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.

THE SIOUX CITY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR ITS SPRING CITIZENS ACADEMY.

DIRECTOR KAREN MACKEY SAYS IT'S THE THIRD TIME THE COMMISSION HAS CONDUCTED THE COURSE, WHICH IS MODELED AFTER THE POLICE AND FIRE ACADEMIES:

THE SIGN UP DEADLINE IS APRIL 27TH. THOSE INTERESTED SHOULD CALL 279-6985 OR E-MAIL This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Powell Broadcasting of Baton Rouge, Louisiana today announced an agreement to purchase radio stations WAKT, WASJ, WPFM and WRBA of Panama City, Florida from Double O Radio Corporation of Charleston, South Carolina. The four stations range from 50,000 to 100,000 watts of power.

The sale is pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission. It is the first acquisitions for Powell Broadcasting since 2007 and will increase the total number of stations owned by the company to ten.

Powell Chief Operations Officer Tom Spies says “We are thrilled to add WAKT, WASJ, WPFM and WRBA to our family of stations. Panama City is a great market, and we’re confident that we will be successful there. It’s all about making a commitment to the community, offering quality programming, and providing results to our advertisers.”

Spies added that the improving economy makes this an opportune time for expansion for the company.

Powell Broadcasting General Manager Dennis Bullock says he is excited about the broadcast opportunities the four station cluster will bring to the company and the Panama City area. “As evidenced by our Sioux City/Le Mars cluster, Powell Broadcasting has a commitment to live, local programming. We intend to make that same commitment to the Panama City area.”

Powell also owns five stations in Sioux City, Iowa KSCJ AM, KSUX FM, KOOL 99.5 FM, KKYY FM and KZSR FM along with KLEM AM in Le Mars, Iowa.

Powell Broadcasting is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Powell Group. The Powell group is a multi-faceted company involved in rice milling, timber, bio-mass energy generation, real estate development and broadcasting.

For more information, contact Dennis Bullock of Powell Broadcasting at 712-239-2100.

THE CITY HELD A RIBBON CUTTING WEDNESDAY MORNING TO DEDICATE IMPROVEMENTS AT SMITH VILLA HEIGHTS PARK.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORK RECEIVED A GRANT FOR OVER $3500 FROM MRHD TO REPLACE THE BASKETBALL COURT WITH A NEW CONCRETE BASE AND UPGRADE THE HOOP.

THAT MARKED THE COMPLETION OF SEVERAL YEARS OF IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WESTSIDE PARK WHIC HIS LOCATED AT WEST 18TH AND RUBY STREETS.

MRHD ALSO DONATED TEN-THOUSAND DOLLARS TO THE EFFORT IN 2009, WHICH THE CITY MATCHED DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR.