How to LA: Biden Cancels Student Debt, White Rhino Born In California, Koreatown Snacks

Good morning, L.A. It’s Thursday, August 25.

Today, what else you need to know about President Biden’s plan to forgive student loan debt, OC’s Little Arabia is now official, and the best snacks in Koreatown.

Do you hear that chatter? What is everyone talking about? That’s right. As we learned in LAist’s Top 5 newsletter last night, President Biden announced he’s planning to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt. ICYMI here’s all the details.

The big upside for me is that the government will cover a borrower’s unpaid monthly interest, as outlined in this Federal Student Aid explainer. That means as long as folks are making their monthly payments, debt will not balloon. But the plan does not account for wide racial and gender disparities when it comes to both student loan debt and how much you earn after making that investment.

For example, I, like many of other Black women who sought out higher education for better opportunities in this country, owe significantly more to the government than most college graduates. At the same time, a persistent and large pay equity gap makes it hard to make significant headway on our loans.

Whew. *Sigh* With all this said, I will still very gladly take the $10,000 drop in my bucket and still try to somehow buy a home out here.

By the way, if you want to better understand how we even got here, with a whopping $1.75 trillion is U.S. student debt, check out my colleague Julia Barajas’ story here. 

As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below - just keep reading.

The News You Need After You Stop Hitting Snooze

*We hope to bring you all the news freely but occasionally you might hit a paywall. Thank you for understanding!

• After a long fight, jurors ordered L.A. County to pay $31 million over graphic photos shared of the helicopter crash site where Kobe Bryant, his daughter and six others were killed. Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, was awarded $16 million and Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter were killed, was awarded $15 million. 
• In an effort to keep customers safe, West Hollywood is offering bars and nightclubs free kits to test for date rape drugs.
• It’s official: The Anaheim City Council has designated Little Arabia as a neighborhood.
• The Independent Spirit Awards have announced its acting categories will become more inclusive, no longer defining awards by gender. Instead of a “Best Actor” or “Best Actress” the prize will go to the “Best Lead Performance.” 
• We all know what wildfires have cost us and how much they destroy, from forests to wildlife to human lives. One woman, known as the "burn boss,” hopes to set more “good” fires to save Big Bear Lake.
• There’s hope for the critically-endangered northern white rhino. The world welcomed a southern white rhino calf, born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Nikita Rhino Rescue Center.
• The pandemic caused a lot of parents to change course with their child’s education. Charter schools are not complaining.
• Young adults have set another record, this time it may be a little more trippy than others. Although the reasons were not recorded, young adults are using marijuana and hallucinogens at an all-time high. No pun intended.

Wait! One More Thing...Discover The Deliciousness of Snacking In Koreatown

Rows and rows of delectable snacks to satisfy your tastebuds

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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We heard you loud and clear. You LOVE food and stories about food. So on Thursdays we’re going to highlight delectable, oh-so-good stories about things we love to eat, and things we suggest you should try.

Today, Jason Goble takes us through his love and passion for snacks in Koreatown. Have you ever had gochujang before? What about a spicy, slightly sweet, stir-fried rice cake dish called Tteokbokki snacks by Haitai? No? Me neither. That’s why we both need to step up our snack game and go to Koreatown to try some of these things out.