NEWS
Stay current with the latest news in Social Justice
Kansas Legal Services helped Navy veteran, attacked by pirates, secure disability benefits
By: Anna Kaminski – September 3, 2024 8:45 am TOPEKA — When pirates attacked Leah Delamarter and her U.S. Naval crewmates at sea, somewhere between the east African countries of Djibouti and Somalia in 2009, she suffered injuries to her central nervous system that caused lifelong damage to the right side of her body. She looks back on…
Study: Individuals with pre-existing disabilities had long COVID and much higher rates than peers
by University of Kansas September 3, 2024 The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard on individuals with disabilities. New research from the University of Kansas shows that this population is also experiencing long COVID at significantly higher rates than the general population, which exacerbates existing barriers to accessing care. Researchers from KU’s Institute for Health and…
Bible-inspired lessons in Texas public schools? State education board to hold hearings this month
KERA | By Megan Cardona Published September 3, 2024 at 5:00 AM CDT The State Board of Education will hold public hearings this month over a proposed curriculum for Texas public schools that includes Christian-based religious references in K-5 education. The proposal faced some criticism from the public since it was unveiled by the Texas Education Agency in May. The…
Investigation finds falsified Dallas County juvenile detention records
KERA | By Marina Trahan Martinez Published September 10, 2024 at 5:00 AM CDT A state investigation released Monday found that minors in Dallas County’s juvenile detention center were isolated for 24 hours a day, sometimes for several days. In 2023, the Office of Inspector General investigated allegations reported to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department of cruelty,…
UNT is fine with voter registration on campus, but new directive says keep it outside of class
KERA | By Lucinda Breeding-Gonzales | Denton Record-Chronicle Published September 5, 2024 at 9:58 AM CDT University of North Texas administrators told deans recently that faculty can no longer use class time for voter registration. One of those deans also told faculty that they would have to rebuff requests from groups seeking to use classes to register…
Police rebut right-wing claims of migrant takeovers in Colorado and California
Donald Trump, Elon Musk and other conservatives helped spread false claims about immigrants taking over apartment complexes and school buses. Sept. 3, 2024, 4:11 PM CDT By Ja’han Jones Police in California and Colorado have rebutted two viral stories about immigrants that were spread by right-wing social media accounts in a sign of desperation in the…
The GOP is making false claims about noncitizens voting. It’s affecting real voters
August 30, 2024 5:00 AM ET By Jude Joffe-Block Earlier this month, Alabama voter William Pritchett received an unexpected letter from election officials telling him his voter registration was made inactive and was “on the path for removal from the statewide voter list.” He was among more than 3,200 people on the state’s voter rolls whose…
Texas has removed a million people from the voter rolls. Why are we finding out now?
KUT 90.5 | By Blaise Gainey Published August 30, 2024 at 12:20 PM CDT It might be hard to believe, but Election Day is now just over nine weeks away. As Nov. 5 rapidly approaches, top Texas officials have been making big moves toward what they say will create a safer and more secure election. But their…
More than 63,000 Florida workers have lost union representation due to new law
WLRN Public Media | By Daniel Rivero Published August 30, 2024 at 11:41 AM EDT More than 63,000 public employees across Florida have had their labor unions fully decertified and shuttered by the state since a sweeping anti-union law went into effect last year, WLRN has found. A total of 54 public sector unions have been legally terminated explicitly…