Sioux County Edition · No. 3 ·
Rock Valley's buyouts pick up speed + $900k farmland sale
About a 8-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.
It's Friday, it's going to be 78 degrees, and three of our football teams start the playoffs tonight. Soak it in, because Sunday's high is 58 and the rain is coming back. I also went through this month's property sales, for anyone who's been wondering what houses are really going for around here.
● Rock Valley's flood buyouts are moving at about five or six homes a week.
● Who bought what: a farm sale at about $25,000 an acre, plus homes in Sioux Center and Rock Valley.
● Orange City adds a $3 a month stormwater fee in January.
● Volunteers wanted to plant 40,000 tulip bulbs this weekend.
OUT THE WINDOW
FRI 🌬️ 78° / 60°Windy, warm | SAT 🌦️ 72° / 48°40% showers | SUN ☁️ 58° / 44°Cloudy, cooler |
Today is warm but windy, with gusts up to 30 mph. Showers are possible Saturday afternoon, then the cool-down hits Sunday. Monday looks wet, with a 60% chance of showers.
Forecast for Orange City from the National Weather Service →
ELECTION · 11 DAYS OUT
Early voting runs through Nov. 2
● Vote early in person at the courthouse in Orange City through Mon., Nov. 2, at 4:30 p.m.
● Election Day is Tue., Nov. 3.
● Down the ballot: seven candidates are running for five seats on the Sioux County Extension Council, which sets programs and the budget for ISU Extension here. Vote for up to five.
● Questions: Sioux County Auditor, 712-737-2216
TOP STORY
Rock Valley's flood buyouts pick up speed
More than two years after the June 2024 flood, Rock Valley is buying out damaged homes at about five or six a week. FEMA has approved more than $22 million to buy 123 homes, and crews started tearing down the first one Oct. 8.
You can see it in the county's sales records: 14 Rock Valley homes this month were recorded as sales to a government or tax-exempt buyer.
How it works:
● Homes that tested negative for asbestos and have no unresolved Small Business Administration loan issues go first. Homes with asbestos are next, once it's removed.
● Each home has to come down within 90 days of the city buying it. State officials say weather extensions are likely.
● The pace depends on the weather and on how fast the city gets paid back for money it fronted. The work may run into winter.
New this week: You can now buy federal flood insurance online at floodsmart.gov. Get a quote and buy it there, or send the quote to an insurance agent.
Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →
More on the buyouts at the Rock Valley Bee →
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Put your business at the top of Sioux County's morning email. Hit reply to sponsor.
WHO BOUGHT WHAT
This month's sales, by the numbers
Qualified sales dated Oct. 12–16, from the Sioux County Assessor. No names, just places and prices.
| FARMS AND ACREAGES | |
| West Branch Township 37.5 acres of farmland · about $25,040 an acre | $939,015 |
| Sioux Center 18.6 acres with a 1970 house | $400,000 |
| Washington Township 3.9 acres with an 1890 house | $265,000 |
| HOMES | |
| Sioux Center Built 2015 · 2,196 sq. ft. | $495,000 |
| Sioux Center Built 2003 · 1,951 sq. ft. | $440,000 |
| Sioux Center Built 1910 · 1,465 sq. ft. | $204,900 |
| Rock Valley Built 1962 · 1,360 sq. ft. | $190,000 |
| Rural, Plato Township Built 1939 · 696 sq. ft. | $100,000 |
| BUSINESSES | |
| Hull Built 2023 · 7,200 sq. ft. | $600,000 |
| Sioux Center, Main Ave. Built 1978 · 2,606 sq. ft. | $345,000 |
| Granville, Main St. Built 2002 · 3,680 sq. ft. | $50,000 |
Search sales yourself on the county's Beacon site →
Sponsor Who bought what. Real estate agent, home builder or mortgage lender? Put your name on this section. Hit reply.
AROUND THE COUNTY
Orange City: Stormwater fee is official, and $100,000 for Northwestern's fields
The Orange City Council adopted the new stormwater utility Monday, so a “Stormwater” line shows up on January bills. Homes pay $3 a month. Businesses pay based on hard surfaces like roofs and parking lots, and the money can only go to stormwater work. Also Monday:
● Northwestern College: $100,000 over three years toward its $10.9 million athletic field project: more grandstand seats, bigger restrooms, new turf and a resurfaced track. The college asked because the public uses the fields.
● Frankfort Avenue NE: Vander Pol Excavating, the lowest of seven bidders, will extend it from 7th to 9th Street. Bids ranged from $712,672 to $1,020,367.
● Health insurance: The city's Wellmark plan drops 1.24% in January.
Read the stormwater notice from the City of Orange City →
Sioux County: Data center rules get a final vote Tuesday
The supervisors take their third and final vote on the county's data center rules at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the courthouse in Orange City. The rules passed the first two votes 4–1. Passing them wouldn't approve any specific project.
Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →
Sioux Center: New school board member
The Sioux Center school board appointed Wes Kamerman on Monday to fill the seat Scott TeStroete resigned in September. Kamerman is a business banking officer at Peoples Bank with three kids in the district. The seat is up for election in November 2027.
Read the full story at Sioux Center News →
FROM THE BLEACHERS
Playoff football starts tonight
First-round games kick off at 7 p.m.:
● Class 2A: OABCIG at Western Christian
● Class 2A: Unity Christian at Kuemper Catholic (Carroll)
● Class A: Logan-Magnolia at West Sioux
Playoff pairings at KIWA Radio →
Volleyball: five sweeps
Five Sioux County teams swept their regional matches this week:
● Western Christian 3, Estherville Lincoln Central 0
● MOC-Floyd Valley 3, Southeast Valley 0
● Unity Christian 3, Sheldon 0
● Boyden-Hull 3, George-Little Rock 0
● Rock Valley 3, Lawton-Bronson 0
Monday, 7 p.m.: South O'Brien at Boyden-Hull and Rock Valley at Hinton in the regional semifinals.
Scores at Western Iowa Today →
College football Saturday
Dordt (5–2) plays at Mount Marty in Yankton at 1 p.m. after four straight wins. Northwestern plays at Waldorf at 1 p.m.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Rock Valley officer hit by a pickup
A Rock Valley police officer was treated and released with minor injuries after a man allegedly drove a pickup into him Wednesday evening in a lot next to the police station. Police say the 47-year-old man then pointed what looked like a gun at officers and led them on a chase before stopping in town. He's charged with attempted murder of a peace officer, eluding and other counts.
Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →
ADVERTISE IN COFFEE & COUNTY
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MARKETS
At the elevator
| NW IOWA CASH (WED.) | AVG. BID | BASIS |
| Corn | $4.22 | −35¢ to −45¢ Dec |
| Soybeans | $11.84 | −45¢ to −68¢ Nov |
| FUTURES | CLOSE | CHANGE |
| Corn (Dec) | $4.60½ | −2¾¢ |
| Soybeans (Nov) | $12.53 | +7¾¢ |
| Live cattle (Dec) | $231.12 | unch. |
| Feeder cattle (Nov) | $346.92 | −$1.90 |
| Lean hogs (Dec) | $65.55 | −17¢ |
Thursday’s closes. Corn slipped while soybeans gained almost 8 cents. Feeder cattle gave back $1.90.
Stocks: tech stocks fell hard Thursday. The Nasdaq dropped 2.6% and the S&P 500 fell 1.2%, while the Dow finished nearly flat, up 12 points at 52,867.98.
Mortgage rates dipped this week: the 30-year averages 7.32%, down from 7.40%, and the 15-year is 6.68%, down from 6.71%, per Freddie Mac's weekly survey released Thursday.
Sponsor our Markets section. Co-op, ag lender, financial advisor or equipment dealer? Put your name on this section. Hit reply.
NEW IN TOWN
Alton: Rising Hope Counseling opens its doors today
Heather Spaan's Rising Hope Counseling holds an open house today from noon to 2 p.m. at 217 10th St. in Alton, with a Chamber ribbon cutting at 12:30. Light refreshments, and everyone's welcome.
From Rising Hope's Facebook page.
Sioux Center: 10 new lots for businesses
Businesses on Sioux Center's north end are short on room, so the city is selling about 13 acres east of Pella, near 4th Ave. NE and 18th St. NE, to Sioux Center Land Development. The council approved 10 lots of roughly 3/4 acre to almost 2 acres, and 18th St. NE will be extended through it. Some local businesses are looking at moving there.
Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →
Opening, moving or expanding? Hit reply. New businesses get a free mention.
NOW HIRING
Jobs around the county
| Electric lineworker City of Orange City · Full-time · Open until filled | Apply → |
| Orders and customer service Avenue Veterinary Supply · Sioux Center · Part-time · Resume by email or drop off at 349 N. Main Ave. | Email → |
| Motor vehicle / driver's license clerk Sioux County Treasurer · Orange City · Full-time · Open until filled | 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
SAT 24 | Reading Buddies for elementary students, 10 a.m., Sioux Center Public Library. |
MON 26 | Sioux Center City Council at 4 p.m. Mah Jongg at the Sioux Center library, 6–8:30 p.m. Mondays through Dec. 28. |
TUE 27 | Data center rules: final vote at 9 a.m., courthouse, Orange City. Titanic and Tea, 6:30 p.m., Sioux Center Public Library: author Darcy Maulsby presents “Iowa’s Lost History from the Titanic” with tea and treats. |
WED 28 | Wild Child Nature Series for ages 2–5 with an adult, 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. or 1 p.m. Free; pre-register at 712-552-3057. Prairie Woods Nature Center, Oak Grove Park near Hawarden. |
THU 29 | Right Tree, Right Place, Right Way, 6:30 p.m. A DNR forester on picking and planting trees. Sandy Hollow, Sioux Center. |
SAT 31 | Hawarden Trunk or Treat, 4–5 p.m. Hawarden Community Center parking lot. |
SUN 1 | Clocks fall back one hour at 2 a.m. |
MON 2 | Last day to vote early, until 4:30 p.m. Spanish conversation for ages 13 and up starts at the Sioux Center library, 7–8 p.m.; sign up at siouxcenterlibrary.org. |
TUE 3 | Election Day. |
EN ESPAÑOL
Vote por adelantado hasta el 2 de noviembre
Puede votar en persona en el juzgado de Orange City hasta el lunes 2 de noviembre a las 4:30 p.m. El día de la elección es el martes 3 de noviembre.
📍 DID YOU KNOW? · HAWARDEN
Hawarden is named for a castle and village in Wales. The castle was home to William Gladstone, the British prime minister, when the Iowa town got its name.
Know a fun fact about your town? Hit reply.
ONE GOOD THING
40,000 tulips, and you can help
Orange City's tulip beds don't plant themselves. Volunteers are putting 40,000 bulbs in the ground today at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 8:30 a.m., starting at Windmill Park. No experience needed. Bring gloves, a shovel or a hand trowel, and a friend. Rain dates are Oct. 30 and 31. Questions: John Buntsma, 712-574-1619. You'll get to point at them in May.
Details from the City of Orange City →
Refill Monday. ☕
Know something we should cover? Hit reply. Tips, events, birthdays and new businesses all welcome.
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