Poverty Dispatch - January 15, 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:

• Kids Count Report - Michigan
• States and Unemployment Insurance
• State Budgets and Economic Stimulus
• State Children's Health Insurance Program
• State Medicaid Programs - West Virginia, Iowa, Kentucky
• Rates of Homelessness
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
• Food Assistance Programs
• Education Costs and Funding
• Medical and Prescription Drug Costs

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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Kids Count Report - Michigan

Kids Count report highlights disparities of race, poverty and geography. (MICHIGAN) Read Article
By Lisa Munger, Grand Island Independent. January 13, 2009.
 

Michigan kids living in poverty on the rise. (MICHIGAN) Read Article
By Kathleen Lavey, Lansing State Journal. January 13, 2009.
 

Michigan's child poverty rate rises. (MICHIGAN) Read Article
By Oralandar Brand-Williams, Detroit News. January 13, 2009.
 

Children in poverty increasing in Michigan and Genesee County; One out of four children live in poverty, report says. (MICHIGAN) Read Article
By Shena Abercrombie, Flint Journal. January 13, 2009.
 

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States and Unemployment Insurance

Texas Workforce Commission swamped with calls for jobless benefits. (TEXAS) Read Article
By Claudia Grisales, Austin American-Statesman. January 13, 2009.
 

State must borrow from feds to pay the jobless. (OHIO) Read Article
By William Hershey, Dayton Daily News. January 12, 2009.
 

Help near for state’s unemployed. (INDIANA) Read Article
By Marty Schladen, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. January 15, 2009.
 

Jobless center drowning in sea of benefit claims. (COLORADO) Read Article
By Ed Sealover, Rocky Mountain News. January 15, 2009.
 

Georgia layoffs drive up unemployment numbers. (GEORGIA) Read Article
By Michael E. Kanell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution. January 15, 2009.
 

Working through hope and despair at Long Beach job center. (CALIFORNIA) Read Article
By Scott Gold, Los Angeles Times. January 14, 2009.
 

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State Budgets and Economic Stimulus

Cash-strapped states anxiously await federal government funds. Read Article
By Judy Keen, USA Today. January 12, 2009.
 

Struggling states cut healthcare for poor before Obama can bolster coverage. Read Article
By Noam N. Levey, Los Angeles Times. January 14, 2009.
 

Report: Pa., Ohio need billions to meet social services needs. Read Article
By David M. Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. January 15, 2009.
 

Pa., Ohio issue plea for federal assistance to needy. Read Article
By Tim McNulty, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 15, 2009.
 

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State Children's Health Insurance Program

Families seeking insurance for kids. Read Article
By Chris L. Jenkins, Washington Post. January 14, 2009.
 

House votes to expand children’s health care. Read Article
By Robert Pear, New York Times. January 14, 2009.
 

House votes to expand health insurance program to 4 million more children. Read Article
By Noam N. Levey, Baltimore Sun. January 15, 2009.
 

House votes to expand child health insurance. Read Article
By Shailagh Murray and Ceci Connolly, Washington Post. January 15, 2009.
 

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State Medicaid Programs - West Virginia, Iowa, Kentucky

Medicaid expansion would boost state economy, report says. (WEST VIRGINIA) Read Article
By Eric Eyre, Charleston Gazette. January 13, 2009.
 

State will wait on Medicaid cut. (IOWA) Read Article
By Jason Clayworth, Des Moines Register. January 13, 2009.
 

Medicaid deficit up 25 percent. (KENTUCKY) Read Article
By Tom Loftus, Louisville Courier-Journal. January 15, 2009.
 

Medicaid deficit soars to $232 million. (KENTUCKY) Read Article
By Beth Musgrave, Lexington Herald-Leader. January 15, 2009.
 

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Rates of Homelessness

Number of homeless likely to increase. (OHIO) Read Article
By Elizabeth Gibson, Columbus Dispatch. January 13, 2009.
 

Homelessness thought rising. (INDIANA) Read Article
By Amanda Iacone, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. January 13, 2009.
 

New breed of homeless expected. (NEVADA) Read Article
By Lynette Curtis, Las Vegas Review-Journal. January 13, 2009.
 

Agencies see increase in number of homeless. (ARIZONA) Read Article
By Sheryl Kornman, Tucson Citizen. January 14, 2009.
 

Tally of '05-'07 homeless in region likely outdated. (CALIFORNIA) Read Article
By Ronald Powell, San Diego Union-Tribune. January 14, 2009.
 

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Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Cold rush: Heat aid goes fast. (MAINE) Read Article
By Dieter Bradbury, Portland Press Herald. January 13, 2009.
 

Heating aid to be a hot commodity. (OHIO) Read Article
By Tracy Turner, Columbus Dispatch. January 14, 2009.
 

Fuel aid requests jump 27 percent this year. (VERMONT) Read Article
By Bruce Edwards, Rutland Herald. January 15, 2009.
 

More seek heating-bill help with low-income energy assistance. Read Article
By Paul Davidson, USA Today. January 12, 2009.
 

Record number of households looking for home heating assistance this winter, new survey says. Read Article
By Andrew Miga (Associated Press), Chicago Tribune. January 12, 2009.
 

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Food Assistance Programs

A growing number of county households getting food stamps. (COLORADO) Read Article
By Pam Zubeck, Colorado Srpings Gazette. January 14, 2009.
 

11.000 Minnesotans will keep food stamp eligibility. (MINNESOTA) Read Article
By Jason Hoppin, Pioneer Press. January 13, 2009.
 

N.D. aims for more kids eating school breakfast. (NORTH DAKOTA) Read Article
By Lisa Gibson, Grand Forks Herald. January 14, 2009.
 

Food stamp requests tell bleak tale. (NORTH CAROLINA) Read Article
By Gerald Witt, Greensboro News-Record. January 15, 2009.
 

Agriculture Dept. nominee to push food for poor. Read Article
By Mary Clare Jalonick (Associated Press), Seattle Times. January 14, 2009.
 

America's moral failure: Rising food insecurity. (Opinion) Read Article
By Sally Katzif and Nancy Ratzan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 14, 2009.
 

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Education Costs and Funding

Students paying more and getting less, study says. Read Article
By Kate Zernike, New York Times. January 15, 2009.
 

Economics sore subject for public schools. Read Article
By Pauline Vu, Stateline.org. January 15, 2009.
 

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Medical and Prescription Drug Costs

Drug costs soar for seniors. (MASSACHUSETTS) Read Article
By Kay Lazar, Boston Globe. January 14, 2009.
 

Seeing Red. Read Article
By Sandra G. Boodman, Washington Post. January 14, 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).