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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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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.

Dueling Stimulus Plans: Advocates Say WA Kids Need Help

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Monday, February 9, 2009   

Seattle, WA – With 600,000 more Americans losing their jobs last month, President Obama is pushing for swift action on his stimulus plan, but some in Washington worry that children are being left behind in the rush. Congress is set to debate two different stimulus plans this week.

Leslie Dozono, early learning policy coordinator with the Children's Alliance, says the House version contains billions of dollars for kids in Washington State for programs such as Head Start. Dozono says that kind of targeted spending will provide much-needed stimulus for the economy.

"It does create a significant number of jobs, greater consumption of goods and services, productivity and stability of workers. There are also longer-term economic and social benefits — and there's research behind that."

The stimulus plan, when adopted, will add jobs, Dozono says, and it comes at the right time, as millions of Americans find themselves jobless. The bill's opponents say the spending plan will simply add to the national deficit but won't produce jobs; they would prefer tax cuts instead.

John Burbank, executive director of the Economic Opportunity Institute/em>, Seattle, contends that action is needed now, especially as more Americans are losing their jobs.

"This needs to be done rapidly. We should not expect a miracle in terms of the stimulus package, but what we could hope for is that it keeps the economic slide from getting worse."

Burbank says the recession won't be turning around in the next few months, which makes it more important to fund programs that help kids with critical needs like health care.




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Health and Wellness

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Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

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Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

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Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


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Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

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New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

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