*Iowa continues to have the second highest rate of new cancer diagnoses in the country, according to this year’s report by the Iowa Cancer Registry.
The report estimates more than 21,000 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year.
Around 6,300 are estimated to die from the disease. However, researchers say survivorship rates continue to go up, due to increasing treatment options.
Mark Burkard is the director of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa.
Burkard said proposed cuts to federal research funding by the Trump administration, which are temporarily on hold due to a court order, could significantly affect research and survivorship rates.
“If the cancer funding is cut substantially, as has been proposed, then, how are we going to do the research? How are we going to provide the resources?” Burkard said.
Also according to the report, more than 171,000 Iowans are living with or have previously had cancer.
*Additionally, a plan to add modern facilities in the South Sioux City School District could cost up to $127 million.
After weeks of community meetings led by the Cardinal Vision group, the top needs have been pinpointed.
The list includes a new intermediate center for fifth and sixth graders, constructing a new kindergarten through fourth grade building, plus a new pre-K building. The plan also includes some updates to improve accessibility and for better security measures.
The research was undertaken as many buildings are aging and the district’s student enrollment continues to increase.
The South Sioux City School Board on Monday reviewed the plan, and the members in their next meeting on March 11 could set the date for a school bond issue vote later. The Cardinal Vision group recommends such a vote take place by the end of 2025.
*In other news, a nearly century-old Grant Wood painting at the Sioux City Art Center has been sent to Minneapolis for a year-long conservation process.
The mural, titled Corn Room, was originally painted in 1926 and has been part of the center’s collection since 2007.
Christopher Atkins is a curator at the art center.
“We want to make sure that it's looking its best for the next 40 years, the next 50 years, so that future generations of art appreciators can look at it and enjoy it and get a glimpse of what Grant Wood was trying to accomplish with these really beautiful panels,” Atkins said.
The painting will return to the center in 2026, just in time for its 100th birthday.
*Additionally, mechanical issues continue to plague the new Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center in Sioux City.
Officials say during last week’s cold snap, some offices could have functioned as refrigerators, with indoor temperatures falling into the 40s. Space heaters were used indoors.
The Woodbury County officials sent a letter to the builder, architect, and consultant stating they were “bewildered” how a $70 million state-of-the-art facility doesn’t hold heat. They wanted repairs made immediately and say the issues go beyond wasting taxpayer money, as it is now disrupting operations and prosecutions.
The jail opened in late 2024 after many delays. The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors are working with a law firm to determine how to pursue lost revenues that resulted from the delayed opening.
