News

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A winter storm dropping several inches of snow and sleet and also bringing in high winds lead to cancellations of classes, activities, and services across Iowa today.  Half of the flights from the Des Moines International Airport, where more than 4 inches of snow fell by midday Friday, were canceled or delayed. More cancellations were likely as the National Weather Service issued winter weather and storm advisories for most of the state. The northwestern corner of Iowa, including Sioux City and Storm Lake, is under a blizzard warning through Saturday. 

Authorities in Iowa had to round up more than 1,700 piglets after a semi-trailer overturned on a freeway just north of Des Moines. The crash happened Thursday afternoon when the truck and trailer overturned on a ramp to Interstate 35. Iowa State Patrol troopers had to close the ramp at times as crews worked to capture and unload hundreds of pigs. The Iowa Department of Public Safety said in a tweet, “authorities working to corral and transport 1,738 piglets!" 

The Iowa Caucuses are two weeks away and for some the process can be a bit intimidating.  Northwestern College in Orange City is hosting an event for people new to caucuses. 

Siouxland Public Media’s Sheila Brummer talked to one of the organizers, Noah Karmann, who is the co-chairperson of the Northwestern College Democrats.  The 21-year-old political science and history major talks about the partisan nature of politics and how young people are becoming more engaged in the election process.

The Kee Live Music Festival gets underway Friday in Cherokee, the University of Okoboji Winter Games cranks up Thursday, and there are two new exhibits at the Clay County Heritage Center. In the metro area, MLK Day is Monday and the NAACP is putting on a big event at The First Congregational Church. Find out more on our first Cultural Continuum of the year.

This weekend, the Morningside Piano Recital Series features a special trio that will perform together for the first time. Stephanie March (cello) and Yi-Yang Chen (piano) first met as undergraduates at the Eastman School of Music. Later, as a graduate student at Nortwestern University, March met Parker Gaims (clarinetist), where the two performed together as well as studied. Following their academic careers, March maintained a close relationship with both Chen and Gaims as music and careers took them to various parts of the globe.

The U.S. Senate ratified the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement today, cementing a major new trade deal that’s been years in the making.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says this is a vital pact with our neighbors to the north and south and promises a tremendous boost for the Iowa economy. Iowa is the nation’s number-one pork producer, and in 2018, Canada and Mexico bought more than 40-percent of all U.S. pork exports. Iowa is also the country’s number-one egg producer and the USMCA will raise U.S. exports of poultry and eggs to Canada alone by $207 million dollars.

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 A resolution that declares there is no right to an abortion was introduced today by Iowa Republican legislative leaders. It’s a move in the first week of the session guaranteed to prompt heated debate.

The proposed constitutional amendment is a response to a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling striking down a law requiring a 72-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion. In that ruling, the court said the state constitution guarantees women the freedom to make their own health decisions, including whether to have an abortion.

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The Senate has overwhelmingly approved a revised North American trade pact in a rare bipartisan vote today that hands President Trump a victory on a key campaign promise. It has happened just as lawmakers are preparing his impeachment trial.

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, passed by a vote of 89-10. The trade pact, signed by the president in November 2018, received a similar bipartisan vote in the House last month.

The USMCA is meant to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, negotiated in the 1990s.

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Woodbury County residents will head to the polls March 3rd for a bond referendum to build a new law enforcement center and jail.

The board of supervisors has joined the city of Sioux City in signing off on that date. Now the city, the county and a joint jail authority they've created will launch a public information campaign.  Chair Matthew Ung says people can bring their questions or concerns about the new jail to any board meeting and the supervisors will do their best to answer them until the vote on March 3, 2020.

We may have no way to reach the mainlands but your friends at MTDP have one boss turntable. On our first-ever deserted island show, we'll be dancing on sand while listenimg to Prince, Pulp, Blur and, even, The Propellerheads, featuring the incrdible Miss Shirley Bassey!