Poverty Dispatch - April 23, 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:

• Antipoverty Plans - Delaware, New York City
• Public Assistance Programs
• Joblessness and Unemployment
• Homelessness and Housing
• Health Insurance Coverage
• School Funding Formula
• High School Graduation Rates
• Child Wellbeing - Europe
• Opinion: Recession and Child Wellbeing
• State Minimum Wages
• Public Defenders and Legal Aid

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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Antipoverty Plans - Delaware, New York City

Better help for children in poverty. (DELAWARE) Read Article
By James Merriweather, Wilmington News Journal. April 23, 2009.
 

Can Delaware develop a plan to cut kids' poverty rate in half? (DELAWARE) Read Article
Editorial, Wilmington News Journal. April 22, 2009.
 

Poor NYers getting paid for good behavior. (NEW YORK CITY) Read Article
By Sara Kugler (Associated Press), Newsday. April 21, 2009.
 

City ends some antipoverty experiments. (NEW YORK CITY) Read Article
By Julie Bosman, New York Times. April 22, 2009.
 

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Public Assistance Programs

Welfare cuts could increase downturn. (CALIFORNIA) Read Article
By Jim Johnson, Monterey County Herald. April 20, 2009.
 

Monterey County welfare director joins statewide push for more cash. (CALIFORNIA) Read Article
By Leslie Griffy, Salinas Californian. April 21, 2009.
 

Record number of people getting public assistance. (CALIFORNIA) Read Article
By Kurtis Alexander, San Jose Mercury News. April 22, 2009.
 

3,000 Rhode Island families to be cut from welfare. (RHODE ISLAND) Read Article
By Steve Peoples, Providence Journal. April 23, 2009.
 

Settlement gives state 2 years to fix public aid programs. (MILWAUKEE, WI) Read Article
By Steve Schultze, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 16, 2009.
 

As economy sours, more turning to food stamps. (RHODE ISLAND) Read Article
By Cynthia Needham, Providence Journal. April 20, 2009.
 

Record numbers depending on food stamps. (MONTANA) Read Article
Associated Press, Great Falls Tribune. April 20, 2009.
 

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Joblessness and Unemployment

U.S. jobless claims rise more than expected. Read Article
Associated Press, New York Times. April 23, 2009.
 

Year-to-year plunge in Milwaukee-area jobs sets record. (MILWAUKEE, WI) Read Article
By Joel Dresang, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 22, 2009.
 

Economic crunch continues to hit minority workers hardest. Read Article
By Sean F. Driscoll, Pittsburg Morning Sun. April 20, 2009.
 

Democrat offers plan to fix jobless fund. (INDIANA) Read Article
By Niki Kelly, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. April 21, 2009.
 

Senate goes against Perry on aid for unemployed. (TEXAS) Read Article
By Janet Elliott, Houston Chronicle. April 20, 2009.
 

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Homelessness and Housing

Report: Homelessness way up among kids in Pinellas. (FLORIDA) Read Article
By Anne Lindberg, St. Petersburg Times. April 22, 2009.
 

Bloomberg policy blamed for families in shelters. (NEW YORK CITY) Read Article
By Julie Bosman, New York Times. April 22, 2009.
 

More being foreclosed into homelessness. (MASSACHUSETTS) Read Article
By Jenifer B. McKim, Boston Globe. April 22, 2009.
 

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Health Insurance Coverage

House votes to add CHIP coverage. (TEXAS) Read Article
By Enrique Rangel, Amarillo Globe-News. April 21, 2009.
 

State may drop some TennCare residents. (TENNESSEE) Read Article
By Joel Davis, Daily Times. April 21, 2009.
 

Federal funds will help enroll more people in Medicaid. (COLORADO) Read Article
By Tim Hoover and Jennifer Brown, Denver Post. April 22, 2009.
 

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School Funding Formula

Federal formula skews against rural schools. Read Article
By Caitlin Howley, Daily Yonder. April 21, 2009.
 

Accountability in schools. (Editorial) Read Article
Editorial, New York Times. April 21, 2009.
 

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High School Graduation Rates

Large urban-suburban gap seen in graduation rates. Read Article
By Sam Dillon, New York Times. April 22, 2009.
 

Dropout rate declines. (MASSACHUSETTS) Read Article
By Priyanka Dayal, Worcester Telegram and Gazette. April 17, 2009.
 

Dropout rates fall in Bay State. (MASSACHUSETTS) Read Article
By Jeanette DeForge, The Republican. April 17, 2009.
 

State dropout rate declines to 20-year low. (OREGON) Read Article
By Anne Williams, Eugene Register-Guard. April 16, 2009.
 

Dropout decline excludes district. (OREGON) Read Article
By Tracy Loew, Statesman Journal. April 16, 2009.
 

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Child Wellbeing - Europe

UK lags behind most of Europe in child wellbeing league. (UNITED KINGDOM) Read Article
The Guardian. April 21, 2009.
 

UK ranked low on youth wellbeing. (UNITED KINGDOM) Read Article
BBC News. April 20, 2009.
 

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Opinion: Recession and Child Wellbeing

Children in peril. (Opinion) Read Article
By Bob Herbert, New York Times. April 20, 2009.
 

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State Minimum Wages

12.1 percent unemployment: Pinning blame on the minimum wage. (OREGON) Read Article
By Rick Attig, The Oregonian. April 19, 2009.
 

Sebelius signs min. wage bill. (KANSAS) Read Article
By James Carlson, Topeka Capital-Journal. April 23, 2009.
 

Legislators raise Alaska minimum wage. (ALASKA) Read Article
By Rena Delbridge, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. April 20, 2009.
 

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Public Defenders and Legal Aid

Missouri senator seeks overhaul to public defender system. (MISSOURI) Read Article
By Michael Bushnell, Columbia Missourian. April 15, 2009.
 

Missouri appeals panel denies defenders' request. (MISSOURI) Read Article
Associated Press, News Tribune. April 15, 2009.
 

R.I. public defender looks to lighten load. (RHODE ISLAND) Read Article
By Talia Buford, Providence Journal. April 20, 2009.
 

Bankruptcies, foreclosures drive people to legal aid. (CALIFORNIA) Read Article
By Rachanee Srisavasdi, Orange County Register. April 20, 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).