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Authorities in Sioux City keeping a close watch on rising water levels.
The Iowa DOT has closed a portion of Hamilton Boulevard at Interstate 29, and the southbound on-ramp and off-ramp to I 29.
The Sioux City Public Boat Ramp is closed and access to Chris Larson Park from Hamilton Boulevard has been impacted.
Also, there are portions of I- 29 still closed in western Iowa, one mile south of Missouri Valley to the south of Omaha. And from Pacific Junction all the way to the Missouri border. There are several flood warnings in the region.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to increase releases of water Saturday from the Gavin's Point Dam into the Missouri River.
The Iowa Supreme Court has affirmed a state regulator’s 2016 decision to allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to be built diagonally across the state. ‘Court also upheld the use of eminent domain to make way for the pipeline against the objections of landowners.
Landowners and the Sierra Club sued the pipeline and the Iowa Utilities Board because they said the pipeline doesn’t meet the legal standard of “public convenience and necessity” and presents serious environmental risks.
The plaintiffs in the case say it’s bad news for the environment, landowners, and climate. They also say affected farmland hasn’t been returned to full productivity since the pipeline was built.
Crude oil has been flowing through the pipeline since June 2017.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa has filed a lawsuit challenging a new state law that prohibits the use of Medicaid funding for gender reassignment surgery. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill on May 3 that included language amending the state's Civil Rights Act so that government officials are not required to pay for gender reassignment surgery.
