skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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 Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

ND Groups: Federal COVID Relief Can't Come Soon Enough

play audio
Play

Friday, March 5, 2021   

FARGO, N.D. -- The focus of a new federal COVID relief package has now shifted to the U.S. Senate.

Groups that assist and advocate for struggling North Dakotans say they can't wait any longer for the help.

The $1.9 trillion dollar package would provide $1,400 direct payments to qualifying individuals.

Michelle Rydz, executive director for the High Plains Fair Housing Center, said there's also a funding provision for groups like hers that fight for people facing housing discrimination.

She said across North Dakota, they've seen a nearly 50% increase in demand for this type of help.

"We're seeing more families with children that are experiencing discrimination because they're home more," Rydz pointed out. "Kids are at home and neighbors hear it, and so they're getting, you know, neighbor-on-neighbor harassment."

She noted her small staff needs at least two more full-time members to keep up with intake calls, to ensure people who need help can get it.

But Republicans in Washington argue the relief bill is too large and contains items unrelated to the crisis.

North Dakota's Doug Burgum and other GOP governors are also upset with the formula for divvying up state aid.

Amy Jacobson, executive director for Prairie Action ND, argued hundreds of millions of dollars will still flow to North Dakotans who need it the most.

"People need the economic stability, and they need it in their hands now," Jacobson contended. "We really do think it's about political gamesmanship instead of getting relief to the people."

It's estimated North Dakota would receive a little more than $1 billion in overall assistance.

Supporters pointed to a continuation of federal jobless benefits, due to expire this month.

Jacobson added there is disappointment a $15 minimum wage fell short in negotiations.

Meanwhile, Rydz feels the people they're serving are nearing a breaking point, which they hear in the calls they receive.

"The mental health of people who are facing discrimination is much more urgent now," Rydz asserted.

The bill also aims to keep more people in their homes by allocating nearly $30 billion for emergency rental assistance.

Disclosure: Prairie Action ND contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues, Human Rights/Racial Justice, Livable Wages/Working Families, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …


Organizations fighting wage theft said it harms affected workers and surrounding communities because the money withheld is not being circulated through the local economy. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021