skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, May 8, 2025

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

Cardinals elect the first Amerian Pope; Howard University program addresses Black male enrollment crisis; Black maternal health remains focus of PA lawmakers; Old laws, big impact: The origin of Alabama s habitual offender law.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

As Congress debates Medicaid cuts and emissions rollbacks, former presidential candidate John Kasich calls for protecting vulnerable Americans, veterans link fossil fuel dependence to military deaths, and federal funding cuts threaten health and jobs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Volunteers with AmeriCorps are devastated by cuts to the 30-year-old program, Head Start has dodged elimination but cuts are likely, moms are the most vulnerable when extreme weather hits, and bullfrogs await their 15-minutes of fame in rural California.

As Prices Climb, WV Families Face Hardship without Child Tax Credit

play audio
Play

Wednesday, November 9, 2022   

Some parents said they have struggled to make ends meet after federal monthly Child Tax Credit payments of between $300 and $360 a month per child stopped last December. Without the extra cash, some West Virginians anticipate not being able to afford basic necessities as consumer goods and gas prices continue to rise.

Jessica Greenlief, a Gilmer county resident and previous Child Tax Credit recipient, said the expanded credit helped offset the impact of inflation. Now, she sees her household budget continue to shrink.

"Prices at the gas pump continue to go up, prices in the grocery store continue to go up," Greenlief observed. "Our wages are not going up. So, the Child Tax Credit was a phenomenal assistance for us to continue supporting our family, where we make too much money to be able to receive any other supports."

Critics of the expanded credit said it does not tackle the root causes of child poverty, and comes with a hefty estimated $1.6 trillion cost over the next decade.

But a survey released last year by the group Parents Together Action found 86% of West Virginia parents reported the monthly payments made a "huge difference" for their families, and 88% said the credits made them less anxious about their finances.

Greenlief pointed out discontinuing pandemic child care assistance has been an additional financial burden. She worries now about being able to purchase Christmas presents for her children.

"So with that added expense in our household, the lack of the child care, tax credit, we are going to be struggling with the extra expenses [with] the holidays coming," Greenlief noted.

Greenlief hopes lawmakers consider reviving the expanded Child Tax Credit, and look at updating the Federal Poverty Level guidelines which determine families' eligibility for assistance.

"Those have not been updated in a really long time," Greenlief emphasized. "Because of the lack of that updating, a lot of our families are really struggling."

According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, the expanded Child Tax Credit reached families of more than 400,000 children in the Mountain State.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Research by economist Raj Chetty and colleagues at Harvard shows Black men's outcomes disproportionately determine economic mobility, with the racial wealth gap linked more to male than female trajectories. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As historically Black colleges and universities grapple with declining Black male enrollment, Howard University's "Kings of Campus" initiative is …


Social Issues

play sound

The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday asked a federal judge to pause the removal of books from Pentagon-run schools that pertain to diversit…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Republican lawmakers are considering billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid. But a new report finds those spending cuts might impact health-care …


In 2024, volunteers with the Pacific Crest Trail Association worked more that 57,000 hours and maintained more than 1,100 miles of trail. (PCTA)

Environment

play sound

Access to the beloved Pacific Crest Trail may soon be limited - due to a drop in federal grants and big layoffs proposed for federal public lands agen…

Health and Wellness

play sound

With Mother's Day coming up, some Pennsylvania lawmakers are backing a set of bills that could help improve maternal health. The Black Maternal …

A global survey of 130,000 people across 125 countries found that 89% say their government should do more to fight climate change. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Nine in ten people in Colorado and across the globe are worried about climate change and want governments to do something about it, according to a …

Social Issues

play sound

Congressional Republicans are poised to move forward with a proposal that would bring major cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program…

Environment

play sound

Compared with other states, North Dakota has yet to see a big invasion of aquatic nuisance species. But officials are not letting their guard down…

 

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