skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

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

Rep. LaMonica McIver charged by DOJ over incident with ICE agents; WA to see more prescribed burns thanks to new liability fund; Medical copays lock out incarcerated people from health care in NC prisons; Slaughterhouse line speeds raise concerns in GA over worker safety.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Congress debates Medicaid cuts, FBI pledges to investigate missing Indigenous people, Illinois pushes back on federal autism data plan, and deadly bombing in California is investigated as domestic terrorism.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

New Mexico's acequia irrigation system is a model of democratic governance, buying a house in rural America will get harder under the Trump administration's draft 2026 budget, and physicians and medical clinics serving rural America are becoming a rarity.

TN expands SNAP assistance to residents post-Helene

play audio
Play

Friday, October 18, 2024   

Tennessee has expanded food assistance for Northeast Tennessee residents still cleaning up after Hurricane Helene.

What's known as the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is in effect for current SNAP recipients in the eight counties affected.

Signe Anderson, senior director of nutrition advocacy for the Tennessee Justice Center, said benefits are provided through an electronic debit card and can be used to purchase food items at grocery stores and other authorized retailers who accept electronic benefit transfer.

"The state has been able to secure an automatic mass reimbursement of 65% to SNAP participants who are already part of the program," Anderson reported. "With the knowledge that so many people lost power, there was major devastation."

The Tennessee Department of Human Services has also temporarily allowed SNAP recipients in 13 counties to use their benefits to purchase hot foods due to the challenges of hurricane recovery.

Anderson thinks the 65% reimbursement is a good start but pointed out the USDA approved more waivers for households to get the full 100% reimbursement back by filling out an affidavit on its website. The waiver covers Carter, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties.

She added Cocke, Greene and Hamblen counties were not approved in the waiver.

"The state did say, even if you're not in one of these listed counties but you're in one of those bordering counties, you should apply through the affidavit and make your case," Anderson explained. "Unfortunately, those individuals in the surrounding counties aren't automatically reimbursed but if they reach out to DHS through the affidavit, they're likely to get help."

She added President Joe Biden's FEMA disaster declaration allows the state to do even more. The assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Florida A&M University, a public historically Black land-grant institution in Tallahassee, was founded in 1887. It is one of the largest Historically Black Colleges and Universities by enrollment and the only public HBCU in Florida. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The selection of Marva Johnson, a longtime corporate executive and ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, as the next president of Florida A&M University has …


Environment

play sound

Congress is set to claw back $6.5 billion in climate-related Inflation Reduction Act investments to help pay for the Trump administration's priorities…

Social Issues

play sound

The FBI has said it will add resources in 10 states including New Mexico to tackle unresolved crimes, with a focus on those related to missing and …


Health and Wellness

play sound

Illinois is the first state to block the federal government from accessing state data on autism. The order, signed by Gov. JB Pritzker last week…

Oregon and California have created prescribed burn liability funds to help reduce the risk for landowners and contractors. (David Elkins/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Washington lawmakers have created a new Prescribed Burn Liability Fund to help make controlled burns less risky on public, private and tribal lands …

Social Issues

play sound

A recent scam using fake Indiana government email addresses is prompting a broader warning to Hoosiers. The messages claimed to involve unpaid tolls …

Social Issues

play sound

A guaranteed income pilot program in Oakland improved housing stability and employment among its recipients, according to a new report from the …

 

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