SPM News

A dozen more people in the state of Iowa have died of complications of COVID-19, including two more deaths in Plymouth County. The statewide death toll is now 950. During a 24-hour period that ended at 10 this morning, there were more than 450 new cases of the novel coronavirus in Iowa. Siouxland District Health reported five new additional cases in Woodbury County. Health officials in Dakota County are tracking two more cases of COVID-19. Meanwhile, football practice is on hold in South Sioux

Air service from Sioux City to Denver will take flight again starting in October. During a news conference Tuesday afternoon Mayor Bob Scott announced the addition of United Express flights operated by Skywest Airlines. The first flight from the Sioux Gateway Airport is scheduled to take off on October 14 th . The daily flight will be onboard 50-passenger CRJ200 jet aircraft. From Denver, United Airlines provides 460 daily flights to more than 170 destinations. The last time Sioux City had a

Fireworks 1 081020 After a large increase in complaints on and around the Fourth of July, the Sioux City Council today discussed a new ban on fireworks, but took no action. Fireworks complaints increased 80 percent for the month of June compared to a year ago. Currently, fireworks may only be legally discharged within city limits between the hours of 1 and 11 p.m. on July 3 and 4, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. But residents say they have heard fireworks going off in their neighborhoods

A line of thunderstorms Monday morning sent high winds, along with some rain and hail, over eastern Nebraska and into Iowa, knocking down tree limbs and causing power outages. High winds did blow down a few light poles on the campus of Western Iowa Tech Community College. The storms raced over parts of eastern Nebraska before 9 a.m. Monday, bring wind gusts of up to 70 mph. Omaha Public Power District reported more than 55,500 customers without power in Omaha and surrounding communities. By 10 a

An open letter today to Iowans from Governor Kim Reynolds says “now isn’t the time to let our guard down”. She released a video statement this afternoon, reflecting on the five months since the first positive cases of COVID-19 cases in Iowa. "COVID-19 has tested each of us, and it will continue to. But we can’t let it deter or divide us. When emotions are high and opinions are strong, it’s important to take a step back and realize that we’re all working toward the same goal. And even though we

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds provided a few more details on Thursday about requirements for school districts for in-person learning this fall. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is requiring schools to hold at least half of their core lessons in person. Reynolds held a news conference this morning in Des Moines where she was joined by a superintendent of a small district in southeast Iowa. Reporters who attended questioned Reynolds about issues facing larger districts in the state. She says talks have

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed an executive order this morning restoring voting rights to felons. “This is a cause so many Iowans worked on for years. It boils down to our fundamental right for redemption and second changes.” Iowa was the only state banning felons from voting, unless they appealed directly to the governor. The order applies to people who have completed their sentence, including probation and parole. It excludes people who convicted of murder or manslaughter, but they can

This week on The Exchange, we talk with Republican Senator Joni Ernst and her opponent Theresa Greenflield. Both candidates have been raising record levels of campaign funds, and recent polls show Ernst and Greenfield in a very tight race. Also on the program, the Sioux City Council this week approved the purchase of body cameras after years of debate. Supporters say the re-evalution of police tactics and equipment after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May was a motivating factor in

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says if schools ignore her order to provide at least 50 percent in-person learning, they’ll have to make up the time at the end of the year. “Schools that choose not to return to school for at least 50 percent in person instruction are not defying me. They are defying the law.” A law passed late in the legislative session states that schools cannot primarily use virtual learning unless the governor allows it by proclamation. Reynolds says individual families can choose

Health officials have reported nine new positive cases of COVID-19 in Woodbury County. The Siouxland District Health Department said Tuesday the new cases were reported out of 73 new tests. No deaths were reported, a day after two deaths increased the county's death toll to 50. Iowa Department of Public Health data showed that as of this morning, Woodbury County has had 3,653 total cases of COVID-19. The Dakota County Health Department reported three new cases today, increasing the county's