Coming up on The Exchange . . . We hear the latest on COVID-19 in Siouxland, including concerns over the spread of the coronavirus at meatpacking plants. Tyson Fresh Foods and Seaboard Triumph plants have both had hundreds of workers test positive for COVID-19. Sioux City State Senator Jackie Smith asks for an independent task force to oversee testing and mitigation efforts at Tyson foods in Dakota City. Latinx rights leader Joe Enriguez Henry is calling for a meat boycott in May to encourage

Siouxland District Health reports one more death in Woodbury County from COVID-19. He was a man between the ages of 61 and 80 and passed away at home. So, far seven have died in the Sioux City metro area from complications of the virus. Wednesday morning, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported a dozen additions deaths for a total of 219 Iowans. There were 293 new cases for a total of just over 10,400. There were two dozen new cases in Woodbury County. New numbers from Dakota County aren’t

The latest survey of supply managers in a nine-state region of the Midwest and Plains shows many have hope for a rebound yet this year, even as the survey's other indices show the coronavirus pandemic has knocked the economy in Middle America for a loop. The Mid-American Business Conditions index released Friday plummeted from March's 46.7 to 35 in April. It's the lowest reading since February 2009. But the confidence index, which gauges supply managers' economic outlook for the next six months,

Two more people in the Sioux City metro area have died from COVID-19 for a total of six people. One death was reported in Dakota County. The other in Woodbury County was an elderly woman. On Tuesday, Iowa reported the deadliest day since the pandemic started. Nineteen people have been killed due to complications from the virus. There were 63 new cases in Woodbury County and 9 in Dakota County. About 100 people are being treated at Sioux City’s two hospitals. The Sioux City Journal reports four

The Tyson beef plant in Dakota City will not open like expected on Tuesday. A spokesperson sent Siouxland Public Media News a statement this afternoon it says, "The health and safety of our team members is our top priority, and we take this responsibility extremely seriously. We continue to work through processing the large amount of testing data for our 4,300 team members, and therefore have decided to temporarily delay the reopening of our Dakota City facility. We are notifying team members

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is allowing worhip services to resume with social distancing guidelines in effect. A majority of local groups plan to continue doing their services remotely including Christians, Synagogues, Mosques and the Siouxland Oromo Islamic Centre. Jeff Swanson is the pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Sioux City says he first felt joy after hearing about the reopening of churches but, then changed his mind. “Doing some reflection myself it seemed a little bit premature for

The state of Iowa reports a surge of 740 new COVID-19 cases and 8 deaths for a total of 170 deaths and almost 7,900 positive cases in all. The governor says the increase correlates with more testing done in high-exposure areas. The governor admits there is a backlog in getting test results, but the state lab should catch up this weekend so she expects even higher numbers of confirmed cases. The number of positive cases in Woodbury County topped 1,000 on Friday with 183 new cases. About 20% are

For two days in a row, the number of deaths in Iowa due to COVID-19 continues to climb. At a news conference on Thursday morning, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says 14 people have died. It’s the largest amount since the beginning of the pandemic. A day earlier the state reported a dozen deaths. There are 302 new positive cases for a total of more than 7,100. Reynolds says even through parts of the state will open in limited capacity starting tomorrow she say the virus isn’t going anywhere anytime

This week on The Exchange: Siouxland mayors, including Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott, demand more transparency about the source of the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the tri-state area. Governor Kim Reynolds looks forward to opening up 77 Iowa counties this Friday, after many weeks of lockdown because of COVID-19. Iowa's Home Rule Constitutional Amendment could affect local rules about shutdowns during the pandemic, but, so far, the governor has the last word. In response to President Donald

Iowa reported the deadliest day due to COVID-19 with a dozen deaths for a total of almost 150. “We know COVID-19 poses the most risk to people who are older and those with underlying heath conditions. The vast majority of deaths are with that vulnerable population,” said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says she plans to take extra action to deal with a surge of cases in Woodbury County. There are a total of almost 750. That’s more than 10% of cases in the state. Reynolds