Curious Iowa will dive into your Iowa-centric questions

Questions starting with how or why are the jumping off point to so many fascinating stories. They beg for detailed answers. To me, those are usually the questions sparking true curiosity. It’s little coincidence, then, that intersection is usually where cool stories are found. It’s the origin of our newest reporting series — Curious Iowa — which will debut Monday.

The series will focus on how and why: Why does this happen, or how is this made? But the series will be driven off of your questions. So start thinking …. what are you curious about? We’re going explore why things happen like they do, how traditions came to be, or why something is done the way it is.

Monday’s initial installment comes after a member of the team saw a huge truck dropping lines into the sewers. What were they doing? Journalist Bailey Cichon found out, spending several hours with the Cedar Rapids Sewer Maintenance team as they sent the camera and inspected and cleaned the city’s sewer lines. We’re appreciative of the team letting us tag along and ask so many questions, and explain what they’re doing and what they see when the work underground.

A version of the story will appear in print, and many of them will have corresponding video pieces. You’ll want to check out both. While we try to answer as much as we can in print, the video gives you a first-hand look underground and allows you to see some of the tools the team uses to do their job. I strongly recommend taking time to find the video on the website.

For some of you, this may feel like a bit of a familiar concept. Television Host Mike Rowe turned job shadows into 10 seasons of entertaining interviews as he tried more than 300 unique and obviously dirty jobs on the Discovery Channel’s hit show Dirty Jobs. With a natural curiosity, bit of charm and humor, Rowe asks a lot of questions as he tries to do nearly every job imaginable. We’ll be channeling some of those storytelling techniques as we get this project off the ground. Another show, How It’s Made, serves as another storytelling inspiration too. The Canadian television series has run for 32 seasons detailing how common everyday items are produced.

We’re already working on several other questions – about the city of five seasons, what happens inside the Scottish Rite Temple and what happens with roadkill on the side of the roads.

We’re hopeful this series tackles the serious as well as questions that are, well, just interesting. That’s where you come in. We want your help in determining where Curious Iowa goes. We need you to tell us what you’re curious about – or what you want to know more about. You can pose your questions to us online at thegazette.com/curious. From there, members of the reporting staff will figure out the answers.

This community-driven reporting project should help us form a deeper understanding or appreciation for people, places and the culture that’s part of living or visiting here.

If you submit an idea, don’t be surprised if we reach out to find out a bit more from you. Understanding what – or why — you want to know may help us with the storytelling — or help us make sure we’re asking the right questions. You’ll have to watch the space each week to see where Curious Iowa goes next.

Thanks in advance for those who help share their curiosity and questions with us, and thanks, as always for your subscription and for reading The Gazette.

Zack Kucharski

Executive Editor