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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Poverty on the Decrease? Tell That to Ohio's Children

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014   

DAYTON, Ohio - The latest Census data indicates poverty is on the decrease nationwide for the first time since 2006. In Ohio, the poverty rate number now sits at 16 percent for 2013, slightly above the national average, but the proportion of children living in poverty in Ohio and the rest of the country is larger than that. According to Census data, one in five - and in some counties, one in four - Ohio children faces poverty.

Sandy Oxley, chief executive officer of Voices for Ohio's Children, says it's a problem that could be addressed with money made available to school districts to provide breakfast and lunches to all students.

"If school districts across the state would take advantage of that, we could certainly be providing breakfast and lunch for all of our students in entire school districts and really have that impact on the academic outcomes," says Oxley.

The Community Eligibility Provision provides meals to schools where 40 percent of students have a demonstrated need, but school systems must apply for the program. Oxley points out the federal government makes more substantial investments in reducing poverty among the elderly, including initiatives such as Social Security, Medicare and tax subsidies.

Oxley adds that high-quality pre-kindergarten can also level the playing field for low-income children.

"We know children who are in a poverty setting are about 600 hours behind their middle-class peers in terms of learning experiences by the time they reach sixth grade," she says.

Congress cut SNAP benefits last year - which directly impacts the access low-income children have to food. Oxley says changing Ohio's Earned Income Tax Credit to make it refundable to taxpayers, regardless of their tax liability, would make a big difference in a family's bottom line.


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