Report finds rise in D.C. poverty to nearly 1 in 5 residents, By Tim Craig, March 25, 2010, Washington Post: “Nearly one out of five District residents lives at or below the poverty line, a statistic that helps expose a widening gap between the rich and the poor in the nation’s capital, according to a study released Tuesday by social justice organizations gearing up for the 2010 elections. The study, undertaken by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute on behalf of a coalition of more than 40 local organizations, concludes that last year the District experienced its biggest single-year increase in poverty since 1995. Based on unemployment rates and other data, the coalition estimates that the city has 106,500 residents — up 11,000 in a year — living at or below the poverty rate, which in 2009 was $21,800 for a family of four…”

Apartment rents cheaper than stays in homeless shelters, By Marisol Bello, March 25, 2010, USA Today: “Cities, states and the federal government pay more to provide the homeless with short-term shelter and services than what it would cost to rent permanent housing, the U.S. government reports. A study of 9,000 families and individuals being released today by the Department of Housing and Urban Development finds that costs to house the newly homeless vary widely, depending on the type of shelter and social services provided by the six cities in the report. Emergency shelter for families was the most costly. In Washington, D.C., the average bill for a month in an emergency shelter ranges from $2,500 to $3,700. In Houston, the average is $1,391…”

Study: Third of Americans use library computers, By Donna Gordon Blankinship (AP), March 25, 2010, Lincoln Journal Star: “A third of Americans 14 and older _ about 77 million people _ use public library computers to look for jobs, connect with friends, do their homework and improve their lives, according to a new study released Thursday. It confirms what public libraries have been saying as they compete for public dollars to expand their services and high-speed Internet access: library use by the general public is widespread and not just among poor people. But researchers found that those living below the federal poverty line _ families of four with a household income of $22,000 or less _ had the highest use of library computers. Among those households, 44 percent reported using public library computers and Internet access during the past year…”

School suspensions lead to legal challenge, By Erik Eckholm, March 18, 2010, New York Times: “As school let out one day in January 2008, students from rival towns faced off. Two girls flailed away for several seconds and clusters of boys pummeled each other until teachers pulled them apart. The fistfights at Southside High School involved no weapons and no serious injuries, and in some ways seemed as old-fashioned as the country roads here in eastern North Carolina. But the punishment was strictly up-to-date: Sheriff’s deputies handcuffed and briefly arrested a dozen students. The school suspended seven of them for a short period and six others from the melee, including the two girls, for the entire semester. As extra punishment, the girls were told they could not attend Beaufort County’s alternative school for troubled students and were denied aid to study at home…”