Moms, children stay locked up together in Ohio, By Sharon Coolidge and Eileen Kelley, November 13, 2009, Cincinnati Enquirer: “The only thing missing from tiny Takeem Maffett’s world are black and white prison stripes. On the campus of the Ohio Reformatory for Women, convicts shuffle across from one spot to the next under watchful eyes. Takeem’s mother Takaya Patterson is exempt. In contrast to the other buildings at the sprawling complex surrounded by razor wire and blinding lights, the nursery is colorful and dotted with Sesame Street characters. Takeem’s mother wears a prison jumpsuit. Takeem, with cherub cheeks and long slender fingers, sleeps in her arms as she rocks. Just 2 months old, Takeem lives in prison. Under an unusual program, the state of Ohio lets Patterson raise him behind prison walls…”

Ky. increases number of kids in health programs, By Beth Musgrave, November 3, 2009, Lexington Herald-Leader: “State officials said Monday that they are on target to enroll 35,000 children in two key public health programs by the end of 2009, six months ahead of schedule. In November 2008, Gov. Steve Beshear pledged to increase the number of children in Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program or Medicaid programs by decreasing some of the road blocks to the government health insurance program for low-income families. Currently, there are 32,000 new children enrolled in the two programs, Beshear said at a press conference Monday at Second Street School in Frankfort. But both programs combined have enrolled on average 2,600 children a month. Current rates indicate that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which oversees the health insurance programs, will meet the 35,000 goal by December instead of June 2010, as originally projected…”

• 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…”

Food stamp system improved with stimulus funds, By Deborah Yetter, August 18, 2009, Louisville Courier-Journal: “Kentucky will use $2.9 million in federal stimulus money to try to improve service to people applying for food stamps, state officials said. By this fall, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services plans to convert paper files stored in local offices to electronic files state workers will use to complete or renew applications for the federally funded food stamp program…”

• State plugs budget hole with Medicaid money, By Beth Musgrave, July 21, 2009, Lexington Herald-Leader: “The state was in the black for the fiscal year that ended June 30, but only because it received a loan from the Medicaid program, which had additional money from the federal stimulus program. Now state officials are trying to determine how much money state agencies will have to cut from this year’s budget, which began July 1…”
• CalWORKS: Is it costing too much?, By Steve Wiegand, July 19, 2009, Sacramento Bee: “It’s the kind of statistic that makes radio talk show hosts drool: California is home to about 12 percent of all Americans – and more than 30 percent of all Americans on welfare. Critics of the state’s welfare program, called CalWORKs, say it’s clear proof that the system is flabby and overly beneficent, particularly as compared to other states…”
• Governor, legislative leaders begin building support for their budget pact, By Evan Halper and Shane Goldmacher, July 21, 2009, Los Angeles Times: “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders will begin working today to line up votes for the budget agreement they reached Monday evening to close a $26.3-billion deficit and allow the state to begin paying all of its bills again…”
• Budget breakthrough solves California’s long fiscal nightmare, By Steven Harmon, July 20, 2009, Contra Costa Times: “A tense, months-long standoff over ever-shrinking resources gave way Monday to a deal to bridge California’s $26.3 billion deficit…”