Anne Haaker, recently retired as a deputy state historic preservation officer for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, recently was appointed as historic resources specialist for the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership. According to a new release this week from the partnership: As deputy deputy state historic preservation officer, Haaker was involved in the preservation of buildings, … Continue reading Historic resources specialist appointed to Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership
Sonrise Donuts neon sign in Springfield being auctioned
The nearly 70-year-old Sonrise Donuts neon sign along Route 66 in Springfield, Illinois, will be auctioned by tonight after the building's non-doughnuts tenant said he no longer wanted it there. The online auctions -- separately for both halves of the rooftop sign -- will end today at 7 p.m. Central. If you're interested, you can … Continue reading Sonrise Donuts neon sign in Springfield being auctioned
Route 66 Rising sculpture in Tulsa is finished
Construction on the massive Route 66 Rising sculpture at the traffic circle at Mingo Road and Admiral Place (aka Route 66) in Tulsa came to completion last week. The $650,000 sculpture, paid for with Vision 2025 sales-tax money, is about 70 feet long and 30 feet tall. Eric F. Garcia of EFG Creative in Albuquerque designed the sculpture. … Continue reading Route 66 Rising sculpture in Tulsa is finished
Needles’ future is going to pot
Needles, California, which has seen better days like many Route 66 towns bypassed by the interstate decades ago, is betting on future growth with the marijuana industry. This isn't just hyperbole. Check out these facts from the story by the New York Times: The City Council in this solidly Republican community of 5,000 people has … Continue reading Needles’ future is going to pot
Albuquerque sues company over bad ART buses
Albuquerque announced Friday it was suing the BYD company over its faulty electrical buses made for the city's troubled Albuquerque Rapid Transit line. Mayor Tim Keller announced the legal action after forcing the California-based company to take back the buses. According to the Albuquerque Journal: Keller said the city reached out to BYD in an … Continue reading Albuquerque sues company over bad ART buses
The Uranus Examiner newspaper suspends publication
Louis Keen, owner of the infamous Uranus Missouri complex and publisher of The Uranus Examiner, which emerged in September after a nearby daily newspaper shut down, announced the suspension of his publication because of financial difficulties after lenders pulled their funding. In a lengthy Facebook post Friday, Keen explained what prompted him to pull the plug on … Continue reading The Uranus Examiner newspaper suspends publication
Route 66 bill probably won’t help Grants microbrewery against lawsuit
An Albuquerque television station reported Route 66 Historic Trail legislation winding its way through Congress may help a Grants, New Mexico, microbrewery in its trademark lawsuit from a European company. The microbrewery is Henry Lackey's Route 66 Junkyard Brewery at 1634 Route 66 in Grants. As previously reported, the microbrewery was sued late last year … Continue reading Route 66 bill probably won’t help Grants microbrewery against lawsuit
Bill Deck of Deck’s Drug Store in Girard dies
Wyman P. "Bill" Deck, co-owner of the historic Deck's Drug Store in downtown Girard, Illinois, died Monday at age 91 at a hospital in nearby Springfield. A Girard native, Deck was a pharmacy technician at the store and formerly was a librarian at Auburn Public Schools in nearby Auburn, Illinois, according to an obituary in … Continue reading Bill Deck of Deck’s Drug Store in Girard dies
Programming note
In the next day or so, you may notice a few changes to the appearance of Route 66 News. That's because the guts of the website will be undergoing a few but crucial upgrades. I found out a few weeks ago the main WordPress theme, or skin, of Route 66 News hasn't been updated by … Continue reading Programming note
Take a hike around Albuquerque’s volcanoes
Not many people other than locals know this, but Albuquerque is home to three inactive volcanoes on the west edge of the city, and you can hike around them. The volcanoes, known as the Three Sisters, sit within the boundaries of Petroglyph National Monument that includes one of the largest petroglyph sites in North American. … Continue reading Take a hike around Albuquerque’s volcanoes