Last week the House voted 217-210 to cut $40 billion over the next decade from the nation’s food stamp program. Considering that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cost $78 billion last year, that’s a pretty substantial cut to the nation’s largest social safety net for the hungry. It’s a stunningly calculated move by the…
Is trouble brewing within the Las Vegas progressive community? According to media reports and sources I’m close to, things aren’t looking so rosy between The Gay and Lesbian Center and folks at the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN). But the question is, why? This kerfuffle stems from news that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)…
Nevada got some ink in the New York Times over the weekend we’d all probably rather it didn’t. In a story spotlighting the once-suicidal David Theisen — one of an estimated 1,500 people who were bused out of the state rather than getting the much-needed mental health care treatment they needed — the newspaper of…
Originally posted on Desert Beacon:
According to the USDA, as of June 2013 there were 362,203 persons in Nevada receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (food stamps). That would be 362,203 out of a total state population of 2,758,931. The population of the state increased by about 2.2% from April 2010 to April 2012. So, the 13.1%…
It looks like Assemblywoman Lucy Flores is on a roll. Not only did she get a mention in the Washington Post a few weeks back, but her potential bid for lieutenant governor got some (digital) ink in the Daily Kos on Sunday in this piece: Yes, she should … run for lieutenant governor of Nevada.…
It feels like just yesterday — or rather last week — that I was opining the mysteries of why Assemblywoman Lucy Flores would not be a good pick for the Democratic ticket in the lieutenant governor’s race? She’s popular in her largely Latino district; she’s the first Latina in the Assembly; she’s got a helluva…
September is Hunger Action Month and awareness campaigns have been launched nationwide to raise the profile on the serious issue of not just hunger in America, but childhood hunger. Today, our local food bank Three Square is calling on folks to Go Orange to raise awareness about this pressing issue. They are encouraging folks to…
It turns out that the rural counties and Las Vegas have more in common then either would like to admit. We both have troubling issues with current sex education standards taught in our districts. During the push for the comprehensive sex education bill at the 2013 Legislature rural folks were quick to point fingers at…
Today might be a good day to brown-bag it. As part of a nationwide strike, fast food workers in Las Vegas plan to walk out as part of a demand for fair wages. The local strike is in conjunction with actions in 50 cities all over the country, including San Diego and Los Angeles. And…
Did you see that little Washington Post blog last week about the Nevada lieutenant governor’s race? I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t. Who pays attention to a political office that is virtually a lock for an Always the Bridesmaid scenario? (Only seven past LGs have gone on to become governors, after all.) The answer,…
The Sin City Siren 