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Rural hospitals built during baby boom now face baby bust
OSKALOOSA, Iowa — Rural regions like the one surrounding this southern Iowa town used to have a lot more babies, and many more places to give birth to them. At least 41 Iowa hospitals have shuttered their labor and delivery units since 2000. Those facilities, representing about a third of all Iowa hospitals, are located mostly in rural areas where birth numbers have plummeted. In some Iowa counties, annual numbers of births have fallen by three-quarters since the height of the baby boom in the 1950s and ’60s, when many rural hospitals were built or expanded, state and federal records show.
Damage assessed after storm complex sweeps parts of the Midwest; Pattern change here brings cooler and comfortable conditions
FEELS COOLER Clouds have arrived Tuesday afternoon, but we remain rain/storm free. The reduction in temperatures &and humidity Tuesday are welcome despite still being warm and sticky. It felt as much as 20° cooler than Monday (2nd image below) when heat index was well over 100°. STORM CLEAN UP UNDERWAY We faired very well despite […]
Upper Mississippi River flooding offers relief after ongoing drought in the south
Upstream flooding along the upper Mississippi may bring downstream benefits and alleviate summer drought, according to meteorologists. A group of mayors and forecasters along the Mississippi River basin held a press conference on Thursday about the benefits and challenges of heavy rainfall in the Midwest in June and July. Representatives of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI) gave an update on how flooding in states like Iowa, Illinois and Missouri will affect downstream communities.
Investigators did not violate rights in college gambling probe, state says in filing
Attorneys for the state have filed to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the investigation that roiled Iowa collegiate athletic programs and resulted in multiple criminal charges. More than 20 people, mostly student athletes at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, were accused last year of underage gambling and identity theft, the latter for allegedly using other peoples' online gambling accounts to place wagers on athletic events. Nineteen pleaded guilty and were fined $645 for underage gambling, while six more had their charges dismissed.
Spencer Community Theatre Benefit Concert Thursday Night July 18th
Spencer, IA (KICD) — Spencer Community Theatre has been a benefactor of public support over the years, and now they’re giving back after the flood. Board Member Connie Goecken says there will be a benefit concert Thursday night July 18th. And SCT will be collecting supplies for daycare...
Dam fails in Illinois after heavy rains and tornadoes sweep the Midwest
CHICAGO — Hundreds of people in a southern Illinois town were ordered to evacuate Tuesday as water rolled over the top of a dam, just one perilous result of severe weather that raged through the Midwest overnight with relentless rain and tornadoes and hit the Chicago area especially hard.
Council Votes to Make Aquatic Center a Priority
Spencer, IA (KICD) — The Spencer City Council – meeting in workshop session Monday night – directed the city’s park department to get the Aquatic Center open as soon as possible – assuming there are no serious problems created when the facility was flooded. Councilman...
Small Debris Fire in Spencer Prompts Community Advisement
Spencer, IA (KICD) — The Spencer fire department was dispatched to a fire in a curbside pile of debris yesterday afternoon. The incident ocurred around 2pm at 1017 West 5th Street. The possibility that it was caused by a cigarette prompted a community advisement from the fire department to use caution when discarding hazardous or flammable items.
Job fair in Des Moines aims to help Smithfield Foods employees impacted by plant closure
DES MOINES, Iowa — Two job fairs aimed at helping people impacted by the Smithfield Foods plant closure are coming up. The company recently announced it's closing its meat processing facility in Altoona, leaving 314 workers out of a job. Iowa Workforce Development will host a career fair at...
FORMER LEMARS SPECIAL OPS AIR FORCE MEMBER WITNESSED TRUMP SHOOTING
A RETIRED U.S. AIR FORCE SPECIAL OPERATIONS MEMBER WHO LIVED IN LE MARS, IOWA WAS A FEW FEET AWAY FROM FOMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WHEN THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF TRUMP TOOK PLACE SATURDAY IN BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA. JIM TRUEMPER WAS SEATED IN THE BLEACHERS JUST BEHIND THE PODIUM WHERE TRUMP SPOKE:
Man Pleads Guilty to Striking Biker With Vehicle in Deadly Hit-And-Run in Cherokee
A man accused of being involved in a fatal hit-and-run incident in Cherokee has pleaded guilty. According to court documents, 30-year-old Casey Herwig has pleaded guilty to one count of Knowingly Leaving The Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death, which is a class D felony. Herwig faces a maximum of ten years in prison, along with a fine between one thousand and ten thousand dollars.
North Iowa Woman Gets Up to 10 Years in Prison Stealing Over $100K from Employer
A north Iowa woman could serve up to a decade in prison for stealing more than $100,000 from her employer. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office arrested 40-year-old Malorie Hallock of Mason City last November after she was accused of embezzling the money while she worked at Studio 65 in Clear Lake, stealing $123,000 in business deposits between January and October of 2023. The criminal complaint says Hallock deposited the money into her own account.
Area business still in this year’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin competition
The Iowa Pork Producers Association recently stopped by the Stumble Inn in Bradford and notified the business that they are in the Top 40 for the Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin for this year’s competition. The Stumble Inn finished 2nd place in 2019 for this competition. The winner of this...
Sioux Center driver's license spot closing
ORANGE CITY—The driver’s license station at the Centre Mall in Sioux Center will close this week, according to Sioux County treasurer Dan Zomermaand. He updated the county board of supervisors during its Tuesday, July 9 meeting about the planned move to the new treasurer’s building at 211 Central Ave. S. in Orange City across from the county courthouse.
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