SIOUX CITY HAS SOME CATCHING UP TO DO IN THE COMPETITION TO ACHIEVE BLUE ZONE STATUS AS ONE OF IOWA'S HEALTHIEST CITIES.

THE CITY CURRENTLY RANKS 9TH IN CITIZEN PARTICIPATION OF THE 11 COMPETING CITIES, LEADING ONLY DAVENPORT AND WATERLOO.

CITY SPOKESMAN DEREK CARMONA SAYS IT ONLY TAKES ABOUT TWO MINUTES ONLINE TO VOTE AND PARTICIPATE IN THE BLUE ZONE PLEDGE:

YOU CAN PLEDGE TO ADOPT A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE BY CHOOSING FROM SEVERAL ACTIVITIES...MANY OF WHICH MOST PEOPLE LIKELY ARE ALREADY DOING LIKE WALKING YOUR DOG, ATTENDING CHURCH OR BEING ACTIVE OUTDOORS:

CARMONA SAYS YOU STILL HAVE UNTIL MAY FIRST TO HELP WITH THE BLUE ZONE EFFORT. YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE BY CLICKING ON THE BLUE ZONE LINK ON THE SIOUX-DASH-CITY-DOT ORG WEBSITE.

A SIMPLE SWAB TO THE CHEEK IS ALL IT TAKES TO PLACE YOURSELF ON THE NATIONAL BONE MARROW DONATION PROGRAM.

ST. LUKE'S NURSE TAMMY AMICK SAYS MANY PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM LIFE-THREATENING DISEASES SUCH AS LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA ARE WAITING FOR A DONOR MATCH. IN 90 PER CENT OF THOSE CASES, A NON INVASIVE TRANSPLANT NOW OCCURS:

AMICK SAYS THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE STILL WAITING TO FIND A MATCHING DONOR:   

 ROBIN BIRD WAS ONE OF THOSE PATIENTS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO FIND A MATCHING DONOR.  SHE RECEIVED WORD LAST WEEK:

BIRD SAYS THE BLOOD PLASMA PROCEDURE HELPED HER FIND A MATCHING DONOR QUICKLY. HER DONOR CAME FROM OUTSIDE OF OUR AREA:

ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL AND MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE WERE SCREENING VOLUNTEERS UNTIL AROUND 6PM WEDNESDAY FOR THE REGISTRY.

IF YOU COULD NOT MAKE IT TO WEDNESDAY'S EVENT, YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BECOMING A BONE MARROW STEM CELL DONOR ONLINE AT BE THE MATCH-DOT -ORG.
 

A HULL, IOWA WOMAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH STEALING FUNDS FROM THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OFFICE IN SIOUX COUNTY.

AUTHORITIES WITH THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION SAY 39 YEAR OLD WENDI KATS IS CHARGED WITH SECOND DEGREE THEFT.

KATS IS A FORMER EMPLOYEE WITH THE SIOUX COUNTY TREAURER'S OFFICE AND THE D-O-T BRANCH OFFICE.

THE CHARGE CAME AS A RESULT OF AN INVESTIGATION BY THE D-C-I AND STATE AUDITOR'S AFTER FUNDS WERE DISCOVERED MISSING FROM THE SIOUX COUNTY OFFICE.

FIVE DEPOSITS TOTALLING $4252.00 WERE FOUND MISSING BETWEEN JULY 1ST OF 2009 AND MAY 31ST OF 2010.

KATS WAS ARRESTED LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING . SHE WAS RELEASED FROM THE SIOUX COUNTY JAIL ON HER OWN RECOGNIZANCE.
  

The U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the child pornography conviction and 23-year sentence for a Sioux City man also serving federal prison time on drug and firearms convictions.

Kevin McManaman was sentenced last year after pleading guilty to two counts of producing child pornography for making sex videos of an underage girl.

In his appeal, McManaman said that agents looking for drugs and guns in his house came upon a locked box that contained the child porn. He says because the box did not contain drugs or guns, the
evidence found in it should not have been allowed.

But the federal appeals court agreed with the lower court that because the incriminating nature of the evidence was immediately apparent to officers, they were entitled to seize it.