1206 090321 The surge in coronavirus cases in Iowa and an increasing number of critically ill patients has raised concerns about having enough beds, and health care providers. While Iowa’s hospitals are not as full as they were this past fall, the latest spike has officials worried. On Wednesday, UIHC reported 41 COVID-19 admissions, including 36 adult patients and five pediatric patients. The need for intensive-care beds across the state will continue to grow, peaking at nearly 400 beds in

State officials say they’ll start updating Iowa’s coronavirus data website three times a week, instead of once a week. The Iowa Department of Public Health changed from daily to weekly reporting in early July, and officials say the move followed other states in the region and the CDC’s data reporting at the time. Director Kelly Garcia says the situation has “evolved,” and she’s hearing that Iowans want to know more. “We know that as the virus evolves, as we see states struggling with high case

This week on The Exchange, we focus on issues that affect Native Americans in Siouxland. Native Americans have been part of the culture of the Siouxland for thousands of years. Yet, through the years of disappointments and broken treaties with various state and local governments, indigenous peoples have often been marginalized and left at a disadvantage. Today on the Exchange we will talk with three native American leaders about Sioux City’s policies on homelessness and housing, the use of

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts today said the state is working to manage hospital staffing issues, including again setting up a transfer center so that patients could be moved based on hospital availability, according to WOW TV. Last week, the governor declared a staffing emergency for Nebraska hospitals. Nebraska officials said the state was partnering with Nomi Health to help patients in need of a transfer to a hospital in the state. That service is expected to be operational on Saturday.

304 090121 The Iowa Department of Public Health today announced new COVID-19 Data for the past week. IDPH reported 8,907 additional positive COVID-19 tests, for a total of 441,889 positive tests since the start of the pandemic. The health department reported 39 additional COVID-19 deaths, totaling 6,307 since the pandemic began. The state’s 14-day positivity rate is up from 8.2% to 8.6% in the last 7 days, and the 7-day rate is up from 8.3% to 8.6%. There are COVID-19 outbreaks in 16 of Iowa’s

This summer, the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska held an outreach event for young people on the reservation. Part of this exploration included art. Siouxland Public Media’s Sheila Brummer paints the picture of this creative cultural history lesson. “Can I start?” “Sure!” More than a dozen youngsters with brushes in hand help bring a mural to life, including 15-year-old Traylin Sheridan of Rosalie, Nebraska. She and others work to cover a wall once gilded with graffiti. “Looks like we are painting a

A petition drive condemning Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and lawmakers for passing a law banning mask mandates is gaining traction. Siouxland Public Media talked to the organizer, who says the safety of students and families is at risk. “It started out with us just wanting to make a statement.” Cassie Thompson, a pre-med student at the University of South Dakota launched the petition on change.org as a member of the Siouxland COVID Safety Alliance. “A lot of people are concerned.” The grassroots

The number of COVID-19 cases in Nebraska has increased in each of the past ten weeks, and the total nearly doubled over the past two weeks as the highly contagious delta variant of the virus continues to spread. Nebraska reported around 5,000 new cases last week to the CDC. That’s up from the previous week and nearly double the cases recorded the week before. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska has risen over the past two weeks from 190 new cases per day on Aug. 15 to

The Education Department says it’s investigating five Republican-led states that have banned mask requirements in schools, saying the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions. The department’s office for civil rights sent letters to education chiefs in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. Those states have barred schools from requiring masks among students and staff, a move that the department says could prevent some students

The early 19 th century camp site of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was artfully recreated last weekend as part of the annual Sergeant Floyd Memorial Encampment outside of the Sergeant Floyd River Museum. Floyd died in what is now Sioux City; the only man to die on the trip. Siouxland Public Media’s Mary Hartnett visited the site of the recreated camp and spoke with the Corps of Discovery’s blacksmith. As the wind blows and the interstate traffic whizzes by, re-enactors demonstrated some old