5 things you need to know this weekend
1. Selection Sunday kicks off NCAA tournament
After four months and thousands of college basketball games, Selection Sunday is almost here. The complete NCAA tournament field of 68 will be set at 6 p.m. ET, and the race for the national title will begin. Before the bracket is released, there's still a lot of basketball left to be played with major conference tournaments concluding this weekend, including No. 1 Kentucky's bid to stay unbeaten. The final weekend represents the last chance for teams to earn their way into the big dance. Those that have their bubble burst Sunday night will have to wait until next season. How does the field look right now? Check out our latest bracketology projection.
2. Number nerds have an extra reason to geek out this Pi Day
On Saturday 3.14.15 at exactly 9:26:53 in the morning (with a repeat performance 12 hours later), mathematicians will marvel at how all the digits line up. Measure the circumference of any circle, divide it by its diameter, and you'll get 3.141592653! That's right, Saturday is Pi Day and this one is extra scrumptious. Speaking of food, sort of, here's where to get some pizza pie deals this weekend:
3. The U.S. is about to hit its debt limit again
The federal government's debt limit suspension expires Sunday, which means the Treasury will start taking "extraordinary measures" to keep the country running and from defaulting on its debt, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told lawmakers this week. Those measures include a halt to new investments in federal employee pension funds and a moratorium on deposits from state and local governments. In the past, Congress would simply raise the amount of money the government is allowed to borrow. But the cap, also known as the "debt ceiling," has become a contentious issue in recent years, leading to Congress suspending the law.
4. Americans vie for 'Nobel Prize of Teaching'
Three U.S. teachers are on a short list of educators from around the world in line to win $1 million for their efforts to promote "global citizenship." The prize, to be announced Sunday in Dubai, has been dubbed "the Nobel Prize for Teaching." The three veteran teachers live in Maine, Massachusetts and New York City.
5. Special Obamacare sign-ups start Sunday after tax form mistake
Sunday marks the start of a new special Obamacare enrollment period for people who weren't aware they have to pay a penalty at tax time if they don't have health insurance. About 800,000 consumers who purchased health insurance on the federal exchange and received tax credits were contacted last month because a tax form sent by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services contained a mistake in the benchmark plan used to calculate how much tax they might owe. There's no word from officials on how many corrected tax forms have been sent out.
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