Talks continue between Penn National and the city of Sioux City. The two sides met by phone Wednesday to discuss renewal of the Argosy Casino's lease, which expires January 29th. The current agreement gives the city three percent of the Argosy's revenue to let it dock on the riverfront. City officials called the talks "productive." A Penn National official called it a preliminary discussion and says the company expects a proposal from the city on the lease.
Investigators say an overheated lamp cord started the house fire in Lake City, Iowa that killed four members of one family early Tuesday morning. Fire Chief, Mel Alcox, says the cord was damaged after getting folded into a hide-a-bed couch. It shorted out, igniting the couch and a wall of the home. Funeral services will be held Saturday for 22-year-old Tyra Pierson, her 11-month-old son Xavier, her eight-year-old sister Madison, and her three-year-old brother Wyatt.
A grand opening is planned next week in Early, Iowa for the latest stretch of U.S. Highway 20 to be widened to four lanes. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds, and Congressman Steve King will be there when the ribbon is cut on Wednesday. Twenty-six miles of Highway 20 through Sac and Calhoun counties are now four lanes wide.
November is National Adoption Month and the occasion is being marked in Siouxland. On Saturday, several families will finalize adoptions during a ceremony at the Woodbury County Courthouse. Of the 6,000 children in Iowa's foster care system, more than 800 are eligible for adoption.
