The most recent challenges threaten student loan forgiveness for 800,000 borrowers and changes to the borrower defense student debt relief program that would make it easier for those defrauded by their colleges to receive forgiveness.

Borrowers are having to navigate what the legal developments mean for their loans while also losing faith in receiving more help from the administration before they have to begin repaying their debts in October. 

“I believe even though the specificities of the various lawsuits that are being challenged [...] I think the question that is on a lot of people's minds, specifically the 40 million borrowers, even if it doesn't directly affect them, is when does the line end? When do the challenges end?” said Dorien Rogers, president of the Maryland Youth & College Division for the NAACP.

The two most recent challenges directly impact borrowers who were defrauded by their institutions and those who have been paying on their loans for more than 20 years. 

In the first case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit put a temporary injunction on updated rules the Education Department tried to apply that would change how loans are discharged for people who have been defrauded by their schools or their schools closed down. 

Those who have been defrauded by their institutions are able to apply to get their loans forgiven through the borrower defense program. 

The Career Colleges and Schools of Texas, which represents dozens of for-profit schools, sued the federal government over the updated guidance that would ease who could apply for debt relief through borrower defense and expand the violations applicable to borrower defense. 

The injunction will last at least until Nov. 6, when the next court date is set for the case. 

“We are reviewing the court’s order. The Department issued a set of new and stronger regulations to ensure that borrowers have a path to relief when their colleges take advantage of them or leave them stranded by closures,” an Education Department spokesperson said.

“And the Department won’t back down in our efforts to take on predatory colleges, provide relief to borrowers who have been cheated or had their school close, and hold institutions accountable for deceptive schemes,” the spokesperson added. 

A second lawsuit was recently filed against the Biden administration for its plan to cancel $39 billion in student loans for 800,000 borrowers. The suit was filed by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) on behalf of the Cato Institute and Mackinac Center, in federal court. 

The Education Department said the debt would be canceled for the borrowers who have been paying on their loans for 20 years or more under an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan that allows debt to be canceled after a certain number of payments. 

The administration is adjusting how it calculates which payments count in the plan towards student loan relief, with the updated rules allowing more than 800,000 borrowers to get enough credit from past payments to receive loan forgiveness.

“The [Public Service Loan Forgiveness] and IDR statutes require borrowers to make a certain number of monthly payments before earning forgiveness. By trying to count non-payments as payments, the strategy seems to be to cancel $39 billion faster than a court can review and stop this blatantly unlawful act,” said Sheng Li, litigation counsel for the NCLA. 

The Education Department, again, pledged to fight the lawsuit and insisted its plan is legal.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is fighting every day to fix the broken student loan system and make sure borrowers get the relief they earned, need, and deserve. This lawsuit is nothing but a desperate attempt from right wing special interests to keep hundreds of thousands of borrowers in debt, even though these borrowers have earned the forgiveness that is promised through income-driven repayment plans,” an Education Department spokesperson said. “We are not going to back down or give an inch when it comes to defending working families.”

Borrowers are watching the news trying to parse out what will apply to them and how this will affect their payments, leaving many confused.

“You don't know what part of the plan is sued or at risk. And borrowers are … there's already a major trust problem when it comes to borrowers and their student loans. Any added fuel to the fire is going to make it that much worse,” said Natalia Abrams, president and founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center.

Borrowers already saw relief snatched away from them in June when the Supreme Court ruled against Biden’s plan for all 45 million borrowers to receive up to $10,000 in loan forgiveness, and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. 

While Biden said after the high court ruling he is working on a new plan, there are no details set for it. And challenges to the next policy could not come until it is finalized and made it through the months-long negotiated rule-making process.

Biden's new IDR program called the Saving on a Valuable Education plan is one of his few student loan policies that has yet to face a legal challenge. The plan, which was recently launched by the administration, went through the negotiated rule-making process and makes substantial IDR changes such as allowing an individual borrower making $32,800 a year or less to have $0 monthly payments on their student loans. 

The number of lawsuits borrowers are having to track regarding student loan policies has increased dramatically since previous years, according to Abrams.

“I've been working in this space for a long time, and I never really seen regulations be sued at this level,” Abrams said. 

The additional lawsuits come as interest on student loans will turn back on at the beginning of September, with and payments on loans restarting in October. 

Due to Biden’s “on-ramp” program, borrowers will be able to miss payments up until September 2024 without financial repercussions — besides the accruing interest on their loans. 

“When it pertains to the confidence of the Biden-Harris administration, I think, truthfully, a lot of borrowers were hurt because they feel as though there was a lot of tokenized or false promises given kind of the landscape of the legislative but then also the executive and judicial actions of our institutions of government,” Rogers said.

“But I believe also there's still faith in the people seeking an education but are burdened with this debt, that whether it's going to be the president, whether it's going to be their congressional figures or their state legislatures that they're going to do the right thing,” he added.

This year, traditional powerhouses such as New York City, San Francisco, and Boston did not feature among the top 20. While these cities have historically been known for their vibrant startup cultures, high tax rates and business operating costs may have deterred new ventures, particularly for San Francisco and Boston (which experienced an 11% and 13% drop in new business applications from 2021 to 2022, respectively).

Instead, several mid-sized cities with fewer than 250,000 residents made the list. This trend underscores the notion that a sprawling metropolis isn't a prerequisite for new business success. In fact, less populous cities offer their own unique advantages, such as lower costs and a tightly-knit community, which can be vital for businesses in their early stages.

To identify the top cities fostering new business growth in 2023, the data and research team at Swyft Filings turned to the most recent data from the United States Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and other government sources. They evaluated the 300 most populous cities in the U.S. on key factors such as the rate of new business formations and business climate favorability.

Without further ado, here are the top 20 cities whose residents are the most likely to have brought their business ideas to life, and where the business environment is best positioned to foster long-term success.

Swyft Filings

Key findings

- National averages: In 2022, about 1.5% of the population, or 15 out of every 1,000 people, applied for a new business. Despite this substantial figure, business applications in the United States declined overall between 2021 and 2022 by 6.24%.

- Regional differences: Regional disparities are evident when examining new business applications per capita in 2022 and the year-over-year change in these applications. The South exhibits the highest rate of new business applications per capita, with 18 for every 1,000 residents, on average. On the other hand, the West, Northeast, and Midwest present lower rates of 14, 13, and 12 applications per 1,000 residents, respectively. In terms of yearly change from 2021 to 2022, all regions experienced a decrease in new business applications. The West saw a dip of just 1.96%, while sharper declines were observed in the Northeast (6.06%), the South (7.64%), and the Midwest (7.79%).

- Tax rates and new business applications are inversely related: An analysis of new business applications per capita in 2022 across the 300 most populous cities in the U.S. revealed a low inverse correlation with personal income tax, corporate income tax, and state sales tax rates in those cities, Pearson's r = -0.25, -0.15, and -0.16, respectively. While these findings provide an interesting correlation, it's important to remember that they do not demonstrate a direct cause-effect relationship.

Top cities encouraging business growth in 2023

20. Plano, Texas

- Population: 289,547
- Composite score: 53.17
- Business applications 1,000 residents, 2022: 20
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: -2.30%

19. Jersey City, New Jersey

- Population: 286,670
- Composite score: 53.21
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 19
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: -2.94%

18. McKinney, Texas

- Population: 207,507
- Composite score: 53.23
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 20
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: -2.27%

17. Fort Lauderdale, Florida

- Population: 183,146
- Composite score: 53.38
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 39
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: -9.03%

16. Spokane, Washington

- Population: 107,325
- Composite score: 53.97
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 13
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +1.82%

15. Paterson, New Jersey

- Population: 156,661
- Composite score: 54.22
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 18
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: -0.89%

14. Roseville, California

- Population: 154,817
- Composite score: 54.38
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 11
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +3.88%

13. Cape Coral, Florida

- Population: 216,992
- Composite score: 54.60
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 23
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +4.22%

12. Tyler, Texas

- Population: 109,286
- Composite score: 54.95
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 14
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +4.71%

11. Austin, Texas

- Population: 974,447
- Composite score: 54.96
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 23
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: -1.57%

10. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

- Population: 202,078
- Composite score: 55.25
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 14
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: 1.26%

9. Midland, Texas

- Population: 134,444
- Composite score: 55.40
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 20
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +1.36%

8. St. Petersburg, Florida

- Population: 261,256
- Composite score: 56.40
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 27
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +3.69%

7. Anchorage, Alaska

- Population: 287,145
- Composite score: 56.60
- Business applications per 1,000 residents: 13
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +9.61%

6. Greeley, Colorado

- Population: 109,209
- Composite score: 58.43
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 16
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +6.77%

5. Sacramento, California

- Population: 528,001
- Composite score: 58.75
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 15
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +7.07%

4. Miami, Florida

- Population: 449,514
- Composite score: 59.57
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 48
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: -6.05%

3. Mobile, Alabama

- Population: 183,289
- Composite score: 59.86
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 24
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +11.50%

2. Denver, Colorado

- Population: 713,252
- Composite score: 61.04
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 29
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +1.11%

1. Colorado Springs, Colorado

- Population: 486,248
- Composite score: 63.63
- Business applications per 1,000 residents, 2022: 20
- Change in business applications, 2021-2022: +11.35%

Methodology

To identify the best cities for new businesses, the data and research team ranked the 300 most populous cities in the United States using a composite score of factors across five key dimensions: new business applications, historic business survival data, economic health and workforce productivity, the cost of doing business, and new business support.

New business applications: 50% of composite score

- New business applications as a percentage of the population (2022).
- Change in new business applications from 2021 to 2022.

Historic business survival data: 15% of composite score

- 1-year business survival rate.
- 5-year business survival rate.
- Average business size after 5 years.

Economic health and workforce productivity: 15% of composite score

- GDP per capita.

Cost of doing business: 10% of composite score

- Regional price parity data by state and metro area.
- Personal income tax rate, from state government websites.
- Corporate income tax rate, from state government websites.
- State sales tax rate.

New business support via SBA loans: 10% of composite score

- SBA 7(a) loans: average dollar amount per loan.
- SBA 7(a) loans: private lenders per capita.
- SBA 7(a) loans: loans granted per capita.

Some data were available only at the state level and not at the city level. This means that each city was either helped or harmed by the business environment within its state.

The methodology used to approximate new business applications per 1,000 residents, along with the change in these applications between 2021 and 2022 at the city level, relied on county-level business application data and population statistics. The data and research team derived the rate of new business applications per 1,000 residents for each county by dividing the number of new applications by the county's population.

When considering cities that spanned multiple counties, they implemented a weighted average method. The weighting took into account the proportion of the city's population that came from each corresponding county. This approach offered a more accurate city-level approximation by representing the mixed population sources of these cities.

This story was produced by Swyft Filings and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.

A gallon of regular gas was $3.82 on average, August 8, according to AAA. Stacker compiled statistics on gas prices in Rapid City, SD metro area using data from AAA.

Relief may be on the way for drivers, according to GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan.

"The pace of increases has started to slow down over the last few days, and for now, appears to have hit a peak over the weekend and is beginning to gently fall," De Haan said in a statement, adding that a potentially destructive hurricane season could still spell higher prices. Hurricanes are most likely to form over the ocean from June 1 to Nov. 30.

Rapid City by the numbers
- Current gas price: $3.99
--- South Dakota average: $3.78
- 1-week change: -$0.05 (-1.3%)
- 1-year change: -$0.26 (-6.1%)
- Record high gas price: $4.89 (6/30/22)

- Current diesel price: $4.17
- 1-week change: +$0.03 (0.8%)
- 1-year change: $-0.93 (-18.2%)
- Record high diesel price: $5.58 (7/4/22)

Metros with the most expensive gas
#1. San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, CA: $5.33
#2. Lihue (Kauai), HI: $5.26
#3. Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA: $5.16

Metros with the least expensive gas
#1. Henderson, KY: $3.16
#2. Monroe, LA: $3.28
#3. San Angelo, TX: $3.28

Drybar® is known for providing the ultimate hair blowout experience that includes a wash, blowout and styling performed by highly trained cosmetologists. Haircuts or colors are not offered - they focus on blowouts only.

The setting will be sleek and inviting offering a chic fun atmosphere with its custom furniture, marble bars with whimsical touches such as yellow hair dryers and chandeliers made out of blow dryers. It will be located next to the new Smoothie King on 41st Street in the shopping area to the north of the Empire Mall.

Drybar® was named one of the top "100 Brilliant Ideas of 2010' by Entrepreneur Magazine and has more than 150 shops throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Certain passengers — or rather, would-have-been passengers — are now eligible to receive a refund for their troubles. 

Delta Air Lines has agreed to a class action settlement in a lawsuit that accused them of breaching its contracts of carriage. According to the suit, Delta refused to provide passengers refunds, giving them credit for future travel on flights Delta canceled between March 1, 2020 and April 20, 2021. 

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit say that while they received ticket credits, they should have received cash refunds in accordance with ticket agreements, Top Class Actions explains.

Delta has denied any wrongdoing but has agreed to pay an undisclosed amount as part of the settlement. 

You can qualify for the settlement if you received credit for a non-refundable ticket purchased for a flight that was set to depart between the dates above, only to have Delta cancel it, and did not receive a refund from Delta despite requesting one. You also need to have had unused credit or partial unused credit as of January 13, 2023, a site dedicated to the settlement explains. 

Settlement claims are now being accepted online or by mail. You need to submit a claim to be eligible for a payment, and it must be postmarked or submitted online by September 15, 2023. 

You will also need to provide information like your original ticket number and other details about the flight.

Payments can be received as either cash or credit. If you select a cash payment, you’ll get cash for any remaining unused credit. If you opt for credit, you’ll keep your travel credits but receive interest credit equating to 7% on your original ticket amount. 

It’s unclear exactly how much each claimant may receive, since flight credits can vary. 

A final approval hearing is scheduled for early October.

What you'll find inside The Smoked Culture near 49th and Louise in tonight's Your Money Matters.

"We bought a smoker and started creating food," The Smoked Culture owner Ryan Gaede said.

Photos of their food quickly started gaining a following on social media.

"So we decided to make an Instagram page just for the stuff we're creating with the smoker, and the ball just kept rolling from there," Gaede said.

That led to the opening of their own food truck one year ago; now this week they'll be opening their very own restaurant inside a familiar location near 49th and Louise Avenue.

"Jess and I met here 17 years ago when it was Nutty's," Gaede said. "We came in and it was a lot of elbow grease to get this place to look like it does now. We're really happy with how it turned out, it's fun, it's bright, different than anything else we've seen."

Ryan and Jess Gaede and their business partner Aaron spent a lot of time creating their restaurant out of unique materials.

"Aaron asked if we wanted to do bowling alley lanes for tables, we said that's a really cool idea. So he got some bowling alley lanes from up in the Minneapolis area," Gaede said. "It took him so long and so much effort to make them look the way they do now, they're awesome."

Along with bowling, the local art and theme of the restaurant are centered around their favorite sport.

"There's a nod to the skateboard culture in our menu, the names of some of our sandwiches are also skateboard tricks," Gaede said.

Even the bar is a nod to skateboarding, it's called the Flatbar, because the footrest is what they'd normally use for skateboarding tricks.

"All of these things combined into one that make this The Smoked Culture," Gaede said.

A culture that's fun, relaxed and family-friendly, but also full of flavor.

"We just want everyone to come into here, have a good time and eat some good food," Gaede said.

The Smoked Culture opens Tuesday, August 8th. It will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 am to 8 pm and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A warning, all of their meats smoke for 18-20 hours and are subject to selling out.

Maybe it’s happened to you: You book your flight in advance, you pick your seat (if your airline allows it), and you arrive on time at your gate — only to find out your flight is overbooked. 

An airline overbooking the flight (also known as "overselling" the flight) is completely legal, the U.S. Department of Transportation explains. The practice allows carriers to sell more boarding passes than there are seats on a plane to compensate for passengers that do not arrive for the flight.

When a flight is oversold, airlines will first ask for volunteers to give up their seat. If there aren't enough volunteers, some passengers will be involuntarily denied boarding. This is more commonly known as being "bumped" from a flight.

Whether you volunteer or are bumped, the DOT keeps track of how many passengers are denied boarding because of oversold flights.

And based on the latest data, there is one airline that recently bumped more passengers than any others: Frontier Airlines. 

According to the DOT’s latest Air Travel Consumer Report, released in late June, more than 2,440 Frontier passengers were involuntarily bumped from their flights between January and March of this year (data on oversold flights is only released quarterly). That equates to nearly 4 passengers being bumped for every 10,000 passengers total, the DOT report shows. 

While that rate can seem large compared to other airlines — of the nine others in the report, none had a rate higher than .50 per 10,000 — Frontier was also among the carriers that enplaned the fewest passengers during early 2023, ranking as the third-lowest behind Hawaiian Airlines and Allegiant Air. Still, Hawaiian and Allegiant reported zero passengers being bumped between January and March. 

Americans Airlines network, which includes American Airlines and its branded partners, reported the second-highest number of passengers involuntarily bumped at nearly 2,070. But by contrast, American Airlines served almost 44 million passengers between January and March — vastly more than Frontier’s 6.5 million. 

Frontier Airlines didn’t immediately respond to Nexstar’s request for comment. The airline does, however, outline in its contract of carriage that those who are denied boarding will be provided with another Frontier flight to the same destination. Passengers that have already scanned their boarding pass and boarded the original flight also cannot be removed except for safety or security reasons (or other reasons outlined in the contract of carriage), the contract says.

Three airlines reported no bumped passengers: Hawaiian, Allegiant, and Delta Air Lines network. United Airlines network saw 32 passengers being bumped, a measly 0.01 for every 10,000. Southwest Airlines, which bumped the most passengers in 2022, bumped the third-lowest passengers in the first quarter at 610.

These five airlines bumped the most passengers:

1. Frontier: 2,442
2. American: 2,069
3. Southwest: 610
4. Spirit: 444
5. Alaska: 66

Included in these statistics are “both passengers who received denied boarding compensation and passengers who did not qualify for compensation because of one of the exceptions in the Oversales rule,” the DOT explained. Those exceptions include a passenger being accommodated on another flight set to arrive within an hour of the original flight; a passenger failing to comply with ticketing, check-in, or reconfirmation procedures; a smaller aircraft being substituted; or a passenger being denied boarding due to safety-related weight restrictions on smaller aircraft. 

There were, however, more than 66,800 passengers that were voluntarily denied boarding. As the DOT report explains, these passengers opted to give up their seats on an oversold flight in exchange for compensation. 

Nearly 29,900 passengers were voluntarily bumped by Delta Air Lines network, which includes Delta Air Lines and branded partners, in early 2023. That’s more passengers than the next three airlines combined. 

According to the airline’s contract of carriage, Delta will provide those that volunteer to give up their seats, or are involuntarily bumped, a seat on the next available flight at no additional cost or a flight on a different airline. If a passenger’s substitute flight isn’t until the next day, Delta covers hotel accommodations for free, or provides a credit voucher for future Delta purchases up to $100 if accommodations aren’t available. 

Though it can be frustrating, airlines are allowed to oversell flights “to a certain extent,” according to the DOT. They are not, however, allowed to use “unjust or unreasonable prejudice,” like your race or ethnicity, to bump you from a flight. If you are bumped, your airline is federally required to give you a written statement that explains your rights and how it determines who is bumped. 

Most passengers who are bumped tend to receive compensation that is “equal to double the one-way price of the flight they were bumped from,” according to the DOT.

While the thought of being bumped from a flight can be worrisome, it’s important to note that very few people actually are. Only about 5,690 passengers of the more than 195.2 million enplaned in early 2023 were bumped, DOT data shows. It’s far more likely that passengers will volunteer to give up their seats, which may allow you to catch your flight after all.

Sad news arrived for many on August 3, 2023, when the current owners of R-Pizza announced via Facebook that the business will close on Sunday, August 6.

The comments on this post show the impact the business had on the community of Vermillion and those in it, with people of many generations lamenting the loss.

"This place was the best!!" reads one comment. "This was a staple when I was in college," reads another. "Thanks for all the good memories." They go on and on.

Brandon King, owner of R-Pizza, told KELOLAND News that the closure was a financial decision. King said some parties have reached out about buying the business, but added he does not own the building.

There is indeed desire by many to see the business continue on.

KELOLAND News spoke with Amberly Baus and Josh Scherrer, co-owners of Cee Cee's 605 Scratch Kitchen and Bar, as well as Monica Iverson and James Waters, co-owners of Cafe Brule, Dakota Brickhouse and Cakes by Monica, all Vermillion businesses.

Baus and Scherrer have been involved in the Vermillion restaurant industry for around a decade. Iverson and Waters have been involved since the 1980s.

Throughout all that time, R-Pizza was also there. "The first day I moved here I was told I've got to go down there," Scherrer recalled. "I actually didn't even know anything about downtown until I was brought to R-Pizza -- I lived in the dorms at Julian Hall for two weeks before I even knew there was a Vermillion downtown -- it's kinda been a staple since I moved here."

Baus also remembers her first experience with R-Pizza. "Before I moved to Vermillion, my mom and I were visiting and she said, 'We have to go to R-Pizza. They have the best pizza in town,'" she remembered her mom telling her. "She was here for college and that's all she talked about was their pizza -- it was really good!"

Quality has been nearly synonymous with R-Pizza over the years.

"I think if you have something good, no matter what other restaurants pop up -- Pizza Hut, Godfathers, Dominoes -- R-Pizza was here first and they stayed because they had something good," Iverson said. "If you have something good, it really doesn't matter how many other restaurants pop up that are competition. If you have something good, people are gonna come."

Something Iverson held up as an example of what R-Pizza has done well over the years is its sauce. "You had to get the right sauce," she emphasized. "You have the right sauce, you have the right pizza and people keep coming back for that flavor."

The sauce indeed had an impact.

Kelly Gilkyson, who co-owned R-Pizza with her husband Kim back in the late 70s and 80s told KELOLAND News via text that the original owner, Jeff Radigan, passed the sauce recipe down to them when they bought the business. The current owners haven't had that original recipe, Gilkyson noted, but the food still excelled.

"Hoagie and tots," reminisced Waters. "Hoagie and tots used to be one of my late night sandwiches."

Late nights were a staple for R-Pizza, at least until the pandemic hit, with a crowd gathered out on the sidewalk around bar-close, waiting for tots, a slice of pizza or especially cheeseballs to be passed through a slot in the door.

Just another R-Pizza tradition which will live on in the (albeit hazy) memories of many which have burnished the establishment's reputation.

What exactly is that reputation? "Good product; good customer service; delivery's wonderful," said Iverson.

Iverson also noted the impact the eatery has had on the community. "The students coming and going over the years -- we've seen the comments on Facebook about students that have come and gone," she said. "I think it's become a little bit of a tradition for the University as well."

"R-Pizza is our pizza," quipped Waters.

The closure of R-Pizza is a loss for the Vermillion community that Scherrer elaborated on.

"You're losing a good local business that has been passed down for generations," Scherrer said. "It's maintained it's name -- the name itself if the name of another owner in town (R as in Radigan). It definitely represents a lot of what this community offers."

Waters also talked about what the current owners, Brandon and Ally, brought to the community.

"They're both really giving people and they're involved in a lot of things to help the community," Waters said. "They've always been about helping out other people."

Each of the owners we spoke to agreed that the diversity of dining in Vermillion is a community strength, and they are sad to see R-Pizza go.

"We've seen a lot of places come and go in Vermillion," Baus said. "It's been good for the community that we've had places pop up, but we've seen the hit when places shut down as well."

The closing of R-Pizza is a hit for the community, but as things move forward, the attitude of the people we spoke to was summed up by this statement from Scherrer.

"Most of all I hope that Brandon and Ally are able to find the thing that's next for them."

As for what's next for R-Pizza, we do not know. It''ll be open August 4th, 5th and 6th from 4:00 - 9:00 p.m., serving the community one final time.

"Money is a big pillar in someone's life, you will have to use money and learn how to manage money the rest of your life, it is the perfect gift for parents to give their girls is the knowledge of money," moveHER Money founder Sarah Kurtenbach said.

It's why the Sioux Falls native created an easy-to-use online course called moveHER Money.

"Once a girl has access to the course, she can take it on her laptop, or on her phone, which is perfect for young girls," Kurtenbach said.

The course teaches things like the importance of budgeting and saving, how to invest, even details about taxes and interest rates.

"Since credit card companies are targeting high school and college girls like crazy, if a girl has not been taught what a credit card is, she can get something for free, free money," Kurtenbach said.

Kurtenbach says her and her husband once had nearly $1 million in debt.

"Teaching people what not to do or what to do at a young age so they won't get in that mess to begin with," Kurtenbach said.

She shares a lot of the lessons she learned becoming debt free in the moveHER Money program.

"One of the key things that girls struggle with is just knowing how to budget, a lot of girls will make money from a job, but then it's so tempting to buy things your friends are getting, that you see on TikTok, that are certain trends, so budgeting is a huge component," Kurtenbach said.

"Working downtown and being in retail, I'm just going to grab a coffee, I'm going to grab a new shirt, I never realized how much that stuff piles up," moveHER money graduate Madyson Redday said.

Madyson Redday was one of the first people to go through the moveHER Money course right after graduating USF in May; she says its been a huge benefit in starting life on her own successfully.

"The budgeting, learning to invest and just be smart with my money has been really cool," Redday said. "Even just having the conscious awareness of my finances and what I'm doing with them, I think is going to help me so much."

The moverHer Money program is available nationwide. Kurtenbach says it is designed as a program parents can gift their daughters.

"You invest in certain things in your daughter, you invest in ballet classes, gymnastics classes or to have a music tutor, I think it's so important for parents to invest in their daughter so that she can learn about money," Kurtenbach said.

She is also working to create partnerships with other organizations focused on teaching young girls financial literacy.

"Literally their mouths drop open, they don't expect it. You see the outside of this place and think it's kind of a quiet, quaint little place," Parker's Bistro owner Stacy Newcomb said. 

But once you walk inside, the reality of the newly transformed space is much different.

"I feel like I'm in New York, I feel like I'm in Paris, they're just blown away by the scope...people can't believe what we've done with the place," Myrtle's bartender Paul Squyer said.

It's a big change from what the building looked like before Parkers owner Stacy Newcomb began stripping the former Vision Care building down to its historic studs.

"A lot of what I like to do is preservation, revealing what the history of the building is. We named it Myrtle's Fur Vault and Bar because it was originally a fur vault in the building back in the 1930s," Newcomb said.

The focal point of the new bar includes a nod to that history, along with a tribute to the namesakes of both of Parker's and Myrtle's, Newcomb's grandparents.

"When we found this photo, we thought it was the perfect way to bring Parker's and Myrtle's together, they're a couple, Parker and Myrtle, so it is fun to have the two buildings express that," Newcomb said.

The new addition has doubled the seating space at Parkers, which has already made a big difference to customers.

"It's tremendous to have that space for our customers, we've never had a place for people to wait or to sit or to have a cocktail, now we do," Newcomb said.

All of the seating inside Myrtle's is open, giving people a chance to have a more spontaneous evening out, whether they're grabbing dinner or drinks or waiting on a table.

"People are enjoying the drinks, enjoying the small plates, enjoying the space to hang out at a place that's part of the Parker's family," Squyer said.

With the addition of Myrtle's, Parker's has also expanded its cocktail menu and added a small plate menu for the bar area. You can visit the newly finished bar and restaurant at 210 South Main Avenue in Sioux Falls every Monday through Saturday evening.