As the Sioux City School Board members work to hire a new district superintendent, two constituents say there is belief in the community that there is not a legitimate look underway at candidates, as the associate superintendent will likely be elevated.
Sioux City resident Kristie VerMulm McManamy spoke up in the public comment portion of the Monday school board meeting. VerMulm said there is a strong impression that Associate Superintendent Angela Bemus will be selected as superintendent.
In making her comments, McManamy also said Sioux City School Board member Dan Greenwell should resign, because he may retaliate against those who have different opinions on who should become superintendent, KTIV News first reported.
Several people have shared clips this week on social media of the McManamy and Greenwell exchange. Greenwell responded that he received the most votes of any board candidate in November 2023, so he will not resign.
Sioux City School Board President Jan George said the board members are keeping an open mind towards all possible candidates.
Superintendent Rod Earleywine will retire at the end of the school year in June 2025. Board members have hired a recruiting firm to undertake a wide search for a new superintendent, and some community meetings to inform that search were held at the city high schools in October.
*In other news, Iowa regulators must now consider public health effects when issuing permits to pull large amounts of water from the ground.
The administrative law decision is the most recent development in the fight to protect Northeast Iowa’s so-called Driftless Area from large cattle feeding operations.
The suit challenged how those feeding operations are disposing of their manure, claiming pollution from manure runoff violates the DNR’s “beneficial use” policy for water use permits.
Steve Veysey is one of the plaintiffs. He says the court’s decision will hopefully push the D-N-R to look at beneficial use for those without water permits.
“The groundwater in Iowa is a public resource. It belongs to you, to me, to everyone. The water used has to be beneficial to the general public as well, and in the public’s interest, and not detrimental to the public’s health,” Veysey said.
It could also affect other underground operations such as the Summit Carbon pipeline. The DNR has previously said permit laws aren’t the proper way to enforce water quality issues.
Relatedly, state regulators in North Dakota will decide Friday whether to issue one of the permits Summit Carbon Solutions needs to build its multi-state pipeline.
Iowa’s state regulators granted Summit a permit and the use of eminent domain this summer. But construction here cannot begin until both South Dakota and North Dakota give the greenlight.
In South Dakota, Summit says it plans to reapply for a permit later this month.
*Additionally, Democrat Christina Bohannan has requested a recount in her 1st Congressional District race against Republican incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
Miller-Meeks leads Bohannan by just 802 votes in the Southeast Iowa congressional district. The Associated Press has not yet called a victor in the contest.
Bohannan’s campaign is requesting a recount in all 20 counties. Her campaign says it will accept the results regardless of the outcome.
Miller-Meeks declared victory on election night during her watch party. But said she expected a recount due to the close results.
Miller-Meeks is running for her third term in Congress and was first elected in 2020 by just six votes, and there was a recount for that one. This year’s race was a rematch of the 2022 election when Bohannan lost to Miller-Meeks by 20,000 votes.
*Following the 2024 election, more women have been elected to the South Dakota Legislature than ever before. For the coming legislative term, 37 percent of the seats in the statehouse will be filled by women.
That number is still well below the true population ratio of roughly 50/50 men and women, and an amendment to change gendered constitutional language failed in front of voters this election. Despite this, the number of female legislators marks a milestone in South Dakota.
The freshman lawmakers include Rapid City Democratic Representative-elect Nicole Uhre-Balk. With her election, it’s the first time Rapid City has sent a Democrat to Pierre in years.
The legislative session in South Dakota kicks off on January 14, when Republican Governor Kristi Noem delivers her Condition of the State speech.
