The City Hall and Community Center in Sergeant Bluff are closed this week due to COVID-19. In a statement sent to Siouxland Public Media, the city clerk says an “unusually large number” of staff members were exposed to COVID-19. So, they decided to close City Hall and the Community Center to protect the public. They hope to have all facilities open by the weekend. A petition condemning an Iowa law banning mask mandates in schools is seeing more support. The petition, organized by a leader of the

This week on The Exchange, we talk about the West and its history, and what is going on there today. Now that it is high summer, national parks are crowded with tourists. But those parks have been created in places with deep Native American roots. Today we talk with the creators of a new podcast where Native American voices tell stories of times before the creation of the national parks. Also, how going west became an emancipatory move for many American women. Summer is also a time for outdoor

A teenager has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the shooting death of a woman at a New Year’s Eve party in Sioux City. Eighteen year old Anthony Bauer of Sioux City, was sentenced this morning after he plead guilty in June to second-degree murder, according to television station KTIV. In his plea, Bauer admitted that he and others fired several shots into a home where people were gathered for a New Year’s Eve party, killing 18-year-old Mia Kritis and wounding three others. In exchange

The National Weather Service issued an Air Quality Alert for northwest Iowa through this afternoon. The wildfires near Lake Winnipeg, Canada, drifted southward and will move through Sioux Falls and the Sioux City area. There were six out-of-control fires near Lake Winnipeg in Canada as of noon yesterday, with the biggest measuring more than 300 square miles. Those sensitive to smoke or with existing health conditions could experience health effects due to the smoke. The U.S. Drought Monitor

A Siouxland Sheriff’s office is mourning the death of one of its own. The Burt County Sheriff says Deputy Justin Smith passed away yesterday after a battle with COVID-19. Deputy Smith has been a member of the Burt County Sheriff's Office and since 2008. He also served as the Police Chief of Decatur, Nebraska. The Burt County Board of Supervisors has requested that all flags in the county be lowered to half-staff. COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to climb as state health officials reported this

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory today for the entire state of Iowa, most of South Dakota and a large portion of Nebraska. The heat advisory is in effect until 9 p.m. for Siouxland with a heat index near 110. Governors from all three Siouxland States slam the CDC’s announcement on Tuesday urging both vaccinated and nonvaccinated people to wear masks due to a surge of cases of COVID-19. The CDC also advises children in schools wear masks this fall. South Dakota Governor Kristi

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds called new revised guidance from the CDC surrounding wearing masks “not grounded in reality or common sense.” Reynolds issued a statement shortly after the CDC recommended fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas of the country where the virus is circulating widely. She still encouraged people to get vaccinated, but went on to say she’s concerned the guidance will be used as a vehicle to mandate masks in states and schools, something she does not support.

Leaders of national and Nebraska teachers unions are pushing back on critics of critical race theory and defending curriculum based on it. They accuse opponents of trying to prevent teaching kids the truth about racism in America. The National Education Association adopted a statement of support for CRT at a nationwide virtual gathering of teachers that included more than 80 Nebraska representatives. State Democrats are calling on Governor Kim Reynolds to fill the vacant seats on the Iowa State

304 News 072621 State Democrats are calling on Gov. Kim Reynolds to fill the vacant seats on the Iowa State Board of Public Health. The bipartisan board oversees state health department policy and advises the governor on public health issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic. But it was unable to meet earlier this month as seven of its eleven seats are vacant. The next few weeks could be key in the direction of Iowa’s drought, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The Iowa DNR’s

Iowa Democrat Abby Finkenauer is running for Republican Chuck Grassley’s U.S. Senate seat. The one-term former congresswoman hopes her blue-collar credentials will propel her forward in a state that has grown more conservative over the years. The 32-year-old offers a stark contrast to the 87-year-old Grassley, who was elected to his first Senate term eight years before Finkenauer was born. Despite losing her House seat in 2020 after one term, Finkenauer remains a youthful prospect in the Iowa