skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, March 8, 2025

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

3 days in, Trump is backtracking on his tariffs on Mexico and Canada; AL faith leaders call for more congressional oversight of Trump team; Court rules MS Legislature not a 'public body,' allows closed-door meetings; WI group pitches in to help voters share views with reps in Congress.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Democrats push back on Trump s order to dismantle the Department of Education, red states aim to deny public education to undocumented children and the Wisconsin Supreme Court election could be the most expensive judicial race in history.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Immigrant communities are getting advice from advocates as the reach of ICE expands, experts in rural America urge lawmakers to ramp up protections against elder abuse, and a multi-state arts projects seeks to close the urban-rural divide.

Child Tax Credit Expansion Seen as Major Boost for Virginia Families

play audio
Play

Wednesday, July 21, 2021   

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. -- Beginning last week, thousands of Virginia families with children saw more money in their bank accounts as the federal government started distributing Child Tax Credit payments to eligible families.

Vilma Hernandez-Morales is a mother of four with three children younger than 17 who qualify for the monthly payments. A legal resident of Loudoun County, originally from El Salvador, she supports her entire family by babysitting and taking on part-time jobs.

Her daughter Esmirelda said they will use the money for everyday expenses that have piled up during the pandemic.

"The way she will use it will be like, in medical situations, she has to pay for food, for clothing, for supplies," Hernandez-Morales explained.

A year and a half after the pandemic started, many Virginia families sorely need the extra cash, particularly Latino families. About 14% of Virginians with children sometimes or often didn't have enough to eat in the previous week, according to U.S. Census data from June. That number was much worse for Latino families, with almost half reporting not having enough to eat.

Jennifer Lassiter Smith, director of U.S. programs for INMED Partnerships for Children in Loudoun County, pointed out her group is educating low-income families on qualifying for and accessing payments.

She said if taxpayers received refunds deposited to their bank accounts, the payment will automatically show up. But many don't realize if they received an IRS check in the mail, they need to be sure they have registered a forwarding address if they moved since filing tax returns.

"For the people who need it the most, housing has been precarious this year," Lassiter Smith observed. "So if they don't live in the same place now as they did six months ago, then there could be a problem there. So that's another thing that we're letting them know."

The Child Tax Credit expansion is part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, and nearly 1.6 million Virginia kids are expected to benefit.

Experts say the expanded tax credit could cut child poverty in the nation almost in half if it's made permanent. About 85,000 children in Virginia alone would be elevated out of poverty.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
On March 7, 1965, police and state troopers brutally attacked civil rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. Known as Bloody Sunday, the violence left many injured and sparked national outrage, fueling the fight for voting rights. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Sixty years ago this weekend, young activists marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, demanding their right to vote and changing …


Social Issues

play sound

As new federal policies and proposed funding cuts spark confusion and chaos, Wisconsinites are looking to voice their concerns to their elected …

Environment

play sound

Wisconsin's largest utility provider is seeking approval for a new gas plant to help meet growing electricity demand, but a new report argues there …


Social Issues

play sound

A Mississippi judge has ruled the State Legislature is not a "public body" under the state's Open Meetings Act, a decision allowing lawmakers to hold …

The current avian flu outbreak surfaced in 2022, with a big effect on wild birds and commercial poultry. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Dawn Attride for Sentient.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration…

Social Issues

play sound

A bill pending in the West Virginia Legislature would increase the length of penalties for "serious" felony convictions, but critics have said it …

Social Issues

play sound

More testimony was heard yesterday about term limit reforms in North Dakota, an issue voters around the state might have to decide again. In 2022…

 

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