A prominent downtown Sioux City corner that is now empty could become a new building with apartments.
The Sioux City Council in their Monday meeting began the process to accept proposals to redevelop the corner of 625 Douglas Street, which lies just to the west of the Woodbury County Courthouse and south from the restored Benson Building.
City staff members are working to finalize a development agreement with Tri-State Real Estate Development to purchase the spot that formerly held KCAU television and later was to house Lamb Theatre.
However, that property fell into disrepair. It was demolished earlier this year and bought by the city with the goal to redevelop the Douglas Street property. Tri-State could get tax credits in carrying out the project, if approved.
The plans now include spots for businesses on the ground floor and apartments on two upper floors.
The Benson Building had a similar makeover, as it now houses luxury apartments and commercial spaces, also done by Tri-State Real Estate.
*Additionally, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has signed two bills into law that make changes to election recounts and the process for checking the citizenship status of voters.
One bill puts county auditors in charge of the election recount process, with oversight by the secretary of state. Previously, candidates chose the members of the three-person recount board that conducted the recount of their race.
The new law would only allow recounts when the election results are very close.
The second bill requires election officials to use certain data sources to check the citizenship status of registered voters. The bill also makes it harder to qualify as a major political party.
Secretary of State Paul Pate says the new laws will strengthen and maintain Iowa’s election integrity. They take effect July first.
*In other news, all three Siouxland states have now had confirmed cases of measles over the last two weeks, as the first case was confirmed in South Dakota on Monday.
In late May, the first measles cases in Iowa and Nebraska were reported three days apart. The South Dakota case was confirmed in a Meade County adult, who had recently traveled internationally.
“Measles is a highly contagious viral disease and spreads through the air from an infected person,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Joshua Clayton. “Individuals who lack immunity from vaccination or past infection are at high risk of measles infection if they have contact with an infected person.”
*The Nebraska Legislature wrapped up its 2025 regular session Monday, with praise for what it accomplished, mixed with caution about what comes next year.
Governor Jim Pillen praised the state senators for passing a balanced budget in the face of what was at one time a projected shortfall of over $400 million.
Nebraska is projected to finish the two-year budget cycle that begins July 1 about $4 million above its legally required 3 percent budget reserve.
But Congress is working on proposals, including cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits, that could add hundreds of millions in costs to the state, and require the Legislature to make further adjustments to balance the budget.
Pillen mentioned legislation including banning the use of cellphones in schools, improving pay for teachers by reducing their required retirement deductions, and requiring people representing the Chinese government to register.
“Together, we worked through and passed a balanced, historically conservative budget package that said ‘no’ when we needed to, that put idle pillow case money to work, invested in education and property tax relief and the safety of our state,” he said.
Senator Danielle Conrad, a Democrat in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, said the budget hole was filled by steps that will hurt low-income working families. She said families will pay more for everything from disposing of garbage to visiting state parks and going to college as a result of future increases in fees and tuition.
Pillen said even more budget restraint is needed, to make room to lower property taxes.
The South Dakota Legislature session ended in March and Iowa lawmakers wrapped their work in mid-May.
*Monday the Sioux City Council approved $203,496 for restoration of the Riverside pool slide and $25,000 to develop and launch a Homeless Court Program.
The Homeless Court Program is a grant funded initiative between the City and the Iowa Finance Authority.
The program would help people experiencing homelessness with legal issues that prevent them from obtaining housing and employment.
Restoration of the Riverside slide will begin after the summer swimming season and will be completed by October.
The slide is the original slide from Riverside’s opening in 1993, and it is the only large slide in the city .
