Almost 600 Iowa soldiers are coming home from the Middle East today. Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division were deployed to Iraq and Syria in an effort to stop ISIS. Welcome home ceremonies will take place this afternoon at the Des Moines International Airport, the Cedar Rapids Armory, and the Sioux City Airport. Another 250 soldiers came home in February.
Immigration enforcement has become a windfall for one Iowa county. Newly released records show the Department of Homeland Security raised the amount of money available to the Muscatine County Jail for holding federal prisoners to well over 800-thousand dollars--an increase of over 75-percent. The county's longstanding contract to house federal prisoners was updated in March of last year and expires this month. A copy of the agreement was obtained through a Open Records Law request by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
The Omaha City Council is approving plans to expand services for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. The approval grants a special use permit for the tribe to build a new health and wellness center. The space includes a community gathering space, a transportation center and a cultural building. The facility would serve Ponca Tribe members, members from other tribes and non-native residents.
Residents and police in Bennington are raising safety concerns about children riding e-bikes and e-scooters in traffic. This comes after a collision nearly occurred last weekend involving a rider on an e-bike and a car at a stop sign. Bennington Police have received multiple complaints about children on these rides. Officer Jayme Iversen says they "want kids wearing helmets, doing the things they can to remain safe. "They also said there's not law prohibiting the use of e-scooters or e-bikes, but want to raise awareness before an injury or death happens.
Omaha's Memorial Park Concert is coming back. Mayor John Ewing has taken to social media to say that this year's concert will take place on June 26th.This year's acts have not been announced. Previous acts that played the concert include Melissa Etheridge, Ringo Starr, Sheryl Crow and Wyclef Jean.
The accolades continue for the University of Nebraska men's basketball team. Head coach Fred Hoiberg has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. He previously received the award in 2024.Nebraska announced earlier this week that Hoiberg has agreed to a contract extension through the 2031-32 season.