The completion date for the much-delayed new Woodbury County jail facility has been moved even further back, with June now set as the date.
The $70 million dollar jail was initially to open in September 2023, but ongoing snafus in construction work keep pushing it back. In recent weeks, the projected opening has bumped from April to mid-May, and now June.
Woodbury County Law Enforcement Authority member Ron Wieck on Monday told Siouxland Public Media that a press conference will be held Tuesday to discuss the latest jail key details.
Some of the reasons for the delays have included needed building elements such as fire dampers being inadvertently left out of plans.
The latest delay is due to unspecified errors by an engineering firm, according to the Sioux City Journal.
Jail Authority member Mark Nelson has said the delays are frustrating, but needed to ensure a top notch new jail gets constructed on the northeast edge of Sioux City.
Additionally, the attempt by the University of Iowa women’s basketball team to win a national college championship is over, but fans say the fun of the extended period of attention on the team’s tourney run will long live on.
The Hawkeyes fell short Sunday in a loss to the University of South Carolina, but national scoring leader Caitlin Clark, Gabby Marshall, and other players made a big connection with fans.
Even with the 87-75 loss, University of Iowa graduate student Lani Brown said it’s a season she won’t forget.
The Hawkeyes made the national tourney championship two years in a row, making for new heights for the program of Head Coach Lisa Bluder.
Also, the rare occurrence of a solar eclipse passing through the United States took place Monday afternoon. Cloudy skies dimmed what Siouxlanders could see, but as the clouds moved some nice glimpses were available.
Sioux City Public Museum officials planned an event for people to take bring lunches, chair or blankets to observe the skies with the use of eclipse glasses. Museum Curator of Education Theresa Weaver said 40 people showed up and liked what they briefly saw amid moving clouds.
Ahead of the total solar eclipse, Wayne State College Planetarium Director Todd Young had been enthusiastic about the potential of the event, so long as the clouds held off.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon is closer to Earth and completely blocks the sun. The solar eclipse path of totality passed through the eastern half of the United States, particularly in Missouri and other states.
The most recent solar eclipse present in Siouxland was in 2017, and the next one visible in parts of the U.S. will be 2044.
