Information from the Iowa Department of Public Health shows a continuing downward trend in new cases and hospitalizations due to COVID-19. There were more than 8,300 new positive test results added in one week, down about 600 from the previous week. The statewide positivity rate is 9.5%, with people 18 and under making up about a quarter of the new cases. However, that age group makes up only 3% of hospitalizations in the state. The positivity rate in Woodbury County is 16%. There are 566

A federal judge Friday extended an order that will prevent state officials from enforcing a law that prohibits school districts from implementing mask requirements until a federal lawsuit challenging the law can be heard. Several parents and advocacy groups had sued to overturn the law, saying students who are at risk because of health conditions were not being protected against COVID-19. Judge Robert Pratt had earlier issued a temporary restraining order preventing Gov. Kim Reynolds and

New COVID-19 infections continued to fall last week in Woodbury County, hitting the lowest level in over a month.

Morningside University received a $2.3 million dollar grant from the United States Department of Education to offer education programs to help Iowa’s growing immigrant population. “What we can do is provide pathways for current teachers to earn and English as a second language endorse that will improve their instruction and help English-language learners.” Dr. Kelly Chaney is the Dean of the Sharon Walker School of Education at Morningside. University officials say Iowa’s Latinx population grew

Iowa Democratic leaders want Republican leaders to promise they won’t draw their own political boundaries. State Senate Republicans rejected the first set of redistricting maps that were drawn by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency. The LSA will have a second set of maps done by October 21 st . That would likely give lawmakers enough time to get to a third set of maps—which they can amend- by the December first deadline. Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls says Democrats are very concerned

On Saturday night the Clay County Heritage is hosting an event called “An Evening with Teddy Roosevelt” at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer, Iowa. Roosevelt reprisor Joe Wiegand bring the 26 th president to life. Wiegand, has given performances across the country and currently lives in Medora, North Dakota where he works for the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation . For more information on Joe Wiegand click here . News release from Clay County Heritage : Clay County Heritage is

News 304 100721 A judge has denied a 17-year-old’s request to be tried as a juvenile in a fatal downtown Sioux City shooting in the spring. The trial is set for November 2 nd . Seventeen-year-old Dwight Evans will be tried as an adult on charges of first-degree murder, going armed with intent and two drug counts, the Sioux City Journal reported . Evans had plead not guilty to the charges earlier this year. District Judge Jeffrey Poulson said in his ruling Tuesday that Evans’ extensive criminal

This week on The Exchange we present with the nine canidates for the Sioux City Community School Board. The election is November 2nd. The candidates are current board president Perla Alarcon-Flory, retired SCCS teachers Jan George and Bob Michaelson, occupational therapist Michael Bushby, Sioux City project manager and estimator for construction companies Chad Krastel, lead pastor of the First Assembly of God Church in Sioux City Joshua Potter, former paralegal Amanda Gibson, who is training to

The Iowa Department of Public Health released new COVID-19 data Wednesday showing an additional 91 deaths due to complications of COVID-19. That brings the statewide total to 6,654 deaths since the start of the pandemic. There were almost 9,200 positive tests in the last seven days, down about 650. The state’s 14-day positivity rate dropped from 9.6% to 9.5% since Monday with about a quarter age 18 and under. The number of Iowans hospitalized with COVID-19 also declined slightly from 629 to 626.

Nine Republican Governors, including Kim Reynolds of Iowa, visited the U.S.-Mexico border today. “Joe Biden has done absolutely nothing to confront this self-inflicted crisis,” Also, in Mission, Texas, Wednesday, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem stayed behind to focus on wildfires hitting the western portion of the state. The group urged the President to take action against illegal immigration. During a news conference today, Reynolds also spoke about concerns