Sioux City’s anticipated water park, Siouxland Splash, will not open this summer as initially planned. Developers and officials have announced the facility’s debut has been postponed to 2026 due to escalating inflation and supply chain uncertainties.
Frontline Development LLC began construction in fall 2024 following a groundbreaking event. The $7 million project occupies a 10-acre site purchased from the city, which has also invested in related water infrastructure and road improvements. Currently, Sioux City lacks a private water park, unlike nearby communities such as Storm Lake and Sioux Falls.
In state legislative news, Governor Kim Reynolds signed three significant bills into law on Friday. One mandates that public, private, and charter schools teach fetal development starting in fifth grade, requiring human growth and health classes from grades five through twelve to show a video portraying “the humanity of the unborn child.” The law also bans educational materials from organizations that provide or promote abortion services, prompting Democratic criticism over the potential exclusion of scientifically accurate content. Republicans defend the measure as fostering respect for life and shaping students’ future choices regarding pregnancy and abortion.
Another law directs Iowa to seek federal approval for Medicaid work requirements, requiring able-bodied adults aged 19 to 65 in the Medicaid expansion program to work at least 80 hours monthly to maintain coverage.
A third law expands eligibility for disability and death benefits under the state’s municipal retirement system for firefighters and police officers diagnosed with any form of cancer, replacing the previous list of 14 qualifying cancers.
Meanwhile, a major enhancement project is underway at Crescent Hill at Hitchcock in western Iowa’s Loess Hills, north of Council Bluffs. The site, home to a ski hill since the 1960s and a 1,500-acre nature preserve, aims to raise at least $25 million for new amenities including a tubing hill, cabins, an amphitheater, and public spaces. The executive director of Pottawattamie County Conservation, Jeff Franco, estimates the upgrades will take five to ten years and be funded without taxpayer dollars.
Additionally, Iowa’s historical journal, the Annals of Iowa, is seeking a new publisher after 163 years within state government. The Department of Administrative Services cited staffing shortages as the reason for ending state management. Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, an Iowa State University history professor and longtime editorial consultant, criticized the decision, noting the journal’s self-sustaining financial model through memberships and subscriptions. The department is exploring partnerships with universities to continue publication.