(Des Moines, IA) – For the third time in five years, a Sioux City hospital’s status as a Level III Trauma Center has been placed on probation by state regulators due to an ongoing series of regulatory violations. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports last month, UnityPoint Health’s St. Luke’s Hospital in Sioux City entered into a consent agreement with the Iowa Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Bureau, placing the hospital’s trauma center certification on probation for one year.

The hospital currently is certified as a Level III Trauma Center, which means it can stabilize and care for trauma patients and also has access to general surgery and orthopedic surgery. A downgrade to Level IV status would mean the hospital could provide basic life support and stabilization for trauma patients but would focus on transferring patients to higher-level trauma centers as soon as possible.

UnityPoint issued a written statement about the situation late Thursday, saying the hospital “remains dedicated to providing high quality, compassionate care” and is committed to working with the state on all necessary changes to ensure compliance with its trauma level designation. “This decision does not change the level or quality of care we provide to patients when they come to the emergency department,” the statement said. “Critically ill or injured patients will continue to be stabilized and treated. All other hospital services will continue uninterrupted.”

UnityPoint Health’s St. Luke’s Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa. (Photo via Google Earth)

The agreement requires the hospital to submit a new corrective action plan, along with “letters of commitment from all medical staff active in trauma resuscitation.” In addition, the hospital must now submit quarterly reports, to be approved by UnityPoint’s corporate office for accuracy, that will detail efforts to address systemic problems and care-provider issues, as well as proposed improvements to the care of injured patients.

The consent agreement between the hospital and the bureau states that if the hospital does not have the ability to fully resolve its deficiencies, it can apply for a downgraded Level IV status. If that happens, the hospital must notify ambulance services and the trauma coordinators at other hospitals so patients can be directed elsewhere if need be.

The agreement also stipulates that the department can revoke probation and require the hospital to seek Level IV certification at any time during the 2025-26 probation period.

(Radio Iowa) – Travel on the state’s roadways is up slightly this year. Stuart Anderson of the Iowa Department of Transportation briefed Transportation Commission members on Wednesday. “Year to date, we are up one tenth of a percent over last year,” he said, while the number of fatal traffic accidents has declined compared to this time a year ago.

Through Wednesday, 234 people had been killed in a wreck on an Iowa roadway. “Well below the five year average of 298,” Anderson said. “….It’s about 24% below…We still are on trend to have the lowest fatalities in a hundred years, so very good news from a safety perspective on of the state’s public road system.”

(Image from Iowa DOT’s camera along Interstate 235 in Des Moines)

The state saw 357 traffic deaths in 2024 and 379 in 2023.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s six regional food banks have received enough donations this month to trigger the one million dollars in state funding Governor Reynolds pledged to match that increase in contributions. The state’s largest food bank serves 55 counties and will get about 475-thousand dollars from the state. Food Bank of Iowa spokeswoman Annette Hacker says to put that in perspective, the organization spent well over half a million dollars just this week buying food.

“The Food Bank of Iowa has been responding to record and rising need for three and a half years,” Hacker says. “…The surge we’ve seen of truly historic proportions has only been in the last 14 days. It frankly feels like a lifetime.” Hacker says the managers of some of the food pantries served by the Des Moines-based Food Bank of Iowa estimate the number of people coming through their doors has doubled and in some cases tripled so far this month.

“The surge in need truly is unprecedented and that’s not a word we use lightly. We’ve never seen anything like it,” Hacker says. State officials announced yesterday (Thursday) that by sometime today ALL 130-thousand Iowa households that are signed up for SNAP benefits should have the money delivered to their electronic benefit cards. “We’re very grateful the government’s reopened and we’re thankful that Iowans who rely on SNAP will have those benefits they can use at the grocery store, but the effects of this are going to linger for a while.”

Chris Ackman is a spokesman for the HACAP Food Reservoir in Hiawatha that serves nine eastern Iowa counties. “I’m sure it will be a busy weekend at the grocery stores, but the need for food is still going to be very present,” Ackman says. Ackman says in just the past six weeks, the HACAP Food Bank spent nearly a third of their yearly food purchasing budget. “That just shows you how big of a need there was when the shutdown began, how much we’ve purchased in food to meet the need,” Ackman says, “and then all of this, timing wise, is all right before the Thanksgiving holidays which is usually one of our biggest times for getting even more food out.”

Hacker, the spokeswoman for the state’s largest food bank, says it’s clear challenging times are ahead. “But what we also know is the community has risen to the occasion once again and they’ve helped us to keep up, to try to fill this gap, to try to meet this demand,” Hacker said, “so whatever’s ahead we’ll meet it head on and we’ll meet it together.” Valerie Petersen, associate director of the Food Bank of Siouxland in northwest Iowa, says part of the spike in food demand is coming from older Iowans.

“They’ve planned for retirement,” Petersen said. “They’ve planned for their future, and yet, with the rising cost of things, they’re not able to make ends meet.” When SNAP benefits weren’t delivered earlier this month, the Food Bank of Siouxland in northwest Iowa saw local food pantry visits almost double — but at the same time Petersen says she saw more volunteers come in to help, companies hosted more food drives, and people increased their donations.

“It has been a very good reminder that we take care of each other in our community,” she says, “and hopefully the communities around Iowa are seeing that as well.” The other three food banks that distribute food in Iowa are the River Bend Food Bank in Davenport, Northeast Iowa Food Bank in Waterloo and Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha.

If you want to check if your county is in the swath of 55 counties served by Food Bank of Iowa, see the map at https://foodbankiowa.org/about-us/

(Radio Iowa) – The library board in the northwest Iowa community of Alta is regrouping after 60 percent of voters rejected a one-and-of-a-quarter MILLION dollar ($1.25 million) bond measure to build a new library. Bruce Hinkeldey is chair of the Alta Library Board.

“We put in about two years worth of work trying to find a good location and we had it narrowed down to a new facility in the park area,” Hinkeldey says. “We thought it was a great plan, but, you know, the public voted.” For over 20 years, the public library and the school library in Alta operated in shared space to save money, but a state law passed in 2023 forced school libraries to remove books deemed not age appropriate.

The Alta Public Library is currently operating out of the city’s V-F-W hall, but nearly half of its books and other materials have been put in storage. The bonding plan called for building a new library in the city park, at a cost of 65-cents for every thousand dollars of taxable property valuation.

“If it were one general reason why people voted no, that would be a little bit easier to deal with,” he says. “but we’ve got several reasons.” Hinkeldey says some voters opposed the tax increase, others opposed the location and some voters want an existing building repurposed as the city’s library.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials are confirming full SNAP benefits for the month of November will likely be issued to all eligible Iowa households by tomorrow (Friday) now that the federal government shutdown is over. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

Some SNAP recipients may be able to access that food assistance as soon as today (Thursday), but the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services recommends that SNAP recipients call the number on the back of their E-B-T card to check the balance before trying to buy food. There’s also a link on the agency’s website for recipients to check their accounts.

About 130-thousand households — with 270-thousand Iowans — are receiving SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports deputies arrested 45-year-old Michael Arthur Knight, of Chicago, IL, November 6th. Knight was taken into custody on charges of Possession of Marijuana 1st, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and OWI-1st Offense. He was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and later released on bond.

On November 11th, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 24-year-old Cody Kent Dwight, of Atlantic, for Domestic Abuse Assault – 1st. Kent was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and released on bond.

On November 13th, 40-year-old Jennifer Le-Ann Ponder, of Red Oak, was arrested by Cass County Deputies, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Ponder was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held. And, 31-year-old Nicholas Wayne Renner,  of Atlantic, on the 13th, a warrant for Violation of Probation. Renner was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held.

(Atlantic, IA) – Cass County Auditor Kathy Somers reports the Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold a Special Meeting Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 at 4-p.m. to Order a recount of the Atlantic School District Director At-Large race from the November 4, 2025 City/School Election.

The recount is based on a qualifying request from candidate Justin Williams, who received less than 1% difference of the votes cast than the winner, and in accordance with State Law. The recount takes place beginning at 9-a.m. Monday, Nov. 17th.

The Board will also act Friday on an Order recount of any additional qualifying requests for a recount, which, if received, would also take place at 9-a.m. Monday. Friday’s Special Meeting can be viewed through the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2899195216?pwd=R0hSa2FOOTh0NUdra1ZSdVhVWHpMUT09

(Radio Iowa) – The legislation the president signed last (Wednesday) night to end the federal government shutdown could also spell the end for businesses in Iowa that sell C-B-D and hemp products. The law caps the amount of T-H-C to less than a half milligram per container for hemp products, while current Iowa law allows up to 10 milligrams of T-H-C per container. Ashley Lambson, founder of The Happy Can in Urbandale, says the new restrictions could force her to close.

“It’s going to wipe out everything, ointment, CBD, we offer gummies, we offer chocolates, we offer beverages,” Lambson says, “It would eliminate every one of our SKUs if it went as it is today.” Lambson says the federal law gives sellers of hemp products like her a year before it goes into effect. She says she hopes in that time to work with federal lawmakers to agree on a less restrictive limit.

“You know, the last thing we want to do is see this go away. We’re going to put in the biggest fight we’ve ever had and use every bit of our soul to do it,” she says “We’re going to align with other businesses. There’s over 450 other companies that are being affected by this as well.” Several Iowa companies make cannabis-infused beverages, including Toppling Goliath Brewing Company in Decorah and Des Moines-based Climbing Kites.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa hunters have so far reported harvesting more than 22-thousand deer. Pete Hildreth is the Conservation and Recreation Division Administrator at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  “That’s about three percent higher than the higher season,” Hildreth said, “about three percent higher than the five year average.” Clayton County has seen the most activity, as 799 deer have been harvested in that northeast Iowa county.

At the other end of the scale, hunters in Ida County — in northwest Iowa — have harvested just five deer so far this year. Hunting seasons for youth and disabled deer hunters ended October 5th and the early muzzleloader season ran from October 11th through the 19th. The early season for deer hunters using a bow and arrow ends December 5th. And Hildreth points out the first shotgun season starts soon.

Iowa DNR photo

“Iowa’s most popular deer season is just around the corner, where roughly 100,000 hunters will take to the timber for our long-awaited gun season which is December 6-10,” Hildreth said, “and then of course our second gun season is December 13-21.” Deer are typically on the move during breeding season, which begins in mid-October and runs through mid-January, however state officials say peak activity occurs during the first three weeks of November.

The fall hunting seasons for wild turkey are also underway and as of this (Thursday) morning hunters have reported harvesting 245 turkeys. Find your county’s tally HERE.

ONAWA, Iowa – 2-p.m., Nov. 13, 2025 – if you drive through the Interstate 29 Exit 112 and on the Iowa 175 bridge over I-29 west of Onawa you need to be aware of closures that will affect your trip, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Sioux City construction office.

The Iowa 175 bridge over I-29 was hit earlier today by an oversized, overweight load. The Iowa DOT has the Iowa 175 bridge as well as portions of I-29 in the area closed while we perform an inspection and cleanup work associated with the bridge hit.

Once the inspection and associated work is complete, Iowa 175 over I-29 will be down to a single lane of alternating traffic using a temporary signal. The timing of this is currently unknown.

This structure has been hit before and is posted for low clearance. Repairs have been made previously as well. The structure is anticipated to be replaced in 2026.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.