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.

MN: Early Childhood Education

Unlike temporary expansions at the start of the pandemic, free school meals for all Minnesota K-12 students are now permanent. (Adobe Stock)
MN Implements 'No-Cost Meals' for All Students

With back-to-school season here, Minnesota is implementing no-cost meals for all students, regardless of family income. As districts prepare…

play audio
Retail experts say the cost of electronics that students need has become a driving factor in the overall rise of school supply expenses. (Adobe Stock)
Amid Budget Pressure, Low-Income Minnesotans Get School-Supply Relief

The average U.S. household will spend nearly $900 on back-to-school supplies this year, and in Minnesota, poverty-fighting organizations are …

play audio

Findings compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation show Minnesota has an overall high ranking for child well-being. But advocates warn that lack of access to early child education could derail outcomes. (Adobe Stock)
MN Shines in Child Well-Being Report, But Pandemic Shows its Impact

An annual report measuring child well-being in the U.S. said several benchmarks have worsened overall. States like Minnesota fared better in the …

play audio
Even prior to the racial reckoning, Minnesota was known for its disparities, including child development outcomes. (Adobe Stock)
MN Faces Key Decision on Program to Reduce Child-Development Disparities

A few years ago, Minnesota launched a pilot program to give communities of color more power to improve outcomes for child development as they …

play audio

School social workers, who are trained mental health professionals, say working with younger students often allows more access to families as they try to help develop a more nurturing environment. (Adobe Stock)
MN Applies 'Trauma Layer' to Early-Childhood Intervention Work

This week is National School Social Work Week, and in Minnesota, there are efforts to enhance support for students and families in early-childhood …

play audio
Hunger-fighting groups say one in six Minnesota school children lives in a household experiencing food insecurity. (Adobe Stock)
MN Looks to Erase Hunger in Schools

Better health and educational outcomes are being touted as the potential benefits as Minnesota lawmakers discuss whether to provide free school meals …

play audio

While there are some uncertainties, including inflation, Minnesota officials say the state's financial outlook is bright with a large surplus taking shape. (Adobe Stock)
MN Budget Surplus: Calls for Investments in Child Care, Other Needs

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Following this week's announcement that Minnesota is looking at a historic budget surplus, lawmakers face pressure to prop up …

play audio
Community action agencies connect missing pieces to help low-income individuals with assistance programs. In Minnesota, 24 of them, along with nearly 10 tribal governments, will share in new funding. (Adobe Stock)
MN's Community Agencies Can Stretch Dollars a Little Further

ONAMIA, Minn. -- Helping Minnesotans escape poverty requires behind-the-scenes work, often done by community action agencies on shoestring budgets…

play audio

Universal, no-cost school meals have been tried in certain U.S. cities. Now more state legislatures, including Minnesota, are seeing a push for this approach. (Adobe Stock)
MN Campaign Launches for Universal Free School Meals

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Transportation and learning supplies are among the things to which all K-through-12 students can have access. In Minnesota…

play audio
The Pew Research Center shows that stay-at-home moms and dads account for about one-fifth of U.S. parents, meaning the other 80% are employed, either full- or part-time. (Adobe Stock)
Report: MN Among States with Fewest "Stay-at-Home" Parents During Crisis

MINNEAPOLIS -- A new online report says Minnesota ranks near the top for households without "stay-at-home" parents during the pandemic. The rankings…

play audio

Minnesota schools are closed, at least through March 27, leaving many parents who can't work from home scrambling for care in the new coronavirus pandemic. (Adobe Stock)
Children's Advocates: COVID-19 will Widen Care Gap in MN

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota parents who can't work from home are struggling to find care for their kids during mandatory school closures prompted by …

play audio
Minnesota consistently ranks high for child well-being, but a new report shows huge gaps when race and ethnicity are factored in. (unm.edu)
Minnesota Ranks 4th in New Child Well-Being Report

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota is doing well by its children when it comes to overall well-being, but child advocates say Minnesota's Native …

play audio

 

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