MidAmerican Energy is donating 35-acres of Woodbury County property to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to be used as a public conservation area.
The parcel is located four miles south of Sioux City near Salix. The area includes a five-acre ponded area and it has been graded to attract wildlife and seeded with a high diversity mix of more than 60 species of native wildflowers and grasses. The goal is to create a pollinator habitat, according to a MidAmerican news release. MidAmerican Donation in Woodbury County
MidAmerican has worked on other conservation efforts in Woodbury County, including raising Brown’s Lake level. The change was made by relocating and increasing pumped water flowing into to the lake and leasing two parcels to the DNR near Brown’s Lake, which the state uses as wildlife management areas.
Two major road construction projects in and near Sioux City are included for the first time in Iowa's five-year transportation improvement plan.
Acquisition of right of way for a new Gordon Drive viaduct will begin in 2027, and construction will begin the following year. The job includes replacement of the city's Bacon Creek drainage conduit beneath a portion of the same area.
Also, the state will work on construction of a new Interstate 29 interchange near Sioux City's Southbridge industrial area. That project is scheduled to begin in 2026.
Sioux City is preparing to host the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa or RAGBRAI in July. There is a meeting for representatives of local businesses to learn about impacts and opportunities involved with RAGBRAI on Friday, June 23. at 8 a.m. at the Seaboard Triumph Foods Expo Center.
Organizers say they want to ensure area businesses are ready for the estimated 25,000+ cyclists and support crews from all over the world. This is RAGBRAI’s 50th anniversary. Sioux City hosted the first RAGBRAI in 1973.
The State Board of Regents have approved an increase in salary or retention bonuses for the three presidents of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa Wednesday. Immediately after that announcement, the board approved a tuition increase for instate students.
The board authorized a $50,000 increase for U-I President Barbara Wilson. The raise moves Wilson’s yearly salary to $700,000.
For ISU president Wendy Wintersteen, there will be a new deferred compensation plan starting July 1st with annual contributions of 415-thousand dollars. Her salary stays at 650-thousand dollars. UNI president Mark Nook also receive a raise of $15,000 which moves Nook’s salary to $372,110 a year.
After raising the compensation packages for the Board and university leaders, the Regents then approved a 3.5% tuition increase for in-state students.
Waukee is one of Iowa's fastest-growing cities, and it ranks as one of the cheapest, safest suburbs in the U.S. A SmartAsset 2023 study on America's safest suburbs shows that the suburbs with the lowest crime rates in the U.S. are predominately Midwestern.
Waukee, Iowa tied for the 16th safest suburb in the U.S., and the eighth most affordable safe suburb. Ames came in at number 60.
