Iowa public health officials posted an additional 62 deaths Wednesday as the state death total reached almost 4,400. That number includes two more deaths in Woodbury County. Iowa had the 17th highest per capita death count in the nation and the second highest 7-day average positivity at 33% behind Idaho. That’s according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The positivity rate had dropped over the past two weeks. That’s true for Woodbury County, with a current rate 14-day positivity rate

Nebraska teachers and meatpacking workers worry it will take longer for essential workers like them to get the coronavirus vaccine now that the next group of people to be vaccinated has been expanded to include everyone 65 and older. An education association leader says teachers are disappointed to hear they won’t get their shots until March at the earliest. The Dakota County Health Department will be running an COVID Vaccine Immunization Drive through tomorrow from 9am to 2pm by appointment

Today, we remember and honor the birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. His legacy lives on with an annual concert tonight in Sioux City. The head of the local NAACP, Ike Rayford, will be taking part, and Siouxland Public Media had a chance to talk to him today about Dr. King’s legacy and how his words still ring true today. The First Congregational and Mayflower Congregational churches in Sioux City are co-hosting the event that will be streamed online starting at 7. Click

The number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the way down in Woodbury County. But local officials say people still need to take the novel coronavirus seriously. Siouxland District Health reported ten new cases on Monday and a 14-day test positivity rate of 13.3%. That’s down more than three percentage points from a week ago. Sioux City’s two hospitals are treating 42 patients, that’s a decrease of about 9% from last Monday and substantially less than the record-high of 108 patients

A blizzard warning continues through six o’clock tonight for a majority of the Siouxland area. Snow is still falling in some spots with brutal winds. Travel is not advised in southwest Iowa according to the Iowa 511 website. The National Weather Service out of Sioux Falls says "If you must travel today, be prepared for poor visibility and slick roads. Check the road and weather conditions before you go". From the Woodbury County Engineering Department: Due to high winds, heavy drifting, and

Siouxland is gearing up for the second Blizzard Warning in three weeks. The warning starts tonight at 6 and extends until 6 p.m. tomorrow. The forecast calls for 3 to 8 inches by tomorrow afternoon, with wind gusts as high as 60 miles per hour. On social media, the National Weather Service says the severity of the storm will depend on how much snow falls. If we see more than an inch on the group with additional blowing snow, conditions will be more significant, especially for portions of Iowa

Nebraska plans to expand the next phase of its coronavirus vaccine campaign to include everyone 65 and older. Previously, the state had planned to vaccinate people 75 and older during the next phase, but the federal guidance on who should be vaccinated next changed this week. That phase also includes essential workers who cannot work from home. In most parts of Nebraska, the next phase of vaccinations is expected to begin in early February. Infectious disease expert Dr. Mark Rupp cautioned that

Gov. Kim Reynolds is taking her annual Condition of the State address from day time to supper time. She will break with tradition, by addressing a joint convention of the 89th Iowa General Assembly at the Iowa Capitol beginning at 6 p.m. tonight, rather than the typical 10 a.m. Siouxland Public Media will broadcast the speech live and a live stream of the speech will be available at kwit.org. Also, you can hear live reactions to the speech live on Siouxland Public Media as soon as Governor

011121a 3:04 News State lawmakers returned to the Iowa Capitol today. Education, taxation, safety are the top priorities for 2021 Iowa legislature. And today they were Joined inside by hundreds of anti-mask protestors. Hundreds of people --- few, if any, of them wearing face coverings --- packed into the Iowa Capitol rotunda today and then into the Senate and House chamber galleries. The were protesting mask-wearing and other public health measures designed to slow the spread of the new

State lawmakers returned to the Iowa Capitol today. Education, taxation, safety are the top priorities for 2021 Iowa legislature. And they were joined inside by more than 200 anti-mask protestors. Few of the protesters wore face coverings as packed into the Iowa Capitol rotunda today and then into the Senate and House chamber galleries. They were protesting mask-wearing and other public health measures designed to slow the spread of the new coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa’s current