Page 39 - Poverty Issues News Today

Groups challenging the criminal consequences for failing to pay rent in Arkansas say theyll take another run at it, perhaps as a class-action lawsuit, after their initial case was dismissed. Arkansas is the only state that treats nonpayment of rent as a criminal offense instead of a civil debt, and a nonprofit that provides free legal services contends that is unconstitutional. Phil Telfeyan, who heads the group Equal Justice Under Law, said the goal of the suit was to end the law - and now, m...

Wisconsin is one of 33 states allowing Social Security benefits to be extended to teachers. As the future of the program is debated, a retired educator said keeping certainty in place is crucial if the country doesnt want more people leaving the profession. On the campaign trail, some Republican candidates have floated ideas opponents argued would either cut or eliminate the program. ...

On the heels of a regional conference, multiple groups are working on new solutions for reducing the poverty gap in Minnesota. Nonprofits, government leaders and people whove seen poverty firsthand gathered last week in Duluth to get a deeper sense of the connection between poverty and race in Minnesota, and discuss how to overcome long-standing disparities. Bill Grant, executive director of the Minnesota Community Action Partnership, which hosted the event, said one observation is assistance ...

Watchdog groups say chickens used by Costco are bred to grow so quickly, many of them cannot stand under their own weight, and recent lawsuits against the company have put the spotlight once again on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. There are more than 3,000 such poultry operations in North Carolina, growing hundreds of millions of chickens a year. Chris Heaney, associate professor of environmental health at Johns Hopkins University, said breeding cheap chickens comes with a host of neg...

The average cost of keeping a roof over your head in Utahs metro areas is a lot more than it used to be - if youre renting. A recent University of Utah study found that rental prices in the states major cities increased faster in the past two years than they did over the entire prior decade. Dejan Eskic - a senior research fellow at the University of Utahs Kem C. ...

As more farm and food cooperatives pop up across North Carolina, advocates say they are creating a new model for food distribution and landownership that addresses long-standing inequities. Today, white Americans own and operate 94% of all U.S. farmland. ...

Evictions are on the rise in Virginia after numerous protections provided by federal and state rental assistance programs ended. According to the Richmond Eviction Lab, the number of renters in Virginia fearing eviction during the first quarter of 2022 was 58%, almost double from the fourth quarter of 2021. Christie Marra, director of housing advocacy at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said a "perfect storm of evictions" has been brewing for some time now. ...

As the fall harvest season takes shape in South Dakota, an agricultural specialist said there are many ways motorists and farmers can avoid crashes with large equipment on the roads. John Keimig, youth safety field specialist for South Dakota State University Extension, said the fall harvest typically runs through early November. And with dusk getting earlier, chances are rural-area motorists will see an extra tractor or other farm machinery, requiring more patience behind the wheel. ...

Average Affordable Care Act premiums in Wisconsin would have been 56% higher this year without temporary subsidies from the federal government, and small-business advocates say a new extension is a big help when smaller firms are trying to get back on their financial feet. The Inflation Reduction Act included a provision to extend the ACAs premium subsidies through 2025. The extra tax credits are from an earlier pandemic relief package and were set to run though this year. ...

Washington state farmworkers are facing harsh conditions in the midst of wildfires and late-summer heat. Theyre calling for greater protections from the elements. Alfredo Juarez is a farmworker in northwest Washington and organizer with Community to Community Development. ...