Anti-hunger bills aim to help over 1M New Jersey residents
Fresh off a weekend that emphasized a fractured party, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin shifted the focus to food insecurity and ending hunger in the Garden State.
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Concerned assembly committee wants to reform New Jersey’s foreclosure process
The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee held a hearing to receive feedback on how to make the state's complex and cumbersome foreclosure process easier for residents to navigate.
Student homelessness population grows in NY suburbs
As the school year starts, the homeless student population swells. We have an eye opening look at our neighbors in need who are “Chasing The Dream.”
‘Left Behind America’: Forgotten in the Post-recession Rust Belt
Dayton, Ohio was once a hub for innovation and industry, before businesses shut down or moved away. Then came the Great Recession. In its aftermath, part-time, low-wage work rather than full-time work with benefits has often become the new normal…
How Wisconsin is trying to head off a major worker shortage
In Wisconsin, "Help Wanted" is on virtually every restaurant window, store front and city bus. With an aging population and few immigrants, the state could have a shortage of 45,000 workers by 2024, which could pose a threat to business.…
James and Deborah Fallows traveled 100,000 miles across America. Here’s what they learned about “Our Towns”
Renowned writers James and Deborah Fallows are known to travel to places at the forefront of change. In their latest book, Our Towns, the couple details their “100,000 mile journey into the heart of America.” They found that Americans are…
Should more students consider vocational school over the college track?
Barack Obama once said, “college is the surest ticket to the middle class.” But, as students head back to school, a new report reveals that less than one in five students will make it through the high school to college…
How ‘the incarceration capital of America’ embraced criminal justice reform
For decades, the state of Louisiana has been known as the incarceration capital of America. But over the past year, the state has been trying to shed that reputation with new reforms that decrease the prison population and save money.…
A ruling against Kentucky’s Medicaid work requirements could affect other states
A federal judge recently ruled against Kentucky’s work requirement for Medicaid recipients after it became the first state to impose it. The judge called the mandate “arbitrary and capricious” in a decision that could have an impact on other states…
The ‘gig’ economy is uprooting the American workforce
A growing number of Americans are relying on side jobs or freelance “gigs” for income. And while tech companies such as Uber and AirBnB make this type of independence more accessible, journalist Sarah Kessler writes in her book, “Gigged: The…
What barriers do specifically formerly incarcerated women face?
The needs of formerly incarcerated women are often more complex than men in terms of housing, child custody and gender-specific stigma. Even with re-entry organizations to help women transition back into their communities, they often face an uphill battle to…
The Sweet Smell of Success After Strife: Metrofocus podcast
By Jenna Flanagan There’s a certain blissful joy that comes from digging into a favorite pint of ice cream, and for me, that’s anything with brownies in it. Now, as an adult, I have to limit my ice cream intake…