We're looking back at some of the biggest stories of the year in Southwest Iowa from the caucuses to the tornadoes and Tri-Center's football championship.
- IOWA CAUCUS PREP: 'We’re very proud of our grassroots political heritage in this state'
- Silver City mayor gets international attention for hosting the only living room GOP caucus in Iowa this year
- Minden Tornado team coverage
- Injuries reported in Minden following tornadoes; only residents allowed access to town
- 'One of the most important things': Donors see big picture in Micah House childcare center
- KEEPING YOUNG FAMILIES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES: Atlantic gets big grants toward new daycare center
- Glenwood school district voters reject second attempt to fund childcare center
- Malvern neighbors say grocery store returning after fire is 'vital'
- RECOVERING FROM FIRE: Foodland owners hope to re-open Woodbine store next year
- DREAM TEAM: Community devastated by tornado sends football team to state finals
- 'WE DESERVE THIS': Football championship brings joy to tornado-stricken community
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
From natural disasters to football glory, my neighborhood — Southwest Iowa — has experienced a year many of us will remember for the rest of our lives.
I'm Katrina Markel. I grew up in Mills County and reporting on Southwest Iowa gives me a whole new appreciation for this community.
We began the year with a cold and snowy GOP caucus.
Mary Ann Hanusa: "We're very proud of our grassroots political heritage in this state."
The state's first-in-the-nation caucus is something Iowans take seriously. Mary Ann Hanusa led training for caucus volunteers in Pottawattamie County, while Silver City Mayor Sharon McNutt hosted the only living room caucus in Iowa this year.
"It brings people together,” McNutt said.
Then, in April ...
"I started holding the kids saying 'we gotta hold each other tight, we gotta hold each other tight' and then it was just a big whoosh and it was all gone."
Tornadoes swept through Iowa and Nebraska. Among the hardest hit areas...Crescent, Minden and rural Shelby County.
That storm got national attention but it wasn't the last of the natural disasters we saw in Southwest Iowa. More tornadoes, flooding, hail and high winds.
As the year rolled on there were signs of recovery: homes rebuilt, businesses back open.
"It's been a whirlwind of emotions and we're back open finally and it's been great," said Dylan Schneckloth, owner of Minden Bowl and Cafe.
A big story in 2024: the need for childcare.
The State of Iowa says it needs approximately 45,000 more childcare spots than currently available.
In March, Glenwood school district voters rejected a second attempt to publicly fund a daycare center building through the school district, frustrating some parents.
“So, to make the argument that the school should not be part of childcare is just wrong because it is the start of education," Marti Strand said.
Micah House celebrated the opening of a new child development center in Council Bluffs while neighbors in Malvern and Atlantic are fundraising to build new childcare centers.
The goal: attract or keep young families in those communities.
Vision Atlantic's Christina Bateman: "If a community can capture the young families, and they stay here, then we have a better chance of keeping grandma and grandpa here, too."
Grocery stores are also key to small-town vitality. Countryside Market in Minden re-opened — using a generator — shortly after the tornado. A lifeline for neighbors.
Tracey Fox, owner of Countryside Market: "If you have a sick child in the middle of the night, you can call us. We'll open up the store so you can get the Tylenol you need."
Three years after a fire, Mulholland grocery store in Malvern is finally opening its doors. And the owners of Food Land in Woodbine vowed to rebuild after a blaze gutted the family business this summer.
"Just hearing how much the store means to everybody. Has been, it's been really great to hear," John Corbett said.
In November, a story that could have been scripted in Hollywood; a first-ever state football championship for a community devastated by the April tornadoes. Tri-Center, the district that includes Minden, celebrated after a victory at the UNI-dome.
Coach Ryan Schroder: "I said the other day, the stars are aligned or something because everything we've been able to do, someone's definitely got our back and watching out for us."
Terryl Greiner: "I still think they came out and they done it for Minden."
It's an honor to cover the place where I grew up, journeying with you through this historic year because we love where we live.
