Sioux County Edition · No. 7 ·
Four teams chase a state title + the data center's next step
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.
Big week. Sioux Center plays for a spot in the state semifinals tonight in Coralville, three more county teams play Tuesday, and Tuesday is also Election Day. Bring an umbrella to the polls. And something new today: our first crossword. It takes about three minutes.
● Four county volleyball teams play state quarterfinals today and Tuesday.
● West Sioux won and hosts St. Albert Friday in the football quarterfinals.
● Data center applications can now be filed. Here's what happens next.
● New: The Coffee Break Crossword, plus hometown puzzles in our shop.
OUT THE WINDOW
MON ⛈️ 68° / 51°Showers, storms | TUE 🌧️ 55° / 42°Rain, cooling | WED ☁️ 50° / 40°Chance of showers |
Warm and wet today, with showers, possible thunderstorms and south winds gusting to 35 mph. Election Day brings a 90% chance of showers, and temperatures fall through the afternoon. Drier and cooler late in the week, with highs around 50.
Forecast for Sioux County from the National Weather Service →
TODAY · TUESDAY
Last day to vote early, then Election Day
● Vote early in person at the courthouse in Orange City until 4:30 p.m. today.
● Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
● Free rides to the polls Tuesday from RIDES: Orange City 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Sioux Center 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Call 1-800-358-5037, ext. 1.
● Questions: Sioux County Auditor, 712-737-2216
On the ballot: governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and other statewide offices, and both top races are open seats. Polls taken in the last week of October show the Senate race between Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek essentially tied: a YouGov poll taken Oct. 26–29 had Turek at 50% and Hinson at 49%, and a co/efficient poll taken Oct. 28 had Hinson ahead 48%–46%. In the governor’s race, Democrat Rob Sand has led Republican Zach Lahn in every public poll this fall. The most recent, a co/efficient poll taken Oct. 15–19, had Sand ahead 49%–45%.
TOP STORY
Four teams, two days, one arena
The state volleyball tournament opens today at Xtream Arena in Coralville, and Sioux County has four teams in it. Sioux Center goes first tonight. Western Christian and MOC-Floyd Valley play Tuesday morning, and Boyden-Hull plays Tuesday night.
| DAY | QUARTERFINAL | TIME |
| Mon. | 4A: #6 Sioux Center vs. #3 Clear Creek Amana | 6:35 p.m. |
| Tue. | 3A: #1 Western Christian vs. #8 Roland-Story | 10 a.m. |
| Tue. | 3A: #2 MOC-Floyd Valley vs. #7 Wilton | 10:35 a.m. |
| Tue. | 1A: #2 Boyden-Hull vs. #7 Gehlen Catholic | 6:35 p.m. |
What’s next: Quarterfinal winners play in Wednesday's semifinals. Championships are Thursday.
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Put your business at the top of Sioux County's morning email. Hit reply to sponsor.
NEW: THE COFFEE BREAK CROSSWORD
Three minutes, all local
Our first crossword is ready. It's small, it's local, and the clues are about places you know. Here's a hint to get you started:
5 Across: Fall crop that's usually out before the corn
AROUND THE COUNTY
Sioux County: The data center rules are in effect. Here's what comes next.
The county's new data center rules took effect Saturday, so applications can now be filed. PathOne says it has one drafted for the former Bison renewable energy plant near Perkins, southwest of Hull. Passing the rules didn't approve the project: zoning director Shane Walter says an application would get a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission, then a second before the Board of Adjustment, which decides on a conditional use permit. Residents can comment at both. The rules cap projects at 25 megawatts. PathOne still needs a tenant and financing, and Walter said an opening likely wouldn't come before 2028.
Read the full story at KIWA Radio →
Statewide: A new report from the Common Sense Institute, a policy research group, says Iowa leads the Midwest in data center development. It estimates $53 billion in data center investment in Iowa by 2031 and about $3.1 billion in property taxes from current and proposed centers by 2040, and ranks Iowa second in the region for data center capacity relative to population, behind Ohio. The figures are the institute’s own; coverage of the report didn’t include outside views.
Read the full story at KIWA Radio →
Orange City: $5 million grant for family support
Crittenton Center, which runs child care and preschool in Orange City, won a $5 million federal grant over five years to expand support for children and families across Siouxland. The project aims to serve about 300 families, focusing on children involved in, or at risk of entering, the child welfare system, especially where a parent struggles with substance use.
Read the full story at KIWA Radio →
Sioux Center: A fix for the light at 20th Street and Highway 75
If you've sat through a short green at 20th Street South and Highway 75, help is coming. The council approved $35,300 to replace the signal system there, which city staff say has a software glitch that doesn't see the side streets well. The new camera-based system already runs downtown at Third Street North.
Read the full story at the Sioux Center News →
Sioux Center: Room to grow at Service Trucks International
STI moved its Tiger Crane assembly into a new 56,000-square-foot building at its plant at 351 20th St. NW on Sept. 4. A dozen employees work there now, with four assembly bays in use and three more ready when needed.
Read the full story at the Sioux Center News →
FROM THE BLEACHERS
West Sioux rolls on
West Sioux beat West Monona 42–12 Friday and hosts St. Albert in the Class A quarterfinals Friday at 7 p.m. The winner goes to the UNI-Dome. Sioux Center's season ended with a 28–21 loss at Sioux City Heelan.
Friday's scores at KIWA Radio →
● Cross country: Unity Christian's girls finished ninth in Class 2A at the state meet in Fort Dodge.
● Dordt men’s basketball beat Benedictine (Kan.) 80–60.
● Dordt vs. Northwestern volleyball, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., in Sioux Center.
● GPAC men’s soccer semifinal: Dordt hosts Northwestern Friday, 6 p.m.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Sioux Center: Warrant arrest in drug-related OWI
A 38-year-old George man was arrested Oct. 23 on warrants for first-offense OWI and failing to obey a traffic control device. Police say they stopped his vehicle for erratic driving on Oct. 9 and that a state lab later found amphetamines and other drugs in his urine sample.
ADVERTISE IN COFFEE & COUNTY
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NEW IN OUR SHOP
Hometown Puzzles
We turned two Sioux County towns into jigsaw puzzles, each one packed with local landmarks you’ll recognize. 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) | $4.47¾ | −3½¢ |
| Soybeans (Nov) | $12.22¼ | +2½¢ |
| Live cattle (Dec) | $220.95 | −$5.35 |
| Feeder cattle (Nov) | $337.77 | −$8.70 |
| Lean hogs (Dec) | $58.87 | −95¢ |
Friday’s closes. A rough day for cattle: live cattle fell $5.35 and feeders $8.70. Corn slipped, and beans edged up.
Stocks: Wall Street had its worst day since June Friday as a tech sell-off deepened. The S&P 500 fell 1.8% to 7,580.07, the Nasdaq lost 2.9% to 25,437.00, and the Dow dropped 572.25 points to 51,770.31. The 10-year Treasury yield finished at 4.93%.
Mortgage rates: the 30-year averages 7.24% and the 15-year 6.60%, both down 0.08 point from the week before, 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
Sioux Center: Outlet 75 celebrates its move
Outlet 75 has moved into Sioux Center at 1825 2nd Ave. SW. Its grand reopening runs Wednesday through Saturday, Nov. 4–7, with a Chamber ribbon cutting Wednesday at 10 a.m. Enter the drawing in the store; five winners will be chosen.
Sioux Center: OHA Architecture & Design has a new space
OHA Architecture & Design recently moved into a new space in Sioux Center. Eric Oleson talked about what first brought the firm to town, and what it does, on Sioux County Radio’s The Daily Grind.
Listen at Sioux County Radio →
Sioux Center: O Thrifty Finds
A reader tipped us off to this new thrift and consignment store at 1803 South Frontage Road, in the fireworks building near ViBella's. It sells new and used clothing, shoes, household goods, baby and pet items, and lots of tools. Hours are 1–5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 1–7 p.m. Wednesday, 1–4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday.
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
MON 2 | Last day to vote early, until 4:30 p.m. Escape Room for Adults, 6 or 7:30 p.m., Sioux Center Public Library; register at siouxcenterlibrary.org. |
TUE 3 | Election Day, polls 7 a.m.–8 p.m. Culver’s of Sioux Center Share Day for Wreaths Across America, 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Soup & Pie Supper, 5–7 p.m., First Christian Reformed Church, Hospers. |
WEEK | Book fairs this week at Orange City Christian School and Rock Valley Christian School. Check with each school for hours. |
WED 4 | Outlet 75 ribbon cutting, 10 a.m., 1825 2nd Ave. SW, Sioux Center. Grand reopening runs through Saturday. |
THU 5 | One Book, One Sioux County panel on the 1857 Spirit Lake Massacre, 7 p.m., DeWitt Library, Northwestern College; register at onebookonesiouxcounty.org. Blood drive, 1–6 p.m., Centre Mall, Sioux Center; appointments at lifeservebloodcenter.org. |
FRI 6 | Youth Theatre: “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood,” 7 p.m., Te Paske Theatre, Sioux Center Middle School. Jazzed Up Big Band, 7 p.m., B.J. Haan Auditorium, Dordt. Free. Christmas Open House at Dwellings Flooring & Decor, Alton, with 25% off all Christmas decor. |
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. |
THU 12 | Blood drive, 1:30–6 p.m., American Reformed Church, Orange City. |
See the full calendar at coffeeandcounty.com/events.
EN ESPAÑOL
Cuatro equipos del condado juegan en el torneo estatal
Sioux Center juega hoy a las 6:35 p.m. en Coralville. Western Christian y MOC-Floyd Valley juegan el martes por la mañana, y Boyden-Hull el martes a las 6:35 p.m.
Hoy es el último día para votar por adelantado
Puede votar en el juzgado de Orange City hasta las 4:30 p.m. de hoy. El martes 3 de noviembre es el día de la elección, y las urnas abren de 7 a.m. a 8 p.m. RIDES ofrece viajes gratis a las urnas el martes en Orange City y Sioux Center: llame al 1-800-358-5037, ext. 1.
📍 DID YOU KNOW? · BOYDEN
Boyden started out as Sheridan. About two years after the town was platted, it was renamed to avoid confusion with nearby Sheldon.
Know a fun fact about your town? Hit reply.
ONE GOOD THING
A national award for our 4-H camp team
The Northwest Iowa 4-H team that promotes summer camps in Sioux and five neighboring counties won a national award for its campaign, including Spanish-language materials. This year, 1,880 kids registered for camps through the five-county partnership, and 73% of them weren't 4-H members.
Read the full story at KIWA Radio →
GOOD TO KNOW
Guys, 'I'm just tired because I'm 50' isn't a diagnosis
Hegg Health Center in Rock Valley started a men's health program in October. You can call and ask for a consultation with Dr. Timothy Abels without explaining your concern to the front desk. It covers fatigue, sleep, weight changes and other things men tend to put off.
Read the full story at the Rock Valley Bee →
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