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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Back-to-School Shopping Worries, for Parents and Stores

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Wednesday, August 8, 2007   

Families will be lining up at stores for back-to-school shopping but many low-income parents will be hit hard by the costs, and merchants may not see the big boost they might expect. Some store owners have called for the return of the back-to-school sales tax holiday, which was cancelled a few years ago and Amy Weintraub with Covenant House in Charleston thinks that would be a good first step.

"It allowed families to have one weekend a year where they knew that they would save six percent on their total back-to-school costs. It would be terrific for low-income families to have that holiday available again."

She says the tax holiday is just part of the solution and that comprehensive poverty relief should be the long-term goal. She argues that people in some parts of the state have access to local help, including used clothing vouchers but those programs are few and far between, especially in rural areas.

Weintraub explains that there's some help available from the state, which gives some families a $200 voucher for school supplies but things like shoes, winter coats, and other necessities add up fast.

"When you're also trying to get school supplies together, technical supplies, in addition to clothes, the $200 just can't stretch very far."

Weintraub adds that Charleston-area religious leaders will hit the runway this weekend in an effort to draw attention to the back-to-school needs of low-income families, and bring in more donations to the Covenant House clothing closet.

"It's a fashion show with a twist. It's funny. We're inviting all the faith leaders in downtown Charleston to model clothes from our clothing closet."

That event is Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Columbia Gas Auditorium in Charleston.



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