Poverty Dispatch - March 5, 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:

• Medicaid Spending and Reform - Florida, Rhode Island, New York
• Children's Health Insurance Coverage - Maryland
• Homelessness and Housing - New York City, Miami
• Joblessness and Unemployment
• Access to Food Assistance
• Economic Stimulus Spending
• Agriculture and Drought - California
• High School Dropout Age - Michigan, Kentucky
• School Voucher Programs
• Child Poverty - Wales, UK
• Internet Access and the Poor
• Rewards for Academic Achievement
• One Laptop Per Child Program

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.

Medicaid Spending and Reform - Florida, Rhode Island, New York

Care providers worry over cuts for Medicaid. (FLORIDA) Read Article
By Jeremy Cox, Florida Times-Union. March 5, 2009.
 

70 cents on the dollar is no bargain for Florida taxpayers. (FLORIDA) Read Article
By Stephen Nohlgren, St. Petersburg Times. March 1, 2009.
 

Medicaid cracks down on suspected overbilling in Miami-Dade. (FLORIDA) Read Article
By Jay Weaver, Miami Herald. March 5, 2009.
 

Plans to hire Medicaid consultants dropped. (RHODE ISLAND) Read Article
By Steve Peoples, Providence Journal. March 3, 2009.
 

State audit: Medicaid covered $28M in costs outside NY. (NEW YORK) Read Article
By James T. Moore, Newsday. March 4, 2009.
 

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Children's Health Insurance Coverage - Maryland

Lawmakers, advocates push to insure all Maryland children. (MARYLAND) Read Article
By Erich Wagner, Annapolis Capital. March 5, 2009.
 

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Homelessness and Housing - New York City, Miami

Tenants wary of clustering of homeless. (NEW YORK CITY) Read Article
By Julie Bosman, New York Times. March 3, 2009.
 

NYC says street homelessness down from last year. (NEW YORK CITY) Read Article
By Deepti Hajela (Associated Press), Newsday. March 4, 2009.
 

Drop in homeless count draws skepticism. (NEW YORK CITY) Read Article
By Julie Bosman, New York Times. March 4, 2009.
 

Number of Broward homeless on rise. (MIAMI) Read Article
By Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald. March 4, 2009.
 

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Joblessness and Unemployment

Job losses show breadth of recession. Read Article
By David Leonhardt, New York Times. March 3, 2009.
 

New jobless claims fall more than expected. Read Article
Associated Press, New York Times. March 5, 2009.
 

Panel votes to put California unemployment bill on fast track. (CALIFORNIA) Read Article
By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times. March 5, 2009.
 

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Access to Food Assistance

Thousands of Minnesotans missing free meals. (MINNESOTA) Read Article
By Jean Hopfensperger, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune. March 2, 2009.
 

Disconnect on hunger. (Opinion) Read Article
By Bill Shore, Baltimore Sun. March 5, 2009.
 

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Economic Stimulus Spending

Stimulus to help retool education, Duncan says. Read Article
By Bill Turque and Maria Glod, Washington Post. March 5, 2009.
 

Our social safety net needs mending. (Opinion) Read Article
By Irasema Garza, Tucson Citizen. March 3, 2009.
 

Use stimulus to help the poor. (Opinion) Read Article
By Jonathan Stein and Richard Weishaupt, Philadelphia Inquirer. March 4, 2009.
 

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Agriculture and Drought - California

Drought adds to hardships in California. (CALIFORNIA) Read Article
By Jesse McKinley, New York Times. February 21, 2009.
 

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High School Dropout Age - Michigan, Kentucky

Legislation would raise Michigan dropout age. (MICHIGAN) Read Article
By Tim Martin (Associated Press), Detroit Free Press. March 4, 2009.
 

State House OKs raising high school dropout age. (MICHIGAN) Read Article
By Gary Heinlein, Detroit News. March 5, 2009.
 

House panel clears bill raising school dropout age to 18. (KENTUCKY) Read Article
By Stephenie Steitzer, Louisville Courier-Journal. March 4, 2009.
 

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School Voucher Programs

Democrats limit future financing for Washington voucher program. (WASHINGTON, D.C.) Read Article
By Sam Dillon, New York Times. February 25, 2009.
 

Forum: Participants find vouchers benefit low-income families first. (GEORGIA) Read Article
By Gerard Robinson, Athens Banner-Herald. March 4, 2009.
 

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Child Poverty - Wales, UK

New laws to fight child poverty. (WALES, UK) Read Article
By David Williamson, Western Mail. March 3, 2009.
 

Law to force child poverty action. (WALES, UK) Read Article
BBC News. March 2, 2009.
 

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Internet Access and the Poor

One step off the superhighway. Read Article
By Cecilia Kang, Washington Post. February 28, 2009.
 

Plano school district wants to provide wireless network to poor students. (PLANO, TX) Read Article
By Matthew Haag, Dallas Morning News. March 5, 2009.
 

Broadband expansion is popular in stimulus plans. Read Article
By Eric Pfanner, New York Times. February 25, 2009.
 

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Rewards for Academic Achievement

Rewards for students under a microscope. Read Article
By Lisa Guernsey, New York Times. March 2, 2009.
 

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One Laptop Per Child Program

Laptops bring lessons, maybe even peace. Read Article
By Jessica Ravitz, CNN.com. March 5, 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).