The Supreme Court will hear arguments this week over President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan. It's a plan that impacts millions of borrowers who could see their loans wiped away or reduced. Republican-appointed judges have kept the Democratic president's plan from going into effect. It's unclear how the court will respond. The court is dominated 6-3 by conservatives. The justices have scheduled two hours of arguments in the case Tuesday, though it'll probably go longer. The public can listen in on the court’s website beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern. The court is hearing challenges by two students and by six Republican-led states: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina.
A bill eligible for debate in the Iowa Senate would prohibit judges from requiring a divorcing parent to cover some of the costs of their child’s college education.
An Iowa judge currently has the option of ordering a parent getting a divorce to pay up to a third of the total cost of their child’s undergraduate education. One lawmaker says the subsidy does not currently apply to all parents.
Supporters say parents have an obligation to provide for their children and college is a big step forward in life.
Radio Iowa reports Iowa is one of 17 states that allow judges to order a divorcing parent to pay at least part of a child’s college tuition and fees.
Republican state senators in Iowa had planned to advance a bill that would set some new rules for building carbon pipelines, but after hearing opposition, the bill has been permanently shelved.
The bill would have required future pipelines — including those carrying natural gas or other fuels — to get permission from at least two-thirds of landowners along the pipeline route before a developer could seek authority from the state to seize the rest. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, had planned to propose that the bill instead say that carbon pipeline construction would be on hold until federal safety rules are in place and all states along the pipeline route have issued construction permits. Schultz tabled those ideas after hearing from landowners who are resisting the pipelines.
The Board which oversees Iowa’s medical marijuana program today, denied a petition to allow the use of the dried marijuana plant known as “vaporizable flower.”
The petition request was submitted by medical marijuana provider Bud & Mary’s, which was formerly known as MedPharm. The company operates
a local in Sioux City. For more on the story from Radio Iowa click here.
The Board voted unanimously to deny the petition to allow the use of “vaporizable flower.” It is the second time such a petition has been turned down.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, her family, friends and guests are the only people who can stay in a state-owned historic cabin in Custer State Park, and it’s unclear if the rustic Valhalla retreat is being used for political purposes.
Citing open records law, Noem’s administration won’t reveal who stayed there over the past three years or whether the state is reimbursed, despite more than $120,000 in taxpayer money being spent on property upgrades.
Story from NPR News:
It's been exactly 50 years since hundreds of Native American activists seized the South Dakota town of Wounded Knee, kicking off a monthslong occupation that helped galvanize the movement for indigenous rights across the U.S.
On Feb. 27, 1973, some 200 members of the Oglala Lakota tribe, led by members of American Indian Movement (AIM), occupied the Pine Ridge Reservation village — which was also the site of the 1890 massacre in which federal troops killed as many as 300 Lakota men, women and children.
The activists set out to protest corruption in tribal leadership and highlight the U.S. government's failure to honor Native treaties. They also wanted to bring awareness to poverty and police brutality. They went on to hold the town for 71 days, in what the U.S. Marshals Service calls the "longest civil disorder" in its history.
It became violent at times, and two Native American men were killed and a Federal Marshall was paralyzed.
Submitted news releases:
Sioux City, Iowa – Sioux City Community School District is proud to announce Perry Creek, Nodland, and Sunnyside elementary schools have officially become authorized as International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) schools.
The PYP is an internationally recognized program that focuses on developing the whole child by fostering a love of learning, encouraging critical thinking, and promoting a sense of global citizenship.
The International Baccalaureate Organization grants authorization to schools that have successfully completed a rigorous evaluation process and have demonstrated a commitment to the IB mission and philosophy.
“I am very proud of our elementary schools and especially our team of dedicated teachers and administrators who have worked tirelessly to incorporate IB principals into the daily learning at Perry Creek, Nodland, and Sunnyside schools,” says Dr. Rod Earleywine, superintendent of Sioux City Community Schools. “The program supports our commitment to helping students become inquirers, thinkers, communicators, and risk-takers.”
The IB program focuses on learners and promotes healthy relationships, ethical responsibility, and personal challenges. IB works within global contexts to increase understanding of languages and cultures, and explore globally significant ideas and issues.
In addition to its IB authorized elementary schools, the Sioux City Community School District also has specialty elementary schools focused on the arts, environmental sciences, computer programming, dual language, and STEM.
Perry Creek, Nodland, and Sunnyside elementary schools will be formally recognized as IB authorized schools by the District’s Board of Directors during its February 27 board meeting.
For more information on IB authorization at Sioux City Community Schools, visit siouxcityschools.org.
Siouxland Connections for Women and Girls
In celebration of Women’s History Month, Sioux City Human Rights Commission will host Siouxland Connections for Women and Girls on March 9, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. at the Sioux City Public Museum, 607 4th Street. Local non-profit agencies will present information on programing and services available for women and girls.
This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Any questions may be directed to the Human Rights Commission at 712-279-6985.
DOOBIE BROTHERS EXTEND 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR COMING TO THE TYSON EVENTS CENTER ON JUNE 17TH
TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, MARCH 3 AT 10AM
Sioux City, IA (February 27, 2023) – The Doobie Brothers are bringing their 50th Anniversary Tour to the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, IA on Saturday, June 17 at 8:00PM.
Tickets starting at go on sale this Friday, March 3 at 10:00 am. Tickets are available at PrimebankTix.com, TysonCenter.com or by visiting the Primebank Box Office at the Tyson Events Center.
Four-time GRAMMY Award winners and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, The Doobie Brothers, have announced 35 U.S. dates from June through October 2023, an extension of their 50th Anniversary Tour which has had TOM JOHNSTON, MICHAEL MCDONALD, PAT SIMMONS and JOHN MCFEE back on the road together for the first time in over 25 years.
“We are thrilled to be back on the road in 2023 playing some cities we haven’t gotten to yet on this tour,” said TOM JOHNSTON.
Selling nearly 50 million albums worldwide, The Doobie Brothers have had five top-10 singles, 16 top-40 hits, 3 multi-platinum albums, 7 platinum albums, 14 gold albums and own a rare diamond record for their 1976 album, Best of the Doobies. The Doobie Brothers’ collection of timeless hits will once again be played by the artists who wrote them, providing fans the rare opportunity to see these Rock and Roll legends performing their full catalog of songs on stage.
For over five decades, The Doobie Brothers have been known for delivering mind-blowing, roots based, harmony-laden, guitar-driven rock and roll – all of which recently culminated in an induction into the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Boasting one of the most loyal fan bases in music, selling more than 48 million albums, and winning four GRAMMY® Awards, The Doobie Brothers continue to write and record new material and tour the world. Their No. 1 singles “Black Water” and “What a Fool Believes," both gold, lead a catalog of indelible songs that include: “Listen to the Music,” “China Grove,” “Jesus Is Just All Right,” “Rockin’ Down the Highway,” “Long Train Runnin’,” “Take Me In Your Arms,” "Takin’ it to the Streets,” “Minute by Minute,” “You Belong to Me,” “The Doctor” and more. In all, the Doobies have tallied up five top 10 singles and 16 top 40 hits. Beginning with their multi-million-selling sophomore collection Toulouse Street, the Doobies have 3 multi-platinum, 7 platinum, and 14 Gold albums. Best of the Doobies has sold more than 12 million copies – a rare “diamond record.” In 2021, the band kicked off their 50th anniversary tour which reunited Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons, and John McFee on stage. Additionally, The Doobie Brothers released their autobiography, Long Train Runnin’ on July 26, 2022.
About OVG360:
OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that helps client-partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment, and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artists, athletes, and surrounding communities. With a portfolio of more than 200 client-partners spanning arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe, OVG360 provides a set of services, resources and expertise designed to elevate every aspect of business that matters to venue operators. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG360 helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health and public safety and more.