DELTA AIRLINES WILL STILL OWE SIOUX CITY A LOT OF MONEY AFTER IT CLOSES ITS RESERVATION CENTER ON AUGUST 31ST.

CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR MARTY DOUGHERTY SAYS DELTA OWES ANOTHER FIVE YEARS OF LEASE PAYMENTS ON ITS FACILTY AT 4TH AND NEBRASKA STREETS:

CITY MANAGER PAUL ECKERT SAYS THE CITY EXPECTS DELTA TO FULFILL ITS CONTRACT:

THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY CHANGE IF ANOTHER COMPANY MOVES IN TO THE FORMER DOWNTOWN JC PENNEY'S 2ND FLOOR FACILITY.

THE CITY HAS ALREADY BEEN CONTACTED BY ANOTHER COMPANY THAT IS INTERESTED IN THE BUILDING AND THE CURRENT DELTA WORKFORCE EMPLOYED THERE:

UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, DELTA IS OBLIGATED TO PAY TAXES AND LEASE PAYMENTS THROUGH NOVEMBER OF 2017.

MERCY AIR CARE IS CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF PROVIDING AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE TO THE SIOUXLAND AREA.

THE HELICOPTERS HAVE LOGGED NEARLY 9000 MEDICAL FLIGHTS FOR TRAUMA, CARDIAC AND OTHER CRITCAL NEEDS PATIENTS SINCE MAY OF 1987.

MERCY AIR MEDICAL DIRECTOR DR. JOE LIEWER (LEE-WER) WAS PERSONALLY IMPACTED BY THE AIR SERVICE:

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER MARI (MARY) KAPTAIN-DAHLEN SAYS THE SIGHT OF MERCY'S HELICOPTER HAS BECOME A FAMILIAR COMFORTING SIGHT OVER SIOUXLAND SKIES:

THE MEDICAL CENTER IS PLANNING A FREE PUBLIC CELEBRATION OF THE AIR SERVICE ON MAY 5TH ON THE RIVERFRONT NEAR THE MARINA INN.

THERE WILL BE FOUR SPECIAL GUESTS FLOWN IN ON THE HELICOPTER THAT DAY, TWO FORMER PATIENTS PLUS UNITED FLIGHT 232 CAPTAIN AL HAYNES, WHO WAS THE PILOT OF THE PASSENGER JET THAT CRASHED AT SIOUX GATEWAY AIRPORT IN 1989, AS WELL AS DR. DAVID GRECO, THE FOUNDER OF MERCY AIR CARE WHO LANDED WITH THE HELICOPTER JUST MINUTES AFTER THE AIRLINER'S CRASH.

SIOUX CITY POLICE HAVE SET UP A NEW COMMUNICATION SYSTEM TO GET EMERGENCY INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC.

CRIME PREVENTION OFFICER RYAN BERTRAND SAYS THE NIXLE COMMUNITY INFORMATION SERVICE SENDS OUT ALERTS BY TEXT MESSAGES AND E-MAIL:

BERTRAND SAYS NIXLE WILL BE USED FOR A WIDE RANGE OF INFORMATION:  

MESSAGES CAN ALSO BE LOCALIZED TO RESIDENTS WITHIN A QUARTER MILE OF A SPECIFIC ALERT THROUGH THE SYSTEM.

BERTRAND SAYS IT IS A SECURE TRUSTWORTHY SYSTEM THAT BUILDS ON THE FOUNDATION OF OTHER SERVICES LIKE FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.

THE SIOUX CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS ADDED THREE NEW VEHICLES THAT CAN RESPOND TO A VARIETY OF SITUATIONS.

SPOKESMAN JESSE PEDERSEN SAYS THE THREE VEHICLES HAVE FIVE INTERCHANGEABLE PODS WHICH GIVE THEM A LOT OF VERSATILITY:

THOSE PODS INCLUDE TWO MEDICAL UNITS, A UTILITY BOX AND TWO FIREFIGHTING UNITS INCLUDING ONE FOR GRASS FIRES.

THE TRUCKS WILL BE STATIONED AT STATION ONE DOWNTOWN AND STATION THREE IN GREENVILLE. THEY REPLACE FIVE OLDER VEHICLES BEING PHASED OUT.