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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Month: January 2019

January 2 – 4, 2019

Employers added 312,000 jobs last month, capping a year of robust hiring despite trade tensions, a housing industry slowdown and volatility on Wall Street. The unemployment rate was 3.9 percent.

 

“Fifteen dollars an hour has become the new minimum wage, meaning that that’s to afford the basics,” one employment-law expert said. “It’s just a start.”

 

No-frills bank accounts developed for low-income customers are gaining popularity among a broader swath of customers.

 

Native Americans, entitled to federal services under treaties, are bearing the brunt of the government shutdown and worried about more pain to come.

 

Cancer is a tremendous burden for anyone, but for a growing number of lower-income and even middle-class patients, an illness means an avalanche of trouble.

 

Before the end of her first day in office on Thursday, Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order directing the state Department of Health and Human Services to “swiftly and efficiently” begin implementing a statewide expansion of Medicaid.

 

Brad Little, the governor-elect of Idaho, says work requirements and other conditions are on the table as the Legislature and governor’s office talk about how to implement Medicaid expansion.

 

A Tampa Bay Times investigation finds Florida’s overburdened foster care system repeatedly bounces children from home to home and family to family.

 

Shana Sykes faced eviction, struggled with her mental health and experienced homelessness. There’s a reason why her kids attended so many schools.

 

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s broader plan for public schools has been disappointing, but his universal pre-K initiative shows steady improvement.