Sioux County Edition ·
A $2.5M listing + Wolfpack make history
Sioux County Edition · Fri Nov 6, 2026 · No. 9
About a 10-minute read · covering Orange City, Sioux Center, Rock Valley, Hull, Alton, Granville, Hospers and every gravel road between.
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Coffee & County
Five minutes on what's happening from Orange City to Rock Valley.
Good morning, Sioux County.
Happy Friday. Western Christian brought home another state volleyball title yesterday, and it's a big one. The election results are just about final, and there's a full weekend of playoff games and college sports close to home.
● Western Christian won its 20th state title, tying Iowa's all-time record.
● Who bought what: this week's home and land sales.
● Sioux Center schools saw enrollment drop for a second straight year.
● West Sioux plays for a trip to the UNI-Dome tonight.
OUT THE WINDOW
FRI 🌤️ 45° / 32°Clearing | SAT ☀️ 54° / 36°Sunny later | SUN ☀️ 60° / 41°Sunny |
A cloudy, foggy start gives way to sun this afternoon. Then a warm stretch: near 60 Sunday and 62 Monday, with sun most of next week.
Forecast for Sioux County from the National Weather Service →
TONIGHT · FRIDAY
Two big games tonight
● 7 p.m.: West Sioux hosts St. Albert in the Class A football quarterfinals in Hawarden. The winner goes to the UNI-Dome.
● 6 p.m.: Dordt hosts Northwestern in the GPAC men's soccer semifinals in Sioux Center.
TOP STORY
Western Christian ties the state record with title No. 20
Western Christian swept Cherokee 25–20, 25–12, 26–24 Thursday in Coralville to win the Class 3A state volleyball title. Morgan Kooiman ended it with a kill in the third set.
It's the Wolfpack's 20th state volleyball title, which ties the all-time record in Iowa. They beat Humboldt in four sets in Wednesday's semifinal to get there.
MOC-Floyd Valley's season ended in the other semifinal, a 25–19, 25–18, 25–16 loss to Cherokee. Boyden-Hull and Sioux Center also made the state tournament. That's four county teams at state this year.
Read the full story at KIWA Radio →
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Put your business at the top of Sioux County's morning email. Hit reply to sponsor.
WHO BOUGHT WHAT
This week's sales, by the numbers
Qualified sales dated Oct. 24 through Nov. 2, the latest the Sioux County Assessor has posted. Homes in town are listed by block.
| HOMES | |
| Plato Township, 2700 block of 360th St. Built 1900 · 1,820 sq. ft. on 10.2 acres | $575,000 |
| Maurice, 300 block of 6th St. Built 1895 · 1,602 sq. ft. on about 5 acres | $300,000 |
| Sioux Center, 300 block of 2nd Ave. NE Built 1910 · 780 sq. ft. | $229,900 |
| Sioux Center, 400 block of 3rd Ave. SE Built 1973 · 1,008 sq. ft. | $200,000 |
| Floyd Township, 4100 block of 400th St. Built 1900 · 1,177 sq. ft. | $60,000 |
| LAND AND BUSINESS | |
| Hawarden, 10th St. 2.6 acres, classed as ag land | $160,000 |
| West Branch Township, U.S. 75 Ave. Commercial building · built 1973 · 5,616 sq. ft. | $165,000 |
The Plato Township acreage sold for about 2.5 times its $232,850 assessed value.
On the market
4187 Jackson Ave., rural Orange City · $2,550,000 · 4 bed, 7 bath, 5,130 sq. ft. on 4.6 acres, built 2023 · Century 21 Signature RE.
3561 440th St., rural Orange City · $895,000 · new 3 bed, 2.5 bath ranch, 2,508 sq. ft. on 1.5 acres, built 2025 · Realty Associates.
1615 Valley View Pl., Rock Valley · $529,000 · 5 bed, 3 bath ranch, 1,929 sq. ft., built 2008 · Zomer Company.
984 15th Cir. NE, Sioux Center · $380,000 · new 3 bed, 2 bath ranch, 1,253 sq. ft. · Team Realty Services.
605 Amsterdam Dr. SE, Orange City · $360,000 · 4 bed, 2 bath ranch, 2,508 sq. ft., built 1980 · Realty Associates.
Sponsor Who bought what. Real estate agent, home builder or mortgage lender? Put your name on this section. Hit reply.
THE COFFEE BREAK CROSSWORD
Puzzle No. 3 is ready
22 readers solved Wednesday's crossword. Here's today's. A hint to get you started:
5 Across: Coffee add-in
AROUND THE COUNTY
Iowa: The statewide races are settled
Unofficial results show Republicans Mike Naig (agriculture), Roby Smith (treasurer) and Paul Pate (secretary of state) won re-election, while Democrats Nate Willems (attorney general) and Taylor Wettach (auditor) beat Republicans. Chris Cournoyer conceded the auditor race Wednesday. Amendment 1, which requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to raise income taxes, passed with 56%. County supervisors certify results by Tuesday.
Read the full story at KIWA Radio →
Sioux Center: Enrollment drops a second straight year
The Sioux Center School District counted 1,726 students this fall, 16 fewer than last year, after a 25-student drop the year before. It's the first back-to-back decline in Superintendent Gary McEldowney's 20 years there. He pointed first to fewer students arriving through immigration, plus home schooling and families skipping preschool. He said only eight students left through Education Savings Accounts. Open enrollment is a bright spot: 143 students in, 13 out.
Read the full story at Sioux Center News →
Sioux Center: New sewer lines are paying off
The city replaced about two miles of sewer main under Highway 75 during the reconstruction, some of it more than 100 years old and more than 30 feet down. Rainwater and groundwater leaking into the lines along the highway is down 95%, said Wastewater Department head Zeke Ellis. That frees up capacity and cuts treatment costs.
Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →
Iowa: Corn harvest jumps ahead
Iowa's corn harvest went from 47% to 66% done in a week, still 13 points behind the five-year average. Soybeans hit 90%, back on the normal pace. Ag Secretary Mike Naig reminded farmers to wait for 4-inch soil temperatures of “50 degrees and falling” before applying anhydrous.
Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →
FROM THE BLEACHERS
A weekend full of playoffs
| DAY | STATE VOLLEYBALL, 3A | SCORE |
| Thu. | #1 Western Christian def. #6 Cherokee, final | 3–0 |
| Wed. | #1 Western Christian def. #5 Humboldt, semifinal | 3–1 |
| Wed. | #6 Cherokee def. #2 MOC-Floyd Valley, semifinal | 3–0 |
State tournament results from the IGHSAU →
This weekend
● Football, Friday 7 p.m.: St. Albert at West Sioux, Class A quarterfinal.
● GPAC men’s soccer semifinal, Friday 6 p.m.: Northwestern at Dordt.
● GPAC cross country championships, Saturday: at Dordt's course in Sioux Center. Men start at 10:45 a.m., women at 11:30. Free to watch.
● GPAC volleyball quarterfinals, Saturday: College of Saint Mary at #1 Northwestern, 7:30 p.m., Bultman Center. Dordt plays at Midland, 7 p.m.
● College basketball: Northwestern hosts games Friday and Saturday at the Bultman Center, with Dordt also playing there.
● College football, Saturday: Dordt at Dakota Wesleyan, 1 p.m.
See the full schedule on our events board →
PUBLIC SAFETY
Hospers: SUV destroyed in roadside fire
Hospers firefighters put out a fire last Sunday afternoon that destroyed an SUV at B40 and Monroe Avenue, three miles east of town. No one was hurt. The cause couldn't be determined because of the damage, Fire Chief Jason Overmohle said.
ADVERTISE IN COFFEE & COUNTY
Reach Sioux County three mornings a week. Hit reply to advertise.
NEW IN OUR SHOP
Hometown Puzzles
We painted two Sioux County towns into jigsaw puzzles. Orange City has the courthouse, the windmills and the tulips. Sioux Center has the water tower, Heritage Village and the pool on a summer afternoon. A good gift for anyone who grew up here, or moved away and misses it.
 |  |
252 pieces, $32.99 · 500 pieces, $43.99. Code COUNTY10 takes 10% off. More towns are coming. Which should be next? Hit reply.
MARKETS
At the elevator
| FUTURES | CLOSE | CHANGE |
| Corn (Dec) | $4.40 | −4¼¢ |
| Soybeans (Jan) | $11.88¼ | −14¢ |
| Live cattle (Dec) | $214.40 | −$3.60 |
| Feeder cattle (Jan) | $320.32 | −$5.40 |
| Lean hogs (Dec) | $55.10 | −$2.45 |
Thursday’s closes. A red day across the board: beans gave up 14 cents and cattle extended their slide, with live cattle down about $7 since Tuesday.
Stocks: a wild week. Wall Street soared Wednesday after the midterms, then gave it all back and more Thursday in a sell-off of AI stocks. The S&P 500 fell 4.4% to 7,353.73, the Dow lost 1,833.06 points, or 3.4%, to 51,523.06, and the Nasdaq dropped 5.5% to 24,315. The 10-year Treasury yield eased to 4.83%.
Mortgage rates: the 30-year averaged 7.18% this week, down from 7.24%, and the 15-year 6.57%, down from 6.60%. That's Freddie Mac's weekly survey released Thursday, and the third straight weekly drop.
Sponsor our Markets section. Co-op, ag lender, financial advisor or equipment dealer? Put your name on this section. Hit reply.
NEW IN TOWN
Sioux Center: Last days of Outlet 75's grand reopening
Outlet 75's grand reopening at its new spot, 1825 2nd Ave. SW, wraps up Saturday, with a drawing in the store for five winners.
Opening, moving or expanding? Hit reply. New businesses get a free mention.
NOW HIRING
Jobs around the county
| City maintenance and utility worker City of Rock Valley · Rock Valley | Apply → |
| Roll-off driver (Class A CDL) OC Sanitation · Orange City | Apply → |
| Local and regional drivers Vander Kooi Freight · Hull · Full- and part-time | Apply → |
| Cook, Garden Café Sioux Center Health · Sioux Center · Full-time | Apply → |
| Research librarian Dordt University · Sioux Center · Full-time | Apply → |
| Controller Northwestern College · Orange City | Apply → |
More local openings are posted at Sioux County Radio's Job Hunter.
Hiring in Sioux County? Hit reply to post your job here.
COMING UP
On the calendar
FRI 6 | Football: St. Albert at West Sioux, 7 p.m. Youth Theatre: “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood,” 7 p.m., Te Paske Theatre, Sioux Center. Jazzed Up Big Band, 7 p.m., B.J. Haan Auditorium, Dordt, free. Christmas Open House at Dwellings Flooring & Decor, Alton. |
SAT 7 | GPAC cross country championships, from 10:45 a.m., Dordt, Sioux Center. Hawarden Holiday Express tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. for the Dec. 5 ride: $20 each, limit 10. “Matilda,” 7 p.m., Rock Valley. Live music: Kenny K and the Dead Cowboys, 8 p.m., Sportsman's Bar & Grill, Hawarden. |
MON 9 | Hawarden Chamber Christmas Scrip sale, 7 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Hawarden Public Library: $100 in scrip for $85. Sioux Center 6th–8th grade band and vocal concert, 6:15 p.m. MOC-Floyd Valley 2nd grade music program, 7 p.m., Alton. |
TUE 10 | Day of the Dead celebration, 3:15–5:15 p.m., Sioux Center Public Library. Blood drive, 1–6 p.m., Hull Public Library. “Inner Garden” reception, 7 p.m., Te Paske Gallery, Northwestern, free. |
WED 11 | Veterans Day. The Sioux Center Public Library is closed. |
THU 12 | Blood drive, 1:30–6 p.m., American Reformed Church, Orange City. Fall plays at Western Christian (12:30 and 7 p.m.) and Boyden-Hull (7 p.m.). |
FRI 13 | Dordt hockey vs. Iowa State, 7 p.m., Vernon Ice Arena, Sioux Center. Fall plays at Western Christian and Boyden-Hull, 7 p.m. |
SAT 14 | Christmas Shopping at the Village, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., Heritage Village, Sioux Center. Hull Stop N Shop craft and vendor fair, 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Trinity Christian High School. Dordt at Northwestern football, noon, De Valois Stadium, Orange City. |
WED 18 | Dordt at Northwestern basketball, women 6 p.m., men 7:45 p.m., Bultman Center, Orange City. |
See everything, and add your own event, at coffeeandcounty.com/events.
EN ESPAÑOL
Western Christian gana su título estatal número 20
Western Christian venció a Cherokee 3–0 el jueves en Coralville y ganó el campeonato estatal de voleibol de la clase 3A. Es su título estatal número 20, lo que iguala el récord de Iowa.
Resultados de las elecciones
Según los resultados extraoficiales, la enmienda 1 fue aprobada con el 56% de los votos. Ahora se necesitará una mayoría de dos tercios en la Legislatura para subir los impuestos sobre la renta.
📍 DID YOU KNOW? · HOSPERS
Hospers is named for Henry Hospers, a banker who recruited Dutch settlers to the area.
Know a fun fact about your town? Hit reply.
ONE GOOD THING
22 new trees at Kinsey Elementary
Kinsey Elementary in Sioux Center planted 22 trees on Oct. 21 with a $5,000 Iowa DNR grant, replacing trees lost to wind and emerald ash borer. Kindergartners and 17 Sioux Center High seniors helped. The varieties, from scarlet oak to a gold ginkgo, were picked for their fall color.
Read the full story at Sioux Center News →
GOOD TO KNOW
Get ready for winter now
Thursday was Winter Weather Awareness Day. The National Weather Service suggests stocking warm clothes, sand, salt and a shovel, putting fresh batteries in your weather radio, and making sure you know the difference between a watch and a warning.
Read the full story at KIWA Radio →
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