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How to have student loans forgiven if you don’t qualify for Biden’s forgiveness program

August 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — President Joe Biden fulfilled one of his campaign promises and announced a plan to cancel student loan debt for millions of Americans.

The plan, announced Wednesday, forgives up to $20,000 for borrowers earning less than $125,000 a year, will either wipe out the debt for millions of people, severely reduce the amount for individuals who still owe or barely scratch the surface of how much a person owes to their loan provider.

For people who don’t qualify for Biden’s loan forgiveness or will still have student loans left, options are still available to reduce their debt.

Working for the Federal Government

People who work for the federal government could have a government agency repay their student loans.

According to the United States Office of Personnel Management, a government agency may pay a maximum of $10,000 of an employee’s loan in a year or a total of $60,000 per employee during their time at the said agency.

An employee who agrees to the terms must remain employed at the agency for at least three years.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) promises to eliminate a person’s entire student loan debt if they work for the federal, state or local governments, nonprofits and other qualifying public service jobs.

The program forgives a borrower’s remaining loan balance after making 120 on-time monthly payments for 10 years. Individuals must have received the loan under a federal direct loan program, as other programs don’t qualify for PSLF.

People who thought they were making qualifying payments while receiving their loan from another federal program have until Oct. 31 to receive credits for payments that didn’t qualify under PSLF.

Income-driven repayment plans

Individuals who are paying back their federal loans through any of the four income-driven repayment plans are eligible to have the rest of their loans forgiven after 20 or 25 years of qualifying payments, depending on if the loans were given for undergraduate or graduate level studies.

A report from the Government Accountability Office found that the Education Department hasn’t always been able to properly track borrowers’ payments, complicating matters for individuals who thought they were making progress in not only their payments but toward debt forgiveness.

Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program

Through the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, full-time educators who teach for five consecutive years in a low-income school or at an education service agency could have up to $17,500 of their federal loans canceled.

Teachers may also qualify for the entirety of their debt to be eliminated through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

Military

Active military service members are eligible for loan forgiveness for up to $65,000 if they commit to at least three years of service. Service members also qualify for PSLF.

Two dead, multiple injured in shooting at Kentucky homeless shelter

August 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(HENDERSON, Ky.) — Two people have been killed and multiple others injured in a shooting at a Kentucky homeless shelter for men Thursday night, police said.

The Henderson Police Department responded to an active shooter incident at Harbor House Christian Center, authorities said.

Kenneth B. Gibbs of Henderson has been identified as the suspect and was taken into custody at 9:55 p.m., police said.

ABC News affiliate WEHT-TV reported that the coroner said two people were found fatally shot inside the building and two were taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

Harbor House, where the incident took place, is a Christian-based organization that is “a safe harbor for men in need,” and “dedicated to bringing men up in the community,” according to its Facebook page.

Blake Shelton shows off his Kubota tractor as he gears up for fall on the farm: “This is not a drill”

August 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

It seems hard to believe, but summer is nearly at an end — and for Blake Shelton that means plowing the fields on his Oklahoma ranch property.

On his social media, the singer shared a glimpse of what prepping the fields looks like at his house — and it prominently features his Kubota tractor.

“This is not a drill, people. It’s almost September,” Blake exclaims from his seat of the tractor’s cab. He then pans the camera over to the stretch of field in front of him — “not plowed” — and behind him — “plowed!”

He adds, “Kubota hauling a**!”

Blake’s not the only country star spending lots of quality time with his tractor these days: Luke Bryan has also showed fans glimpses of life out on his farm, and he even released a line of limited-edition snack popcorn with AGCO’s Fendt.

Elton John and Britney Spears drop their new duet ‘Hold Me Closer,’ a mash-up of three Elton hits

August 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Elton John and Britney Spears‘ highly anticipated duet, “Hold Me Closer,” arrived at the stroke of midnight on Friday.

Similar to “Cold Heart,” Elton’s 2021 duet with Dua Lipa, “Hold Me Closer” mashes up several past Elton hits: 1992’s “The One” and 1972’s “Tiny Dancer,” with the “woo hoos” from 1976’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” — his number-one duet with Kiki Dee — thrown in for good measure.

The two first met in 2014 at Elton John’s annual Oscar viewing party. In 2015, Britney tweeted about how much she loves “Tiny Dancer,” which sparked the idea of some kind of collaboration. The track finally came together this summer: Elton reached out to Britney directly, she said yes and the rest is pop music history.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have had the chance to work with Britney Spears; She truly is an icon, one of the all-time great pop stars and she sounds amazing on this record,” Elton says in a statement. “I love her dearly and am delighted with what we’ve created together.”

Britney adds, ““I was so honored when the incredible Sir Elton John asked me to join him on one his most iconic songs. We are so excited for the fans to hear it! Thank you, Elton, for having me! I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to work with you and your legendary mind.”

This is the first new music Britney’s released since 2016’s Glory. While she did put out three tracks in 2020, they were all songs that were recorded for the original Glory album but didn’t make the final cut. They were included on the deluxe reissue version.

Closing walls and ticking clocks: Coldplay’s ’A Rush of Blood to the Head’ turns 20

August 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Coldplay‘s sophomore album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, is now 20 years old.

First released in their native U.K. on August 26, 2002, the record built on the success of Chris Martin and company’s 2000 debut, Parachutes, and its single “Yellow,” giving the group their highest-charting U.S. album, peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200.

Bolstered by the singles “Clocks,” “In My Place” and “The Scientist,” A Rush of Blood to the Head would become certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA and sell 15 million copies worldwide.

Like Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. “Clocks” would also go on to win Record of the Year at the 2004 Grammys.

Coldplay’s rise to worldwide stardom with A Rush of Blood to the Head coincided with Martin becoming a fixture in the celebrity culture thanks to his relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow, who he’d started dating shortly after the album’s release. The two got married in 2003 and were together for 10 years before Paltrow announced that she and Martin were splitting up with perhaps the most famous divorce euphemism: “Conscious uncoupling.”

Following A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay has since released seven more albums while becoming one of the biggest bands in the world. Their most recent record, Music of the Spheres, dropped last October. Martin told NME last year that Coldplay will stop making records after their 12th studio effort.

Keith Urban recounts how Ingrid Andress’ performance blew him away: “I was just floored”

August 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Keith Urban is a big fan of Ingrid Andress these days and he gets to see her onstage quite a lot — the younger star is opening for his The Speed of Now World Tour.

Ingrid got her start as a songwriter, and her impressive writing skills were the first thing that caught Keith’s ear. “She’s the real deal,” he affirms, saying that he first start hearing her work while she was putting together the track list for her debut album, Lady Like.

“And then, of course, I heard [her chart-topping single ‘More Hearts than Mine’ and I knew that this is a serious songwriter,” Keith continues. “With real perspective, fresh take on things.”

But it wasn’t until he saw her open a show for him in Las Vegas that Keith truly became a superfan. Originally, he admits, he’d been disappointed to learn that she was playing her set solo with only a piano.

“I was like, ‘Oh no, I need people to get the crowd going,’” he remembers. “And she completely floored me because she’s such a great storyteller onstage. And the way she connected with the audience — I stood side stage, and I was just floored at how good she was and how much the audience loved her.”

Then and there, he asked Ingrid to join him on the whole tour. As an opening act on one of Keith’s tours, Ingrid is following in the footsteps of another talented newcomer turned superstar.

“She’s just one of those artists that is going to get better and better and better. It was the same thing when Maren Morris came out and opened for us,” he explains. “She’s passionate. She’s hungry. Got a great sense of humor. And she’s a superb songwriter.”

Ingrid’s new album, Good Person, is out Friday.

Elton John and Britney Spears drop their new duet ‘Hold Me Closer’

August 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Elton John and Britney Spears‘ highly anticipated duet, “Hold Me Closer,” arrived at the stroke of midnight on Friday.

Similar to “Cold Heart,” Elton’s 2021 duet with Dua Lipa, “Hold Me Closer” features Britney’s voice singing the chorus of Elton’s 1972 hit “Tiny Dancer” — “Hold me closer tiny dancer/ Count the headlines on the highway” — paired with Elton’s original vocal over a dance beat, with some “woo-hoos” in the middle.

The video features a famous pic of Elton as a child sitting at a piano, along with a photo of Britney as a little girl wearing a pink dance costume.

This will be the first new music Britney’s released since 2016’s Glory. While she did put out three tracks in 2020, they were all songs that were recorded for the original Glory album but didn’t make the final cut. They were included on the deluxe reissue version.

“I Ain’t Worried” ’bout the “Young Folks”: Why OneRepublic gave a Swedish band a writing credit on their hit

August 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

When you heard OneRepublic’s hit “I Ain’t Worried,” from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack, did it sound familiar to you? You’re not the only one. The band’s Ryan Tedder says there were concerns that the song sounded too much like the 2006 hit “Young Folks” by the Swedish band Peter Bjorn and John — so he gave them a songwriting credit.

“Somebody at the [record] label or Paramount Pictures heard [‘I Ain’t Worried’] and they go, ‘Oh, it reminds me of Peter Bjorn and John,'” Ryan tells ABC Audio. “We went and listened to the Peter Bjorn and John record — and I love that song ‘Young Folks’ — and I listened to it and I was like, ‘They’re completely different.'”

He points out, “The most similar thing is their song starts with a whistle, and then the verse melody is the whistle. Ours starts with a whistle: totally different melody, totally different verse.”

However, Ryan explains, “We were like, ‘Man, I don’t want to release a song and then have like 9 million people be like, “Oh, you’re copying ‘Young Folks.'”‘ So we just did what I hope was the right thing, because I love them. And we reached out ahead of time and just said, ‘Hey, we’re going to give you a piece of this song.'”

“They were very cool about it, very appreciative,” Ryan tells ABC Audio. “And I mean, it’s turning into a global smash. So I hope they can buy vacation homes with it! I hope they can live their best life. I hope that they make a bunch of money and that they enjoy having the credit.”

He adds, “I’d love to write a song with them actually for their next album because I’m a big fan.”

Dirty Honey frontman reflects on debut European tour: “That was a big, big deal for me”

August 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Before Dirty Honey was “California Dreamin’,” frontman Marc LaBelle was Europe Dreamin’.

The band took their music to the other side of the Atlantic for the first time in their career earlier this year and, in doing so, realized a lifelong goal for LaBelle.

“That was a big, big deal for me in particular, because it’s just something I wanted to do my entire life,” LaBelle tells ABC Audio. “I wanted to get over there in a van and just try and make it happen over there at one point in my [Los Angeles] journey.”

“That was just an idea, like, ‘Let’s just move over there for a month, I’ll book some shows, let’s see if we can’t get this thing going,'” he continues. “The goal for me since starting this thing was to go to Europe with my boys and have a good time and tour and play music and do what we love.”

In a pleasantly surprising turn of events, the singles “When I’m Gone” and “Rolling 7s” broke big in the U.S., and Dirty Honey achieved success in their home country before they could get to Europe. So when the European tour finally did happen, LaBelle achieved not only his initial dream, but beyond that, too.

“Quite honesty, I got somewhat emotional,” LaBell shares. “When I finally got through security and was coming home, I was, like, ‘Wow. This is something I’ve been trying to do my whole life, and I just did it. And now I’m going back to my life as a musician on the road.'”

That life resumes with Dirty Honey’s California Dreamin’ tour, which continues Friday in Minneapolis. “Rest in Peace” rockers Dorothy will join the bill in September.

Rick Ross teams with all-Black symphony to headline inaugural Red Bull Symphonic

August 26, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Red Bull is launching its very first symphonic concert in the U.S. this fall. The event will bring artists together with world-renowned orchestras to create reimagined renditions of their work. Kicking off the inaugural event is the biggest boss Rick Ross, who’ll be teaming up with Orchestra Noir, an Atlanta-based, all-Black symphony that’s previously worked with Cardi B, 2 Chainz, Migos and T.I.

The rapper, per Red Bull, will work with the group’s musical director, Jason Ikeem Rodgers, to reinterpret some of his biggest hits and newer songs. The new versions will be performed by the 50-person choir and special guest musicians from Georgia State University and other historically Black colleges and universities. Ross assures it will be a moment to remember.

“From The Biggest Boss I’m going to make sure I give y’all an unforgettable and one night only performance,” he said in a statement. “Red Bull Symphonic is helping us celebrate heritage, musicians, and more importantly Black excellence. We gonna innovate big that night.”

The U.S. debut of the Red Bull Symphonic is scheduled for November 4 in Atlanta, Georgia. Hip-hop/soca/afrobeat violinist Mapy and musical group/trap choir party SAINTED will also take the stage.

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