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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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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.

Initiative Connecting IL Veterans with Education, Job Opportunities

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Monday, June 29, 2015   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - There are an estimated 76,000 post-9/11 veterans living in Illinois, a number that's expected to rise as more return home. Experts say these veterans face a multitude of challenges, including an economy with limited job openings.

The director of the U.S. Veterans Affairs Office of Transition, Employment and Economic Impact, Rosye Cloud, says veterans are leaving the military trained and ready for work and once they are connected to employment they persist and achieve. But she says getting that first job can sometimes be difficult.

"When you have 99 percent of the country that hasn't served it may be a little more difficult to understand the type of service and the type of opportunities and work that our men and women have experienced during their service," says Cloud.

The VA recently launched its Veterans Economic Communities Initiative in Chicago and other cities to help veterans gain competitive career skills and knowledge in local, in-demand fields. Cloud says the VA is partnering with businesses, educators, community organizations and others to connect veterans and their families to educational and employment opportunities in their area.

Cloud says the initiative is about building partnerships and strong collaboration with service organizations and partners at the local level.

"The VA is coming into these communities to not only learn about the great work that's already happening, but to also ensure the lines of communication are flowing so any federal programs, benefits, services and partnerships are made available to everybody at the community level," she says.

The Veterans Economic Communities Initiative is currently in 25 cities and is expected to add 25 more. Cloud says the first communities were selected based on unemployment, employment opportunities, education spending and post-9/11 veteran populations.


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