CONFIRMATION UNDERWAY FOR SEC. OF AGRICULTURE NOMINEE TOM VILSACK
Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack facing questions today by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Vilsack who served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture during the Obama Administration is also the President Biden’s choice for the position.
This morning, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst asked Vilsack his position on biofuels in light of President Biden’s excelleration toward electric vehicles.
Vilsack says there is room for both.
U.S. SENATOR JONI ERNS, IA (R)
Credit U.S. Senate
Ernst says Vilsack will bring a unique perspective since he is from Iowa and she hopes continues to look out for the interest of farmers and ranchers in Iowa.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says the state will get a boost in COVID-19 vaccine starting next week, however demand still far exceeds the current supply.
SPM NEWS 1.25.21 - 4:32PM
A major winter storm is expected to blanket a large section of the middle of the U.S with snow and travel troubles as more than a foot of snow falls in some areas, including western Iowa and southeast Nebraska.
The National Weather Service out of Sioux Falls says most of the heavy snow will stay south of Sioux City.
Two people hold hands while walking south on Madison Street toward 27th Avenue in Bellevue, Neb., during a winter storm warning on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021.
Credit Associated Press
Sioux City is forecasted to get up to 5 inches with up to 12 inches in Monona County.
The number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the way down in Woodbury County. But local officials say people still need to take the novel coronavirus seriously.
Siouxland District Health reported ten new cases on Monday and a 14-day test positivity rate of 13.3%. That’s down more than three percentage points from a week ago. Sioux City’s two hospitals are treating 42 patients, that’s a decrease of about 9% from last Monday and substantially less than the record-high of 108 patients set on December 1st.
Credit Siouxland District Health
There were 200 new cases reported in one week and two deaths for a total of almost 13,000 positive cases and 175 deaths. This means about 13 percent of Woodbury County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 with a fatality rate of about .17 for people who have contracted the virus.
SPM NEWS 1.15.20 - 4:32PM
The Sioux City Community School District’s Weekly COVID-19 report shows only one new positive case among teachers and staff and no students. The district also released information about total cases and quarantines and those numbers show 19 students and 17 teachers and staff were out with the illness. Nine staff members were in quarantine and 245 students. The school district started the first two weeks of 2021 in virtual learning and will go back to five days of face-to-face learning next week.
Credit Sioux City Community Schools
Credit Sioux City Community Schools
The Iowa Department of Public Health reports the deaths of six more Iowans due to COVID-19 complications and more than 1,300 positive cases in 24 hours.