More than 30 entities in Woodbury County and adjacent counties have received grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 for community projects or festivals.
Officials with the Missouri River Historical Development group announced the awards on Thursday. The grants were for projects in the community improvement, health services, civic, and cultural categories.
The largest grants of $25,000 were directed to seven projects, including the Siouxland Youth Hockey Association, the town of Quimby for playground equipment, Ida County Emergency Management Agency, and Heartland Counseling Services in South Sioux City.
The others getting $25,000 were the Western Iowa EMS System for K9 police dogs, the Westside Little League in Sioux City for field improvements, and also a Correctionville economic corporation that is placing an archeological interpretive center in the Little Sioux River Valley.
Later this summer, Missouri River Historical Development group will give out a second round of grants, including the largest financial grant of up to $1 million, in the Economic Development Match Grant category.
MRHD is the non-profit organization that holds the license for gaming in Woodbury County with Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
*House Republicans have passed their massive bill to enact the heart of President Trump's domestic agenda, overcoming deep divisions inside the party to advance legislation that would cut trillions of dollars in taxes while scaling back safety net programs such as Medicaid and SNAP.
The final vote was 215-214.
Northwest Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra said he waas pleased to vote for the bill, since, “more than 77 million Americans made clear at the polls that they want President Trump’s America First agenda codified into law,” he said.
*If federal funding programs aren’t restored and if Congress approves SNAP cuts, officials with Feeding South Dakota say the effects will be felt in South Dakota.
CEO of Feeding South Dakota Lori Dykstra said that could mean cuts to senior citizen and family hunger programs.
She's describing the predicament her organization is facing following a Trump Administration move to cut funding to the Commodity Credit Corporation. The CCC oversees The Emergency Food Assistance Program, a program Feeding SD uses to get commodity food.
Although Feeding South Dakota isn’t federally funded, Dykstra said about one-third of their food comes from the federal government.
*Additionally, as Congress looks at cuts to renewable energy tax credits, some say the impact in South Dakota could be noticeable.
Republicans are targeting tax credits for renewable energy that were set four year ago in the Inflation Reduction Act Green New Deal policy.
Kory Rawstern works for the South Dakota State Federation of Labor, and said renewable energy tax credits shouldn’t be a “political tool or weapon,” because it’s good for everyone.
Two weeks ago in early May, South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden said past decisions to reject federal funding are helping the state now.
Rhoden said for that reason, the state is benefitting in many areas, despite recent widespread federal cuts from the Trump Administration.
Rhoden said. "We’ve positioned ourselves better in South Dakota because, more than any other state, we turned down some of the federal money that’s now being clawed back by the federal government."
However, South Dakota is still expected to be hurt greatly by federal cuts, largely because 43% of the state’s budget is federally funded.
*Additionally, some residents in Northwest Iowa have bought their own air quality monitors with the help of environmental advocates to track conditions where they live.
The Iowa Environmental Council published a report last year showing that parts of Sioux City have the highest asthma rates in the state.
Organizer Lexi McKee-Hemenway says the group is working with local residents to put up monitors that detect particles in the air called P-M 2.5.
She said the Iowa Department of Natural Resources previously declined the Environmental Council’s request for more state-managed air monitors.
*In other news, Wednesday marked one year since an EF4 tornado tore through the town of Greenfield in southwest Iowa, leaving 35 injured and 5 dead, including a woman in Adams County.
Greenfield Mayor Jimmie Schultz says the anniversary is a symbol of the town’s survival. He said even after a year of rebuilding, the town still has a long road to recovery ahead, which people may not realize.
Schultz says immediately after the tornado, he felt sick seeing all the destruction. But he says people’s dedication to staying in the town has helped him stay positive the past year.
Greenfield resident Andrea McNeese says in the face of tragedy, the community still witnessed the “best of humanity” – from neighbors, first responders, and strangers.
The tornado was part of a severe weather event that caused thunderstorms, damaging winds and flash flooding across the state. The National Weather Service recorded 11 tornadoes that afternoon in Iowa.
