Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg wants to increase opportunities for national service and build a network of 1 million service members by 2026.
The South Bend, Indiana, mayor introduced his national service policy today while in Sioux City.
He says the voluntary plan would help people of different backgrounds form connections like the ones he formed while serving with the Navy Reserve in Afghanistan.
Buttigieg's plan would add funding for existing federal programs like AmeriCorps and increase the number of opportunities from 75,000 to 250,000, which would cost $20 billion over 10 years. It also would create new service organizations such as a Climate Corps.
Buttigieg's campaign hasn't provided a cost for that part or said how it intends to pay for the plan.
Mayor Buttigieg will hold a town hall later today at North High School in Sioux City.
About 800 people gathered in Iowa City last night to hear a speech by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Sanders told the crowd “I have absolute confidence we are going to win the Democratic nomination and defeat the most dangerous president in the history of the country.”
Sanders’ campaign announced it raised $18 million in the past three months. Mayor Pete Buttigieg raised $25 million during that same time period.
Police in Yankton, South Dakota police say a man wanted for attempted murder in Nebraska rammed an officer's squad car during a traffic stop.
Authorities say the suspect Kevin Robert Haug was driving a stolen U-Haul truck last night, he hit the squad car and fled across the bridge to Nebraska. He’s now in custody.
A new law in South Dakota eliminates the need for a permit to carry a concealed pistol.
South Dakota is the 14th state to enact such a law for both residents and visitors.
Before the new law took effect this week, people could be charged with a misdemeanor if they carried a concealed pistol or had one concealed in a vehicle without a permit.
A fire has heavily damaged an assisted living center that was getting ready to open in northwest Iowa.
Todd Van Tol is the board president for the RiverView Ridge Senior Living Center in Rock Valley. He says this is hard for the community. They’ve been working on this project for at least 3 years.
“I don’t have all the answers yet, but it’s pretty devastating for at least three-quarters of the building. We’ll have to see what we can do with some of the rest of it with smoke damage and that kind of stuff, but right now it’s incredibly devastating.”
The project is meant to fill a shortage of assisted living options in Rock Valley and the nearby area. Van Tole says the board will be meeting with its insurance company and hopes to see it rebuilt.
And, a flash flood warning is over for parts of Siouxland including Sioux City.
Heavy rain fell in the region earlier this morning so the National Weather Service issued the warning for northwestern Woodbury, southwestern Plymouth, northern Dakota and central Dixon and Union County in South Dakota.
And, The amount of water flowing into the lower Missouri River will remain high throughout the summer and fall, and that water will likely continue to exacerbate flooding downstream.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it plans to keep releases from Gavins Point Dam near current levels — which are more than double the average amount.
The high releases will likely continue worsening flooding downstream — in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas — where many levees were damaged during severe March flooding.
Officials say the releases of 70,000 cubic feet per second of water are needed because the upstream reservoirs remain quite full.
The amount of water entering the dams in June was 159 percent of normal, and it has been a wet year.