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Tuesday, September 17, 2024

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PA group works to educate voters on deadlines, registration, mail-in ballots; Suspect in Apparent Trump Assassination Plot Crusaded for Many Causes; Court's 'home equity theft' ruling helps homeowners in NE, nationwide; Local leaders revive Toledo's historic 'Black Wall Street.'

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Washington considers the need to tone down anti-Trump rhetoric. Senate Democrats are likely to force a second vote on a national right to in-vitro fertilization, and Trump allies repeat falsehoods about migrants amid bomb threats in OH.

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Rural voters weigh competing visions about agriculture's future ahead of the Presidential election, counties where economic growth has lagged in rural America are booming post-pandemic, and farmers get financial help to protect their land's natural habitat.

MN Faces Key Decision on Program to Reduce Child-Development Disparities

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Thursday, May 11, 2023   

A few years ago, Minnesota launched a pilot program to give communities of color more power to improve outcomes for child development as they continue to address long-standing disparities. Supporters hope for robust support as lawmakers decide on extending funding.

At this stage of the Legislative session, larger spending bills do include additional support for the Community Solutions for Healthy Child Development Grants. An example of the support being used is child care training to better serve Latino families.

Dianne Haulcy, co-chair of the Voices and Choices for Children coalition, a key coalition backing the grant initiative, said they have been seeing overwhelming demand as the first wave of funding expires.

"In this day and age, especially post-COVID, and a lot of the racial reckoning and not to mention the violence that's been happening in our communities," Haulcy noted. "Our communities of color are in desperate need of being resourced."

One spending bill includes $8 million for the program, while another sets aside $10 million for the biennium. Advocates argued the higher level would make a big difference given the need and the requests for aid.

Even with a large surplus, it's unclear if the full amount would be approved with many other funding requests before lawmakers.

In the long run, Haulcy pointed out having permanent funding will give communities greater flexibility to decide how to approach child development issues, especially since they already know what the challenges are within in their areas.

"Oftentimes, there are community and cultural solutions to these that only come from the community," Haulcy noted.

She suggested the model will go a long way in closing opportunity and achievement gaps while making communities stronger. Nearly two dozen local-level organizations were awarded grants during the pilot phase of the program.


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Toledo's Dorr Street once boasted more than 130 businesses between Collingwood Blvd. and Detroit Ave., including retail shops, restaurants, lodging, medical offices, entertainment venues, and services like auto repair, laundry and beauty salons. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Toledo's historic Dorr Street Corridor was once the beating heart of Black culture, wealth and business in the city. Now, community leaders and local …


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A year-old U.S. Supreme Court case means relief for two Nebraskans who faced losing their homes and all the equity they had built, when investment …

Environment

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Colorado's second-largest electricity provider, the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, projects new federal clean energy funding will …


Early voting for the upcoming general election runs from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. (Rob Goebel/Adobe Stock)

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Today is National Voter Registration Day, and volunteers with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters are holding voter registration events across the …

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Palm Beach County schools are working to curb chronic absenteeism, which has surged since the pandemic. Nearly 39% of Palm Beach County students …

Minnesota's Center for Rural Policy and Development said in rural settings, parents are often forced to take a child to the emergency room during a mental health crisis. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

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Gaps in mental health care are a common research topic right now and for Minnesota youth in rural areas, a new report showed their families face big …

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September is Workforce Development Month and North Dakota offices managing energy assistance programs hope people in need of a fresh career start will…

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In observance of Hunger Action Month, a new statewide collaborative has launched to address food insecurity in South Dakota. Nearly 14% of U.S…

 

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