skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

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

Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of the federal death row; Mississippi group working in 71 counties to end homelessness in Mississippi; Farmers no longer feeling Farm Bill anguish, but relief might be fleeting; Addressing Montana's expanding 'news deserts.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President-elect Donald Trump considers reclaiming Panama Canal. Lawmakers are uncertain Trump's cabinet will help everyday Americans and, advocates feel Biden must reconsider clemency actions.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

PA suburban women 50+ talk healthcare, inflation, immigration, caregiving

play audio
Play

Thursday, October 31, 2024   

Pennsylvania voters aged 50 and older are expected to play a pivotal role in the upcoming election, motivated by key issues, and could affect the results.

At a recent AARP Pennsylvania Women's Roundtable, suburban women 50 and older discussed top concerns, with an AARP poll revealing 60% felt the country is on the wrong track.

Betty from Chester County agreed and said coming out of the pandemic, inflation rose 8%, affecting families and the economy.

"Those prices that are out there, coming down very slowly or perhaps they're not increasing as much because the inflation is higher," Betty observed. "That is the difficult part to understand for families that have to buy groceries. Groceries are 25% more."

The AARP poll showed 94% of women are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports making sure workers get the Social Security they paid into and earned through a lifetime of hard work.

The poll found the biggest cost concerns to voters 50+ in Pennsylvania are food, utilities, health care and prescription drug costs.

Colleen from Bucks County said health care costs in Pennsylvania look promising and are headed in the right direction.

"One of the things that I'm seeing are some reductions in our health care costs, especially through Medicare, and with the opportunities to see that across the board," Colleen pointed out. "But for now, through Medicare, we're seeing that, and that's going well."

Elizabeth of Mount Lebanon in Allegheny County said leaders do not seem to be listening to communities' concerns. She added a big part of the issue also stems from the misinformation and disinformation spread by candidates, leaving people uncertain about who truly represents their perspective and interests in daily life.

"I am of Puerto Rican heritage, and I find that not only in Pittsburgh but even in Pennsylvania, during the elections, everyone's out looking for Latino votes," Elizabeth explained. "I don't think that the Latino population as a whole is listened to, except for to say negative things about immigrants."

Charlotte is also from Mount Lebanon. She recommended policymakers be more aware of the resources for grandparents who are caregivers of their grandchildren because of the opioid crisis. She added she has been taking care of her grandson for quite some time. In Pennsylvania alone, more than 235,000 grandparents are raising grandchildren.

"The opioid crisis has left a generation of children who have great needs," Charlotte emphasized. "There was settlement money provided to Pennsylvania, and I did look into that, but of the $73 million of the opioid settlement money, none of it was earmarked for these families."

The poll found 71% of women 50+ and 70% of suburban women are more likely to vote for a candidate who would help provide a tax credit for unpaid family caregivers who work to help cover the costs associated with caring for a family member.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Juana Valle's well is one of 20 sites tested in California's San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast regions in the first round of preliminary sampling by University of California-Berkeley researchers and the Community Water Center. The results showed 96 parts per trillion of total PFAS in her water, including 32 parts per trillion of PFOS - both considered potentially hazardous amounts. (Hannah Norman/KFF Health News)

Environment

play sound

By Hannah Norman for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Ser…


Environment

play sound

Animal rights organizers are regrouping after mixed results at the ballot box in November. A measure targeting factory farms passed in Berkeley but …

Environment

play sound

Farmers in Nebraska and across the nation might not be in panic mode anymore thanks to another extension of the Farm Bill but they still want Congress…


Immigration law experts say applying for asylum status can be very lengthy, and that programs such as Temporary Protected Status can fill the void for people fleeing violence elsewhere in the world. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

With 2025 almost here, organizations assisting Minnesota's Latino populations say they're laser focused on a couple of areas - mental health-care …

Social Issues

play sound

A new report found Connecticut's fiscal controls on the state budget restrict long-term growth. The controls were introduced during the 2018 budget …

As of August, enrollment in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System had reached 66,114 students, representing an increase of 8.4%, according to state data. (Adobe Stock/AI generated image)

Social Issues

play sound

Nearly a dozen changes could be made to the Kentucky Community and Technical College system, under Senate Joint Resolution 179, passed by lawmakers …

Social Issues

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for Arkansas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collab…

play sound

By Julieta Cardenas for Sentient.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Texas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration …

 

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