Dev Wakeley News Today

Winter time in South Dakota can sometimes result in car engines not starting. For people with no money for repairs, there are options in some cities, including a nonprofit blending low-cost repairs with engine maintenance smarts. In Sioux Falls and Rapid City, the SHIFT Garage accepts applications from low-income people in need of a standard repair. ...

January is National Poverty in America Awareness Month and community action agencies across the state are working to change lives for the 5 million Californians who cannot afford the basics. The poverty rate in the Golden State rose from 11.7% in fall 2021 to 13.2% in the first quarter of 2023. David Knight, executive director of the California Community Action Program Association, said circumstances have been difficult. ...

Low-income households across the United States now face a deadline to sign up for federal funds that give them a break on their monthly internet bills. Poverty-fighting offices in North Dakota hope more families try to stay connected in the short term. The Federal Communications Commission has announced that February 7 is the last day to enroll in its Affordable Connectivity Program. ...

Cars are Alabamas biggest export and the auto industry is a huge employer, responsible for about one in six Alabamians jobs, about 45,000 people. But even though the auto industry is growing, a new report contends workers are not getting the benefits they deserve. The "State of Working Alabama 2023" report from Alabama Arise argues the job quality and economic results are not what they should be. ...

A recent study from Alabama Arise shows that autoworkers wages may be trending downwards. In a time when cost of goods is rising, this comes as a shock to many.

The low-income advocacy group Alabama Arise recently unveiled a three-part strategy to improve Alabama’s workforce participation rate, which at 57%, remains among the lowest in the country.

MONTGOMERY — A number of lawmakers, agency officials and industry leaders met Monday, all hoping to find the answer to one question: how to get more Alabamians into the workforce.