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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.

New Census Figures: 1 in 10 Poor in WA

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008   

Seattle, WA – Just over ten percent of Washingtonians are considered "poor" by federal government standards, according to new figures compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau for 2007. Currently, poverty means a monthly income of less than $900 a month for singles, and less than $1800 for a family of four.

Compare those figures to housing costs around the state, and you can imagine the tough budget choices some are making.
Rachael Myers, executive director of the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance, says the national real estate slump may be affecting the state - but it hasn't dropped prices enough to make a difference.

"Houses were incredibly expensive to begin with, and even if the prices are leveling out at this point, they're still very high. Now, we've got the additional problem of people having a more challenging time even getting a mortgage - and rents are certainly not dropping yet."

Myers is hopeful the legislature will take note of the new figures when funding affordable housing programs next year. The Census had some good news for Washington as the "Evergreen State" increased the number of people who have health insurance.

While Washington reported progress in the numbers of children and adults with health insurance, 770,000 people in the state remain uninsured. Ed Shelleby, with the Children's Defense Fund, says the new figures should serve as a guide for state and federal lawmakers.

"What we really need to do, especially in this economic environment, is ensure that low-income families can put a roof over their children's heads, feed them, and make sure they can get them to the doctor when they need to."

The census figures indicate that, nationally, personal income rose 1.3 percent in 2007; however, that good news is tempered by this year's 5.6 percent inflation rate. See the complete Census Bureau report online, at www.census.gov.



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