oddly enough

oddly enough

Iowa town auctioning off right to name creek

KALONA, Iowa

One Iowa town is hoping to raise money for sidewalks by auctioning off naming rights to a local creek.

The creek in Kalona is known simply as West Drainage Ditch. The naming rights will be posted on eBay.

City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh told the Iowa City Press-Citizen that local officials hope the online auction will help the city reach its goal of doing $200,000 in improvements to area sidewalks.

Kolana City Council members say they’re open to just about any name, but it must be appropriate. It’s also subject to government approval.

Thanksgiving donor gives Iowa City families water

IOWA CITY, Iowa

More than a dozen families in Iowa City received an unexpected Thanksgiving gift from an anonymous local woman: running water.

Iowa City officials say a woman walked into city hall on Nov. 22 and donated $1,640 to pay off 17 local water-utility accounts to ensure they had running water for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Iowa City Revenue and Risk Manager Melissa Miller says the generosity shocked city officials, who then worked with the woman to identify accounts with overdue balances that she could pay off.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that 11 of the accounts had their water shut off Nov. 22 due to unpaid balances, and six more were scheduled to be shut off within hours. Their water was turned back on shortly after the payment.

Associated Press