SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A company has moved call center operations into Sioux City from a facility in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota. The Sioux City Journal reports that the Mass Markets center just east of the Sioux Gateway Airport already has about 300 workers, up from the 150-175 employed in Dakota Dunes. Anthony Marlowe is CEO of Mass Markets’ parent company, MCI, and he says the new location has space for more than 500 call center seats and is looking to hire more workers.

MCI has around 2,000 employees and eight call centers in the U.S., with a ninth in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The Creston Police Department says a man residing in the 500 block of W. Montgomery Street reported Monday, that sometime within the past three weeks, someone stole a set of keys from his vehicle, as it was parked in front of his home. The loss was estimated at $100.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports an additional suspect was arrested and charged Monday, in connection with an ongoing narcotics distribution investigation. 28-year old Jacob Thomsen, of New Market, was arrested in the 1100 block of Highway 2. He was wanted on an active Taylor County Warrant for a Controlled Substance Violation – Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a Class D Felony. Thomsen had an additional warrant for Failure to Appear on an Assault charge. He was being held at the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office on a $5,300 bond, with additional charges pending.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Des Moines City Council has delayed action on banning high-capacity magazines and trigger devices that can make guns even more deadly. The council voted Monday to put off action and to have city staffers work with the Iowa Legislature and other city and county governments to “form a consensus for statewide implementation of sound and effective regulations concerning firearm accessories.” Several gun owners attended the meeting to share their objections to the gun gear proposals.

The council voted in June to have ordinances prepared that would ban extended magazines that hold more bullets than is standard and trigger activators such as bump stocks. The devices have been used in high-profile attacks across the nation.

(Radio Iowa) — The Corning and Villisca School Districts have started a three-year process of studying reorganization, which will eventually lead to a public vote of merging the two schools into one district. Southwest Valley Superintendent Chris Fenster says the study was officially off and running after both school boards approved resolutions during their regular monthly meetings in May. The two schools are currently entering year six of whole grade sharing under the Southwest Valley moniker. “We had to file an application with the department of education that was due on July 1st, and we actually turned it in about the early parts of June,” Fenster says. “That had to include two joint resolutions, one from the Villisca board and one from the Corning board, showing they are both willing to study the reorganization process.”

Under the current sharing agreement, sixth through eighth graders attend Southwest Valley Middle School in Villisca, while Southwest Valley High School in Corning is home base for ninth through twelfth graders. Each district operates its own elementary school. Fenster says one of the things they are trying to do is let people know those four buildings would remain as is, with the district operating under one set of books. “We’re not closing buildings and we’re not closing school districts,” Fenster says. “We are coming together as one as the Southwest Valley School District. I know that’s some of the confusion out there right now that we’ll close buildings, and that’s just not the case at all. We’re keeping all buildings open and will be operating just as we have been for the last few years that we’ve been doing this whole grade sharing.”

Fenster says reorganization would come with some requirements from the state. “One thing we had to do is get a salary schedule that is the same, so both of our schools are getting paid on the same salary schedule,” according toFenster. “Our professional development had to be aligned and we’ve already done that part. And, our TLC — or Teacher Leadership Compensation plan — had to be the same. We have already had that done.” Fenster adds the study process involves establishing a number of committees for items such as transportation and facilities. “The facility committee will be the first we establish in the fall. That will study the facilities that we have here and the things we’ll need to improve as we move forward, and what a 10-year plan might look like for facilities.”

Reorganization requires a public vote in both districts–currently projected for 2021. If approved by a simple majority, the merger would take place beginning in the 2022-23 school year.