*At its meeting on Monday, the Sioux City Council is expected to move forward in selecting a new city manager.
Council members will consider authorizing city staff to negotiate an employment contract with one of the three finalists: Eric Swanson, Craig Clark, and Andrew Barden.
If approved, city staff will begin contract negotiations, with the final agreement to be presented to the council for approval at a later date.
The selected finalist would replace former longtime city manager Bob Padmore, who retired in April.
If negotiations are unsuccessful, staff will return to the council for further direction.
*As there were nationwide protests opposing the Trump administration's policies, Sweetgrass Uprising and Siouxland Good Troublemakers organized a protest in Sioux City this past weekend.
Sweet Grass Uprising March from South Sioux City to Sioux City across the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
Participants made four stops along the protest route, offering a prayer at each stop.
At the last stop, the sweetgrass uprising group joined with members of the Siouxland Good Troublemakers at the museum green space. Where there were multiple speakers including Catelin Drey Candidate for District 1 State Senator.
Organizers estimated about 200 people had attended.
*The South Dakota Secretary of State’s office is apologizing after accidentally releasing information about individuals applying for public assistance.
This followed a report by South Dakota Searchlight revealing over 7,000 people were identified as registered voters while applying for assistance.
Lawmakers recently passed a bill making the statewide voter registration file free and publicly available on the Secretary of State’s website, whereas before accessing it cost $2,500.
Although public assistance agencies must help with voter registration, both federal and state law protect the privacy of public assistance records.
In a press release Monae Johnson, South Dakota Secretary of State, said she takes full responsibility for releasing the information and that she is committed to protecting voter privacy.
*Chancellor Rodney Bennett announced on Monday that the University of Nebraska- Lincoln will have to cut $27.5 million from its budget this year.
To address the shortfall, Bennett is initiating a formal budget reduction process, which includes convening the Academic Planning Committee.
Academic Programs will be reviewed for potential mergers or eliminations in effort to maximize UNL’s existing strengths.
Additionally, the University will extend its hiring freeze and refilling positions most essential to university operations.
The Academic Planning Committee is expected to begin reviewing potential budget cuts this week.
Their recommendations will be considered at the Board of Regents meeting in December.
