Free School Meals Have Ended For Many, But Not In California
A report in the Los Angeles Times details the provisions put in place to ensure free school meals are accessible to all students. In other news, a potential 20%-plus rate increase in Connecticut's insurance rates, leaded aviation gas, a boil water advisory in Michigan and more.
Los Angeles Times:
Free For All California Students: At Least Two Meals A Day
California is the first state to enact free school meals for students served by public school districts, county offices of education and charter schools, whether or not they’re eligible for the National School Lunch Program’s free or reduced-price meals. The state started a universal meal effort last year, with the federal government picking up most of the tab ... (Garcia and Healey, 8/15)
In updates from Connecticut —
The CT Mirror:
CT Insurance Department Pressed To Reject Double-Digit Rate Increases
Mike Smith counts himself as lucky. When, at 21, he discovered a golf ball-sized tumor on his neck, he had health coverage and a support system to back him up. (Carlesso, 8/15)
The CT Mirror:
Why This CT Town Rejected A Mental Health Center At Its High School
When the small northeastern Connecticut community of Killingly was presented a proposal earlier this year for a grant-funded, school-based mental health center, the local board of education said no. (Monk, 8/15)
In environmental health news from Colorado, Michigan, and Texas —
Colorado Community Media:
Doctors Ask Jefferson County Officials To Take Action On Leaded Aviation Gas
A group of doctors sent Jefferson County commissioners a letter and a petition signed by 35 health care professionals asking the elected officials to act on leaded fuel at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. (Zarzecki, 8/15)
Detroit Free Press:
Boil Water Advisory To Continue For 2 Weeks As Repairs Begin
Seven communities, approximately 133,000 people, will remain under a boil water advisory for two weeks while the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) investigates what caused the Saturday morning break. A new section of the 120-inch pipe arrived Monday, beginning the repair process that's anticipated to take a week to complete. (Marini, 8/15)
Houston Chronicle:
Contaminated Fifth Ward Rail Yard Linked To Dangerous Toxic Waste
Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens residents have been fighting for years to get hazardous creosote chemicals cleaned up from the ground and groundwater around their homes. But creosote might not have been the only harmful substance that workers used at the rail yard in the neighborhood, and it might not have been the most dangerous. (Foxhall, 8/15)
