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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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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.

Report: NY Families Struggling, Cost of Child Care a Major Cause

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Tuesday, December 5, 2006   

New York, NY - Young couples in New York are struggling to get started and raise families, and a new report cites the increased cost of childcare as one reason having children has become the Number One predictor of bankruptcy. Tamara Draut, with the policy research organization Demos, sees it as proof that lawmakers have failed to look after middle-class families.

"The idea of having children now increases your financial vulnerability to the point that it has become a great risk factor for going into bankruptcy. It's left up to parents to sort of piece together a patchwork system that costs a lot of money and does not mean they are getting high quality (child)care."

Katie Roche, executive director of the early education center "Rainbow Chimes," agrees. She says state subsidies are often made available to low-income parents, but middle-class parents are on their own.

"That's the irony. Low-income families are better able to access quality early education and care than middle-income families."

Average New York childcare costs are now $250 a week, or 11 percent of an $80,000 pre-tax income. The Demos report is available online, at www.demos.org.




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The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

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Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

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Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

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Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

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Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

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New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

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Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

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

 

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