Sioux County Edition ·
Sioux County vs. the rest of Iowa + two teams in the semis
Sioux County Edition · Wed Nov 4, 2026 · No. 8
About a 9-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.
The ballots are counted. Iowa elected a new senator and a new governor, and Sioux County voted very differently from the state as a whole. Two county volleyball teams play for a spot in the state final this afternoon. And there's a new crossword.
● Sioux County vs. the rest of Iowa: how the county and the state voted.
● Western Christian and MOC-Floyd Valley play in the 3A semifinals today.
● Two county hospitals made Newsweek's list of Iowa's best.
● Halloween candy: the sheriff is investigating a report from the Boyden area.
OUT THE WINDOW
WED 🌦️ 46° / 38°Showers late | THU ☁️ 46° / 32°Mostly cloudy | FRI ☀️ 46° / 29°Mostly sunny |
Cooler today, with a northwest wind gusting to 25 mph and showers likely after 5 p.m. The weekend warms up nicely: low 50s Saturday and near 60 on Sunday and Monday.
Forecast for Sioux County from the National Weather Service →
TODAY · WEDNESDAY
Two county teams in the state semifinals
● 2 p.m.: #1 Western Christian vs. #5 Humboldt
● 2:35 p.m.: #2 MOC-Floyd Valley vs. #6 Cherokee
● Both 3A semifinals are at Xtream Arena in Coralville. If both win, they meet for the 3A title Thursday.
TOP STORY
How Sioux County voted
Sioux County's ballots were all counted Tuesday night. By early Wednesday, unofficial statewide results had 94 of 99 counties fully reporting. The AP projected Democrat Josh Turek the winner of Iowa's open U.S. Senate seat and Democrat Rob Sand the winner of the governor's race. Here's how the state and Sioux County voted.
| RACE | STATEWIDE SO FAR | SIOUX COUNTY |
| U.S. Senate | Turek 50% Hinson 46% | Hinson 79% Turek 18% |
| Governor | Sand 55% Lahn 44% | Lahn 80% Sand 20% |
| Attorney General | Willems 51% Bird 49% | Bird 83% Willems 17% |
| Secretary of State | Pate 53% Peterman 47% | Pate 84% Peterman 16% |
| Secretary of Ag | Naig 53% Jones 47% | Naig 84% Jones 16% |
| Auditor | Wettach 50% Cournoyer 50% | Cournoyer 83% Wettach 17% |
| Treasurer | Smith 50% Norwood 50% | Smith 84% Norwood 16% |
| U.S. House, 4th | McGowan 59% Dawson 41% | McGowan 83% Dawson 17% |
Close ones: Sioux County voters backed the Republican candidate in every statewide race by roughly 4 to 1 or more. Statewide, the Auditor race was separated by about 5,400 votes out of more than 1.3 million, and Treasurer by about 10,000. KCAU reports Attorney General Brenna Bird conceded to Nate Willems. All numbers are unofficial until the canvass.
Full unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State →
PRESENTING SPONSOR
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WHAT GOT DECIDED
What voters decided here
Iowa House
● District 4: Skyler Wheeler had 6,481 votes to Garth Van Donselaar's 1,528 in Sioux County.
● District 3: Robert Driesen ran unopposed and drew 5,701 votes in Sioux County.
Amendment 1: income tax votes
The amendment would require a two-thirds vote of both the Iowa House and Senate to raise individual or corporate income tax rates. Sioux County voted yes, 9,973 to 3,313 (75%). Statewide, with 94 of 99 counties fully reporting, it had 56% yes. It needs a simple majority statewide.
Judges
Every judge on the Sioux County ballot got a majority “yes” vote here to stay on the bench.
George-Little Rock schools
The district's school measure, which needs 60% to pass, was trailing 574 yes to 654 no with two of three counties fully reporting.
No new city council or supervisor minutes have been posted since our last update. We'll catch up when they are.
THE COFFEE BREAK CROSSWORD
Puzzle No. 2 is ready
37 readers solved Monday's crossword. Here's today's. A hint to get you started:
6 Across: Grain-moving screw
AROUND THE COUNTY
Sioux Center and Orange City: Two hospitals on Newsweek's Iowa list
Sioux Center Health ranked ninth and Orange City Area Health System 12th on Newsweek's 2027 list of the best hospitals in Iowa. Both moved up, Sioux Center from 16th and Orange City from 20th, and both also received Patient Experience Awards.
Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →
Sioux Center: What visitors noticed
Iowa State's First Impressions program sent visitors to Sioux Center, and they shared what they saw at a forum Thursday. They praised the town's cleanliness, trails, the Tsunami water park, the sports complex, the Ridge Golf Course and Dordt, and every visitor rated the people friendly. Their suggestions: better signs, a visitor information hub and keeping Travel Iowa listings up to date each year.
Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →
Sioux Center: Court sides with Dordt in vaccine lawsuit
The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously upheld the dismissal of a former nursing student's religious-discrimination lawsuit against Dordt University over a COVID-19 vaccine exemption. The ruling was published Oct. 23.
Read the full story at the N'West Iowa REVIEW →
FROM THE BLEACHERS
Two sweeps, two tough nights
| DAY | STATE QUARTERFINAL | SCORE |
| Tue. | #1 Western Christian def. #8 Roland-Story | 3–0 |
| Tue. | #2 MOC-Floyd Valley def. #7 Wilton | 3–0 |
| Tue. | #7 Gehlen Catholic def. #2 Boyden-Hull | 3–0 |
| Mon. | #3 Clear Creek Amana def. #6 Sioux Center | 3–0 |
Western Christian had to survive a 26–24 first set before taking the next two easily. Boyden-Hull and Sioux Center finish their seasons in Coralville. Thanks for a great fall.
Tuesday's scores at KIWA Radio →
● Football: West Sioux hosts St. Albert in the Class A quarterfinals Friday at 7 p.m. The winner goes to the UNI-Dome.
● GPAC men’s soccer semifinal: Dordt (1–0 over Midland) hosts Northwestern (3–1 winner at Morningside) Friday, 6 p.m.
● Northwestern’s Aubrey De Groot of Orange City was named GPAC volleyball Defender of the Week.
College scoreboard
| DAY | GAME | SCORE |
| Tue. | #1 Northwestern volleyball at #18 Dordt | W 3–2 |
| Tue. | Dordt men’s basketball at Waldorf | W 90–74 |
| Tue. | Dordt women’s basketball at Waldorf | W 104–44 |
| Tue. | Dordt women’s soccer at Hastings, GPAC quarterfinal | L 0–2 |
| Sat. | Northwestern football at Dakota Wesleyan | W 38–3 |
| Sat. | Dordt volleyball at #3 Concordia | W 3–2 |
| Sat. | Northwestern men’s basketball vs. Culver-Stockton | W 77–65 |
PUBLIC SAFETY
Boyden area: Sheriff checking a report of objects in Halloween candy
The Sioux County Sheriff's Office is investigating one report of screws, tacks and nuts found in factory-sealed Halloween candy handed out in the Boyden area. No one was hurt, and the source isn't known yet. Check your kids' candy, and call the sheriff's office at 712-737-2280 if you find anything.
Read the full story at KIWA Radio →
ADVERTISE IN COFFEE & COUNTY
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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) | $4.42½ | −5¾¢ |
| Soybeans (Jan) | $12.14 | −2¾¢ |
| Live cattle (Dec) | $221.42 | −$2.10 |
| Feeder cattle (Jan) | $328.37 | −$4.30 |
| Lean hogs (Dec) | $58.60 | +42¢ |
Tuesday’s closes. Corn gave back nearly 6 cents and cattle kept sliding after last week’s drop. Hogs were the lone gainer. We’ve rolled beans and feeders to the January contracts.
Stocks: a mixed Election Day on Wall Street. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% to 7,568.92 and the Nasdaq gained 0.8% to 25,372.01, while the Dow slipped 197.26 points, or 0.4%, to 51,786.72. The 10-year Treasury yield rose to 4.97%.
Mortgage rates: the 30-year averages 7.24% and the 15-year 6.60%, per Freddie Mac's weekly survey released last Thursday. The next update comes out tomorrow.
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 ribbon cutting today
Outlet 75, now at 1825 2nd Ave. SW in Sioux Center, has its Chamber ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. today. The grand reopening runs through 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
WED 4 | State volleyball semifinals, Western Christian 2 p.m., MOC-Floyd Valley 2:35 p.m., Coralville. Outlet 75 ribbon cutting, 10 a.m., Sioux Center. |
THU 5 | Blood drive, 1–6 p.m., Centre Mall, Sioux Center; appointments at lifeservebloodcenter.org. One Book, One Sioux County panel on the 1857 Spirit Lake Massacre, 7 p.m., DeWitt Library, Northwestern College. “Matilda,” 7 p.m., Rock Valley. |
FRI 6 | Dordt vs. Northwestern, GPAC men's soccer semifinal, 6 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. Christmas Open House at Dwellings Flooring & Decor, Alton. |
SAT 7 | GPAC cross country championships, Sioux Center. “Matilda,” 7 p.m., Rock Valley. Northwestern volleyball, GPAC quarterfinal, 7:30 p.m., Bultman Center, Orange City. Hawarden Holiday Express tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. for the Dec. 5 ride: $20 each, limit 10, nonrefundable. Watch the Hawarden Area Arts Council's social media and the Hawarden Public Library website for the link. |
MON 9 | Hawarden Chamber Christmas Scrip sale, 7 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Chamber office inside the Hawarden Public Library. $100 in scrip for $85, while supplies last. Sioux Center 6th–8th grade band and vocal concert, 6:15 p.m. |
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. |
THU 12 | Blood drive, 1:30–6 p.m., American Reformed Church, Orange City. Fall plays at Western Christian and Boyden-Hull. |
SAT 14 | Dordt at Northwestern football, noon, De Valois Stadium, Orange City. |
See everything, and add your own event, at coffeeandcounty.com/events.
EN ESPAÑOL
Así votó el condado de Sioux
Los votos del condado de Sioux ya se contaron. Aquí, los votantes eligieron al candidato republicano en todas las contiendas estatales por un margen de aproximadamente 4 a 1 o más. A nivel estatal, AP proyectó como ganadores al demócrata Josh Turek para el Senado de EE.UU. y al demócrata Rob Sand para gobernador. Todos los resultados son extraoficiales.
Dos equipos del condado en las semifinales estatales
Western Christian juega hoy a las 2 p.m. y MOC-Floyd Valley a las 2:35 p.m. en Coralville. La final de la clase 3A es el jueves.
📍 DID YOU KNOW? · ALTON
Alton was first called East Orange, since it was built off a track from Orange City. It was later renamed after Alton, Illinois.
Know a fun fact about your town? Hit reply.
ONE GOOD THING
A perfect score for friendliness
When Iowa State's First Impressions visitors came through Sioux Center, every one of them said the people were friendly. That's 100%. Keep waving.
Read the full story at Sioux County Radio →
GOOD TO KNOW
Turn on a green light for veterans
Operation Green Light runs today through Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Iowans are asked to swap a porch light or window light to green as a thank-you to veterans.
Read the full story at KIWA Radio →
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