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Wednesday, December 25, 2024

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Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of the federal death row; Mississippi group working in 71 counties to end homelessness in Mississippi; Farmers no longer feeling Farm Bill anguish, but relief might be fleeting; Addressing Montana's expanding 'news deserts.'

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President-elect Donald Trump considers reclaiming Panama Canal. Lawmakers are uncertain Trump's cabinet will help everyday Americans and, advocates feel Biden must reconsider clemency actions.

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Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

MN City Joins Call for Guaranteed Income for Struggling Residents

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Tuesday, September 1, 2020   

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- This summer, a coalition of U.S. mayors joined forces to win support for the idea of providing guaranteed income for struggling Americans. St. Paul's mayor is part of the group calling for these direct payments that would come with no strings attached.

Nearly a dozen mayors from across the country, including St. Paul's Melvin Carter, have pledged to seek such efforts, saying the pandemic crisis has only widened the gap for certain people and their ability to survive. Carter said gainful employment will be harder to come by as the nation tries to overcome the crisis, making it difficult for some to participate in a consumer-driven economy.

"Over the long term, we'll run out of consumers if we don't figure out some type of way to ensure that community members can afford to live with dignity in our communities across the country," Carter said.

The movement stemmed from a payment program initiated by Stockton, California, in 2019. Carter said as a trial project, he would like to identify 135 low-income families in St. Paul to receive $500 a month over 18 months.

Opponents of the movement question the affordability of these plans, while noting it doesn't provide longstanding solutions.

Carter said he doesn't envision this being a long-term approach for the city. He hopes it will inspire a more broad approach at the state and federal level.

He said it also can complement existing assistance programs that don't work for everybody who is struggling.

"When we create these paternalistic, super-prescriptive programs, we spend a lot of money on things that aren't providing the best resources, that aren't providing the best help to those families," he said.

Carter said families selected for payments in St. Paul would be connected to the city's college saving's account initiative. But it's unclear yet if any other specific components to the cash payment plan have materialized, and whether they would win enough support from the city council.


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Juana Valle's well is one of 20 sites tested in California's San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast regions in the first round of preliminary sampling by University of California-Berkeley researchers and the Community Water Center. The results showed 96 parts per trillion of total PFAS in her water, including 32 parts per trillion of PFOS - both considered potentially hazardous amounts. (Hannah Norman/KFF Health News)

Environment

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By Hannah Norman for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Ser…


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