skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

Report Card: Oregon Gets a “D” in Kids Well-Being, But Change is in the Air

play audio
Play

Tuesday, October 16, 2007   

Portland, OR – Oregon gets a passing grade, but just barely, when it comes the well-being of its kids. The advocacy group Children First for Oregon has just released its latest annual "report card" and, while the state's overall grade of "D" has not improved since last year's findings, some progress has been shown.

Children First's Robin Christian says some of the improvements were prompted by the 2007 Oregon Legislature's new investments in education and childcare programs, including "Head Start."

"While the report card grade reflects the continuing struggles for children and working families, there is hope. The new investments made in the legislature signal a improved policy environment for kids. We’re not going to see the fruits of these investments for another couple of years, because it take a while for the data to catch up with the investments."

Christian explains the "D" grade is, at least partly, the result of stricter grading standards this year.

One area in which Oregon received a failing grade is children's health, for its increasing rate of uninsured children. Christian adds voters are considering the issue in next month’s election; they'll vote on "Measure 50," which would change the state constitution to increase cigarette taxes, in order to pay for an expanded children's health insurance program.

Read the full 2007 "report card" by Children First for Oregon online, at
www.cffo.org


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …


Organizations fighting wage theft said it harms affected workers and surrounding communities because the money withheld is not being circulated through the local economy. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021