkins Restaurant & Bakery to open in Altoona
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery is expanding to Altoona. Construction on the new restaurant at 2621 Adventureland Drive next to Culver’s began recently and the store is expected to open next spring....
View ArticleTwo men reportedly rob Altoona gas station early Monday
Police are looking for two men who reportedly robbed an Altoona Kum and Go store early Monday morning, according to an Altoona Police Department news release. Two men allegedly entered an Altoona Kum...
View ArticleState RISE grant will help develop new trucking terminal in Altoona
A project to develop a new trucking terminal in Altoona received a grant from the Iowa Transportation Commission Tuesday. The grant of up to $228,308 will be made available to assist in the...
View ArticleResidents in Altoona, Des Moines’ Ward 1 vote Tuesday
Voters in two metro cities will head back to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in runoff elections for city council. No one received the votes necessary to win the Nov. 5 municipal election outright in...
View ArticleAgility Chiropractic opens in Altoona
Daron Lewis has opened Agility Chiropractic at 160 Adventureland Drive in Altoona. Lewis is originally from Guttenberg and graduated in 2012 from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport. His...
View ArticleAltoona City Council moves fire pit and burn rules forward
Altoona residents who want to have fire pits in their yards may soon have to abide by new restrictions. City council members on Monday unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance that says...
View ArticleMan allegedly robs Burger King employee
A man allegedly robbed a Burger King employee at gunpoint early Monday morning in Altoona, authorities said. The employee told police the armed robbery happened around 12:30 a.m. when he was getting...
View ArticleAltoona resale shop gets a new owner
Thrifty Fashion & More in Altoona has a new owner. Deb DeGraff took over the resale shop at 408 Eighth St. S.W. on Jan. 11. The shop sells new and gently used designer clothing and accessories for...
View ArticleAltoona starts cutting down ash trees
Altoona public works crews have started cutting down ash trees in recent weeks to prepare for the invasive emerald ash borer, Public Works Superintendent Aaron Putnam said Wednesday. With the new of...
View ArticleU.S. Cellular is hiring for 60 jobs in Iowa; Retail locations have events Monday
U.S. Cellular has announced it will hold a hiring event at 11 Iowa stores Monday, including its Altoona location, as the wireless services provider looks to fill 60 jobs throughout the state. Wireless...
View ArticleIowa Donor Network to relocate Johnston office to Altoona
On Monday, the Altoona City Council approved a site plan for the new 19,000 square-foot building near the intersection of Adventureland Drive and First Avenue North. Plans call for it to be built just...
View ArticleAltoona library asks patrons to complete online survey
Altoona public library patrons are being asked to complete a quick online survey on how they use the library. The survey can be completed online or using a computer at the library. Users are asked to...
View ArticleTwo boundaries proposals to be reviewed by Southeast Polk school board
A Southeast Polk school district committee tasked with exploring options for new elementary boundaries will submit two proposals to the board of education for review next week. During discussions at...
View ArticlePolling places open in Altoona: Campus’ future on the ballot today
The special election is today on whether Altoona should spend $3.99 million to expand and renovate the Greater Altoona Community Service Campus, 1500 Eighth St. S.W. All five of the city’s polling...
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