SPM News

Woodbury County voters may soon have to weigh in on whether a new jail is needed. The Board of Supervisors and other officials will decide soon on the date of a referendum on the $49 million dollar project. The new jail would be built on the north side of Sioux City, on 38 acres owned by the city between 28 and 38 Street. The new jail would hold 440 beds. Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor tells Siouxland Public Media's Mary Hartnett that he would like to put off the public referendum on

State lawmakers are heading back to the Iowa Capitol next week for the 2020 legislative session, scheduled to start Monday, Jan. 13. This session will mark the fourth consecutive year with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the governor’s office Some of the top issues include mental health funding, voting rights for felons, child care, tax policy, Medicaid oversight and medical cannabis. . South Dakota Governor. Kristi Noem says she won't veto legislation

010920 504 Iowa election officials have stopped using a long-flawed database of felons who are ineligible to vote as they rebuild it from scratch. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate's office removed the database, which contained more than 100,000 entries, from the statewide voter registration system last week. Workers are recreating the list by reviewing each entry and adding back those that are verified felony convictions. They hope to complete the review before the November election Nebraska

010920 404 Former Massachusetts Governor and Republican presidential candidate Bill Weld was in Sioux City today touring the Siouxland Community Health Center. Weld told reporters he offers an economic conservative alternative to President Donald Trump. I’d blow away the trillion-dollar deficit, so I’d be much more engaged with the world and with our allies, as people who are force multipliers and could help us to keep the peace and keep free trade an option for everybody. Weld said the

010920 304 Gov. Kristi Noem says she won't veto legislation allowing hemp to be grown in the state. Noem announced that she won't veto a hemp bill provided it contains four “guardrails" she provided to lawmakers. In an interview with KELO, Noem made it clear she wants the crop to be tightly regulated, with government agencies providing licenses and inspections. She also wants legislators to come up with a way to pay for the hemp program. The Legislature convenes next week. A former Sioux City

An investigation is underway after the death of a woman found near Macy on the Omaha Indian Reservation. The community of Macy held a vigil last night near the field were the body of 29-year-old Ashlea Aldrich was found on Tuesday. However, authorities have released very little details about her death. A former village clerk who was praised for her work in helping rebuild her northeast Nebraska community following a deadly tornado in 2014 has been accused of theft. Kimberly Neiman was arrested

An investigation is underway after the death of a woman found near Macy on the Omaha Indian Reservation. The community of Macy held a vigil last night near the field were the body of 29-year-old Ashlea Aldrich was found on Tuesday. However, authorities have released very little details about her death. A former village clerk who was praised for her work in helping rebuild her northeast Nebraska community following a deadly tornado in 2014 has been accused of theft. Kimberly Neiman was arrested

010820 504 Plans to build a 49-million-dollar new jail in Woodbury County could go to a referendum vote as soon as March 3rd. County officials said yesterday that ongoing problems with the current jail are becoming more frequent. Building Services Director Kenny Schmitz told the board of supervisors that one of those problems is a shower in a jail wing that’s been out of service for 6 weeks. He says there’s a leak in the concrete floor for the shower drain, but he can’t find the leak’s source.

010820 404 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesn't expect to eliminate from its reservoir system all the leftover water from last year's near-record runoff that led to massive flooding along the Missouri River. Officials are raising the current releases in expectation of high spring runoff again this year. The Corps told the Omaha World-Herald the system needs to make as much space as possible in light of forecasts for warmer than normal weather and higher than normal runoff. Nebraska lawmakers

This week on The Exchange, as the new looms, we consider our goals and life choices and sometimes ask ourselves if we have sold out on our values. We talk with the author of a new book called "The Ethical Sellout," about the many ways compromise can help us make decisions that accord with our values and the practical needs of our lives. Iowa's first in the nation presidential caucuses are less than a month away, and the candidates continue to campaign across the state. We will hear from the