• Report: More American children living in poverty, skipping meals, By Annie Gowan, July 10, 2009, Washington Post: “A growing number of American children are living in poverty and with unemployed parents, and are facing the threat of hunger, according to a new federal report released today. According to ‘America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being,’ 18 percent of all children 17 and under were living in poverty in 2007, up from 17 percent in 2006…”
• Overall health of U.S. children a mixed bag, July 10, 2009, Austin American-Statesman: “More of America’s children get recommended vaccinations and have health insurance than in years past, but a new U.S. government report paints a mixed picture of the overall health of the nation’s youngsters.  And because of the recession, that picture could soon become bleak, experts say. The report examines child well-being in the areas of family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, health and special health needs…”

Omaha jobs program attracting the national limelight, By Steve Jordan, July 10, 2009, Omaha World-Herald: “An Omaha effort to break people out of poverty is attracting national attention because the city’s business community is leading the charge.  Nonprofit or government agencies typically run such jobs programs, which might get only grudging support from private industry because of the costs and uncertainties involved. Sometimes clients complete training only to discover jobs are lacking.  Not so in Omaha, where the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce is leading the effort to introduce chronically unemployed or under-employed people into careers that can support families…”

• State is sued over voter registration, By Amanda Hamon, July 10, 2009, Indianapolis Star: “Voters’ rights groups filed a lawsuit Thursday charging that Indiana fails to provide public assistance applicants the chance to register to vote, violating federal law.  The suit, filed in U.S. District Court, names as defendants eight state officials, including Anne Murphy, secretary of the state Family and Social Services Administration, and Thomas Wheeler, chairman of the Indiana Election Commission…”
• Groups say states violating voter registration law, By Nedra Pickler (AP), July 9, 2009, Chicago Tribune: “States across the country are violating part of the federal “motor voter” law requiring voter registration help for low-income residents, according to a coalition of advocacy groups trying to force change through the courts. The groups filed lawsuits in Indiana and New Mexico on Thursday on the heels of a successful settlement in Missouri. They say the problem is not isolated in those few states but widespread across the nation, and they are trying to help other states follow the law without litigation…”

• Food stamp use in R.I. tops 100,000, By Ted Nesi, July 8, 2009, Providence Business News: “The number of Rhode Islanders receiving food stamps was up 19.3 percent in April compared with a year earlier, topping 100,000 for the first time, according to new government figures…”
• Lean times mean heavy food stamp increase, By Ivy Farguheson, July 6, 2009, Muncie Star Press: “Leslie Barnhouse hopes that one day she won’t need to receive food stamps, but today is not the day to make that break — for her or thousands of other aid recipients…”
• Detroit’s food banks strain to serve middle class, By Alex P. Kellogg, July 10, 2009, Wall Street Journal: “Battered by massive layoffs, home foreclosures and nearly a decade of economic decline, more residents of Detroit’s middle-class suburbs are having a tough time putting food on the table. State agencies and nonprofit groups that serve the poor in southeast Michigan say they are seeing an unprecedented rise in demand for food assistance across the region. They point to a pronounced increase in those seeking aid for the first time, often families unaccustomed to depending on food-aid programs. And they expect the numbers to grow as Michigan’s jobs picture worsens…”

• Obama enlists major powers to aid poor farmers with $15 billion, By Peter Baker and Celia W. Dugger, July 8, 2009, New York Times: “President Obama has enlisted the world’s leading powers to contribute $15 billion to help millions of the world’s poorest farmers grow enough food to feed themselves, American officials said Wednesday.  If the assistance is delivered and is in fact mostly new money, it will constitute the largest international effort in decades to combat hunger by investing in the fundamentals of an agricultural economy, including seed, fertilizer, grain storage and research into new plant varieties…”
• Leaders of rich and poor countries launch new approach to world hunger, promise $20 billion, By Alessandra Rizzo (AP), July 10, 2009, Chicago Tribune: “Leaders of rich and developing countries launched a new approach to global hunger Friday, saying they wanted to spend $20 billion on seeds, fertilizers, tools and other aid for small farmers over the next three years so poor nations could feed themselves.   The initiative announced at the end of a Group of Eight summit marked a new emphasis on helping farmers in the developing world boost production over the long term, moving away from an emphasis on emergency food aid for people suffering from drought and famine…”