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SNAP cuts could lead to kids losing free school breakfast and lunch

Elementary school kids go through the lunch line. Cuts to the nation’s largest food assistance program may cause students to lose access to free breakfast and lunch. (Photo by Marcus Constantino for West Virginia Watch) Cuts to the nation’s largest food assistance program will likely spill over into schools, causing students to lose access to free breakfast and lunch. More than 1 million American children have lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, following a recent federal law. Now, as schools gear up for a new term, a portion of those children could be at risk of losing free meals — viewed as crucial supports for both childhood hunger and classroom learning.   But the changes in cafeterias could affect even families who have never participated in the federal food stamp program. Many students who receive free school meals automatically qualify because of their household participation in SNAP or Medicaid. So a reduction in those social service progra...
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Alabama Public Service Commission lowers rate of return for energy company

A natural gas meter with pipe on wall. The Alabama Public Service Commission Tuesday voted to reduce the return of equity for two Spire Energy subsidiaries after a rate hearing. (Bill Oxford/Getty Images) The state commission regulating investor-owned utilities Tuesday reduced the rate of return that a St.Louis-based energy company can earn. The Alabama Public Service Commission voted to authorize Spire Alabama to receive a return on equity of 9.4% for the next two years, based largely on the recommendation of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office. That is a difference of 1.1% from the 10.5% return on equity that company officials sought, and lower than what it currently collects. But commissioners also authorized the company, which serves roughly 500,000 customers in Alabama, to increase its monthly charge on customers by a total of $5 per month in phases. The company may increase the fixed monthly charge by $2.50 starting Oct. 1, 2026, and by another $2.50 on the same date next ye...
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Feds and 22 states sue Amazon, alleging deceptive advertising scheme

An Amazon warehouse near Newport, Delaware. The Federal Trade Commission and 22 states have sued Amazon over an alleged scheme to inflate advertising prices. (Photo by Jacob Owens/Spotlight Delaware) The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from 22 states sued Amazon Monday, claiming the online retail company used artificial bids to inflate costs for advertisers, bringing in tens of billions of dollars. The complaint alleges that Amazon used an “invented auction participant” to drive up prices for advertising placements and sponsored product spots on its online store. The lawsuit quotes a former company employee who said the system allowed the company to charge prices “beyond what [can] be achieved through advertiser competition.” “Amazon has millions of advertising customers who were misled into paying significantly higher prices,” FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a statement. “These higher costs were largely passed on to American consumers.” The complaint says that A...
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A summer of recalls exposes holes in the nation’s food safety net

Vegetables and lettuces at a grocery store in Michigan. A summer of food recalls, including the record-shattering cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce that has sickened thousands, has raised many Americans’ fears of contracting a foodborne illness. (Photo by Jon King/Michigan Advance) Jalapenos. Frozen berries. Beef. Alfalfa sprouts. A summer of food recalls, including the record-shattering cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce that has sickened thousands, has raised many Americans’ fears of contracting a foodborne illness. The recalls have focused attention on the Trump administration’s decision to cut funding and staff at several public health agencies, and prompted questions about whether those changes have made consumers more vulnerable. In fact, this year’s tally of food recalls is roughly in line with the numbers in recent years. About 48 million people each year get sick from a foodborne illness. But experts worry that the scope, severity and scale of out...
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LGBTQ+ adults more likely to miss or forgo healthcare, survey finds

LGBTQ+ pride flags. LGBTQ+ adults are more likely than other adults to miss healthcare appointments due to cost or other reasons, according to a new survey by health policy research group KFF. (Photo by Susan J. Demas/Michigan Advance) LGBTQ+ adults are more likely than other adults to miss healthcare appointments due to cost or other reasons — with a third reporting their health worsened as a result, according to a new survey by health policy research group KFF. Among the 2,640 LGBTQ+ adults surveyed, those who are transgender, younger than 30 and those with lower incomes or without insurance were most likely to miss or forgo care due to cost. Over three-quarters of uninsured LGBTQ+ adults reported missing needed healthcare, according to the survey . Overall, 6 in 10 of the adults surveyed reported missing needed healthcare in the past year due to cost, being unable to find a provider with available appointments or other reasons, compared with 38% of non-LGBTQ+ adults. Transgender a...
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Gov. Kay Ivey schedules November execution for Michael Taylor

MIchael Shannon Taylor was sentenced to death for the murders of Ivan and Lucille Moore in their home in Gadsden in 1991. Gov. Kay Ivey Monday scheduled his execution for November. (Alabama Department of Corrections) Gov. Kay Ivey set a November execution date for a death row inmate convicted of murdering a Gadsden couple in 1991. Michael Shannon Taylor, 54, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Nov. 5 for his role in the murders of Ivan and Lucille Moore. It is one of two executions scheduled in the last quarter of the year, and could be the state’s third in 2026 if both are carried out. According to court documents, Taylor, then 19, was absent without leave from the Navy when he solicited a ride home from the Moores, whom he knew. Taylor asked to use the Moores’ telephone while inside. According to documents, Taylor beat the couple to death while in the house. Taylor was convicted of two counts of capital murder for the deaths of the Moores and another capital count ...
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Democrats aim to emulate Republicans in building state power

Montana state Sen. Cora Neuman, a Democrat, speaks at a January news conference in the Minnesota Capitol surrounded by state lawmakers from across the country amid a surge in immigration enforcement there. Democrats say they are increasingly organizing lawmakers across state lines to better compete with the influence of organized conservative groups. (Photo by Michelle Griffith/Minnesota Reformer) Progressive activist Gaby Goldstein thinks her opponents are brilliant. Despite her deeply held liberal politics, she admires the work of conservative groups that for decades have built influence in state governments across the country.  “We on the left have left a huge amount of power on the table,” said Goldstein, the founder and president of State Futures, a nonprofit launched last year that coordinates hundreds of Democratic lawmakers across the states. Few on the right have been as influential as the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. Founded in 1973, ALEC touts over 2,00...
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