A wealth of data, July 29, 2010, The Economist: “What is poverty and when is a person poor? Most would agree that poverty involves not having enough of certain things, or doing without others that richer people take for granted. But what is ‘enough’, which goods and services really matter, and who should decide these questions-researchers, governments or international agencies-are less tractable issues. Perhaps the poor themselves should have the final word. But this presents its own problems. Tabitha, a 44-year-old woman from a slum outside Nairobi, told researchers from Oxford University that going without meals was ‘normal for us’. Diminished expectations are only one of the effects of dire poverty. In the world of international development, most have rallied around the ‘dollar-a-day’ poverty line (or more precisely, the $1.25-a-day measure) and its less acute cousin, $2-a-day poverty. These World Bank measures judge a person to be poor if his income falls short of a given level, adjusted for differences in purchasing power. In principle poverty rates based on these measures count the fraction of people in a country who lack the resources to buy a notional, basic basket of goods…”

Welfare agencies boost voters, By Richard Wolf, July 22, 2010, USA Today: “The recession that impoverished millions of Americans is producing a side effect: new voters. Lawsuits by voting rights groups in Missouri and Ohio have led hundreds of thousands of people to file voter registration applications at welfare agencies, as mandated by the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, or the ‘motor voter’ law. Cases pending in Indiana, New Mexico and other states, as well as new Justice Department guidelines, probably will boost those figures. Voting rights advocates say millions of low-income people could be registered this way. A U.S. Election Assistance Commission report in 2007-08 showed 21 states registered less than 1% of voters at welfare offices. Only Vermont, Tennessee and New York registered more than 4% that way…”

• Census data reveal broad differences among states in rates of uninsured, By Lena H. Sun, July 28, 2010, Washington Post: “New census data released Tuesday confirm a huge spread in the rate of uninsured from state to state and the big difference in impact that can be expected as a result of the health-care overhaul recently passed by Congress. The statistics are for 2007 and show health insurance coverage by state and for each of the country’s roughly 3,140 counties. The numbers do not include the impact on millions of people who lost their jobs and health insurance after the recession began in December 2007. The 2007 snapshot shows that Massachusetts, which has achieved near-universal coverage, had the lowest rate of uninsured people under age 65, about 7.8 percent. States with the highest rates of uninsured were in the South and West: Texas was at the top, with 26.8 percent, followed by New Mexico (26.7 percent) and Florida (24.2 percent)…”
• 2007 data show state had 6.5 million uninsured, By Victoria Colliver, July 30, 2010, San Francisco Chronicle: “More than one fifth of Californians went without health insurance in 2007, with Bay Area counties having some of the lowest rates of uninsured people in the state, according to statistics released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, which looked at every county in the nation, found that 20.2 percent of Californians were uninsured in 2007. The counties in California with the highest rates of residents without health insurance - Mono, Colusa, Monterey - tended to be smaller, rural or more reliant on agriculture than other regions…”

Unemployment extension 101: how health care is affected, By Ron Scherer, July 29, 2010, Christian Science Monitor: “When President Obama signed the six month federal extension of unemployment insurance, one item not included was an extension of the subsidy for health insurance for newly laid-off workers. That means that as of June 1, thousands of workers are either paying out most of their unemployment checks for health coverage under ‘COBRA,’ or just not getting covered. COBRA, which is administered by the Department of Labor, allows for unemployed individuals to continue to get group health insurance from their former employer who had been subsidizing their coverage. But, they must pay the whole cost of the insurance, plus a 2 percent administrative fee, making the insurance expensive. Advocates for the unemployed say Congress’ decision not to help out those who have lost their employer-subsidized health care is forcing families to put off getting health care if they need it, and is putting even greater pressure on emergency room facilities. Opponents say the benefits extension is expensive if not paid for, and it doesn’t fix the underlying problem - getting people a stable source of health-care insurance…”

Unemployment rises in 75 pct of metro areas, By Christopher S. Rugaber (AP), July 28, 2010, Washington Post: “The unemployment rate in about three-quarters of the nation’s largest metro areas rose last month as nearly one million teenagers entered the work force looking for summer jobs. The Labor Department said Wednesday that the unemployment rate rose in 291 of 374 areas in June from May. It fell in 55 areas and was flat in 28. That reverses the trend of the previous three months, when joblessness fell in most metro areas. But the report does not adjust the figures to take into account seasonal trends, such as high school or college students looking for work during the summer. As a result the figures tend to be volatile from month to month…”

• Governor signs bill to assist children aging out of foster care, By Doug Denison, July 20, 2010, Dover Post: ” Children aging out of the foster care system now have access to greater protections under the law thanks to legislation signed June 14 by Gov. Jack Markell. Under Senate Bill 113, former foster children between the ages of 18 and 21 will now be allowed to petition Family Court and continue to work with the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families to get help with housing, employment, education and health care. Court-appointed child advocates, former guardians and the foster children themselves will be able to bring cases to Family Court that weren’t previously within its jurisdiction. In the last fiscal year, 94 Delaware foster children aged out of the system, putting in jeopardy their ability to continue to receive various kinds of federal- and state-funded assistance. Ten years ago, half as many children were in that position…”
• Foster kids at 18 aren’t ready to go it alone in the world, By Kathy Markeland, July 24, 2010, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Each year, more than 7,000 Wisconsin children are removed from their parents’ homes and placed in foster care. Most of these children will live with relatives or foster parents for a short time and then be reunited with their families. Sometimes families can’t be reunited and children are connected to new families through adoption. But for up to 600 young people in Wisconsin each year, their stay in foster care ends when they turn 18 and ‘age out’ of their foster home. They ‘age out’ of the system that promised to protect them. The national data on the experiences of youths that age out of the foster care system are grim. Compared to their peers in the general population, these young people have a higher incidence of physical and mental health needs, yet are less likely to have health care coverage…”

Job subsidies also provide help to private sector, By Catherine Rampell, July 28, 2010, New York Times: “States are putting hundreds of thousands of people directly into jobs through programs reminiscent of the more ambitious work projects of the Great Depression. But the new efforts have a twist: While the wages are being paid by the government, most of the participants are working for private companies. The opportunity to simultaneously benefit struggling workers and small businesses has helped these job subsidies gain support from liberals and conservatives. Congress is now considering whether to extend the subsidy, which would expire in September, for an additional year. A House vote is expected on Thursday or Friday. Despite questions about whether the programs displace existing workers, many economists have argued that direct job creation programs are a more cost-effective way to put some of the nation’s 14.6 million unemployed back to work than indirect alternatives like tax credits and construction projects. The average duration of unemployment continues to break records, after all, and studies have shown that the longer people are out of work, the less employable they become…”

18 states and District of Columbia are finalists for education grants, By Robbie Brown, July 27, 2010, New York Times: “Eighteen states and the District of Columbia were named as finalists on Tuesday in the second round of a national competition for $3.4 billion in federal financing to support an overhaul of education policies. The much-anticipated decision by the federal Education Department eliminated almost half of the 35 states that entered the competition, called Race to the Top. The finalists are Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Carolina. Winners will be announced in September, and federal officials say they expect 10 to 15 of the finalists to receive financing…”

• More children living in poverty in Kentucky, Indiana, annual survey shows, By Deborah Yetter, July 26, 2010, Louisville Courier-Journal: “The number of children living in poverty has increased in Kentucky and Indiana, following a national trend of high unemployment and growing poverty in families, according to the latest ‘Kid Count,’ an annual state-by-state survey of child well-being by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The numbers are alarming because of the adverse effect poverty has on children’s health and achievement, said Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, which contributed to the annual report…”
• Well-being of kids falters, By Robert King, July 27, 2010, Indianapolis Star: “There’s little doubt among experts that the Great Recession has been a blow to children, with their parents losing jobs, their families losing health insurance and cash-strapped governments cutting programs that serve children. But the latest statistical assessment of the well-being of children — the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2010 Kids Count report — shows Hoosier kids were struggling before the recession took hold…”
• More Ohio kids living with single parents, By Catherine Candisky, July 27, 2010, Columbus Dispatch: “Nearly three of every four black children in Ohio live with only one parent, usually their mother - a rate almost three times higher than that of white youngsters. In all, 34 percent of Ohio children, or 870,000 youngsters, reside in single-parent households. That’s a 10 percent increase from a decade ago; only 10 states, all in the South, are worse, according to a report released today…”
• Michigan kids’ well-being slips, U.S. report reveals, By Catherine Jun, July 27, 2010, Detroit News: “Job insecurity and infant mortality rates in Michigan hover above the national average, pushing Michigan’s ranking in child well-being to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to the national Kids Count report released today. The report, which ranked Michigan 21st-worst for child well-being in the nation, showed that 31 percent of children in 2008 lived in families where no parent had full-time, year-round employment, compared with the national rate of 27 percent…”
• Wisconsin 10th for child well-being, study shows, By Tia Ghose, July 27, 2010, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Wisconsin ranks 10th in the nation for child well-being, according to a study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation released Tuesday. The study, called Kids Count, combined data from the 2008 American Community Survey and several federal and local health statistics. Wisconsin has consistently placed between 10th and 14th for the last decade. The state stood out in its performance on education. Wisconsin ranked fourth in the percentage of teens who attend school or have graduated, and fifth in the percentage of teens who were either working or in school…”
• Child welfare improving in Missouri, holds steady in Illinois, By Nancy Cambria, July 28, 2010, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Missouri children gained slight ground in a national study ranking the quality of life of kids in all 50 states. The Annie E. Casey Foundation released on Tuesday its 2010 Kids Count, an annual analysis of child welfare statistics around the nation. Missouri ranked 31st among all states, an improvement from last year’s 33rd spot. Illinois ranked 24th, the same as last year…”
• Minnesota still No. 2 in kids’ health but…, By Jeremy Olson, July 25, 2010, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: “For the sixth time in nine years, Minnesota was the second-healthiest state for children when evaluating rates of deaths, teen pregnancies, high school dropouts and child poverty, a new national ranking indicates. Still, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kids Count report, released Monday, was hardly celebrated by child advocates in the state, who fear Minnesota’s poverty rate — higher than a decade ago — could undermine its success…”
• More children living in poverty in N.D. and Minnesota, By Ryan Johnson, July 28, 2010, Grand Forks Herald: “The number of children living in poverty rose in both Minnesota and North Dakota in recent years, according to a new report released this week. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 21st annual Kids Count report tracks 10 categories of children’s health from 2000 to 2008, ranking states based on how well they did in those factors. New Hampshire took the No. 1 spot in the country, and Minnesota closely followed to get ranked No. 2 for the second consecutive year. North Dakota’s ranking slipped to No. 12 overall, down from No. 7 in 2009’s report…”
• Utah No. 4 in national child well-being report, By Jasen Lee, July 27, 2010, Deseret News: “Being a child in Utah is better than being a child in almost every other state in the country, a new report shows. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kids Count Data Book, a national and state-by-state report that includes key measures and statistical trends on the condition of America’s children and families, Utah ranked fourth overall this year - a drop from third in last year’s data book. However, the Beehive State saw improvements in several major indicators studied in the report…”
• Texas has 3rd-highest teen birthrate among states, study says, By Jan Jarvis, July 26, 2010, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: ” Texas has the third-highest teen birthrate in the nation, according to an annual study that ranked the state in the overall well-being of children. Sixty-four of 1,000 births were to teenage mothers, far higher than the national rate of 43 births per 1,000, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2010 Kids Count Data Book. The rate puts Texas 48th among the 50 states in teen births, better than only New Mexico and Mississippi. But it is an improvement over last year, when the state was the worst in the country…”
• Report: Well-being of state’s kids improves, but poverty rates soar, By Barbara Cotter, July 27, 2010, Colorado Springs Gazette: “Colorado has improved its standing as a place where children can thrive, according to a national study released Tuesday, but researchers note that data used to evaluate the 50 states on the well-being of their kids predate the economic downturn that began in 2008. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a Baltimore-based organization focused on public policy that affects children and families, Colorado’s ranking improved from 22nd in the 2009 report to 20 in the 2010 report. The rankings are based on 10 key indicators that measure how each state’s children are faring…”
• N.J. ranks high in Kids Count survey for children’s health, education, By Susan K. Livio, July 27, 2010, Star-Ledger: “New Jersey is an expensive place to live, but with its competitive public school system and access to health programs for working poor families, it’s also a good place to raise and educate children, according to the latest Kids Count nationwide survey of child health, wealth and well-being. According to the annual survey, scheduled for release today, New Jersey ranks seventh overall in terms of child health, an improvement from the last year’s study when the state placed ninth…”
• Georgia still failing its kids, says report, By Craig Schneider, July 27, 2010, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Georgia once again stands among the 10 worst states for the care of its children, and some worry that the state has become complacent about its poor performance in such areas as infant mortality, child deaths and low birth-weight babies. The state lags behind the national average on every one of the 10 measures in the 2010 Kids Count data book, a compilation of state and federal information that will be released today…”
• Child health report uses pre-recession data, By Emily Bregel, July 27, 2010, Chattanooga Times Free Press: “Child advocates in Tennessee and Georgia say a recent ranking of states based on child well-being may be painting a too-rosy picture. The ranking is based on data collected before the economic recession unleashed a wave of unemployment and budget cuts, the advocates say…”
• Alabama still ranks low in Kids Count data, By Jeff Hansen, July 27, 2010, Birmingham News: “Alabama and much of the Southeast continue to lag the rest of the United States in measures of child well-being, according to today’s release of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2010 Kids Count data book. Alabama ranks 47th this year, according to 10 measures of childhood health, poverty, education and family issues. Alabama’s place near the bottom is no surprise: In the last nine rankings, the state has been 48th six times, 47th twice and 43rd once…”
• Md. remains middle of the pack in child well-being, By Brent Jones, July 27, 2010, Baltimore Sun: “As the state continues to struggle with a high infant mortality rate that undercuts its relative wealth, Maryland’s overall rank in child well-being remained in the middle of the pack nationally, according to an annual report released by the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation. The 2010 Kids Count Databook released Tuesday placed Maryland 25th in overall child well-being, the same ranking as a year ago. Although Maryland has the second-lowest percentage of children living in poverty (10 percent), the state placed 42nd in infant mortality rate, a statistical discrepancy that puzzled the report’s authors…”

Congress reduces drug sentence gap, By Erik Eckholm, July 28, 2010, New York Times: “Congress passed a bill on Wednesday that would reduce the disparities between mandatory sentences for crack and powdered cocaine violations, a step toward ending what legal experts say have been unfairly harsh punishments imposed mainly on blacks. The bill, which passed the Senate in March, was adopted by the House of Representatives in a voice vote and now goes to the President for signature. Administration officials have described the sentencing disparity as ‘fundamentally unfair,’ and Mr. Obama said during the 2008 campaign that it ‘disproportionately filled our prisons with young black and Latino drug users…’”

Homeless Ind. students up 26 percent since 2006-07, By Ken Kusmer (AP), July 28, 2010, Chicago Tribune: “Homelessness among children enrolled in Indiana public schools rose 26 percent over the two years ending in 2008-09 as the state felt the brunt of the economic downturn, a new report shows. The report this week by First Focus, a children’s advocacy group, cited recently released federal data showing that homelessness among students nationwide grew for two straight years since 2006-07. The group called on Congress to pass new funding for homeless student programs, noting that stimulus funding for that purpose is running out…”

Community Contacts helps low income residents save energy, income, By Heather Linder, July 23, 2010, Daily Herald: “Carbon monoxide was silently seeping from Samantha Behenna’s furnace and polluting her St. Charles home. She and her family were clueless until Community Contacts, in the process of making their house more energy efficient, discovered the dangerous leak. The nonprofit, Elgin-based organization replaced the furnace and removed the threat through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Community Contacts specializes in assisting low-income individuals and families from Kane and DeKalb counties in making their homes safer and more energy efficient with LIHEAP, the Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program (IHWAP) and the Housing Rehabilitation Program. The group helps keep residents from spending a bulk of their income on utilities…”

Life’s a beach for some homeless in Hawaii, By Mark Niesse (AP), July 25, 2010, The Washington Post: ” Every morning, Tony Williams wakes to the sound of waves crashing on Hawaii’s famed Waikiki beaches and has a spectacular view of the Pacific. But he’s not paying a cent for his priceless vista. Williams is among the growing number of homeless on Oahu taking advantage of inviting beaches and support services in the islands, where they never have to worry about freezing. But homeless encampments on the beach could damage tourism, officials fear, and they are currently weighing several proposals that they say would help the homeless, while also moving them from public view. The proposals include offering plane tickets to the mainland, creating a homeless “tent city” on less visible state land and providing more affordable housing in Honolulu, where rents are among the nation’s highest…”

Ed Dept, civil rights leaders discuss reform, By Christine Armario and Dorie Turner (AP), July 26, 2010, Miami Herald: “Civil rights leaders are criticizing Obama administration education reforms aimed at turning around low performing schools and closing the achievement gap for minority students. Eight civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, contend in a document released Monday the Education Department is promoting ineffective approaches for failing schools. They also claim the $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” grant competition - a program with a goal of spurring innovative reform in states - leaves out many minority students. “We want to be supportive, but more important than supporting an administration is supporting our children across the country and ensuring that they have an opportunity to learn,” said John Jackson, president of the Schott Foundation for Education, one of the groups that developed the document. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and a White House adviser met with the groups Monday, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the presidents of the National Urban League and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. The groups distributed the document to members of Congress last week…”

Report: Child-poverty rate increases 50 percent in Colorado, By Colleen O’Connor, July 26, 2010, Denver Post: “The rate of Colorado children living in poverty increased 50 percent between 2000 and 2008, compared with a 6 percent increase nationwide, according to 2010 Kids Count Data Book, an annual report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation that tracks how states have progressed - or regressed - over time in protecting the well-being of children. ‘What struck us most about this report is the percent of children living in poverty in Colorado has risen so dramatically, compared to the nation,’ said Lisa Piscopo, KidsCount director for the Colorado Children’s Campaign. Piscopo attributed the dramatic increase in child poverty to ‘a rise in cost of living without a comparable rise in wages, the number of dropouts, changing demographics and an inability on Colorado’s part to recover from the recession of 2001.’ In 2008, about 179,409 Colorado children, or about 15 percent, lived in poverty, up from 104,214, or 10 percent, in 2000. That rate compares with 18 percent nationally, up from 17 percent in 2000…”

Serious injuries worse for uninsured, By Henry L. Davis, July 26, 2010, Buffalo News: “Federal law prohibits hospitals from treating uninsured trauma patients any differently than patients with insurance. Yet studies in recent years have exposed a big disparity: Patients who lack insurance are much more likely to die from car accidents, gunshot wounds and other serious injuries than those who arrive at the hospital with coverage. The latest research comes from a University at Buffalo analysis of 191,666 patients, ages 18 to 30, who visited 649 trauma centers from 2001 to 2005 for blunt and penetrating trauma injuries. Blunt trauma includes injuries mainly from motor vehicle accidents, followed by such incidents as falls and assaults, while penetrating trauma consists mainly of gunshot wounds and, to a lesser extent, injuries from stabbings.  For blunt trauma, uninsured patients were 1.8 times more likely to die, even after controlling for age, sex, race and severity of injury, according to the researchers, who presented their results recently at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine annual meeting. If patients lacked insurance, they were 2.6 times more likely to die from penetrating trauma injuries…”

Droupouts in Portland Public Schools are entrenched pattern, By Betsy Hammond, July 25, 2010, The Oregonian: “People in other big-city school districts around the country have a hard time thinking of Portland Public Schools as a truly urban district. Not only is Portland tiny (47,000 students, compared with 700,000 in Los Angeles), but only 43 percent of its students are poor (in Chicago, 85 percent are). A majority are white (in Philadelphia, 13 percent are). What’s more, middle- and upper-income professionals in Portland do something their counterparts in Detroit, L.A. or Washington, D.C., rarely consider: They send their children to central-city public schools. But there is one way in which our small, mostly white, heavily middle-class school system is statistically right in line with some of the grittiest urban districts in the nation: A shockingly low share of Portland’s high school students earn diplomas…”

No vacation from hunger in Metro area, By Catherine Jun, July 26, 2010, Detroit News: “Access to nutritional food becomes dicey in the summer for many impoverished families, who are forced to go without the free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunches they depend on during the school year. Though a federal program serves free lunches in poorer neighborhoods in the summer, it continues to drawn just a small fraction of these families. And as more households fall into poverty, experts say childhood hunger is growing more acute, and agencies, churches and community centers are taking matters into their own hands to fill the hunger gap. ‘We are hearing more and more about kids suffering,’ said Susan Goodell, president and CEO of Forgotten Harvest. The Oak Park-based food rescue agency this summer is using donations to deliver 1,000 brown bag lunches a day to children in Detroit and Pontiac, including the Spring Lake Village Apartments on Carriage Circle. The effort amounts to a 56 percent increase in food distribution this summer over last, Goodell said…”

The importance of healthy communities for boys of color, By Marian Wright Edelman, July 22, 2010, Madison Times: “A new report was released in June that sheds a sobering light on how many Black and Latino boys grow up in communities that are, in a number of ways, dangerous to their health. Called “Healthy Communities Matter: The Importance of Place to the Health of Boys of Color,” the report contained contributions from scholars and researchers at the RAND Corporation, PolicyLink, the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School, and the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice and the Department of Emergency Medicine at Drexel University. It was funded by the California Endowment. Some of its data and best practices focus on California but the lessons learned apply to communities across the country. The researchers found that boys and young men overall experience worse health outcomes than girls, that these health disparities are even more profound for Black and Latino boys, and that many of these disparities can be connected to community patterns. As they explain: “Negative health outcomes for African-American and Latino boys and young men are a result of growing up in neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage, places that are more likely to put boys and young men directly in harm’s way and reinforce harmful behavior…”

Farmers markets help WIC recipients, By Jillian Jorgensen, July 26, 2010, Eagle-Tribune: “Farmers markets aren’t just a nice place to spend a summer afternoon shopping - they can also provide some extra fruits and vegetables to people who receive federal assistance. “I think it is a really important thing that will help decrease the obesity problem in this country, to make fresh fruits and vegetables available,” said Lisa Bujno, chief of the New Hampshire Population Health and Community Services Bureau. “It’s a really important part of a balanced diet.” The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program provides coupons to those receiving assistance through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children - more commonly known as WIC - and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program…”

Indiana officials urge health care program enrollment, By Ken Kusmer (AP), July 21, 2010, San Diego Union-Tribune: “State officials and public insurance advocates reached out Wednesday to Indiana’s more than half a million uninsured children and adults to get them enrolled in free and low-cost health care programs. Back-to-school paperwork for many K-12 students will help enroll them in Hoosier Healthwise, Indiana’s health care program combining Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, State School Superintendent Tony Bennett and other officials said at a Statehouse news conference. For example, qualifying for free and reduced-price lunches provides fast-track enrollment into Hoosier Healthwise for needy students, Bennett said…”

Jobless Claims Increase, By Sarah N. Lynch and Jeff Bater, July 22, 2010, Wall Street Journal: “The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week by more than expected, reversing declines posted the prior week and signaling there is still little improvement in job market conditions. In its weekly report Thursday, the Labor Department said the number of U.S. workers filing initial claims for jobless benefits increased by 37,000 to 464,000 in the week ended July 17. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected claims would rise by 21,000. The disappointing report comes just one day after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told lawmakers that the U.S. economic outlook was “somewhat weaker,” although he signaled there are no immediate plans for a shift in the Fed’s policy. The previous week’s level of claims was revised only slightly downward, from 429,000 to 427,000. The four-week moving average — which aims to give a better idea of the trend by smoothing volatility in the data — went up by 1,250 to 456,000 in the week ended July 17. The prior week’s average was revised to 454,750.
Claims lasting more than one week, meanwhile, dropped…”

• Education key to easing poverty, AFP, July 22, 2010, The Straits Times: “Education is a key to lifting Vietnam’s ethnic minorities from the ranks of the country’s poorest, a United Nations expert said on Thursday. After a 10-day mission to the country, Gay McDougall said education is ‘a gateway’ to development and poverty eradication for its minorities who remain ‘the poorest of Vietnam’s poor’. ‘Persistent problems remain for many of those belonging to Vietnam’s minority groups,’ despite economic growth, social development and poverty alleviation more generally, Ms McDougall, the UN’s independent expert on minority issues, said in a statement…”
• Bilingual education could improve lives of VietNam?s ethnic minorities, By UN News, July 22, 2010, Spero News: “Despite Viet Nam’s progress in boosting economic growth and reducing poverty, the country”s ethnic minorities continue to remain the poorest of the poor, says a United Nations human rights expert, adding that bilingual education could play a major role in redressing this situation. “Access to quality and appropriate education is a gateway to development and poverty eradication for minorities, and it is equally essential for the preservation and promotion of minority cultures, languages and identities,” Gay McDougall, the UN Independent Expert on minority issues, said following a 10-day mission to the country…”
  

Jobless Michigan teens can thank the minimum wage hike, By Michael Saltsman, July 21, 2010, Detroit News: “Teens have it pretty tough these days. From bullies and standardized tests to peer pressure and Facebook fights, modernity is adding stress to every aspect of the lives of young adults. This summer, you can add the death of the entry-level job to that list of woes. Young adults are facing unprecedented unemployment rates — and the figures for dropouts and minorities are even more staggering. No matter how you slice it, the numbers are bad. The unemployment rate for Michigan teens is averaging over 26 percent — more than one in four are looking for work and unable to find it. Vulnerable groups like high school dropouts and minorities have been hit especially hard. Dropouts between the age of 16 and 24 were dealing with 33 percent unemployment in April. African-American dropouts in the same age group suffered an eye-popping 60 percent unemployment…”

• Remember the War On Poverty?, By Saul Friedman, July 18, 2010, The Huffington Post: “Long before there was a war on terrorism and the war on drugs, the nation declared war on poverty. Specifically, Lyndon Johnson in his first State of The Union, in 1964, declared amid great cheers from the Congress, an ‘unconditional war on poverty in America’ and he pledged not to rest ‘until that war is won.’ In his last State of the Union in 1988, Ronald Reagan, who had been no fan of Johnson’s agenda, declared to snickering lawmakers, that in the War on Poverty, ‘poverty won…’”

Too old for foster care, youths struggle, By Catherine Jun, July 21, 2010, Detroit News:”A growing number of youths in Michigan are reaching adult age while in foster care, a situation experts fear leaves them vulnerable to homelessness, poverty and incarceration.
State and welfare agencies say a lack of funding has been the greatest obstacle to getting these youths the safety net they need when they age out of the system. When they’re pushed out onto the streets at age 19 after years of jumping from home to home, the trauma of being separated from their families and getting inconsistent adult guidance destines them to multiple problems, said Paul Toro, professor of psychology at Wayne State University…”

Fuel poverty shock for Sedgemoor, By David Hemming, July 21, 2010, The West County: “NEARLY a quarter of households in Sedgemoor are struggling to cope with the rising cost of their energy bills, according to Government experts. The Fuel Poverty Advisory Group has revealed 22% of homes in the district - or roughly 10,000 people - are struggling to pay their bills … and there are fears that figure could rise yet further. The advisory group warns energy bills could increase by a further 50% on top of the 125% rise over the last six years. Chairman Derek Lickorish said the cost of energy infrastructure schemes and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emission, while essential, would be passed onto customers. He added: “Energy prices are set to rise so the Government needs a clear strategy on how it is going to end fuel poverty…”

Indiana changes food stamp policy that drew fire, By Charles Wilson (AP), July 21, 2010, Seattle Times: “Indiana will no longer reduce a state grocery benefit paid to hundreds of developmentally disabled people simply because they receive food stamps, the state government announced Wednesday. Indiana Family and Social Services Administration spokesman Marcus Barlow said state officials decided to change the policy after discussions with the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service. Advocates and legal experts said the 10-year-old policy was a clear violation of federal law that says food stamps can’t be counted against other benefits. The policy was the target of a lawsuit filed this month on behalf of a 26-year-old autistic Indianapolis man, and has been the subject of an investigation and two stories by The Associated Press. Barlow said the lawsuit and media attention “brought it to our attention, definitely.” Since 1964, federal law has barred states from counting food stamps as income or using them to reduce any other public benefits. Legal experts said the law was clear. But since 2000, Indiana’s food stamp policy has affected people with developmental disabilities who need financial help to live independently and who receive additional assistance to buy groceries. Under that system, when the federal government raised food stamp amounts, Indiana officials reduced state grocery allowances so a person’s total food benefits did not exceed $200 a month…”

Stocks drop as Bernanke warns of uncertain economy, By Stephen Bernard (AP), July 21, 2010, Denver Post: “Stocks fell sharply Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke confirmed investors’ fears that the economy has weakened. Interest rates dropped in the Treasury market as investors sought safer places for their money. Bernanke told a congressional committee that the economy is “unusually uncertain.” He said the economy is fragile, but he did not forecast that it would fall back into recession. The Dow Jones industrial average, which was modestly higher before Bernanke’s prepared remarks, fell more than 150 points as investors absorbed Bernanke’s assessment of the economy, and his statement that the Fed is ready to take action if the economy worsens. Bernanke’s comments, part of his semiannual report to Congress, weren’t surprising given the economic reports and corporate earnings numbers released in recent weeks. But they were enough to upset investors who have grown increasingly nervous about the state of the economic recovery. Some investors may have been hoping for a more upbeat reading from the Fed chairman. The Fed is still expecting the economy to expand this year, but the central bank has lowered its forecast for growth…”

Homeless People’s Problems Grow, By Natasha Bita, July 22, 2010, The Austrilian:  “Two in every three homeless people are being turned away from crisis accommodation each night, a damning government report reveals. Three years after the Rudd government pledged to halve homelessness by 2020, crisis services are facing unprecedented levels of demand. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare yesterday reported that 62 per cent of homeless people — including 80 per cent of couples with children — were unable to find a bed on any given day during 2008-09. The homeless crisis is hitting youth the hardest, with 56 per cent of people with a “valid unmet request” for a bed for the night being turned away. A further 37 per cent of the homeless were aged 20 to 44. Ninety per cent of the homeless people were Australian-born, and more than a quarter of them were indigenous. The institute found that 82,300 Australians were seeking emergency accommodation each night, including 13,300 women escaping domestic violence and 24,600 children…”

Elderly and disabled put at risk by cuts in home care, By John Leland, July 16, 2010, New York Times: “As states face severe budget shortfalls, many have cut home-care services for the elderly or the disabled, programs that have been shown to save states money in the long run because they keep people out of nursing homes. Since the start of the recession, at least 25 states and the District of Columbia have curtailed programs that include meal deliveries, housekeeping aid and assistance for family caregivers, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a research organization. That threatens to reverse a long-term trend of enabling people to stay in their homes longer…”

Indiana accused of cutting aid to food-stamp users, By Charles Wilson (AP), July 20, 2010, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: “For at least a decade, potentially thousands of Indiana’s neediest adults have seen some of their state aid payments slashed simply because they receive food stamps - a practice that advocates and legal experts said is a clear violation of federal law. The policy has affected people with developmental disabilities who need financial help to live independently and who receive additional assistance to buy groceries. The issue apparently went unnoticed for years until this month, when the father of a severely autistic Indianapolis man challenged it in court. ‘I’ve never heard of a state being confused about this before. The law is unambiguous,’ said Stacy Dean, director of food stamp policy for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington. Under the current system, when the federal government raises food stamp amounts, Indiana officials reduce grocery allowances so a person’s total food benefits do not exceed $200 a month. But since 1964, federal law has barred states from counting food stamps as income or using them to reduce any other public benefits…”

Extension of benefits for the jobless clears Senate hurdle, By Carl Hulse, July 20, 2010, New York Times: “The Senate broke a stalemate on Tuesday over extending unemployment benefits for Americans who have been out of work for six months or more, voting to override Republican objections that the bill’s costs would add to the federal deficit. On a 60-to-40 vote, the Democratic-led Senate agreed to cut off debate on the $34 billion plan to distribute added unemployment compensation through November for those who have exhausted their standard 26 weeks of aid. The 60 yeas were the minimum needed to overcome the threat of a filibuster and advance the bill to a final vote, expected later on Tuesday, when it is all but certain to pass. Two Republicans, Senators Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, joined 56 Democrats and two independents in voting for the legislation; 39 Republicans and one Democrat, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, opposed it…”

Germans contemplate cuts to social welfare system, By Borzou Daragahi, July 18, 2010, Los Angeles Times: “Unemployed mom Fee Linker lives on welfare benefits in a centrally located five-room flat that costs about $1,500 a month. The garden terrace looks out onto a lush wooded area where birds chirp in the trees. ‘I wouldn’t get along without this government money, not with this apartment,’ says Linker, who sends her 6-year-old daughter and two sons, 7 and 10, to a private school. ‘It’s my opinion that as a mother of three, I deserve a comfortable life.’ These days, fewer politicians and economist agree, and if proposed laws are enacted, Linker’s benefits could be gone with the stroke of a bureaucrat’s pen. The German government is contemplating spending cuts and tax increases totaling $100 billion by 2014. The Cabinet approved the measures July 7, though many details have not been disclosed. But proposals so far include slashing $40 billion in welfare benefits, in part by allowing caseworkers to decide how much, if anything, people like Linker get instead of doling out automatic payments…”

Property Trax: Feds provide new help, with local flavor, for unemployed at risk of foreclosure by Karen Rivedal, July 20, 2010, Wisconsin State Journal: “With unemployment rates still stubbornly high and likely to stay that way for awhile, the federal government is offering a new program to help those who aren’t working save their homes. And it bears a striking resemblance in concept to a plan advanced months ago by UW-Madison real estate experts. The federal initiative is known as the Home Affordable Unemployment Program, or HAUP. Consider it a cousin to the fed’s HAMP, the Home Affordable Modification Program, but hope this one does a better job…”

Mini farmers markets thrive in low-income Minneapolis neighborhoods, By Madeleine Baran, July 20, 2010, Minnesota Public Radio: “Tim Page has broken up concrete, chased away woodchucks, and battled an overflowing sewer with one purpose in mind — to create a farmers market to bring fresh produce to north Minneapolis residents. The Streetwerks Youth Farmers Market opened two weeks ago in the parking lot of a former gas station, after a year of work, and with the help of a team of young adults from the neighborhood. On the market’s second day of business, three teenagers picked vegetables from a nearby garden, set up a tent on the cracked asphalt parking lot, and waited for customers. As rain began to fall, an elderly woman walked up to buy a basket of okra. The newly minted farmers helped her pick the best batch while cars zipped by along the industrial stretch of Glenwood Avenue. ‘I saw the potential here,’ Page, 47, said, surveying the community gardens across the street from the market. ‘You know how you want to be part of a success? This feels pretty good right now.’ The Streetwerks market is part of a growing movement to open small-scale farmers markets in low-income Minneapolis neighborhoods where fresh produce is scarce. Organizers say the markets are starting to transform the diets — and the economy — of some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods…”

Unemployment rate falls in 39 states in June, By Christopher S. Rugaber, July 20, 2010, The Washington Post: “The unemployment rate fell in most states in June, mainly because more people gave up searching for work and were no longer counted. Fewer states saw job increases, the latest evidence that the economic recovery is slowing. The jobless rate declined in 39 states and Washington, D.C. last month, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That’s a slight improvement from May, when 37 states saw their rates decline. But only 21 states saw net job gains in June, the government said. That compared to 41 the previous month and is the fewest this year. The decline in job creation reflects the layoff of thousands of temporary census workers. Those jobs inflated total payrolls in May and then reduced them in June…”

• After training, still scrambling for employment, By Peter S. Goodman, July 18, 2010, New York Times: “In what was beginning to feel like a previous life, Israel Valle had earned $18 an hour as an executive assistant to a designer at a prominent fashion label. Now, he was jobless and struggling to find work. He decided to invest in upgrading his skills. It was February 2009, and the city work force center in Downtown Brooklyn was jammed with hundreds of people hungry for paychecks. His caseworker urged him to take advantage of classes financed by the federal government, which had increased money for job training. Upgrade your skills, she counseled. Then she could arrange job interviews. For six weeks, Mr. Valle, 49, absorbed instruction in spreadsheets and word processing. He tinkered with his résumé. But the interviews his caseworker eventually arranged were for low-wage jobs, and they were mobbed by desperate applicants. More than a year later, Mr. Valle remains among the record 6.8 million Americans who have been officially jobless for six months or longer. He recently applied for welfare benefits…”
• Frustration and despair as job search drags on, By Michael Luo, July 17, 2010, New York Times: “In her well-thumbed, leather-bound Bible, Terri Sadler recently highlighted in bright pink a passage in the Gospel of Matthew. In it, Jesus urges his followers not to ‘worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.’ But Ms. Sadler’s tightening throat and halting breath when she tries to read the words aloud make it clear that she is having trouble mustering enough faith to follow them. Ms. Sadler, who lost her job at an automotive parts plant in October 2008, learned last month that her unemployment insurance had been cut off. She is one of an estimated 2.1 million Americans whose benefits have expired and who are waiting for an end to an impasse that has lasted months in the Senate over extending the payments once more to the long-term unemployed. Times have changed politically, however, and opposition is growing in Washington and abroad to deficit-bloating government spending, even for those who are hurting…”
• Obama assails G.O.P. for blocking benefits bill, By Helene Cooper, July 19, 2010, New York Times: “President Obama called on Congress on Monday to pass an extension of unemployment benefits, and leveled a sharp critique against Republican senators who have stopped passage of a bill that would give some relief to out-of-work Americans. Under pressure in an election year to reduce the unemployment rate, now at 9.5 percent, Mr. Obama also urged the Senate to approve a package of tax cuts and an expansion of lending to small businesses. ‘We all have to continue our efforts to do everything in our power to spur growth and hiring,’ Mr. Obama said at the White House. Senate Democrats are expected to bring the unemployment insurance bill back up on Tuesday, after they swear in another Democrat, Carte Goodwin of West Virginia, to be the interim successor to Robert C. Byrd, who died last month. Mr. Goodwin will provide Democrats with the 60th vote they need to close debate and pass the measure…”
• When being out of work becomes a chronic condition, By Floyd Norris, July 16, 2010, New York Times: “In the United States, unemployment has typically been a relatively brief affair. The vast majority of people who lost jobs soon found new work. That is not the way it has been in many other developed countries. In Europe and Japan, long-term unemployment is far more common. At any given time, most of the unemployed people in many European countries have been out of work for more than six months. Now the United States appears to be becoming similar to Europe. Even as the overall unemployment rate has begun to drop - falling to 9.5 percent in June from a peak of 10.1 percent last October - the proportion of the work force that has been out of work for more than six months has risen to 4.4 percent, as can be seen in the accompanying charts…”

Study looks at HIV and poverty, By Ron Winslow and Betsy McKay, July 18, 2010, Wall Street Journal: “The prevalence of HIV infection among heterosexuals in U.S. inner cities constitutes a generalized epidemic, a new U.S. study says. The report, based on interviews of more than 9,000 people not considered at high risk of HIV/AIDS who live in high-poverty areas of 23 U.S. cities, found that 2.1% of that population was infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. That figure is more than double the 1% considered the threshold for a generalized epidemic as defined by the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS. And it’s about 20 times as high as the prevalence of the virus among heterosexuals in the general U.S. population. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which ran the study, says the findings reveal the strongest evidence yet of a link between poverty and HIV infection. People in low-income communities lack access to medical care and spread the disease more readily because they are unaware that they are infected and therefore not being treated, the researchers said…”

Poor economy hasn’t bumped up welfare rolls, By Maureen Groppe, July 16, 2010, Muncie Star Press: “One in 10 Hoosier workers is unemployed. More residents are living in poverty. The number of Hoosiers on food stamps and Medicaid is the highest it’s been in years. But one safety-net program isn’t bulging: welfare. In fact, the number of people getting welfare checks through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program has declined. Indiana is one of only three states that haven’t qualified for extra TANF funding during the recession because the number of families receiving cash assistance hasn’t increased and neither has spending for short-term emergency assistance or for subsidized employment programs. The two other states that haven’t gotten extra funding, Wyoming and Nebraska, have much lower unemployment rates than Indiana’s 10 percent. Wyoming’s unemployment rate is 7 percent, and Nebraska’s is 4.9 percent. More Hoosiers aren’t getting cash assistance, despite the poor economy, because Indiana’s eligibility rules are among the toughest in the country, according to Jim Dunn, policy manager for Indiana’s TANF program…”

• Programs meet growing teen jobless needs, By Mark Curnutte, July 9, 2010, Cincinnati Enquirer: “The ailing economy has left many of the region and nation’s youngest workers with little to do over the summer. The unemployment rate nationally for teens 16-19 in June was 29 percent, roughly the same as Ohio and Kentucky, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s twice the rate from June 2000. Yet some summer youth jobs programs have found new ways to keep teens productive and have evolved to include long-term career training and emphasis on education. One of Greater Cincinnati’s largest, Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency’s Summer Youth Employment Program, expanded from 375 slots in 2009 to 990 this year. Applications increased from about 1,200 last year to 2,500 in 2010…”
• A jobs program that works, By Bob Herbert, July 2, 2010, New York Times: “Is it possible that there is a federal stimulus program that is putting many thousands of struggling individuals to work and is getting rave reviews not only from Democrats but from officials in conservative states like South Carolina and Mississippi? It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. The program, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, allows states to use federal dollars to temporarily subsidize the salaries of individuals placed in private- and public-sector jobs. More than 30 states are participating. The program, though small, appears to be working exceptionally well. States expect to have placed more than 200,000 individuals by this coming autumn. Some of those workers would otherwise have landed on welfare. The catch - there is always a catch - is that the program will expire at the end of September if Congress does not act to extend it…”

Feds OK plan to let hospitals recoup Medicaid expense, By Catherine Candisky, July 15, 2010, Columbus Dispatch: “Federal regulators have approved a state plan to pay hospitals an additional $87 million this year for the care they provide to low-income Ohioans on Medicaid. The funds will be disbursed to hospitals by the end of this month. The bulk payment and a 5 percent increase in Medicaid reimbursement fees effective in October were included in last year’s state budget to let hospitals recoup some of the money they were losing through a new state franchise fee. The fee is projected to cost hospitals statewide $718 million over the two-year budget ending June 30, 2011. The two provisions aimed at offsetting that expense will let hospitals recoup $569 million, said Tiffany Himmelreich, spokeswoman for the Ohio Hospital Association…”

Strain on aid agencies rises with jobless extensions stopped, By Sean F. Driscoll, July 14, 2010, Rockford Register Star: “All Kim Adams-Bakke has to do to judge the effect of lapsed unemployment benefits is listen to the chatter in the Rock River Valley Food Pantry’s waiting room. ‘I hear a lot of people talking about them and what will happen if the extension doesn’t go through,’ said the pantry’s executive director. ‘We know this is affecting us.’ It’s been 44 days since funding for 73 weeks of unemployment extensions lapsed, with efforts since to revive them ending in congressional stalemates. The benefits are in addition to the 26 weeks’ coverage offered by the states. More than 100,000 Illinoisans have prematurely exhausted their benefits before being able to take advantage of the four tiers of extensions available. Although a Senate vote on the funding is expected next week, it’s far from a sure thing that Democrats will garner the 60 votes they need to overcome a filibuster and pass the measure. The uncertainty has social service agencies like the food pantry preparing for the worst in the midst of an already challenging year…”

Oregon foster care improves in latest federal review, By Jessica Van Berkel, July 14, 2010, The Oregonian: “Three years after Oregon failed most of the federal requirements for the safety and well-being of children in foster care, a second review has shown significant improvement. Oregon met or exceeded all six federal goals, including returning foster children to their families sooner, reducing abuse and maltreatment, and moving children less frequently while they’re in foster care. Regional officials from the U.S. Administration for Children and Families, which conducts the reviews, commended Oregon’s improvement. But there’s still a long way to go, state officials in child welfare said. Three Oregon-specific goals approved by federal officials were not met: keeping children out of long-term foster care, providing services to families to help children remain safely at home, and responding in a timely manner to reports of abuse and neglect…”

Unemployment rate in Michigan dips to 13.2%, By John Gallagher, July 15, 2010, Detroit Free Press: “Michigan’s unemployment rate dropped in June to 13.2%, a sign that economic recovery was slowly taking hold. The four-tenths-of-a-percentage-point decline from May’s 13.6% rate marked the latest improvement since Michigan’s unemployment peaked at 14.5% in December 2009. But the overall gains remained modest. Employers added a net 3,000 new jobs to the state’s roughly 4 million jobs during June. On a brighter note, manufacturing employment was up 30,000 jobs over the depressed levels of mid-2009, thanks to slowly improving automotive sales…”

State Medicaid reforms lead to fewer doctor visits, By Jeremy Cox, July 14,2010 Florida Times-Union: “Northeast Florida’s Medicaid recipients are making fewer trips to the doctor for chronic illnesses since state officials outsourced the government-subsidized health insurance program to private managed care companies. But it remains unclear from the analysis performed by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program, whether they’re healthier for it. Medicaid reform was launched in 2006 in Duval and Broward counties to test whether HMOs could rein in the state’s Medicaid spending. Baker, Clay and Nassau counties were added a year later. A University of Florida analysis last year suggested that medical costs were rising in reform counties at a slower rate compared with other parts of the state. But critics quickly lined up to attribute those savings to patients being denied care or being forced into bureaucratic tangles by the managed-care contractors…”

Delaware’s children: On their own after foster care, By Mike Chalmers, July 14, 2010, Wilmington News Journal: “One day when Lorri Moxey was 13, her mother told her she needed a yearlong break from her kids. ‘When I walked into the house, all my stuff was packed and there was a van parked outside,’ said Moxey, now 20. ‘I didn’t know what foster care was,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know where I was going. By the age of 14, I knew she wasn’t coming back. She doesn’t want to be a mother.’ Like many teenagers who enter Delaware’s foster care system, Moxey was not adopted and never went back to her family. She ‘aged out’ of the system when she finished high school last summer at age 19. Most leave when they turn 18. Moxey got lucky, though. One of her former foster mothers took her in until she could get on her feet. But others struggle with the transition to adulthood and may end up homeless, in jail or addicted to drugs, experts said. With the number of teenagers aging out of the system nearly doubling in the past decade, Delaware is about to make big changes to help them line up a home, a job, an education and the little things that new adults need to go out on their own…”

Green steps ‘hurting people in fuel poverty’, July 12, 2010, BBC News: “People in fuel poverty face being unfairly hit by the costs of investment in energy infrastructure and reducing greenhouse gases, a report says. Such spending may see energy bills rise by 50% - on top of 125% rises seen in the past six years - the government’s Fuel Poverty Advisory Group said. This was ‘regressive’ and would ‘disproportionately’ impact those people on low incomes, it warned. Energy firms should prioritise the fuel poor, the group added. The group also urged the government to guarantee the future of the Warm Front scheme, which offers grants to tackle fuel poverty - defined as spending over 10% of household income on energy bills…”

• No unemployment extension: Benefits not in sight for the long-term jobless, By Michael A. Fletcher, July 13, 2010, Washington Post: “Even before his unemployment checks ended, Dwight Michael Frazee’s days were filled with the pursuit of any idea that could earn him a buck. But few are working out, and now his nights are filled with dread. In the coming weeks, the Senate is expected to resume its debate about whether to extend the emergency jobless benefits that were passed in response to the steep increase in unemployment caused by the recession. But people like Frazee, who have suffered the longest in the downturn, will not be part of that conversation. They are among the 1.4 million workers who have been unemployed for at least 99 weeks, according to the Labor Department, reaching the limit for the insurance. Their numbers have grown sixfold in the past three years. The 99ers are glaring examples of the nation’s most serious bout of long-term joblessness since the Great Depression. Nearly 46 percent of the country’s 14.6 million unemployed people have been out of work for more than six months, and forecasters project that the situation will not improve anytime soon. Currently, the Labor Department says there are nearly five unemployed people for every job opening…”
• When the benefits run out - and still no job, By Hibah Yousuf, July 13, 2010, CNNMoney.com: “Two years on the unemployment line is devastating. You deplete your savings. You borrow from your family. You feel that your life is slipping out of your control. And then you spend your last unemployment check. As the ranks of the long-term unemployed grow, the politicians in Washington are fighting over whether to extend deadlines so more people can get the maximum of 99 weeks of benefits. But 99 weeks is the cap. For Americans surviving on jobless benefits, that’s the end of the road. And there’s no movement in Washington to come to their aid. In fact, by the end of the year, more than 1 million people will have exhausted their 99 weeks and still be without work, according to Andrew Stettner, deputy director at the National Employment Law Project…”

Kids’ health care sign-ups move slowly, By Mike Dennison, July 12, 2010, Billings Gazette: “Enrollment for Montana’s expanded children’s health insurance plan continues to inch upward but is still far short of the 30,000 additional kids that supporters hoped for by year’s end, the latest numbers show. Healthy Montana Kids, created by a voter-passed initiative in 2008, has added about 6,600 children to government-funded health insurance plans during the first seven months of its existence. The program offers free health insurance for children in families earning up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level, or $45,800 for a family of three. Anna Whiting Sorrell, the state’s top public health official, said late last week that she thinks the goal of adding 30,000 kids is still reachable and that her agency is mounting ’some major additional outreach’ to sign up more children…”