While you re out to find Black Friday and holiday shopping deals today, many "Made in America" items may be on your preferred list. A new poll by Morning Consult in coordination with the Alliance for American Manufacturing reported 83% of American consumers prefer to buy American-made products. Awenate Cobbina, CEO of Shinola and Bedrock Manufacturing, said it is important to promote the nation s economy by boosting jobs and local businesses. .
Wildlife corridor conservation is in the spotlight in Congress. Last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife held a hearing on wildlife corridors, which are important for animal migration in the winter and summer months and can be impeded by fractured landscapes. Sen. .
Education experts say children in New Hampshire are at risk of falling behind their peers in other states with well-funded preschool programs. Nearly half of 3- and 4-year-olds in New Hampshire are not receiving early education, which is known to provide foundational knowledge and skills used in school and later in life. Steven Barnett, senior co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, said research shows children who attend preschool are more likely to attend college, find professional success and are less likely to be involved in the criminal justice system. .
Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday, an opportunity for small businesses to market their products and services out of the shadows of "big-box" stores and franchises. The most recent figures from 2021 show Indiana is home to almost 530,000 small businesses statewide; companies with fewer than 20 workers. Small Business Saturday prompts shoppers to support these businesses as they continue to recover from the pandemic. .
A Mississippi-based organization is providing free books to incarcerated individuals to promote literacy and pave the way for prison reform. Prison book programs have been distributing free books to inmates in the United States since the early 1970s. Miranda Vaughn, program assistant for the nonprofit Big House Books, said they have been sending books to incarcerated individuals throughout the state since 2014. .