Food stamp discount for buying produce, By Patrick G. Lee, August 19, 2010, Boston Globe: “More than two dozen cities and towns in Western Massachusetts will be the focus of a major federal initiative being announced today to increase low-income families’ consumption of fruits and vegetables, as part of the nation’s efforts to combat obesity. The Agriculture Department awarded $20 million to Massachusetts and a Cambridge-based research firm to test whether providing subsidies for buying produce will encourage food stamp recipients in Hampden County communities – including Springfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke – to eat more nutritious meals. Of the 50,000 households in Hampden County that rely on food stamps, several thousand will be offered a 30-cent discount for every dollar spent on fresh fruits and vegetables, while other families will continue to pay full price. Households will be tracked for 15 months to see whether their eating habits change and health outcomes, including obesity rates, improve. State officials hope to begin the program in fall 2011. The experiment, authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill, will guide policy makers in Washington as they consider how to revamp food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to promote better dietary habits among Americans…”
Day: August 20, 2010
Public Defender Caseloads – Minnesota
Judge: Accused still need public defenders, but bill the state, By Madeleine Baran, August 18, 2010, Minnesota Public Radio: “Karen Duncan walked into an Owatonna court room Tuesday with a bold request. Duncan, the chief public defender for 11 counties in southeastern Minnesota, asked a judge to free her and her staff from 46 criminal cases she said they are simply too overworked to handle. It was the first such request from a public defense system that is straining statewide from staff and budget reductions. Judge Casey Christian denied Duncan’s request, saying that defendants have a constitutional right to representation. But he told Duncan she could hire private attorneys for those defendants and send the bill to the state…”
Fort Collins Coloradoan Special Report on Homelessness
Special Report: Homelessness in Fort Collins, August 19, 2010, The Coloradoan: “This Coloradoan special report examines homelessness in Fort Collins with a focus on how the newly launched Homeward 2020 plan will work to end the issue of homelessness in the next decade…”