Western Iowa Tech Community College officials are pondering an early retirement package for a few employees, including the president.
The WIT Board of Directors in their Monday meeting passed the first reading of the early retirement measure, and they could fully approve it at their next meeting on August 11.
If approved, it would apply to WITCC President Terry Murrell, who has been president for 14 years and worked at the college for nearly two decades.
The voluntary early retirement package would allow six workers who are at least age 57 and with specified tenures to get a special compensation package if they retire. Western IowaTech has a main campus in Sioux City, plus satellites in other towns such as Denison and Cherokee.
*Officials in Woodbury County have outlined millions of dollars of potential legal damages surrounding the new Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center.
The facility opened in fall 2024, after major delays and design flaws.
Woodbury County and the authority that oversees the construction project sent a demand letter earlier this month to the companies that helped build the facility. It claims the companies cost the project an extra $7 million.
The county released the letter Monday, after the Sioux City Journal filed a Freedom of Information Act request. The letter cites the actions by three firms, with Hausmann Construction, Goldberg Group Architects, and the Introba Group, concerning their roles with design and construction errors and delays.
Officials say they still hope to resolve the issue through mediation, rather than filing a lawsuit,with expensive legal fees.
*Additionally, the South Dakota Legislative Rules Review Committee has approved a cut to a significant portion of funding for needy families, reducing $5.3 million.
The proposed cuts to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF program, faced questions, but ultimately made it through the committee Tuesday.
S.D. Department of Social Services Secretary Matt Althoff said it’s a measured way to cut benefit programs for South Dakota families.
This comes as Feeding South Dakota, the largest food bank in the state, faces a $2.5 million funding shortfall, due to White House-led funding cuts.
*In other news, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed another case of measles in an adult residing in Eastern Iowa.
The individual is fully immunized, has not traveled outside the state, and has no connection to prior measles cases.
This brings Iowa’s total to seven confirmed cases of measles in 2025.
This year, South Dakota has confirmed twelve cases. Nebraska has confirmed 1case.
As of July 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,288 confirmed measles cases in the U.S., more than 300% increase over last year. 92% of those individuals are unvaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown.
*In the other news, in their Monday meeting, the Sioux City Council approved a first amendment to a lease agreement between the City of Sioux City and Sioux City Explorers Baseball club that allows shared parking with Siouxland Developers.
The shared parking agreement will last for 15 years and shall not exceed the lease agreement time which is May 1, 2033.
This change is in connection with a new $5 million multi-sport complex and supports its development next to the Lewis and Clark Park.
