Poverty Dispatch - February 9, 2009

IRP compiles and distributes Poverty Dispatches, links to Web-based news items dealing with poverty, welfare reform, and related topics twice a week. Each Dispatch lists links to current news in popular print media. Persons wishing to receive Poverty Dispatches by e-mail should send a request to irppubs@ssc.wisc.edu.

Today's Topics in the News:

• Joblessness and Unemployment
• Economic Stimulus Package
• State Budgets and Medicaid Spending
• Children's Health Insurance Coverage
• Framing of "Welfare" and "Safety Net"
• Enrollment in TANF Program
• Poverty Measurement in the U.S.
• High School Graduation Rates - Massachusetts, North Carolina
• Low-income Districts and School Funding - Ohio, North Carolina
• Low-income Students and the Achievement Gap - New Jersey
• Rural Areas and Need for Assistance - Alaska
• Services and Housing for the Homeless
• Disaster Housing Assistance Program - Louisiana
• Earned Income Tax Credit - Louisiana

Today's Articles:

Note: All links are external; some links may require a free registration at the host site (e.g., New York Times, Chicago Tribune).
Article links will open in new browser window.

Joblessness and Unemployment

598,000 jobs shed in brutal January. Read Article
By Neil Irwin and Annys Shin, Washington Post. February 7, 2009.
 

Economy shed 598,000 jobs in January. Read Article
By Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times. February 6, 2009.
 

US unemployment up – and spreading. Read Article
By Ron Scherer, Christian Science Monitor. February 6, 2009.
 

Report: Most lower-income people who lose their jobs are also uninsured. Read Article
By Kevin Freking (Associated Press), Chicago Tribune. February 6, 2009.
 

Jobs: Map shows states hit hardest; forecasts for rebound. Read Article
By Barbara Hagenbaugh and Barbara Hansen, USA Today. February 8, 2009.
 

As malaise grows, resources shrink. (OHIO) Read Article
By Alan Johnson and Catherine Candisky, Columbus Dispatch. February 8, 2009.
 

To minimize layoffs, employers cut worker hours. Read Article
By Ron Scherer, Christian Science Monitor. February 8, 2009.
 

State not concerned about low jobless fund. (SOUTH DAKOTA) Read Article
By Mary Garrigan, Rapid City Journal. February 8, 2009.
 

House approves boost to checks for unemployed. (WASHINGTON) Read Article
By Joseph Turner, News Tribune. February 7, 2009.
 

Patients, providers face challenges of recession. (KANSAS) Read Article
By Roy Wenzl, Wichita Eagle. February 8, 2009.
 

Stimulus package could aid people who lose jobs, health insurance. (WISCONSIN) Read Article
Fond Du Lac Reporter. February 6, 2009.
 

Health care subsidies pushed for the jobless. Read Article
By Bobby Caina Calvan, Modesto Bee. February 7, 2009.
 

More layoffs mean less health insurance. Read Article
By Liv Osby, Greenville News. February 8, 2009.
 

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Economic Stimulus Package

Governors react to stimulus proposal. Read Article
By Daniel C. Vock, Stateline.org. February 6, 2009.
 

If spending is swift, oversight may suffer. Read Article
By Robert O'Harrow Jr., Washington Post. February 9, 2009.
 

Obama returns to campaign tactics to push stimulus bill. Read Article
By Michael A. Fletcher and William Branigin, Washington Post. February 9, 2009.
 

Obama stumps for stimulus in a city hit hard by downturn. Read Article
By Peter Baker, New York Times. February 9, 2009.
 

The emerging stimulus bill: still big. Read Article
By Gail Russell Chaddock, Christian Science Monitor. February 8, 2009.
 

Which stimulus is better: tax cuts or spending? Read Article
By Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor. February 3, 2009.
 

$15,000 tax credit won't help low-income home buyers, experts say. Read Article
By Ben Meyerson and Sarah Gantz, Los Angeles Times. February 9, 2009.
 

A stimulus for the poor. (Editorial) Read Article
Editorial, New York Times. February 6, 2009.
 

Stimulus plan won't help house the poor. (Opinion) Read Article
By Sheila Crowley, Wilmington News Journal. February 7, 2009.
 

Head Start falls further behind. (Opinion) Read Article
By Douglas J. Besharov and Douglas M. Call, New York Times. February 7, 2009.
 

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State Budgets and Medicaid Spending

Medicaid programs feel weight of recession. Read Article
By Pauline Vu, Stateline.org. February 6, 2009.
 

States' only option now is budget pain. Read Article
By Ashley Powers and Richard Fausset, Los Angeles Times. February 8, 2009.
 

State Medicaid overhaul proposed. (LOUISIANA) Read Article
By Melody Brumble, Shreveport Times. February 8, 2009.
 

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Children's Health Insurance Coverage

Will CHIP match be possible in Miss.? (MISSISSIPPI) Read Article
By Natalie Chandler, Clarion-Ledger. February 9, 2009.
 

Federal dollars for children's health care won't help Arizona. (ARIZONA) Read Article
By Stephanie A. Wilken, Yuma Sun. February 7, 2009.
 

Care expands. (OKLAHOMA) Read Article
Editorial, Tulsa World. February 9, 2009.
 

Another snub of federal funds to insure Texas kids. (TEXAS) Read Article
Editorial, Austin American-Statesman. February 8, 2009.
 

Economy threatens children's health. (Opinion) Read Article
By Thomas Hansen, Seattle Post-Intelligencer. February 8, 2009.
 

Better coverage for kids expected. (ILLINOIS) Read Article
By Ashley Rueff, Chicago Tribune. February 9, 2009.
 

La. uninsured walk a tightrope. (LOUISIANA) Read Article
By Melody Brumble, Shreveport Times. February 8, 2009.
 

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Framing of "Welfare" and "Safety Net"

The 'W' word, re-engaged. Read Article
By Jason DeParle, New York Times. February 7, 2009.
 

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Enrollment in TANF Program

N.J. welfare lines grow longer as jobs continue to dry up. (NEW JERSEY) Read Article
By Susan K. Livio, Star-Ledger. February 8, 2009.
 

Welfare fell as economy worsened. (RHODE ISLAND) Read Article
By Cynthia Needham, Providence Journal. February 9, 2009.
 

No welfare, no work. (Editorial) Read Article
Editorial, New York Times. February 8, 2009.
 

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Poverty Measurement in the U.S.

Move that (poverty) line. Read Article
By Dave Schechter, CNN.com. February 9, 2009.
 

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High School Graduation Rates - Massachusetts, North Carolina

Graduation rate lowest for Hispanic male students. (MASSACHUSETTS) Read Article
By James Vaznis, Boston Globe. February 6, 2009.
 

Statewide, graduation rate rises. (MASSACHUSETTS) Read Article
By Jacqueline Reis, Worcester Telegram and Gazette. February 7, 2009.
 

Dropout rate shows progress in N.C., CMS. (NORTH CAROLINA) Read Article
By Lynn Bonner, Charlotte Observer. February 6, 2009.
 

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Low-income Districts and School Funding - Ohio, North Carolina

Poorest school districts lose money under Strickland's proposed changes for funding. (OHIO) Read Article
By Aaron Marshall, Cleveland Plain Dealer. February 9, 2009.
 

Some wealthy districts would gain school aid, poor ones lose it. (OHIO) Read Article
By Jim Siegel and Charlie Boss, Columbus Dispatch. February 8, 2009.
 

Whose schools work better? (NORTH CAROLINA) Read Article
By T. Keung Hui, News and Observer. February 8, 2009.
 

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Low-income Students and the Achievement Gap - New Jersey

Poor students struggle no matter where they go to school in New Jersey. (NEW JERSEY) Read Article
By Diane D'Amico, Press of Atlantic City. February 6, 2009.
 

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Rural Areas and Need for Assistance - Alaska

In rural Alaska, villagers suffer in near silence. (ALASKA) Read Article
By Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times. January 25, 2009.
 

In rural Alaska villages, families struggle to survive. (ALASKA) Read Article
By Mallory Simon, CNN.com. February 9, 2009.
 

Public assistance options fill gaps for villages. (ALASKA) Read Article
By Matt Nevala, The Tundra Drums. February 5, 2009.
 

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Services and Housing for the Homeless

Small service makes big difference on L.A.'s skid row. (LOS ANGELES, CA) Read Article
By Scott Gold, Los Angeles Times. February 6, 2009.
 

A crisis unfolds, and a solution too. Read Article
By Dave Schechter, CNN.com. February 6, 2009.
 

Study: Many homeless in jail. (CINCINATI, OH) Read Article
By Jessica Brown, Cincinnati Enquirer. February 9, 2009.
 

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Disaster Housing Assistance Program - Louisiana

Federal housing subsidies to end March 1. (LOUISIANA) Read Article
By Jeremy Harper, Baton Rouge Advocate. February 9, 2009.
 

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Earned Income Tax Credit - Louisiana

Poverty panel: Double tax credit. (LOUISIANA) Read Article
By Sarah Chacko, Baton Rouge Advocate. February 7, 2009.
 

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Note: All links are external; some links may require a free registration at the host site (e.g., New York Times, Chicago Tribune).