Judge halts welfare cuts for 41,000 Michigan residents

A federal judge today accused the state of "sleight of hand," and halted plans to end welfare benefits to nearly 41,000 Michigan residents.

U.S. District Judge Paul Borman determined after a hearing today that the state failed to give proper notice to those it planned to cut off, and although the issue was brought to the federal court in a lawsuit filed by just three plaintiffs, the judge also granted class status to include everyone affected by the state's decision.

Lawyers for the government declined to discuss after the hearing how the state will respond.

The judge's order requires the state to send new notices to all those affected — and this time the state must include a copy of a new policy that dictates the changes.

detnews.com/article/20111004/METRO/110040423/Judge-halts-welfare-cuts-for-41-000-Michigan-residents#ixzz1ZrUyf84G

Elmo & Sesame Street Join the Awareness Campaign for Childhood Hunger

There's a poignant moment right at the top of Sesame Street's new prime-time special, "Growing Hope Against Hunger." Everybody's gathered for a food drive near Hooper's store when, Lily, a new Muppet developed specifically for the show, reveals to Elmo that "sometimes I go with my family to the food pantry." Elmo is clearly jolted by the news. "Elmo never even has to think about where his next meal is coming from," he says.

It's no surprise that Sesame Street is tackling a tough societal issue. The show's been doing it from the start, setting up in New York City and debuting in 1969 with a cast of multicultural characters as friends. It was a time when a lot of Americans thought of the city as crime-ridden and racially divided.

Just in the last couple of years, the Workshop has produced specials about parents losing a job and how children grieve after a parent dies.

In the new program, which airs October 9th on PBS, (check out the sneak preview video above) the Workshop goes after the very big problem of childhood hunger. The USDA says 16 million kids live in "food-insecure" households, meaning they have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods.

www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/10/04/141020644/sesame-street-tackles-child-hunger-one-muppet-at-a-time