As festive as the holidays can be, isolation and loneliness peak at this time of year. A 2022 survey finds 55% of Americans experience increased loneliness and sadness around the holidays. Some reasons for these feelings include not being around loved ones, seasonal depression, and grief. .
A new report singles out West Virginia for the state s costly tax cuts enacted this year, and the drastic lost in revenue expected to exacerbate existing budget shortfalls in higher education and other state services. The report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that beginning in 2025, the Mountain State will collect more than $800 million a year less in personal income tax revenue than it was previously. The Center s Senior Advisor for State Tax Policy, Wesley Tharpe, said the gains from that personal income tax cut are going to flow overwhelmingly to people at the top of the income-tax scale. .
Across the globe, hunger is an enormous threat to children. To combat the problem, one rural school district in northwest New Mexico is bringing culturally-appropriate items to the school cafeteria menu. Zach Ben, founder of the Navajo Nation s Bidii Baby Foods, was a new dad during the pandemic when baby foods were in short supply at grocery stores. .
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management s draft plan to manage lands owned by all Americans in southwestern Wyoming has come under fire from some lawmakers. Rep. .
Advocates are applauding the Washington, D.C., Public Service Commission s decision to pause a Washington Gas infrastructure rebuild known as Project Pipes. The project began in 2014 as a 40-year plan to replace all the District s aging natural gas infrastructure, at a projected cost to ratepayers of $4.5 billion. The project is nearing the end of Phase 2 but last Tuesday the commission voted to put a Washington Gas request for a $57 million extension of the phase on hold. .