Poverty Dispatch - March 2, 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
• Cash Assistance Amounts - Minnesota
• Homeless Children and Families
• State Medicaid Programs - Ohio, Mississippi
• Recession and State Budgets
• Health and Welfare Spending in the Federal Budget
• Home Energy and Weatherization
• Nurse-Family Partnership Program
• Access to Bank Accounts - Los Angeles, CA
• Study: States and Spending on Corrections
• 'Witnesses to Hunger' Project

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).
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Joblessness and Unemployment

Jobless angry at possibility of no benefits. Read Article
By Michael Luo, New York Times. February 26, 2009.
 

Ohio jobless rate rockets to 8.8 percent. Read Article
By Dan Gearino, Columbus Dispatch. February 28, 2009.
 

Training, benefits aim to save sinking communities. Read Article
By Pam Fessler, National Public Radio. March 2, 2009.
 

Even worse for young workers. (Column) Read Article
By Bob Herbert, New York Times. February 27, 2009.
 

Jobless seniors face their own challenges. Read Article
By Tracy Turner, Columbus Dispatch. March 1, 2009.
 

State's jobless aid trickling in as stimulus dollars start to flow. (ARIZONA) Read Article
By Ronald J. Hansen, Arizona Republic. March 2, 2009.
 

More money for unemployed Illinoisans. (ILLINOIS) Read Article
By Andrea Zelinski (Associated Press), Chicago Tribune. February 27, 2009.
 

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Cash Assistance Amounts - Minnesota

Welfare checks haven't increased with cost of living. (MINNESOTA) Read Article
By Jean Hopfensperger, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune. March 2, 2009.
 

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Homeless Children and Families

For more students in Michigan, homelessness is a struggle. (MICHIGAN) Read Article
By Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki, Detroit Free Press. March 2, 2009.
 

Number of homeless students on the rise in Dallas-area districts. (TEXAS) Read Article
By Stella M. Chávez, Dallas Morning News. March 1, 2009.
 

'Tidal wave' of homeless students hits schools. Read Article
By Kari Huus, MSNBC.com. March 2, 2009.
 

County sees jump in homeless families. (WASHINGTON, D.C.) Read Article
By Ovetta Wiggins, Washington Post. February 26, 2009.
 

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State Medicaid Programs - Ohio, Mississippi

Hospitals object to fee for Medicaid. (OHIO) Read Article
By Catherine Candisky, Columbus Dispatch. March 1, 2009.
 

Medicaid's next miracle? Stimulus could provide state up to $790 million. (MISSISSIPPI) Read Article
By Sid Salter, Clarion-Ledger. March 1, 2009.
 

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Recession and State Budgets

Many states consider tax hikes, spending cuts. Read Article
By Curtis Gilbert, Minnesota Public Radio. February 27, 2009.
 

States' revenue shortfalls may outlast recession. Read Article
By Michael Hill (Associated Press), Boston Globe. March 2, 2009.
 

Cuts to safety net programs may devastate families, kids. (ARIZONA) Read Article
By Sheryl Kornman, Tucson Citizen. February 26, 2009.
 

State budget cuts threaten most vulnerable. (ARIZONA) Read Article
Editorial, Arizona Daily Star. March 1, 2009.
 

Smallest state grapples with oversize problems. (RHODE ISLAND) Read Article
By Abby Goodnough and Katie Zezima, New York Times. February 28, 2009.
 

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Health and Welfare Spending in the Federal Budget

Obama offers broad plan to revamp health care. Read Article
By Robert Pear, New York Times. February 26, 2009.
 

Drilling down on the budget: Welfare. Read Article
By David Stout, New York Times. February 26, 2009.
 

Obama’s health plan, ambitious in any economy, is tougher in this one. Read Article
By Robert Pear, New York Times. March 1, 2009.
 

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Home Energy and Weatherization

Out of the cold: How stimulus package helps Minnesota's rural families. (MINNESOTA) Read Article
By Sharon Schmickle, MinnPost. February 27, 2009.
 

Lost heat is lost money. (NEBRASKA) Read Article
By Nancy Gaardner, Omaha World-Herald. February 27, 2009.
 

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Nurse-Family Partnership Program

Nurse home visits: A boost for low-income parents. Read Article
By Maia Szalavitz, Time Magazine. March 2, 2009.
 

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Access to Bank Accounts - Los Angeles, CA

Reaching L.A.'s 'unbanked.' (Opinion) Read Article
By Manuel Pastor, Los Angeles Times. February 25, 2009.
 

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Study: States and Spending on Corrections

Study finds disparity in corrections spending. Read Article
By John Gramlich, Stateline.org. March 2, 2009.
 

States urged to improve probation, parole programs. Read Article
By David Crary (Associated Press), York Daily Record. March 2, 2009.
 

Prison spending outpaces all but Medicaid. Read Article
By Solomon Moore, New York Times. March 2, 2009.
 

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'Witnesses to Hunger' Project

She turns cameras on American hunger. Read Article
By Pauline Arrillaga (Associated Press), Washington Post. February 28, 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).