SPM News

On Wednesday, February 26, Siouxland Public Media hosted a live edition of the Exchange at the Sioux City Public Library. The topic was the Woodbury County jail bond referendum, set for Tuesday, March 3. County residents will decide whether to a 50.3 million dollar bond to pay for a new jail. County leaders and those who work in the jail say it is too crowded and has numerous plumbing, heating and cooling problems. It was built to hold 80 inmates and now it has 230 inmates. We talk about the

022620 504 Woodbury County residents will decide next Tuesday on a 50.3 million dollar bond to pay for a new jail. County leaders and those who work in the existing downtown jail say it is too crowded and has numerous plumbing, heating and cooling problems. At a Siouxland Public Media held a public forum on the referendum today at the Sioux City Public Library, Woodbury County Supervisor Keith Radig was asked about the functions of the new law enforcement facility. “There’s a lot of naysayers

022620 404 Woodbury County residents go to the polls next Tuesday to decide on the future of a proposed 50.3 million dollar bond to pay for a new jail. Woodbury County officials and jail employees say the current jail located downtown across from the courthouse is ridden with heating, cooling and plumbing problems that would cost more than 22 million dollars to fix. Siouxland Public Media held a public forum on the referendum today at the Sioux City Public Library. Woodbury County Supervisor

022620 304 Next Tuesday, Woodbury County residents will decide whether to a 50.3 million dollar bond to pay for a new jail. County leaders and those who work in the jail say it is too crowded and has numerous plumbing, heating and cooling problems. Siouxland Public Media held a public forum on the referendum today at the Sioux City Public Library. Longtime Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew attended the forum. Asked about the need for the new jail, Drew said the jail was built for 80 prisoners

022520 504 Iowa’s senior senator took part in what he says was a “top secret” briefing in a congressional chamber this morning to discuss the impact of the coronavirus, according to Radio Iowa. In a conference call with Iowa reporters, Senator Chuck Grassley didn’t want to reveal many details of the briefing but did say he met with officials from several federal agencies involved with public health. Some Iowa businesses that rely on China for the bulk of their products report they’re being hurt

022520 404 The future home of Lamb Arts Regional Theatre is now a local landmark. The Sioux City Council approved the designation. Lamb is working to raise more than $11 million to restore the old city auditorium across from the Woodbury County Courthouse. The designation, approved yesterday, now allows the building to be eligible for historic preservation tax credits from the state. The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors meeting has been canceled for today. That’s because there aren’t enough

The amount of water being released into the Missouri River from Gavins Point Dam will be increased again to free up more space in the reservoirs upstream before spring. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday that the amount of water flowing out of Gavins Point on the Nebraska-South Dakota border will be increased later this week. The current releases from Gavins Point dam are more than double what is typical for this time of year. The Corps is working to clear out as much space as

The future home of Lamb Arts Regional Theatre is now a local landmark. The Sioux City Council approved the designation. Lamb is working to raise more than $11 million to restore the old city auditorium across from the Woodbury County Courthouse. The designation, approved yesterday, now allows the building to be eligible for historic preservation tax credits from the state. The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors meeting has been canceled for today. That’s because there aren’t enough supervisors

Next month, people all across the country will start receiving mail from the U.S. Census Bureau. The correspondence will tell you how to respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone or by mail. “The population number that we get from this year’s Census helps determine how many representatives have on the state and Federal level and it also sets our district boundaries." That’s Erin Berzina with the Sioux City Complete Count Committee. She led a forum with the League of Women Voters at the Public

The Iowa Supreme Court has selected Susan Christensen as its new chief justice. Christensen is from Harlan and was appointed to the court by Republican Governor Kim Reynolds in 2018. The state’s highest court had to pick a new leader after former chief justice Mark Cady died unexpectedly in November. Justice David Wiggins has served as acting chief since then, but Wiggins plans to retire in March. In a statement, Christensen says she will continue her work on child welfare and juvenile justice