LIFE-NET NEWS

by Ret Z.

Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices

June 25, 2008	No Profit; No Proceeds
Volume 12 Number 4	All-Volunteer

"Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal;  give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life."

NJ Senate Votes on Regional Contribution Agreements

Four members of the New Jersey Regional Coalition (NJRC), an alliance of religious and civic leaders, conducted prayer vigils last week in front of the offices of Republican Senators Philip Haines and Diane Allen. The group wanted the two state legislators to vote in favor of Senate Bill 1783, which would abolish Regional Contribution Agreements (RCAs), a state rule that allows one municipality to pay another municipality to take on some of its affordable housing obligation.       NJ is the only state with a constitutional requirement to create affordable housing. Supporters of the bill contend that the requirement has failed. They say that RCAs have made the state economically and racially segregated, and that the bill would increase affordable housing throughout the state.       Opponents argue that RCAs have provided millions of dollars to poor cities. They say that the bill would push housing into suburban communities fighting overdevelopment. Remaining open spaces would fill up with housing, they say, and property taxes would rise.       The bill, sponsored by Sen Dana Redd (D-Camden) and Sen Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), was scheduled to come up for a vote on Monday. On June 16, the Assembly had voted 45-33 in favor of an identical bill sponsored by Speaker Joe Roberts (D-Camden) and Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer).       "What you have is affluent communities pushing their housing problems into poor communities, dangling money in the process," said NJRC member Frank Portee III. "If each community has affordable housing, it gives people a stepping stone to the American dream."       Since 1988, 120 mostly upper-and middle-class towns used RCAs to pay a combined $210 million to 53 poorer communities, said NJRC members. Municipalities that accept the payments must use the money to provide more or rehabilitate affordable units.       NJRC member Rebecca Bates, a Jesuit volunteer serving in a Mount Laurel afterschool program, said she had seen first-hand the impact of affordable homes in the lives of low-income families. "Going to a better school, having a safer playing environment, it really makes a difference in these kids' lives and their future."       On Monday, by a vote of 21-16, the State Senate passed the bill, which would next go Gov Jon Corzine for his signature. Corzine has said publicly that he opposes RCAs.       The bill-turned-law could signal the first step toward a total overhaul of the state's affordable housing laws. In addition to abolishing RCAs, it would: Create a fee on commercial development, which would raise up to $120 million to help bring 115,000 new affordable homes by 2018. Require 20% of housing in developments that get state funding be set aside as affordable. Allow municipalities in the Highlands, Pinelands, Meadowlands, Fort Monmouth, and Atlantic City regions to jointly provide affordable housing around job and transportation centers. Permit developers to compete for tax credits to help build affordable housing.       Source: Courier-Post       Source: New Jersey State League of Municipalities       Source: Associated Press

Canada Apologizes for Residential School Abuses

The Canadian government officially apologized on June 11 for its treatment of Natives at residential schools. In a historic speech before the House of Commons, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the goal of the schools was to assimilate Native children. Students were barred from speaking their language and practicing their culture. Harper said, "Indeed, some sought, as it was infamously said, 'to kill the Indian in the child.'"       Beyond being forcibly separated from their communities, Harper acknowledged, Native people suffered physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at the schools. He said their mistreatment contributed directly to high rates of unemployment, poverty, suicide, and other social problems that persist today.       "The government of Canada sincerely apologizes," said Harper, "and asks the forgiveness of the Aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly."       The apology is one component of a $1.9 billion settlement between the government and former students. In addition to the payout and the apology, the settlement establishes the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Harper said that the commission will promote public awareness and education about the school system, which began in the 1870s and continued for a century.       The schools were funded by the government and managed by a number of churches. The Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian, and United churches previously apologized for their role in the tragedy.       "We heard the government of Canada take full responsibility for this dreadful chapter in our shared history," said Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine. "We heard the prime minister declare that this will never happen again. Finally, we heard Canada say it is sorry."       Source: Indianz.com

NJ Considers School Vouchers

As New Jersey struggles to improve its poor urban schools, the liberal-leaning state is considering a measure generally favored by conservatives -- government-backed scholarships to help pay for children to attend private schools. Seven states and Washington DC offer publicly funded school voucher programs, and NJ lawmakers are considering a version for students attending some of its poorest schools, mostly in bigger cities.       Sen Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) is pushing legislation that would provide scholarships to help low-income children in Camden, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Lakewood, Newark, Orange, Paterson, and Trenton pay tuition at nonpublic schools. The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee discussed the bill at a session last week but, says Lesniak, probably won't vote on the measure until the fall.       The scholarships would be paid by corporations, which in turn would receive state tax breaks. Over the first five years, the program would cost the state $360 million.       The proposal has been embraced by corporations. Paul Tyahla of the Commerce and Industry Association of NJ said that employers have begun questioning the value of a NJ high school diploma and want alternatives.       Parents and advocates from the state's poorest cities are pressing lawmakers to approve the measure. Martin Perez of the state's Latino Leadership Alliance, said, "The problem is the Latino kids and the black kids are over-represented in the bad schools, and this project gives us an opportunity to get out of those schools."       The plan faces fierce opposition from groups that contend the state should concentrate on improving poorly performing urban schools. The New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, is mounting a campaign against the bill. "This legislation costs corporations nothing," said NJEA president Joyce Powell. "It costs the state taxpayers, however, $360 million at a time when we can least afford it."       "This legislation is not anti-public school," said the Rev Reginald Jackson, director of the NJ Black Ministers Council. "It is pro-quality education."       Mary Rone, a Newark mother, said urban parents are tired of waiting for public schools success. "When it comes to education, any waiting for the goods to get delivered is just plain unacceptable."       Source: Associated Press

'Let Children Be Seen and Heard' in Africa

UN officials marked this year's Day of the African Child (June 16 annually) by highlighting the need to ensure that the voices of young people are heard in their schools, communities, and countries. "Right to Participate: Let Children Be Seen and Heard" was the theme of this year's Day, which was commemorated in countries across the continent with events including songs, dances, and drama presentations.       The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) marked the Day by drawing attention to the importance of the active involvement of children in schools, community action, media, and governance. "Every year, the Day of the African Child reminds adults of the importance to include children in the planning and decision making processes in Sudan," UNICEF Country Representative Ted Chaiban said, calling for greater efforts to listen to the voices of children and to protect them from harm. "With an estimated 20 million Sudanese under the age of 18 -- half of the population -- it is vital that the views and aspirations of this generation form a central pillar in the recovery and development of Sudan."       At a ceremony in Rwanda, UNICEF's Officer in Charge congratulated both the government and children of that country "for leading Africa in promoting children's participation." Patrice Demoustier told the gathering of children, government officials, and development partners that through their participation in district forums and their initiative to write a separate chapter on children in Rwanda's Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy, "the children of this country have shown how important it is for all of us to listen to children's concerns."       Source: United Nations

An Art Exhibit for Social Action

"You can do whatever you like with your hands, but try to do good things," says the caption on a picture taken by Hlengiwe Masando, a member of the Tanda Children's Photo Project. Tanda is an organization for South African youth affected by HIV/AIDS. A series of photographs by these young people shows a glimpse of their struggle, but what may strike some viewers is their evident gratitude for the smallest pleasures -- sisters hugging, a child laughing.       Columbia senior Sam Wilson and West Chester graduate Jessica Caso gathered a group of area artists to form SmartArt: Art for Social Action. Their work was on display through Sunday at the Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon PA.       Artists have always used their brushes to make social comment. These artists took young Masando's sentiment to heart and produced a body of work to benefit charities worldwide, from Africa to Palestine to New Orleans. There are advocates for the American Civil Liberties Union, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Defenders of Wildlife, the Sojourner project, organizations to raise awareness of the 300,000 child soldiers throughout the world, victims of Katrina, global warming, and even The World War 4 Report, an independent online news agency.       "Horrifying" is the word Wilson uses to describe the suffering in Darfur. His images of genocide victims' faces are gripping.       Artist Mary Ann Leitch's Eco-Animal Awareness Series speaks to concerns about animals removed from the wild and those whose habitats are being destroyed.       A happier way to "capture" exotic animals might be to buy one of the glittering beaded wire animals crafted by artisans in Durban, South Africa. Iridescent frogs, yawning hippos, and ferocious crocodiles are affordably priced and benefit the Tanda program.       An otherwise bucolic village scene by Judy Wilson is rendered chilling when the artist explains that her canvas represents the "sad reality of a child-headed household trying to have a normal day."       More works can be seen (and ordered) on the Web. 25% of the proceeds from each work go to the artist's designated charity, and 50% is slated for a fund for children's art therapy.       Source: Main Line Times       Source: SmartArt: Art for Social Action

Suriname Sex Trade Exploits Dominicans and Brazilians

Some 5,000 Dominican and Brazilian women work as prostitutes in Suriname, where both are ill-treated and exploited, according to the results of an investigation presented last month in Santo Domingo. Dominican and Brazilian women represent virtually 100% of the sex workers in Suriname, a country of some 476,000 inhabitants.       The "Trinational Investigation into the Treatment and Trafficking of Women", carried out by several organizations and disseminated by the COIN research institute, revealed that between 3,000 and 4,000 Dominican women are forced to engage in prostitution in Suriname in largely clandestine transactions in which they are maltreated and raped. Sometimes women disappear. The researchers found that prostitutes from Brazil "suffer the constant violation of their human rights."       Marcel Hazeu of the Brazilian organization Sodireitos, which participated in the study, said that although her countrywomen have in common with the Dominicans the need to escape from poverty and support their families, "the Dominicans have a greater awareness of the exploitation to which they are subjected."       "The Brazilians don't organize themselves to resist," she said, "but the Dominicans realize that they are exploited and subjected to violence, although they don't have a community or a consulate" in Suriname.       There does exist a Brazilian consulate in the small country. Hazeu said that "the big lie of the (sex) traders is to feed in Dominican and Brazilian women great expectations, which they never fulfill," since "economic earnings are scarce" for both.       The great illusion in the minds of the women is, she added, that they may be able to marry a rich Surinamese man, "it doesn't matter if he's a drug trafficker, a politician or a man with four wives living in different houses which he throws out when he gets tired of them."       Some women gravitate to prostitution because of poverty and the inequality of the sexes, according to one of COIN's heads, Santo Rosario, who complained that the immigration laws, approved to combat the crime of people-selling and trafficking, "make the problem clandestine and invisible and make it so that the women suffer more." This reality, Rosario said, "demands the establishment of policies of labor integration and the authorization of microloans so that poor women can find work in conditions of equality in their society of origin."       Source: Agencia EFE

Camden Approves New Ordinance to Displace Crime

Ablett Village's trouble doesn't live within its brick walls and screen doors, said 15-year resident Tracey Best-Urey. Instead, trouble lurks within this 65-year-old public housing project's courtyards, parking lots, and street corners. Trouble strikes most often in the form of drug dealers and prostitutes who use Ablett Village as their outdoor market, selling whatever and whenever they can, residents and police said.       "It's the outsiders who are problems. The people who don't live out here," Best-Urey, 44, said. "The people who got killed were all outsiders." She's referring to the three people gunned down inside the complex in the past year. Each of the homicides was drug-related, according to Camden police.       Residents have asked law enforcement to remove the criminals from their stoops and lawns. But telling them to leave is often a five-minute solution because they return.       The city council hopes to remedy this. Yesterday, the council approved an ordinance -- which takes effect July 14 -- allowing police to charge nonresidents with defiant trespass for failure to leave, and stay off, public housing property.       Officials said the beauty of the new rule is that it allows the police -- through an agreement with the housing authority -- to serve as complainant. Complaints will no longer have to be filed by tenants or housing officials: Tenants have seldom taken the risk because violence could result, said police, and housing officials are hard to come by during a 3am 9-1-1 call.       "If Mrs Smith calls and says a gentleman is sitting on my front steps, police officers don't have to involve Mrs Smith. Through this proxy, they can be told to leave, and if we come back and see them sitting on Smith's steps, we can charge them with defiant trespass," said Scott Thomson, a deputy chief with the city police. Conviction of defiant trespassing carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a fine.       Council President Angel Fuentes characterized the ordinance as keeping a promise with the residents to take action. He also said the ordinance has been vetted extensively to ensure it holds up in court.       Source: Courier-Post

Filipino Education Dept Pushes 'Power Vegetable'

The Philippines Department of Education (DepEd) wants elementary and secondary schools nationwide to plant malunggay ("moringa" in English), integrating the activity into science classes and community outreach projects. DepEd Memorandum Order Number 234 enjoins bureau directors, regional directors, and school division/city superintendents to support the initiative.       The Bureau of Plant Industry, in line with agreements between the DepEd and the Department of Agriculture (DA), will provide technical assistance in propagating plants and processing malunggay leaves and fruits for food. It will also provide planting materials.       Education Secretary Jesli Lapus is a staunch advocate of malunggay as a food supplement for undernourished school children. Studies have shown that the vegetable is one of the most nutritious and useful plants in the world.       The DA’s Biotechnology Program Office promotes malunggay as a "power gulay" as it is seven times richer in Vitamin C than oranges, four times richer in calcium, two times richer in protein than milk, four times richer in Vitamin A than carrots, and three times richer in potassium than bananas.       DepEd Health and Nutrition Center director Thelma Santos said that her office would publish a malunggay recipe book.       Source: Biolife News Service

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Conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, driving up the global number of refugees after several years of decline, the UN refugee agency said on June 17. In 2007, 11.4 million refugees were living outside their countries, compared with 9.9 million in 2006, the UNHCR said in its annual report. A further 26 million were displaced within their own countries, up from 24.2 million the year before. Bad governance, environmental degradation, and rising food prices were generating instability and "new patterns of forced displacement" in many regions, according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres. UNHCR said the top refugee-hosting countries include Pakistan, Syria, Iran, Germany, and Jordan. It said nearly half the world's refugees are from Afghanistan and Iraq. (Associated Press) Legislation was proposed in both the Senate and Assembly Thursday requiring all of NJ's assisted living facilities to have at least 10% of their population be Medicaid-eligible residents. Bill sponsor Sen Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May) said the bill is intended to ensure that people who spend all their life savings to stay in a residence are not moved out due to financial decisions by the facility. A 2001 state law required newly licensed assisted living facilities to accept at least 10% of patients eligible for Medicaid, but it exempted facilities already in operation. The proposal also requires that half of the requirement be met by directly admitting Medicaid-eligible residents, with the balance obtained as private payers exhaust their savings and switch over to Medicaid. (Gannett) The Korean Justice Ministry has revealed that 1,951 people applied for refugee status in Korea between 1994 -- when the country began accepting applications -- and May 2008. But Korea granted refugee status to only 76 applicants, the lowest number among the 30 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Korea's poor record on refugees is due to a lack of interest at the government level. The UN installed the High Commissioner for Refugees in 1951, but Korea only joined the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees in December 1992 and began accepting applicants two years later. Only 96 applied until 2000, but applicant numbers have since soared to 717 last year alone, and there have been calls for special measures to protect refugees. The largest numbers of applicants came from Nepal (374), China (302), and Burma (192). (Chosun Ilbo) Despite worrying about a comfortable old age, almost 80% of working Indians do not have any specific plans for retirement other than what is mandated by law, according to MetLife surveys. "The very concept of retirement savings is new or distant to workers in many developing economies such as Mexico and India", said MetLife International president William Toppeta. "By tradition, typically a family would take care of its older members, but with the geographic mobility among more young people to locations far away from their family home base, the traditional family safety net is becoming frayed in many fast-growing countries." (Express India) The Camden Schools Foundation held its third golf tournament fundraiser today at the Pennsauken Country Club in an effort to provide $2,500 college scholarships to 20 students from the city's four high schools. Winning students had to show commitment to a four-year college and had to pledge to return to Camden and provide a public service. Terry Deckert, who serves on the foundation, said the annual event can dispel the negative stereotypes of Camden and its students: "People have been predisposed to thinking that kids don't go to school or don't put the effort in, but as you get closer to them, you see a great many of these kids are very talented but what they lack are some of the same opportunities that kids in more suburban schools have." (Courier-Post)

Life-Net News Extras

New Solutions Needed Amid Republicrat Leadership Vacuum

Adapted from a piece by someone who has starred on Life-Net Radio several times, candidate Tino Rozzo:       I have been following the issues of poverty and business. I can't help but become angry at times. The solutions are there yet you will not hear much about them. Cumberland County (NJ) has many problems, and they are mounting. The Republicrats will not offer real solutions, but only further Band-Aids. Here are some solutions: The federal government must establish a system that provides a livable universal income. The departments for welfare and food assistance should become departments of public works. Rather than build new sports stadiums and convention centers, concentrate on providing affordable housing for all. Reduce the workweek to 32 hours and introduce a living wage. Nationalize the major corporations and institute share-the-wealth programs.       And there are many more initiatives not even discussed by the Democrats. As Norman Thomas once said, "They (Democrats) bring the programs out on a stretcher." Their social programs of the '60s and '70s didn't work, because they were about people management rather than freedom.       The Democrats lost their majority and credibility for the next 40 years. And we suffered because of it by allowing the Republicans to destroy us. The vision of Robert Kennedy went unfulfilled.       Now we have the business community complaining about affordable housing getting in the way of business. Mankind should be our business. The business community has had it too good for too long here in New Jersey. There has been reckless building, environmental damage, and gentrification (displacing the poor for the rich). These policies have contributed to global warming, agitated the crime rate, and destroyed the lives of innocent people -- those who make low incomes and live on public assistance and Social Security.       Cut business taxes? The rich already get too many tax breaks, and the rich have ruined the state. Because of it, the poor and hard-working people must pick up the tab and pay for their benefits and privileges.       The rich are a drain on our tax dollars. We the people need a tax break, and a break from all things capitalist.       Let's grow jobs. How about Vineland becoming a livable sustainable community with an ecological industrial park, complete with cottage industries, worker-owned co-operatives, and public works for infrastructure and ecology?       How about fewer strip malls, stadiums, and convention centers and more job development? Some business people think they have a constitutional right to destroy our environment. New Jersey is a small state with way too many social problems to be ignored.       Democrats speak of voter rights. Those rights aren't extended beyond the Democratic Party. It is our responsibility to vote for the benefit of society. It is time for real change.       Source: Vineland Daily Journal

The Food's Free in Summer

With the tough economy and fewer food stamps in the summertime, Sissie Ames was happy to be able to bring her two grandchildren to Sarah Pyle Academy in Wilmington DE for a free lunch. "I'll be here every day," said Ames, 52, who lives in nearby Compton Towers. "It really helps out. They have dinner here once a week. So on that day, I don't have to worry about feeding them."       The Christina School District, one of six districts in Delaware that take part in the USDA Summer Food Service Program, serves free breakfast and lunches at 13 schools, helping ensure that children continue to get well-balanced, hot meals prepared on site during summer vacation. The Brandywine, Capital, Colonial, Indian River, and Woodbridge school districts have similar free lunch programs in the summer, said Ron Gough, spokesman for the state's Department of Education, which administers funding for the program.       June 17 marked the first day of the program in Christina. It will continue Monday through Thursday at most of the participating schools through August 6. At three of the schools, dinner also is served once a week on Wednesdays, something that was added last year.       The district extended its advertising this year to include posters on local buses to help get the word out. Word of mouth also has helped the program grow. Christina served about 21,000 summertime meals two years ago, the first year it started, and it provided more than 36,000 last year. With the extra advertising, the district is shooting for 10% more growth this year, said Tony Williams, who heads the program and supervises the district's Child Nutrition Services.       "I'm very passionate about it," he said. "I have two daughters. I love kids. We have the ability to do it, so why not?"       The federally funded program is open to children under 18, although the majority of children who take part typically are elementary and middle school students. The meals are free for everyone, and the children do not have to be enrolled in the district.       There are no forms to fill out, Williams said, although both he and the district's nutrition operation specialist do take the opportunity to sign up families for the regular free- or reduced-price meals that are served during the school year.       Source: Wilmington News Journal

AHOME Completes First 10-Year Round of Affordable Rehabs

Nashea Thomas only wanted to provide her 3-year old daughter with a yard. Now she's deciding what play set to buy and whether she wants a pool.       Thomas moved into her new home earlier this month with her fiancé, Andrew Rivera, and daughter A'naysha Rivera. But Thomas had to wait for two years and a complete rehabilitation before she became a homeowner.       Thomas purchased the last house of the 38 rehabilitation projects Affordable Homes of Millville [NJ] Ecumenical Inc began in 1998. The move allows the organization to start its next round of 23 rehab projects in Center City.       Thomas, a 22-year-old certified nurse's aide and full-time student at Cumberland County College, agreed to buy the home -- unaffectionately dubbed "Big Blue" by AHOME staff. Many in the Center City area labeled the large blue home an eyesore, but Thomas hung tough, checking in from her Vineland apartment on the renovation's status about twice a month. "There were times when I just felt like 'forget it,'" she said. "But I saw what it could be at the end."       Donna Turner, AHOME executive director, said converting the section of the duplex into a three-bedroom home was the toughest project the organization ever performed.       Thomas "knew what she wanted, and she stayed firm on her goal for home ownership," Turner said. "I'm very proud of her that she had the strength to see it through."       The 100-year-old home has survived two fires, Turner said. The staff spent two years acquiring the property and performing a gut rehab. The project cost $160,000.       "We rebuilt everything from scratch," she said. "It was the worst of the worst. I'm really proud of it."       The house was sold for $62,400. Thomas will pay $600 a month over a 30-year mortgage.       The house is deed-restricted for 10 years for low income residents and must be owner-occupied. AHOME also installed Energy Star windows and appliances.       The organization, which receives grants from the state, will focus now on its next phase and renovate 23 homes in the Center City area, Turner said. The organization has acquired 11 homes and sites and will keep all its properties deed-restricted for low-income families.       The homes will cost $70,000 to $90,000 based on the family's income, Turner said. "We will continue to do low income, because there is a need in Cumberland County."       Source: Vineland Daily Journal

New Initiative Would Get Some Tenants Evicted

Several dozen landlords turned out last Wednesday evening to learn about a new program under consideration by the Millville City Commission that could allow them to evict tenants who commit crimes on their property. The initiative, first enacted in Glassboro earlier this year, promotes a relationship between police and landlords. When a tenant is arrested for criminal activity at the property, both entities move toward immediate eviction, Glassboro Police Chief Alex Fanfarillo said.       "We will partner with every landlord that signs up," he said to the audience. The city "will have to embrace this program. Then you must embrace this program and sign up."       Under the program, police would provide background checks and recommendations on prospective tenants. Fanfarillo said that it would be up to owners to decide who should live on their property.       The program cannot retroactively evict tenants, he added.       City officials are lined up to support the program. Millville Planning Director Kim Ayres said the city could start it in September. Police Chief Ed Grennon said officers would have no problem adopting this program locally.       Public Safety Director Dave Vanaman said the program would help landlords and the city. "This will be a start of a major undertaking in Millville to have peace in the neighborhood."       Weed & Seed Coordinator Liz Nicklus said about 90 of the city's roughly 800 landlords attended the meeting, held at the Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts. Some landlords who attended to get information on the program said they've had mixed experiences with tenants.       Vineland resident Robert Sanders said he checks on all of his 20 rental properties in Millville almost daily. "I don't have problems," he said. "I know who's living in my properties."       Long Beach Island residents Ted and Karen LaMantia, who own two homes on North 4th Street, said they've had repeated problems with tenants. They said that landlords could save more by evicting bad tenants rather than allowing them to stay at their property and trying to work it out.       Ted said that he has multiple clients that owe him thousands of dollars, including one tenant who declared bankruptcy twice to avoid paying him $6,000 she owed. Karen said that landlords need a service that gives them background information on tenants. "If we had that, we could weed out the bad tenants."       Source: Vineland Daily Journal

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The US has pledged a $2.5-million bilateral aid package to build more classrooms and rehabilitate old school buildings in Mindanao, Philippines, despite the fact that on Sunday a US transport helicopter, which was ferrying patients to and from the USNS Mercy hospital ship in Polloc, was fired upon by unidentified men. Under the package, 120 classrooms would be built and 480 more would be rehabilitated over four years. Funds will also be allocated for books, desks, teachers' tables and chairs, blackboards, cabinets, fans, clocks, lavatories, and water and power facilities. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) The financially stressed Camden school district will lay off 84 full-time employees and eliminate 60 vacant positions for the 2008-09 school year, the school board decided on June 12. The layoffs will help save close to $10 million a year, part of a broader plan to fill a $19 million deficit and satisfy a state demand to cut the budget to about $341 million. Due to the layoffs, the district's licensed practical nursing program and an adult education program will disappear. The layoffs will also include a dozen assistant principals. (Gannett) The percentage of underweight babies born in the US has increased to its highest in 40 years, according to the new Kids Count report, which also documents a recent rise in the number of children living in poverty. According to Kids Count, the latest available federal data (2005) showed that 8.2% of US babies were born at low birthweight, a level not seen since 1968. The worst rate, 11.8% in Mississippi, was nearly twice the 6.1% rate in the best states (Alaska, Oregon, and Washington). Kids Count project coordinator Laura Beavers said part of the overall increase in low-birthweight babies was due to a rise in multiple births as more older women use fertility treatments. But, she said, the birthweight problem also has been worsening for single-baby deliveries. The rate of low-weight births is sharply higher for blacks (13.6%) than for whites (7.3%) or Hispanics (6.9%). Other important factors, according to Beavers, are the mother's overall health at the time of pregnancy and her access to good prenatal care. (Associated Press)

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