Conditions placed on completing Indiana’s welfare rollout, By Ken Kusmer (AP), September 29, 2009, Louisville Courier-Journal: “A federal food stamp administrator has told Indiana’s human services chief that his staff must be consulted before the state rolls out its troubled welfare automation program to additional regions. Regional Administrator Ollice Holden of the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service also said in the letter that his staff has ongoing concerns about the food stamp program, now known formally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program…”

• Rate of enrollment in Medicaid rose rapidly, report says, By Kevin Sack, September 30, 2009, New York Times: “The recession is driving up enrollment in Medicaid at higher than expected rates, threatening gargantuan state budget gaps even as Congress and the White House seek to expand the government health insurance program for the poor and disabled, according to a survey released Wednesday. The annual survey of state Medicaid directors, conducted for the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, found that the program had been spared the worst effects of massive state budget shortfalls because of federal aid in the stimulus package. But it also revealed grave concerns about what will happen when that relief dries up at the close of 2010…”
• 100,000 Ohio workers getting Medicaid, By Catherine Candisky, September 30, 2009, Columbus Dispatch: “They might work for some of Ohio’s largest employers but more than 100,000 low-wage employees rely on taxpayers for their health coverage. Legislation that soon will be introduced in the General Assembly would require the state to publish annually the names of companies with the most employees receiving Medicaid and other government subsidies…”
• Feds may pay for R.I. Medicaid expansion, By Ted Nesi, September 29, 2009, Providence Business Journal: “The federal government would pick up the full cost of expanding Medicaid coverage in Rhode Island for five years under a special provision of the Senate Finance Committee’s health care reform bill. Increasing the number of Americans eligible for Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for the poor, is a key provision of all the various health bills moving through Congress…”
• Medicaid on chopping block, By Chris Christoff, September 29, 2009, Detroit Free Press: “A major hurdle to enacting a new state budget by the Thursday deadline could be resolved this afternoon with expected approval of major cuts in Medicaid and state help for the mentally ill. That will intensify lobbying for a 3% assessment on all Michigan physicians to offset the Medicaid reductions. ..”

• US income gap widens as poor take hit in recession, By Hope Yen (AP), September 29, 2009, Houston Chronicle: “The recession has hit middle-income and poor families hardest, widening the economic gap between the richest and poorest Americans as rippling job layoffs ravaged household budgets…”
• Downturn weighs on poor, By Conor Dougherty, September 29, 2009, Wall Street Journal: “Poverty rose in the West and Midwest last year, as slowdowns in housing and manufacturing sent more families below the poverty line, according to a Census Bureau report released Tuesday. The report, part of the agency’s annual American Community Survey, was the latest to measure the recession’s toll on low-income families, after a boom in which low-skilled workers relied on plentiful jobs and overtime — often in construction and retail — to raise their incomes and prospects…”
• D.C. data on poverty grim but unchanged, By Carol Morello and Dan Keating, September 29, 2009, Washington Post: “More than one in four District children were living in poverty last year, even as the region was weathering the recession’s onset better than most metropolitan areas, according to census data released Tuesday. The poverty rates for District children diverged widely by race and ethnicity. The rate was 36 percent for black children; 17 percent for Hispanic children; and 3 percent for non-Hispanic white children. Virginia and Maryland also had large racial and ethnic gaps in childhood poverty, but none as great as in the District. The data was virtually unchanged from 2007…”
• N.Y. poverty data paint mixed picture, By Sam Roberts, September 29, 2009, New York Times: “In a departure from the national picture, family income rose slightly in New York City in 2008 from 2007, and the proportion of poor people was virtually unchanged, according to census figures released Tuesday. Still, the city and surrounding region had its share of grim news: The Bronx remained the country’s poorest urban county; the income gap in Manhattan was still higher than in any other county; and the poverty rate in Connecticut rose faster than in any other state…”
• Poverty hits harder across Front Range, By Burt Hubbard, September 29, 2009, Denver Post: “The poverty rate has escalated this decade among major cities and counties along the Front Range, led by Greeley, where more than one in five residents are poor, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released today. A Denver Post analysis of the census figures also found that child poverty rose at a faster pace than the overall rate, and the economic gap between races widened between 2000 and 2008…”
• Food-stamp use, poverty up in the region, By Alfred Lubrano, September 29, 2009, Philadelphia Inquirer: “The percentage of households receiving food stamps in Philadelphia increased by nearly 3 percentage points between 2007 and 2008 - the period of time marking the start of the recession - according to figures released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau…”
• Recession’s impact reflected in Census data, By Tim Nelson, September 29, 2009, Minnesota Public Radio: “New data from the U.S. Census show more effects of the recession last year. The new numbers from the ongoing American Community Survey indicate Minnesota’s poverty rate inched up slightly last year, from 9.5 to 9.6 percent, although that’s well within the survey’s margin of error. Minnesota is one of nine states with a poverty rate of less than 10 percent…”
• Poverty was dropping before meltdown, By Curtis Killman, September 29, 2009, Tulsa World: “With the exception of the elderly, the percentage of people living in poverty in Tulsa County and across the state declined in 2008, just before the nationwide economic downturn. Tulsa County residents whose income in 2008 was below the poverty level declined from 16.2 percent of the population in 2006 to 13.8 percent in 2008, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Statewide, an estimated 15.9 percent of the population was living in poverty in 2008, compared to a 17 percent poverty rate in 2006…”
• One in 8 Ohioans is in poverty, By David Knox and Katie Byard, September 29, 2009, Akron Beacon Journal: “More than one in eight Ohioans fell below the poverty line last year, pushing the state’s rate to 13.4 percent - the highest recorded in a decade, according to the latest Census figures…”
• Report shows poverty decline, By Sarah Chacko, September 29, 2009, Baton Rouge Advocate: “Louisiana’s poverty rate dropped by a little more than 1 percentage point from 2007 to 2008, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. However, the state still ranks among the worst in the nation with 17.3 percent of the population living below the poverty line…”
• More in Miss. living in poverty, By Natalie Chandler, September 29, 2009, Jackson Clarion-Ledger: “More Mississippians are living in poverty or receiving food stamps as the effects of a national recession persist, according to new census numbers released today and information provided by the state.’We’re almost serving 1 out of every 5 Mississippians right now,’ Cheryl Starkman, director of the Division of Economic Assistance at the Department of Human Services, said of the food stamp program. Census figures show Mississippi was one of a half-dozen states in 2008 with 16 percent or more of its residents living below the poverty level. Mississippi had the highest poverty rate, at 21.2 percent…”
• Recession hammers California’s low-wage workers, By Pete Carey and Mike Swift, September 29, 2009, San Jose Mercury News: “Many of California’s lowest-paid workers appear to have tumbled into the ranks of the poor last year, as the recession hammered people already straining to live in a high-cost state, U.S. census data released today indicates. The nation’s most populous state had a bigger increase in the number of people living below the poverty line than any other state during the first year of the recession. About 160,000 more Californians fell below the poverty line in 2008 than during the three years preceding the start of the recession. But nine states showed a bigger jump in their overall poverty rates…”

Blacks, Native Americans more likely to go to foster care, By Michelle Cole, September 28, 2009, The Oregonian: “Child abuse doesn’t discriminate by race in Oregon. Authorities say the abuse rate is the same for white families as it is for minorities. And yet, Native American children are six times more likely to be placed in Oregon foster care than white children and African Americans are four times more likely than whites. Children from both of those minority groups remain in state care longer. Meanwhile, Hispanic children are less likely to be taken into state protective custody. If they do go to a foster home, they’re returned to their families sooner. New research from Portland State University underscores what child welfare officials have known for years: Some minorities are disproportionately represented in the state’s foster care system…”

• State’s social services suffering, panel learns, By Mary Beth Schneider, September 25, 2009, Indianapolis Star: “Too many errors and delays and too little face-to-face contact with clients are hampering Indiana’s privatized welfare delivery service, the state acknowledged Friday to lawmakers. Despite those persistent problems, Anne Murphy, secretary of the Family and Social Services Administration, told the bipartisan State Budget Committee that no decision has been made on whether to end the $1.34 billion, 10-year contract that Indiana has with an IBM-led group to manage food stamps, Medicaid and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program…”
• Indiana welfare problems linger, budget committee told, By Lesley Stedman Weidenbener, September 25, 2009, Louisville Courier-Journal: “Significant problems remain in Indiana’s welfare application system, and no decision has been made about whether to sever a controversial contract with the private firm handling the work, a key state official told lawmakers Friday. Some parts of the system have improved since Gov. Mitch Daniels ordered the private consortium - which includes IBM and Affiliated Computer Services - to fix problems or face losing a 10-year, $1.3 billion contract, said Anne Murphy, secretary of the state Family and Social Services Administration…”
• Political, geographical lines divide welfare solutions, By Eric Bradner, September 26, 2009, Evansville Courier and Press: “Gov. Mitch Daniels’ administration is working to improve its human services agency’s troubled attempt to modernize, and state lawmakers are grappling with how and where their pressure can be applied best. But geographic and political differences have made it impossible for all parties to agree on an approach that is suitable statewide. In some pockets, such as Evansville, frustration with the new system has reached a boiling point. Some lawmakers say the project is hopeless and the best choice is to cut losses and abandon it. In other places, such as Indianapolis, the changes have not been rolled out yet. In other areas, the new system is working relatively well, according to Indiana Family and Social Services Administration officials…”

More Nevadans will need help as economic storm worsens, By J. Patrick Coolican and David McGrath Schwartz, September 27, 2009, Las Vegas Sun: “The parking lot at Catholic Charities, which shares space with a state welfare office, is packed these days. That’s a new thing. In the past, clients were the type to take the bus or walk to the service center on Las Vegas Boulevard in North Las Vegas. Now it’s the middle and working classes driving here, desperate for help. Same at the Women, Infants, and Children program offices at Flamingo Road and Torrey Pines Drive, its waiting room teeming with young, weary mothers who need nutrition assistance for their toddlers. Nevada’s spiking unemployment rate, which officially hit 13.2 percent recently, is forcing the newly destitute to seek help from the state as unemployment checks stop coming, savings accounts run dry and there are no jobs to be had. This spreading pain is measured in the ballooning number of Nevadans receiving government help - food, medical care, cash assistance. In June, for example, the number of residents on food stamps rose 45 percent compared with a year earlier. That was the second-fastest rise in the nation, behind Utah’s, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation…”

Utah’s Medicaid wants a big boost, By Lisa Rosetta, September 28, 2009, Salt Lake Tribune: “With its enrollment fast approaching 200,000 Utahns — an all-time high — the state’s Medicaid program is poised to ask the Legislature for $17 million in additional funding to keep it afloat through fiscal 2010. But it’s a request that may fall on unsympathetic ears. Alarmed by an audit that said Medicaid’s Bureau of Program Integrity could save as much as $20 million if it more scrupulously examined bills and claims for services, House Speaker Dave Clark said the public health insurance program is going to have to find those savings and plug its own funding hole…”

Texas got less stimulus money per resident than almost every other state, By Dave Michaels, September 28, 2009, Dallas Morning News: “Texas has received less funding per resident from the stimulus package so far than almost any other state, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of federal grants and contracts. Texas lawmakers have long complained about one reason for the disparity: Federal funding formulas, often written by small-state lawmakers, disadvantage big states like Texas. But Texas is also a victim of its own thrift: With fewer research universities, less subsidized housing, and a smaller contribution to programs like Medicaid and unemployment insurance, it stands to receive less emergency funds than if it spent more of its own money on the programs…”

• More in Rhode Island now living in poverty, By Paul Edward Parker, September 22, 2009, Providence Journal: “More than 3 percent of Rhode Island’s population — some 33,000 men, women and children — fell into poverty in 2008 as the recession tightened its grip on the Ocean State, according to recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. From 2007 to 2008, Rhode Island displaced Massachusetts as the New England state with the highest poverty rate. The state also leapfrogged Maine and Vermont in the process, going from fourth-highest to highest in the six-state region…”
• Quarter of West Virginians live in poverty, study says, By Alison Knezevich, September 12, 2009, Charleston Gazette: “About a quarter of West Virginians are now or will soon be living in poverty — and the situation is even worse for children in the Mountain State, according to a new report. The recession could increase the number of children living below the poverty line by more than a third, to 34 percent, say analysts at the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy. Economists define the poverty line as a household income of $21,910 or less for a family of four. On Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau released data showing that 13.2 percent of Americans lived in poverty in 2008 — the most since 1997. State and local figures are set to come out Sept. 22…”
• Poverty level rises in region, By Enrique Rangel, September 13, 2009, Amarillo Globe-News: “In 2007, one of every four residents in Potter and Hall counties was poor, a rate twice as high as the rest of the nation. And in all likelihood the number of destitute people in those counties and in most of the Texas Panhandle increased last year. That conclusion is based on the annual poverty report the U.S. Census Bureau issued last week. The agency said the official U.S. poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent the previous year, and the most affected regions in the nation were the South, Midwest and West. Under the 2009 federal guidelines, a family of four living on $22,050 or less a year is considered poor…”

A plan to add supermarkets to poor areas, with healthy results, By Diane Cardwell, September 23, 2009, New York Times: “The Bloomberg administration, in its ever-expanding campaign to make New Yorkers eat better, has already clamped down on trans fats, deployed fruit vendors to produce-poor neighborhoods and prodded corner bodegas to sell leafy green vegetables and low-fat milk. Now, in a city known more for hot dogs and egg creams than the apple of its nickname, officials want to establish an even bigger beachhead for healthy food - new supermarkets in areas where fresh produce is scarce and where poverty, obesity and diabetes run high. Under a proposal the City Planning Commission unanimously approved on Wednesday, the city would offer zoning and tax incentives to spur the development of full-service grocery stores that devote a certain amount of space to fresh produce, meats, dairy and other perishables…”

Teens lack jobs despite job effort, By Garance Burke (AP), September 23, 2009, Washington Post: “The Obama administration’s economic stimulus program to find jobs for thousands of teenagers this summer couldn’t overcome one of the bleakest job markets in more than 60 years that had desperate adults competing for the same kind of work. Almost one-quarter of the 297,169 youths in the $1.2 billion jobs program didn’t get jobs, as more adults flooded the labor market seeking similar low-wage positions at hamburger stands and community pools, according to an Associated Press review of government data and reports from states. Congressional auditors warned Wednesday that the government’s plans to measure the success of the federal program are so haphazard that they ‘may reveal little about what the program achieved.’ The new report from the Government Accountability Office also said many government officials, employers and participants believe the program was successful…”

• Unemployment claims slide continues, By Hibah Yousuf, September 24, 2009, CNNMoney.com: “New filings for unemployment insurance fell for a third straight week, the government said Thursday, surprising economists. There were 530,000 initial claims filed in the week ended Sept. 19, down 21,000 from a revised 551,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said in a weekly report…”
• Initial jobless claims decline for third straight week, By David Grant, September 24, 2009, Christian Science Monitor: “The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits dropped last week to 530,000, down 21,000 from the previous week. The 530,000 mark - the third lowest number of claims in 2009 and the lowest since the week ending July 11 - surprised many analysts, who had expected the number of claims to remain the same or even tick up slightly. There was also a decline of 123,000 in the number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits, bringing that total down to 6.1 million for the week ending Sept 12, the last week for which information is available…”
• State Labor leaders want jobless benefits extended, By Denise Jewell Gee, September 24, 2009, Buffalo News: “The state labor commissioner warned today that the cost of supporting unemployed workers could fall to state and local governments if federal lawmakers do not extend unemployment benefits. M. Patricia Smith joined labor leaders from 17 other states to call on Congress to extend unemployment insurance benefits an additional 13 weeks…”

• Backlog, processing errors bedevil food stamp program, By Corrie MacLaggan, September 24, 2009, Austin American-Statesman: “Tens of thousands of Texas families are waiting as long as several months for food stamps as a surge in applications lands on an already strained system. And when state workers do process the applications, they often do it wrong. One out of every six food stamp applications is incorrectly processed by state workers, according to state data. In some cases, that means eligible families are being denied benefits. That error rate has skyrocketed since 2004, rising from 2.8 percent to 21.4 percent last year. For the first half of this year, the error rate fell to 17.4 percent. This comes as Texas is struggling with a food stamp application backlog, failing to process more than a third of applications within the 30 days required by the federal government…”
• More residents using food stamps, By Michelle Saxton, September 24, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail: “About 37,000 more West Virginians were using food stamps this summer than last year, reflecting a historic high nationally in the number of people who need help paying for food. Across the country, more people are using food stamps - and getting more in benefits - due in part to the struggling economy and a financial boost from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, nutrition service officials say. About 35.1 million Americans received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits this past June, up about 22 percent from 28.7 million in June 2008, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Nutrition Service spokeswoman Jean Daniel. For West Virginia, those figures were 315,938 individual participants in June, up from 278,713 in June 2008, Daniel said…”

• 40% of Israeli children at poverty risk, September 22, 2009, Ynetnews.com: “More and more Israelis are poor, hungry, and abstain from seeking medical attention for themselves. This is the bottom line of the report published Monday afternoon by the Central Bureau of Statistics in honor of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The report shows that 40% of children in Israel in 2007 were at poverty risk, as opposed to just 33% in 2001. Risk of poverty is defined as belonging to a household with a disposable income per capita less than 60% of the national median equalized disposable income…”
• Recession increasing gaps between rich and poor, By Ruth Eglash, September 22, 2009, Jerusalem Post: “The gaps between Israel’s rich and poor continued to grow throughout 2007, with more people than ever falling into poverty, a report published Monday by the Central Bureau of Statistics revealed. Released ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which takes place on October 17, the report shows that some 40 percent of the country’s children were subjected to poverty-like conditions in 2007, and the socioeconomic gaps between Jewish and Arab populations and between the religious and secular have sharply increased in recent years…”

• Kentucky insures greater share of children, By Jere Downs, September 21, 2009, Louisville Courier-Journal: “Kentucky has provided health insurance for a greater share of its children than Indiana or the nation as a whole, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday. Ninety-three percent of the children in Kentucky had health insurance, greater than Indiana’s 82 percent and higher than the national average of 90 percent, the Census figures showed…”
• Census: Nevada leads nation in uninsured children, By Frank X. Mullen, Jr., September 23, 2009, Reno Gazette-Journal: “Nevada has a larger percentage of children without health insurance than any other state. And among the 75 percent of adult Nevadans covered by employer-sponsored health insurance, family insurance premiums have risen 97 percent since 1999 as wages increased an average of 43 percent. That’s the verdict of the Census Bureau’s American Community survey released Tuesday, the first time the annual update has included health insurance data…”
• Survey shows disparities in health care coverage for Minnesota kids, By Tim Nelson, September 22, 2009, Minnesota Public Radio: “Minnesota ranks third in the nation in the percentage of people who have health insurance, according to recent figures from the U.S. Census. But new survey data indicate some disparities around the state - particularly for kids. The Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey looked closely at health insurance coverage for the first time in 2008. Overall, Minnesota fared well, ranking behind only Massachusetts and Hawaii in the percentage of its population covered by health insurance…”

• Census data show recession-driven changes, By Sam Roberts, September 21, 2009, New York Times: “A smaller share of Americans married, drove to work alone, owned their own home or moved to a new residence last year than the year before. More lived in overcrowded housing. Property values declined. And fewer immigrants arrived, which meant that for the first time since the beginning of the decade, the total number of foreign-born people in the country did not grow. Those were among the findings released Monday in the Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey, a wealth of data comparing the nation’s profile in 2008 with that of 2007…”
• Census: Recession had sweeping impact on US life, By Hope Yen (AP), September 22, 2009, Washington Post: “A broad survey of Americans has provided striking measures of the recession’s effect on life at home and at work: People are now stuck in traffic longer, less apt to move away and more inclined to put off marriage and buying a house. The U.S. census data, released Monday, also show a dip in the number of foreign-born last year, to under 38 million after it reached an all-time high in 2007. This was due to declines in low-skilled workers from Mexico searching for jobs in Arizona, Florida and California…”
• 2008 Census data: Housing is getting even less affordable, By Stephanie Armour and Barbara Hansen, September 21, 2009, USA Today: “More Americans found housing unaffordable last year, even though home prices across the U.S. have taken a major fall. More than 40 million spent 30% or more of their household income on housing costs, 600,000 more than in 2007, according to 2008 Census data released Monday. That includes homeowners with and without mortgages, as well as renters. The number of renters increased, while the number of homeowners declined…”
• NE Ohio residents are poorer today than decade ago, census data shows, By Robert L. Smith, September 22, 2009, Cleveland Plain Dealer: ” If you feel poorer than yesteryear, well, you probably are. The typical family in Ohio saw its income drop sharply this decade, and Northeast Ohio families lost more than most. Even before the start of the Great Recession in December 2007, household incomes were in steady decline across the state and region, a Plain Dealer review of census data reveals. By the summer of 2008, the median household income in Ohio had plunged by 9 percent in the new millennium, more than double the national rate of decline…”
• Census report shows recession hammers Michigan, By John Flesher (AP), September 21, 2009, Chicago Tribune: “Michigan’s already dire economic plight only worsened as the recession kicked in, with incomes and home values plunging while fewer people had health insurance coverage, according to new U.S. census data. The report, for release on Tuesday, offers little hope for a quick turnaround in the state, even if the nationwide situation improves over the next year as some economists predict, demographic experts said…”

Fewer poor enrolled at regent schools, By Gunnar Olson, September 20, 2009, Des Moines Register: “Fewer and fewer students from Iowa’s low-income families are being educated by the state’s public universities, despite their mission to educate Iowans of diverse socioeconomic status, U.S. Department of Education data show. Iowa ranked nearly last in the United States for the share of Pell Grant recipients - a common measurement of low-income students - enrolled at its public universities in the 2007-08 school year. Only public universities in the District of Columbia, Rhode Island and Wyoming served lower percentages, although such comparisons are imperfect because factors vary state to state…”

Parenting grandparents feel strain, By Catherine Jun, September 23, 2009, Detroit News: “Deborah Stiell has cared for her granddaughter since the girl left the hospital where she was born 22 months ago. When Jaliyah wails in the middle of the night, Stiell gets up, too. ‘Sometimes you get to the point where you feel like you took on a little too much,’ said Stiell, 55, of Detroit, who also cares for two of her other grandchildren. ‘It’s a challenge.’ Stiell is one of thousands of grandparents in Michigan who, after years of raising their own children, find themselves parenting again. Yet several of the dozen or so agencies that help grandparents like Stiell — with the financial and emotional struggle of parenting in their later years — have themselves become strapped. A few are set to close their doors next month as the economic recession has forced a decline in state and foundation dollars…”

Budget cuts push some classrooms way over capacity, By Mitchell Landsberg, September 20, 2009, Los Angeles Times: “If there had been rafters, somebody would have been hanging from them. As it was, every seat was taken. One young woman plopped on the floor, next to a microwave oven. A young man stood in the corner, shifting from one foot to the other. Three teens scrunched on top of a desk. Everyone’s attention was riveted on the slight, soft-spoken man pacing the small patch of bare linoleum in front of them. It was a scene to warm the heart of any musician or stand-up comic. Alas, John Collier isn’t an entertainer. He is a teacher, and this was his third period U.S. history class at Fairfax High School on the city’s Westside. Forty-five students were shoehorned into a classroom designed for perhaps 30 — and this on a day when three students were absent. The impact of California’s budget cuts has varied from school to school. Because of the patchwork of federal and state funding for education, some campuses have felt the pinch far less than others. But at schools like Fairfax, hard hit by the $6 billion in education reductions enacted by the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, this is shaping up to be one difficult year…”

• A bad climate for development, September 17, 2009, The Economist: “In late April Mostafa Rokonuzzaman, a farmer in south-western Bangladesh, gave an impassioned speech at a public meeting in his village, complaining that climate change, freakish hot spells and failed rains were ruining his vegetables. He didn’t know the half of it. A month later Mr Rokonuzzaman was chest-deep in a flood that had swept away his house, farm and even the village where the meeting took place. Cyclone Aila (its effects pictured above) which caused the storm surge that breached the village’s flood barriers, was itself a plausible example of how climate change is wreaking devastation in poor countries. Most people in the West know that the poor world contributes to climate change, though the scale of its contribution still comes as a surprise. Poor and middle-income countries already account for just over half of total carbon emissions (see chart 1); Brazil produces more CO2 per head than Germany. The lifetime emissions from these countries’ planned power stations would match the world’s entire industrial pollution since 1850. Less often realised, though, is that global warming does far more damage to poor countries than they do to the climate…”
• 4.5 M kids worldwide in danger of dying, By Ellalyn De Vera, September 18, 2009, Manila Bulletin: “At least 4.5 million children worldwide are in danger of dying from the impacts of climate change unless world leaders agree to increase funds that will mitigate the effects of climate change, non-government aid agency Oxfam International said. Oxfam issued the statement during the launch of its report titled ‘Beyond Aid’ released Wednesday, in time for the United Nations Climate Summit in New York on Sept. 22. The meeting will be followed by the G20 Summit on Sept. 24, where climate finance will be high on the agenda…”

• Cash incentive program for poor families is renewed, By Julie Bosman, September 20, 2009, New York Times: “An experimental antipoverty program that pays poor families up to $5,000 a year for going to regular medical checkups, attending school and keeping jobs has been extended for a third year. Linda I. Gibbs, the deputy mayor for health and human services, said she was encouraged by some early results in the education component of the program that showed students improved their attendance and passed more exams when they were rewarded with cash…”
• Latin America makes a dent in poverty with ‘conditional cash’ programs, By Tyler Bridges, September 21, 2009, Christian Science Monitor: “Denise de Oliveira lost her job as a janitor in June when she had to stay home to care for her 13-year-old son, who had pneumonia. The 45-year-old single mother of four has kept food on the table, however, thanks to a government program that pays her family $70 per month. ‘It doesn’t give you enough to buy everything you want, but it sure helps,’ said de Oliveira, who lives on a dirt street in this impoverished town on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Unlike traditional government handouts, however, this popular anti-poverty program, which has spread throughout Latin America and even to New York City, requires that de Oliveira’s children stay in school. The children also must have twice-a-year health exams and be vaccinated against diseases. The program goes by different names - Bolsa Familia (Family Fund) in Brazil and Oportunidades (Opportunities) in Mexico, the most populous countries it’s in - and has slightly different rules depending on the country. Analysts say it’s become the most successful anti-poverty program in years because it requires the poor to do something meaningful and measurable in exchange for government charity…”

• State faces explosion of schoolkids qualified for subsidized meals, By Jacob Kushner and Kryssy Pease, September 20, 2009, Wisconsin State Journal: “Nearly four in 10 Wisconsin elementary students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch last school year, and the proportion of such students has climbed every year of this decade, according to state Department of Public Instruction data analyzed by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. The center found the proportion of Wisconsin elementary students eligible for subsidized lunches hit 37.6 percent last year, compared with 30.3 percent in 2000…”
• Green Bay district gains most low-income elementary students in state, By Kelly McBride, September 20, 2009, Green Bay Press-Gazette: “The Green Bay School District has gained more low-income elementary school students than any other district in the state since 2000, a new analysis shows. The district’s low-income population grew by 2,398 elementary school students during that time, more than the Milwaukee, Madison or Kenosha school districts, according to a report released today by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that produces regular investigative projects…”
• Economic downturn reflected at Southwest Florida schools, By Christopher O’Donnell, September 21, 2009, Sarasota Herald-Tribune: “Hit hard by layoffs and paycuts, more Florida families than ever are turning to federal aid to feed their children at school. Even in Southwest Florida, long seen as an area of affluence, the number of children qualifying for the federal government’s free or reduced lunch program has risen sharply this year. For the first time, more than half of Manatee County students — some 22,000 children — meet income guidelines that qualify them for government assistance…”

• Student homelessness soars in Oregon schools, By Betsy Hammond, September 18, 2009, The Oregonian: “Amid the recession, the number of Oregon students who are homeless surged 14 percent in the past year, rising to 18,000 children and teens without a permanent home of their own, the state reported Friday. Schools are required by federal law to help homeless students find security at school during the upheaval in their lives. And many Oregon educators report they are doing a better job helping children remain in the same school, get basics such as food, and find extra academic support. But they said the emotional and practical needs of students who’ve become homeless are huge, and the ranks of students in those straits are still growing…”
• In school, but no home, By Anne Williams, September 19, 2009, Eugene Register-Guard: “A report from the Oregon Department of Education on Friday offers yet more evidence of the recession’s toll on Oregon families. The number of homeless students attending Oregon public schools surged to more than 18,000 in the 2008-09 school year, up 14 percent over the previous year and 122 percent over 2003-04, the first year the state took a count…”
• Database: Student homelessness rises, By MacKenzie Ryan, September 19, 2009, Statesman Journal: “Two thousand more students in Oregon were homeless last year, a “significant” increase and a troubling trend that reflects the state’s dour economy, rise in home foreclosures and high unemployment rate, state education officials said this week. More than 18,000 students, or 3.2 percent of those in grades K-12 statewide, were identified as homeless last school year. That’s a 14 percent increase from the previous school year, according to education data released Friday…”

Poverty in Fresno carries hidden costs, By Sanford Nax, September 19, 2009, Fresno Bee: ” The apartments along Lowe Avenue in southeast Fresno sound like a good deal. For about $600 a month you can get two bedrooms, and bad credit won’t keep you out. But many costs aren’t in the lease: Some apartments are teeming with roaches and mold, creating a veritable stew pot for illness — and constant doctor bills. It’s in a dangerous neighborhood, so costly possessions — like stereos — have a way of disappearing. People live here because they are poor and can’t afford anything better. But compared to those with just a little more money, they must spend an enormous share of their household incomes on rent. The same is true across the central San Joaquin Valley and the nation: When it comes to housing, being poor is expensive…”

L.A. County may spend money to try to save money on welfare, By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, September 20, 2009, Los Angeles Times: “With the cost of helping Los Angeles County’s welfare recipients expected to hit $1 billion by the end of this fiscal year, county officials are pushing a plan to shift the burden of some of the most hard-core unemployed to the federal government. If they succeed, local taxpayers could save tens of millions of dollars, and thousands of disabled welfare recipients would see their aid more than triple. But the hurdles could prove high. County officials propose spending $7.2 million to help applicants through a notoriously difficult process to qualify for federal disability assistance. The question remains: Does it make sense for the county to gamble millions now with massive state budget cuts looming?…”

• Proposing a public health option as a ’safety net’, By Robert Pear, September 19, 2009, New York Times: “Senator Olympia J. Snowe, a pivotal Republican, described on Saturday the changes she wanted to see in a comprehensive health care bill to make insurance more affordable, and she proposed a government insurance company as a possible backup to the private market if coverage remains too costly. Ms. Snowe’s proposal was among 564 amendments filed in the last couple of days by members of the Senate Finance Committee, which plans to take up the legislation this week as the struggle over health care enters a critical new phase…”
• How health overhaul would affect the uninsured, By Christopher Weaver, September 21, 2009, National Public Radio: “How many Americans are uninsured? According to the Census Bureau, in 2008, more than 46 million Americans - about 15 percent of the population - did not have health insurance. Because of the recession, many experts believe the number is now larger. Who are the uninsured? Income is a strong factor in identifying the uninsured. About two-thirds of uninsured Americans earn less than twice the federal poverty level, which is $22,050 for a family of four. Almost 25 percent of the uninsured are poor enough to be eligible for Medicaid but are not enrolled…”
• Uninsured take a toll on all North Texans, By Robert T. Garrett and Jason Roberson, September 20, 2009, Dallas Morning News: “Up to one-third of Dallas-area residents don’t have health insurance, and the number is rising. Everybody in North Texas pays the cost, through taxes and higher insurance costs - as much as $1,800 per family. Illegal immigrants pump up the numbers. But even if there weren’t any here, Texas still would virtually lead the nation in percentage of residents without health insurance, according to both conservative and liberal researchers. And Dallas County is close on Harris County’s heels as the major metro county with the lowest rate of health insurance coverage…”

House moves to extend unemployment benefits, By Jim Abrams (AP), September 21, 2009, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Despite predictions the Great Recession is running out of steam, the House is taking up emergency legislation this week to help the millions of Americans who see no immediate end to their economic miseries. A bill offered by Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., and expected to pass easily would provide 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits for more than 300,000 jobless people who live in states with unemployment rates of at least 8.5 percent and who are scheduled to run out of benefits by the end of September…”

Cost of racial disparities in health care put at $229 billion between 2003, 2006, By Kelly Brewington, September 18, 2009, Baltimore Sun: “Racial health disparities cost the United States $229 billion between 2003 and 2006 - money that could help cover an overhaul of the nation’s health care system, according to a new report by Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland researchers. Minorities are generally sicker and more likely than whites to die of numerous diseases, and until now, medical experts and advocates fighting to close those gaps have made their pleas on moral grounds. But the new figures aim to break down the issue into dollars and cents at a time when everyone is trying to figure out how to rein in soaring health care costs…”

Suddenly shocked by life in a shelter, By Alfred Lubrano, September 18, 2009, Philadelphia Inquirer: “Frank Marshall remembers the moment he transformed from unemployed security guard to homeless man. ‘The walk toward my room at the shelter was surreal,’ he said. ‘I pinched myself to believe it was happening.’ Shoehorning himself into a 14-by-10-foot room with three other bewildered men in the Salvation Army’s Railton House in West Chester, Marshall, 48, lay on a narrow bed that looked like a boy’s and stared at the ceiling. On it, he projected images of the life he’d lost: job, apartment, girlfriend. Marshall, who always thought the homeless were drug addicts or schizophrenics, was dumbfounded. ‘There are days when my faith is lacking,’ said Marshall, a Roman Catholic from Phoenixville who is unmarried with no children. ‘This is unbelievable.’ Though the economy is improving, hard times grind on, and many people who lost jobs near the beginning of the downturn are facing the ultimate consequence of unemployment: homelessness. Tomorrow, the maximum of 79 weeks of unemployment benefits and extensions will end for 20,000 in Pennsylvania and 45,000 in New Jersey, officials said. An additional 14,000 Pennsylvanians will exhaust all benefits by next Saturday…”

Economy boosts demand for free legal aid, By Brian Wargo, September 18, 2009, Las Vegas Sun: “The slumping Las Vegas economy has increased demand for free legal services and stretched the resources of agencies trying to provide those services. Nevada Legal Services, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and Senior Citizens Law Project have reported many more requests and say it’s hard to meet the demand. ‘It is overwhelming,’ said Lynn Etkins, development director of Legal Aid Center. ‘Our lobby is filled with clients ranging from victims of domestic violence to people losing their homes and jobs. With the economy and layoffs, we have a lot more people in the community (who need) our services.’ This year has seen a 25 percent increase in placements with pro bono attorneys. A consumer hotline has received 14 percent more calls than a year ago, she said. Demand has increased for help with divorce, consumer credit, bankruptcy and other issues, Etkins said…”

Pa. budget stalemate is killing social services, By Jeff Gammage, September 17, 2009, Philadelphia Inquirer: “A pile of unopened mail sits on the front counter. Incoming phone calls go directly to the voice-mail system. Beyond the front desk - unattended because the receptionist was laid off - are darkened offices and empty cubicles. The Caring People Alliance has operated in Philadelphia for nearly eight decades, battling an array of social ills and striving to help children in need. But unless something happens to end the state budget impasse, and soon, the agency may not see the new year. The 11-week-old stalemate in Harrisburg has cut off the flow of government dollars to the alliance and dozens of other social-service providers across Pennsylvania. Some survive through the generosity of their bankers. Others could soon go out of business…”

• Jobless rate tops 12% in 5 states, By Julianne Pepitone, September 18, 2009, CNNMoney.com: “Five states posted jobless rates above 12% in August, according to federal data released Friday. California, Nevada and Rhode Island each hit record-high rates, the Labor Department said. Michigan led the nation in unemployment, with a rate of 15.2%, while Nevada was next at 13.2% and Rhode Island was third at 12.8%. California and Oregon were tied for the fourth spot, each with unemployment at 12.2%…”
• California’s unemployment rate rises to 12.2%, By Alana Semuels, September 18, 2009, Los Angeles Times: “Despite signs that an economic recovery has begun in the state, California’s unemployment rate set a new postwar high of 12.2% in August, up from 11.9% in July. California has the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the nation; only Michigan, Nevada and Rhode Island, at 15.2%, 13.2% and 12.8%, respectively, have higher rates than California. Still, there was some positive news in the figures released today by the California Economic Development Department. California lost only 12,300 jobs last month, compared with 38,900 jobs in July…”
• At 12.2 percent, unemployment in Calif. highest since 1940, By Jennifer Steinhauer, September 18, 2009, New York Times: “California’s unemployment rate in August hit its highest point in nearly 70 years, starkly underscoring how the nation’s incipient economic recovery continues to elude millions of Americans looking for work. While job losses continue to fall, the new unemployment rate - 12.2 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics - is far above the national average of 9.7 percent and places the country’s largest state fourth behind Michigan, Nevada and Rhode Island. Statistics kept by the state show California’s unemployment rate was 14.7 percent in 1940, according to Kevin Callori, a spokesman for the California Employment Development Department…”
• R.I. jobless rate inches higher, By Alex Kuffner, September 18, 2009, Providence Journal: “Although economists say the worst of the recession may be over, the number of jobless workers in Rhode Island continues to grow. The state’s unemployment rate ticked up to 12.8 percent in August from what was a record high of 12.7 percent in July, according to a report issued Friday. The latest number is now the highest in Rhode Island since the federal government began keeping track of unemployed workers in 1976. Rhode Island’s jobless rate, the second-highest in the country in July, has been steadily climbing for 2½ years and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down…”
• Nevada unemployment soars to record 13.2 percent, By Sandra Chereb, September 18, 2009, San Francisco Chronicle: “Nevada’s unemployment rate broke another record in August, soaring to 13.2 percent as the recession continues to hammer the state’s tourism-dominated economy, officials said Friday. ‘Signs of stabilization in the national economy are beginning to emerge,’ said William Anderson, chief economist with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. ‘Some analysts even argue that the recession is likely over, or will be over in the near-term. However, such positive conclusions cannot be drawn in Nevada, based upon a current assessment of labor market and economic activity in the state,’ Anderson said in a written statement…”

• Voter ID decision resurrects debate, By Bill Ruthhart and Jon Murray, September 18, 2009, Indianapolis Star: “The Indiana Court of Appeals’ rejection of the state’s controversial voter ID law Thursday has reignited a political firestorm over its merits and left Gov. Mitch Daniels accusing judges of playing politics. The ruling fanned the flames on a debate that has raged since 2005, when Indiana became the first state to require voters to show government-issued photo identification at the polls. Republicans have long held that the law strengthens the electoral process and prevents fraud, while Democrats have insisted that it disenfranchises elderly, disabled and poor voters…”
• Indiana court strikes down voter ID law, By John Schwartz, September 17, 2009, New York Times: “An Indiana law requiring voters to show identification, declared constitutional by the United States Supreme Court just last year, was struck down Thursday by a state appellate court. The state court said the law violated the Indiana Constitution by not treating all voters equally. The legislature passed the voter ID law in 2005, and it was challenged in federal court. The Supreme Court upheld it in April 2008, but that July the League of Women Voters brought a new suit in state court…”
• Indiana court strikes down state’s voter ID law, By Charles Wilson and Mike Smith (AP), September 17, 2009, Indianapolis Star: “The state Court of Appeals on Thursday struck down an Indiana law requiring government-issued photo identification for voters, overturning on state constitutional grounds a strict law that previously had been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said he would appeal the ruling. ‘The state’s long-held view is that the Voter ID law is constitutional, and we will vigorously defend the statute in arguing that position before the Indiana Supreme Court,’ he said…”

Revising student aid formula, house votes to expand federal loans, By Tamar Lewin, September 17, 2009, New York Times: “The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday that expands federal aid to college students while ending federal subsidies to private lenders. By shifting to direct federal lending, the Obama administration said it will save more than $80 billion over 10 years, which will go into higher Pell Grants for low-income students, new investments in community colleges, early-childhood programs and other education efforts. The vote was 253 to 171. The measure, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, now goes to the Senate, where Democratic leaders expect it to pass…”

• Flood of food stamp requests drains agency, By Gary Scharrer, September 6, 2009, Houston Chronicle: “State employees can’t keep up with applications for food assistance, and the inadequate staffing to handle the casework is making them frustrated and stressed out, some say. Morale is lousy at the agency that manages the program. Many work long hours, but the cases keep stacking up. The conditions are blamed for high absentee rates and employee turnover. Some welcome a recent class-action lawsuit that accuses the state of violating federal rules requiring food stamp applications to be certified within 30 days. Many applicants must wait months before they get food assistance…”
• Employee turnover high at Texas agency that processes food-stamp applications, Associated Press, September 7, 2009, Dallas Morning News: “Employee turnover is running at 16 percent this year at the overwhelmed Texas public benefits agency responsible for processing food-stamp applications. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has seen a huge increase in food-stamp applications this year…”

Homeless in Colorado metro area up to 11,061, By Mike McPhee, September 17, 2009, Denver Post: “There are 11,061 homeless people in the seven-county metro region, and about half of them say they are homeless for the first time, according to the results of a 24-hour survey conducted Jan. 27 by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative. While the total number is 4 percent higher than in 2007, when the last point-in-time survey was taken, homeless advocates say the much-delayed results are already out of date. The survey results were expected in June. John Parvensky, director of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, said homelessness dipped slightly in 2008 but came roaring back this year. He estimates homelessness is now up about 20 percent from 2007. The methodology for the point-in- time survey was changed somewhat this year, making year-to-year comparisons difficult. Still, the survey represents the best count available, Parvensky said…”

• Global poverty rolls projected to surge, By Annys Shin, September 17, 2009, Washington Post: “The global recession is expected to push 89 million more people into extreme poverty by the end of 2010, the World Bank said Wednesday as it called on the leaders of the 20 largest economies to engage in ‘responsible globalization.’ Although economic data show that the worst recession of the post-World War II era might have ended in the United States, and global trade has begun to pick up, low-income countries are still reeling from the effects of a financial crisis created by their wealthier counterparts…”
• World Bank says don’t forget poor amid crisis, By Tom Barkley, September 17, 2009, Wall Street Journal: “Group of 20 nations emerging from recession shouldn’t forget poorer countries, which face funding needs of $11.6 billion just to maintain spending on basic services like health and education, the World Bank said Wednesday. In a report prepared for G-20 leaders meeting in Pittsburgh next week, the bank warned that the global crisis is poised to push an additional 89 million people into extreme poverty by the end of next year if additional help isn’t provided. ‘The poorest countries may not be well represented on the G-20, but we cannot ignore the long-term costs of the global downturn on their people’s health and education,’ World Bank President Robert Zoellick said in a statement…”

High jobless rates could last years, O.E.C.D. warns, By Matthew Saltmarsh, September 16, 2009, New York Times: “Unless government programs for the unemployed are refined, there is a danger that high jobless rates will persist beyond 2010 in advanced economies, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned on Wednesday. ‘A recovery may be in sight,’ the group said in its annual employment outlook, referring to economic output. ‘But the short-term employment outlook is grim.’ The international organization said that unemployment among its 30 member nations would rise to nearly 10 percent by the end of 2010, above its previous post-1970 peak of 7.5 percent during the second quarter of 1993. Disadvantaged groups, like youths and immigrants as well as low-skilled and temporary workers, will bear the brunt of the increase…”

Recession in rural America by the numbers, September 13, 2009, Daily Yonder: “Once a year the folks at the Economic Research Service publish a report on rural America. It’s called Rural America at a Glance and this year’s edition focuses on the recession. No surprise there. Friday we learned that the recession has ‘plunged 2.6 million more Americans into poverty, wiped out the household income gains of an entire decade and pushed the number of people without health insurance up to 46.3 million,’ according to the Washington Post. These latest Census Bureau figures don’t tell us whether the recession is better or worse in rural America. That’s what the ERS tries to do. Here are some excerpts from the full report…”

Seattle’s 1811 Eastlake project puts housing first, saves lives and money, By Kim Horner, September 13, 2009, Dallas Morning News: “An attractive blue and gray apartment building with views of the Space Needle saved taxpayers $4 million in one year - simply by giving hardcore homeless alcoholics a place to live. This home for the homeless has attracted visitors from across the country - including Dallas - looking for ways to move the most seriously ill off the streets and cut costs. But it has detractors because it doesn’t require residents to stop drinking. The $11 million project is one of the country’s best-known examples of housing first, an approach to combating chronic homelessness by providing homes upfront and offering help for illnesses and addictions. The concept turns the traditional model, which typically requires sobriety before a person can get housing, upside down….”

Louisiana bypasses federal funds for needy, By Mike Hasten, September 10, 2009, Shreveport Times: “Louisiana is not taking advantage of federal stimulus dollars to help its poorest residents because it can’t afford to put up the matching funds needed to claim the money, the head of the state Department of Social Services says. DSS Secretary Kristy Nichols also says unless programs are created at a time when the state is looking for ways to cut existing programs, Louisiana doesn’t qualify for the funds. A ProPublica/USA Today story published earlier this week singles out Louisiana as one of 23 states not utilizing tens of millions of dollars each that’s available for helping the poor even though Louisiana has the second highest poverty rate in the nation. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act put $5 billion into an emergency fund for states to use through their federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs. The emergency fund could be used to help states handle increased welfare caseloads, pay rent for families facing eviction, create temporary jobs for the unemployed or put cash in people’s pockets…”

Michigan struggles to insure kids, By Kim Kozlowski, September 15, 2009, Detroit News: “Michigan’s budget crisis is expected to prevent expansion of children’s health insurance coverage because the state can’t afford to match an extra $100 million in federal funds. Michigan has to come up with a 26 percent match, or about $33 million, for its MIChild program to get federal funds from the recently renewed Children’s Health Insurance Program, state health officials say. But the need comes as lawmakers scramble to close a $2.8 billion deficit for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Democratic and Republican lawmakers agree it is unlikely the state can come up with the $33 million at a time when budget talks are focused on cuts, and millions of federal dollars for other health programs have been bypassed due to cuts made earlier this year…”

• Medicaid expansion stalls health talks, By Jennifer Haberkorn and Ralph Z. Hallow, September 15, 2009, Washington Times: “A proposed expansion of Medicaid, the health care program for lower-income Americans, has emerged as one of the last sticking points in the Senate Finance Committee’s health care reform bill, with governors and state legislatures around the country worried they’re going to get left with the tab. Proposals in the House and Senate would expand Medicaid eligibility to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, potentially putting millions of new people on the public health program for the poor younger than 65…”
• Congressional health plans could break state budget, By Lesley Stedman Weidenbener, September 12, 2009, Louisville Courier-Journal: “Gov. Mitch Daniels last week weighed into the national health care debate with a letter to Indiana’s congressional delegation that opposed the insurance reform plans currently under consideration. ‘There is no disputing the fact that aspects of American health care, such (as) access and affordability, truly do need to be restructured and improved,’ Daniels wrote. ‘Yet, I have serious concerns about Congress’ proposed solutions to these problems. In fact, I fear the current rush to overhaul the system will ultimately do more damage than good and create far more problems than it solves.’ But as described in his letter, Daniels’ opposition has as much to do with protecting the state’s finances as it does with political philosophy. In fact, Daniels is part of a group of governors and other state government leaders across the country who are trying to draw attention to a part of the health care debate that has been largely ignored – an expansion of Medicaid…”
• Congress should extend help with Medicaid, Editorial, September 15, 2009, Des Moines Register: “Billions in federal economic-stimulus dollars rescued state governments this year. The influx of money - about $2 billion in Iowa - helped this state avoid laying off workers and cutting vital programs. But another fiscal year is coming. Iowa was not among the states that raised taxes to generate revenue, and the federal stimulus money is almost gone. This state is facing a shortfall of between $900 million and $1 billion for the next budget year, and has about $133 million left in stimulus money. Everyone knew the federal help was temporary, and there is likely little political will in Washington for passing another stimulus package…”

• 17,000 state residents will get extended benefits if unemployment rate climbs high enough, By Janice Posada, September 14, 2009, Hartford Courant: “When Connecticut’s unemployment rate dipped to 7.8 percent in July from 8 percent in May and June, economists took it as a sign that recession-related job losses were finally starting to level off. But the slowing pace of unemployment, if it continues, could hurt about 17,000 jobless workers in the state. They would be eligible for seven additional weeks of federal unemployment benefits - but only if the jobless rate jumps to 8.2 percent in August…”
• Soaring jobless rate taxes insurance system, By Eve Tahmincioglu, September 14, 2009, MSNBC.com: “Cynthia Paulson of Mesa, Ariz., made a mistake on her form when she filed for an extension on her unemployment benefits in July, and she fell into a bureaucratic black hole. Mike Dixon of Seattle put in for unemployment benefits after he lost his job as a software engineer, but his employer denied his claim, resulting in a delay of nearly two months in collecting any money. As the nation’s unemployment rate approaches 10 percent, Paulson and Dixon are just two of the hundreds of thousands of people dealing with bureaucratic delays in the nation’s increasingly stretched unemployment insurance system…”
• Falling through jobless benefit crack, By Scott Whipple, September 14, 2009, Bristol Press: “Maybe you caught the special in late August on MSNBC. The network broadcast a chilling report on the estimated 1.5 million people on the verge of losing their jobless benefits. Though the unemployment compensation program has been extended over and over from the basic 26 weeks, the crack is widening and more people are falling through. In fact, the national Employment Law Project expects 540,000 people to fall out of the unemployment program by the end of this month…”
• Congress should continue jobless benefits, Editorial, September 14, 2009, Detroit News: “Nearly 100,000 Michigan residents stand to lose their unemployment benefits at year’s end. Congress is working to extend those benefits and should do so. But Michigan businesses also have an unemployment crisis. They face hundreds of millions of dollars in new unemployment taxes and penalties in the next few years that could damage their recovery and slow the hiring of new workers. It’s a vicious circle that only Congress can fix. Normally, laid-off workers are entitled to 26 weeks of unemployment insurance. The cost of this insurance is covered by a tax levied by the state on all firms. Because of the severity of this recession, Congress has adopted special unemployment benefits covered from the federal treasury for workers. Together, employer-paid and federal benefits now add up to 79 weeks of unemployment coverage…”

Recession dries up funds for low-income housing, By J.W. Elphinstone (AP), September 13, 2009, Contra Costa Times: “For thousands of low-income renters nationwide - but especially in rural towns and small cities - the recession is hitting home in an unexpected way. Nationwide, funding to build low-cost apartments has dropped by more than half in two years to $4 billion. Hundreds of projects can’t get off the ground because the federal tax credits that help offset development costs are currently worthless to traditional investors. Georgia, for example, typically funds about 30 projects a year using up to $20 million in federal tax credits. So far, just nine deals have closed for 2008 and none this year. In Savannah, one project was halted mid-development because of a financing gap…”

Schools target child welfare, By Sarah Chacko, September 13, 2009, Baton Rouge Advocate: “Louisiana universities are taking steps to improve the state’s child-welfare system with a targeted curriculum for students and specialized training for social workers. Federal grant money is helping seven state universities focus their curriculum on areas where child-welfare workers need the most support, such as finding ways to help children who have been abused and neglected, and dealing with their own work-related stress. ‘Louisiana is one of the few states in the country that does not have a specialized child-welfare discipline within its university systems,’ DSS Secretary Kristy Nichols told a state Commission on Streamlining Government…”

• Close Oregon’s achievement gap by starting early, study urges, By Kimberly Melton, September 14, 2009, The Oregonian: “A new report from the Chalkboard Project highlights a persistent achievement gap between Latino students and white students in Oregon that starts as early as third grade. It suggests the key to narrowing the gap is to start working with students early. The report, released Monday, echoes the conclusion of an earlier study of the achievement gap between black and white students in Multnomah County that recommended focusing more on prevention than intervention…”
• A blueprint for closing the gap, Editorial, September 15, 2009, The Oregonian: “As a new study of Oregon’s achievement gap makes clear, the state should put more effort into early intervention and dig deeper into what works. The stubborn gap in academic achievement in Oregon between Hispanic students and their white classmates used to be somewhat of a mystery. Not any more. The main causes of this gap are well-diagnosed. So are at least some of the solutions, plus the areas desperately needing further research…”

Fresh eyes for poverty guidelines, By Josh Gerstein, September 14, 2009, Politico.com: “Two academics who are vocal critics of the federal government’s antiquated system for measuring poverty have landed important jobs in the Obama Administration, though it’s unclear whether they can overcome the political inertia that has left the current system largely undisturbed for more than four decades. The two Obama appointees - Rebecca Blank, former dean of the public policy school at the University of Michigan, and Georgetown Law professor Mark Greenberg - are part of a dedicated band of scholars who have argued for years that the Federal Poverty Guidelines are a badly warped yardstick for poverty because they are derived solely from food costs and don’t take account of a wide array of valuable benefits lower-income Americans get from federal and local governments…”

• Rule limits reach of Iowa health program, By Nigel Duara (AP), September 14, 2009, Des Moines Register: “A state program offering health care to low-income adults without children is serving thousands of people who have never had health insurance, but more than half of those enrolling are from six Iowa counties. That’s because people seeking care through IowaCare can only go to the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City. The exception are people who live in Polk County, who can request a waiver to seek treatment at a Des Moines hospital. The situation has frustrated some hospital administrators and legislators, who call it unequal treatment that hurts patients and hospitals…”
• ALL Kids insurance program eligibility expands Oct. 1, By Phillip Rawls (AP), September 14, 2009, Montgomery Advertiser: “Many middle-class Alabama children will qualify for publicly funded health insurance starting Oct. 1 because the Legislature is expanding eligibility to cover families of four making up to $66,150 annually. ‘For so many middle-income families, it never entered their minds they would be eligible for a public program,’ Cathy Caldwell, who directs the ALL Kids health insurance program for the state Department of Public Health…”

In dour economy, more indigent burials get public funds, By Laurel Walker, September 8, 2009, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Recent elaborate funeral services for the likes of Sen. Edward Kennedy or Michael Jackson may grab the public’s attention. But among the ranks of the impoverished, the number of indigents who need publicly financed burials has been quietly growing. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has recorded a nearly 15% increase in indigent burials qualifying for public subsidy between 2006 and 2008, when the number jumped from 3,169 to 3,629. Department spokeswoman Stephanie Smiley said the state spent just over $6.1 million in general purpose funds in 2006 to reimburse funeral homes and cemeteries for those services. The figure grew to $7.4 million last year. Through August of this year, the total is $6.1 million. Anecdotal evidence from news stories around the country, from California to West Virginia, suggests a common theme - that more people are needing government help to bury their loved ones…”