skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

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

Trump threatens China with 50% additional tariffs, Flooding inundates Kentucky communities; New research exposes the devastating effects of solitary confinement; Groups archive federal science data as government websites go dark.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Israeli government promises to cooperate on tariffs. U.S. Secretary of State says markets are not crashing, just 'adjusting,' and budget legislation moving in Congress makes room for Trump's tax cuts.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The proposed dismantling of the Depart. of Education has rural schools scared, postal carriers say USPS changes will hurt rural communities most, fiber networks to improve internet may be supplanted by Musk's satellites, and it's time to PLAY BALL!

Anti-Poverty Advocates Pushing MN Lawmakers to Take Real Action

play audio
Play

Monday, February 8, 2016   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - A year has passed since a state task force laid out solutions to some of the serious problems facing Minnesota's Family Investment Program, but not much has changed. Today, advocates for low-income families are in the Capitol, again asking lawmakers to implement some of the changes laid out in last year's report.

Jessica Webster is a lawyer with Minnesota Legal Aid who also worked on the task force. She says the thousands of families who rely on public assistance haven't seen a raise in that help since 1986.

"It's now been a year, we're facing even deeper erosion," she says. "It just recognizes the consequences of doing nothing. These are 64,000 kids living in deep, extreme poverty by federal definition."

The report found most Minnesota families in need in 2013 received on average about $350 a month, the same amount as 30 years ago. Advocates argue that's not enough to cover even half a month's rent in many parts of the state.

Last year a bipartisan group of lawmakers tried to pass a raise in the cash assistance by $100 a month, an idea backed by Gov. Mark Dayton. But ultimately that move went nowhere. Now, just a few weeks ahead of the upcoming legislative session, Webster is urging lawmakers to finally take action.

"Frankly, we were advocating increases in years of deep deficit, and now we're in another year with an incredible surplus," says Webster. "The money is there, the time is right, the issue is so urgent, we just want leaders to do the right thing."

Among other solutions, Webster is asking lawmakers to redirect about $23 million from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families fund to increase grants to low-income families.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Bumblebee colonies have annual life cycles, according to the ZYWang Lab at the University of Washington, where researchers study natural social behavior changes in aging bees. Current research examines how isolation affects these patterns, with implications for understanding solitary confinement's effects. (Pixabay/iira116)

Social Issues

play sound

Imagine being locked in a cell for 23 hours a day, under constant artificial light, with no human contact for months or even years. It is the reality …


Environment

play sound

Missouri ranks second in the nation for the number of farms, with more than 85,000. Beginning farmers in the state and across the nation may soon …

Social Issues

play sound

Latino media outlets in Arizona are coming together to ensure the Hispanic and Latino communities are informed and educated about their rights amid th…


Participants in Multnomah County's Nurse-Family Partnership program experience a 56% reduction in ER visits for accidents and poisonings. (KAMPUS/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Multnomah County plans major public health cuts to address a $21 million budget gap and the Oregon Nurses Association said the cuts put programs for f…

Social Issues

play sound

Black residents in Illinois are almost eight times more likely to be homeless than white people, with lack of livable wages and affordable housing …

Flooding in Frankfort almost reaches a basketball net Sunday as the Kentucky River is expected to keep rising. (Liam Niemeyer/Kentucky Lantern)

Environment

play sound

Frankfort is one of a number of communities across Kentucky grappling with a deluge of flash flooding from torrential rainfall over the past several d…

Social Issues

play sound

April is National Second Chance Month but across West Virginia, resources to help people leaving prison find gainful employment are dwindling…

Social Issues

play sound

April is Second Chance Month, with extra focus on helping people with a criminal past keep from becoming repeat offenders. In steering Minnesota …

 

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