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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Eyes of the Nation Continue to Watch Ferguson

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Thursday, August 21, 2014   

FERGUSON, Mo. - The unrest in Ferguson over the past two weeks since the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown has deeply moved Missourians and people across the U.S.

Experts and politicians are now weighing in on what caused the community's problems, and how to fix them. Many have questioned whether the unrest in Ferguson represents an anomaly, or a deep structural crisis of inequality in the state and the nation. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon admits this is not an easy question to answer.

"For Ferguson and our entire nation, it has ripped open old wounds that have festered for generations, and exposed difficult issues that communities across our country must still resolve," he says.

Some economists have pointed to decades of neglect within the public policies of the state as a contributing factor for the tensions which erupted in Ferguson. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2012 the unemployment rate for young African-American men was 47 percent, nearly three times the rate for young white men in the area.

While he hasn't discussed specific policies or programs, Nixon says he acknowledges what happens next in Ferguson will have implications not just for the city or Missourians, but for the entire country.

"We won't always get it right, but we're going to keep trying," says Nixon. "Ferguson is a test not just for the people of this community, but for all Americans. It is a test we must not fail."

A study called the Equality of Opportunity Project ranked St. Louis fourth from the bottom among 100 large cities on what is called "relative mobility," which compares the prospects for people born at the bottom and the top of income distribution.


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