skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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

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.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

Businesses, Idahoans Urge State Dept. to Preserve Refugee Programs

play audio
Play

Wednesday, September 12, 2018   

BOISE, Idaho – As the Trump administration reduces the number of refugees allowed into the United States, Idahoans and businesses are signing a letter urging U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to preserve the state's resettlement programs.

In fiscal year 2016, Idaho accepted about 1,000 individuals. The number dropped to about 600 in 2017 and, as this fiscal year winds down, the number is fewer than 350.

Director Tara Wolfson at the Idaho Office for Refugees thinks businesses can benefit from more people coming into the state.

"It's really important to note, with our state's unemployment rate of less than 3 percent, really businesses depend on labor force, and new people to the state also bring new workers."

Idaho Dairymen's Association is among the business interests that have signed the letter defending the state's resettlement programs and refugees, noting that 90 percent of jobs at dairies in the state are filled by foreign-born laborers. Dairy makes up about one-seventh of the state's economy.

The letter will be sent to Pompeo on Friday.

Wolfson listed three programs that provide resettlement. They are the Agency for New Americans and International Rescue Committee in Boise, and the College of Southern Idaho's CSI Refugee Center in Twin Falls – all of which help newly arrived individuals get on their feet and navigate the nuances of such events as job interviews.

She described the Gem State as having a rich history of accepting refugees.

"Idaho has been a place that has resettled refugees since 1975," she added. "They're a critical part of the fabric of many of our communities and they contribute to our economy, culture and the character of our state."

Wolfson said refugees have been successful at resettling in the state. Highly skilled refugees who reestablish their professional careers contribute $1.8 million a year to Idaho's economy.

In addition, she said, 85 percent of refugee cases are closed within a year because individuals and families have gained self-sufficiency.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Iowa families can apply for up to $7,600 a year for private school costs. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An ethics committee in the Republican-led Iowa House has dismissed a complaint filed by a group of community activists against a state lawmaker for hi…


play sound

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of California high school seniors have to figure out if they can afford to go to college in the fall - and two new …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A health care workforce shortage in New Hampshire is leaving Alzheimer's patients and their families with few options for treatment. Patients facing …


South Dakota ranks 49th in the country for its contribution to indigent legal defense costs, according to a 2023 report from the Indigent Legal Services Task Force. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

South Dakota is creating an Office of Indigent Legal Services after House Bill 1057 passed the Legislature with nearly unanimous support this month…

Environment

play sound

A Knoxville-based environmental group is voicing concerns over what it sees as an increasing financial strain imposed on taxpayers by nuclear weapons …

Environment

play sound

A bipartisan law set to take effect this summer prohibits foreign adversaries from buying Hoosier farmland. The signature of Gov. Eric Holcomb was …

Social Issues

play sound

Today, people across Arizona are voting in the Presidential Preference Election, a chance for registered Democrats and Republicans to choose their …

 

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