This blog is a place for journalists to discuss their experiences covering poverty. It works in tandem with onpoverty.org, a site run by Washington and Lee University's American Poverty Journalism Center.
Archives
3/2/08 - 3/9/08 3/9/08 - 3/16/08 3/23/08 - 3/30/08 3/30/08 - 4/6/08 4/27/08 - 5/4/08 6/15/08 - 6/22/08 7/20/08 - 7/27/08 8/17/08 - 8/24/08 9/21/08 - 9/28/08 10/5/08 - 10/12/08 10/12/08 - 10/19/08 10/19/08 - 10/26/08 10/26/08 - 11/2/08 11/2/08 - 11/9/08 11/9/08 - 11/16/08 11/16/08 - 11/23/08 11/30/08 - 12/7/08 1/11/09 - 1/18/09 1/18/09 - 1/25/09 1/25/09 - 2/1/09 2/1/09 - 2/8/09 2/8/09 - 2/15/09 2/22/09 - 3/1/09 3/1/09 - 3/8/09 3/8/09 - 3/15/09 3/15/09 - 3/22/09 3/22/09 - 3/29/09 3/29/09 - 4/5/09 5/3/09 - 5/10/09 9/20/09 - 9/27/09 9/27/09 - 10/4/09 10/4/09 - 10/11/09 10/18/09 - 10/25/09 10/25/09 - 11/1/09 11/15/09 - 11/22/09 Current Posts
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
Texas recovers more than $1.4 million from unemployment fraud
The Texas Workforce Commission recovered more than $1.4 million in 2008 from prosecutions for unemployment insurance fraud, which includes providing false information or failing to report self-employment or other earnings. Some of the cases were sizable. In East Texas, the commission recovered nearly $27,000 on five bogus claims. In addition to restitution, those convicted paid up to $1,000 in fines and served community service hours; some went to jail.
Original story
Labels: fraud, Texas Workforce Commission, unemployment insurance
Employers attempting to block unemployment benefits
Employers are trying to block jobless benefits to more than a quarter of the people who apply for them nationwide, including in Utah. Even if employees quit their jobs, they may be eligible for benefits if they prove that remaining on the job would have an adverse effect or that they continue to be in the labor market. Meanwhile, unemployment in Utah is at 4.3 percent, and initial unemployment benefits claims in January were up 10,000 from a year ago, to 24,000.
Original story
Labels: jobless benefits, unemployment benefits claims, unemployment eligibility, Utah
Federal bailout my be necessary for Texas jobless fund
Texas unemployment officials fear a “real deficit” in the compensation trust fund by September or October, and may need to borrow money from the federal government to keep the state fund afloat. Initial claims for benefits are more than double what they were a year ago, so the state may be forced to obtain the interest-free loan.
Original story
Labels: deficit, federal loan, jobless fund, Texas, Texas Workforce Commission, unemployment benefits
Oregon unemployment rate reaches 9.9 percent
Unemployment in the state of Oregon reached 9.9 percent in January, with 14,600 jobs lost that month. Joblessness has not been this high since the mid-1980’s, when the state was recovering from a recession that ruined the housing and wood products industry. One labor market economist says Oregon was hit harder than the nation as a whole over the last year.
Original story
Labels: joblessness, Oregon, recession, unemployment
Travel sites’ bad reviews rouse Honolulu concerns about homeless
With homelessness on the rise in Honolulu, the city is receiving negative feedback from travel sites such as Expedia and TripAdvisor. One state lawmaker says the bad reviews are undermining Hawaii’s reputation as a sunny paradise, and insists the city has the resources to restore the homeless-filled public parks. With 150 to 300 homeless people living in Kapiolani park alone, officials are working on a law that would make sleeping in the park at any time illegal.
Original story
Labels: Expedia, Hawaii, homelessness, Honolulu, public parks, travel sites, TripAdvisor
On Poverty.Org is organized by students at
washington and lee university in Lexington, VA.
Supervisor: Prof. Ed Wasserman.
WEBMASTER: Kat Greene. Site Editors: Kat Greene, Melissa Caron.
Marketing DIrectors: Abby SteinBock, Betsy Chaplin.
Technology Supervisors: James Dick, Ilgiz Soubanov