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Report says a second Trump term would add 4 billion tons of climate pollution; Trump predicts a bloodbath for the country if he is defeated in November's election; Nevada leaders discuss future of IVF, abortion in the Silver State; and anglers seek trawler buffer zone as Atlantic herring stock declines.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Cooling Assistance Available for Vulnerable, Sweltering Ohioans

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Friday, July 21, 2017   

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The sweltering heat in Ohio is underscoring the importance of cooling assistance for vulnerable populations. Low-income Ohioans with a documented medical condition or those 60 years of age and older can ask for help to stay cool through the Summer Crisis Program.

Michele Lucas, the community services director of HARCATUS Community Action in Northeast Ohio, explains that high temperatures and humidity can pose serious health risks.

"Somebody with a breathing condition, or someone who is getting up in years, their body can overheat and they can become hypothermic and possibly pass out," she says. "Oh, it's just difficult to imagine what the outcome could be if that utility is shut off."

A disconnect notice is not required, and income-eligible residents can receive assistance paying an unpaid electric bill - $300 for a regulated utility and $500 for an unregulated utility.

The Ohio Development Agency has processed more than 5,500 applications since the Summer Crisis Program started July first. It runs through August 31.

The Summer Crisis Program is part of the Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP, which also offers emergency heating assistance in the winter.

President Trump's budget plan calls for HEAP to be eliminated, as some claim the program suffers from fraud. But Lucas says eligibility guidelines are strict and newer technology makes it difficult to take advantage.

"I can tell if somebody in Toledo is trying to receive assistance in New Philadelphia within minutes," she adds. "And we can stop a lot of the kind of fraud that may have been going on."

While the president reportedly said HEAP has not performed strongly, Lucas notes many elected leaders in Congress disagree.

"We've had some very compassionate people representing us in Washington D.C.," she notes. "And quite honestly, the threats have been there every year and we have always managed to come through, sometimes with more money."

She says emergency cooling and heating assistance helps struggling Ohioans avoid making choices between paying for food, medication or a utility bill.


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