Articles by Laura Olson
Black History Month Partner Spotlight: Akeia Haddox-Rossiter and Marie Odah
Wrapping up CAFB’s Black History Month series with a spotlight on Akeia Haddox-Rossiter and Marie Odah at Capital Christian Fellowship, a CAFB partner organization that uses its garden to engage the community on health and wellness. The church’s garden is located at the entrance to the food pantry, Akeia says. As people wait in line, volunteers can engage those seeking food assistance about the vegetables growing in the ground and how they can grow their own food.
CDC: More than two dozen states report Omicron strain of COVID-19, but Delta remains biggest threat
Twenty-five states, including Virginia, have identified cases of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, federal public health officials said Friday as they released new data on the first 43 U.S. cases. Of those initial, confirmed cases, more than half were among people between the ages of 18 and 39, according to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At-Home COVID Tests To Be Covered By Insurance, But Details Are Still to Come
click to enlarge Photo: Laura Olson, Ohio Capital Journal An at-home COVID test State health officials last week welcomed the Biden administration’s plan to require private health insurers to reimburse Americans for the cost of rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests — though the officials also raised questions about whether the process will be burdensome. Making those tests more accessible will allow Americans to get results quickly and in the privacy of their own homes.
At-home COVID tests to be covered by insurance - but details still to come
WASHINGTON — State health officials last Thursday welcomed the Biden administration’s plan to require private health insurers to reimburse Americans for the cost of rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests—though the officials also raised questions about whether the process will be burdensome. Making those tests more accessible will allow Americans to get results quickly and in the privacy of their own homes.
U.S. Supreme Court Hears Mississippi Anti-Abortion Case That Could Affect Ohio and Other States
The Supreme Court is weighing potentially sweeping changes to the right to an abortion, after two hours of arguments Wednesday morning on a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The court’s conservatives, who hold a 6-3 majority, appeared through their questions to be sympathetic to Mississippi’s arguments that its law should be upheld—and they also seemed open to the possibility of undoing other precedent-setting abortion cases.
At-home COVID tests to be covered by insurance—but details still to come - Minnesota Reformer
WASHINGTON — State health officials on Thursday welcomed the Biden administration’s plan to require private health insurers to reimburse Americans for the cost of rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests—though the officials also raised questions about whether the process will be burdensome. Making those tests more accessible will allow Americans to get results quickly and in the privacy of their own homes.
President Biden says new COVID omicron variant "not a cause for panic"
click to enlarge CP photo: Jared Wickerham President Joe Biden during a campaign stop in Lawrenceville in 2019 Biden did not announce any new travel restrictions or other federal actions during his brief remarks from the White House. Instead, he urged Americans to get a booster shot to increase their immunity against COVID-19 — and to be patient while scientists gather more data on what exactly the new omicron variant will mean.
Deadline day for Georgia’s new plan to improve delivery of federal rental aid
WASHINGTON — States, cities and counties that excelled at distributing emergency federal aid to renters struggling during the pandemic may soon be rewarded—with yet more cash. Their new funding would be drawn from sluggish states like Georgia and localities that didn’t move as swiftly to help people facing eviction and homelessness, who were targeted for billions in assistance in relief legislation passed by Congress.
What’s in — and out — of Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending and climate bill - Minnesota Reformer
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s sprawling social spending and climate package has been slimmed down into a still-massive $1.75 trillion plan that he and top congressional Democrats are attempting to wrestle through after months of negotiations. Snipped from that proposal are a number of key priorities for Democrats, including an attempt to create the first paid family leave program for parents and other caregivers.
How a Mississippi court case could pave way for abortion ban in Arizona, across U.S.
Posted Oct 18, 2021, 8:43 am Laura Olson Arizona Mirror WASHINGTON — A six-week abortion ban in Texas enacted in September forced those seeking abortion services in the Lone Star State to look across state lines for care. But the timing couldn’t have been worse for Texans living near the state’s eastern border. The law took effect as neighboring Louisiana was reeling from the destruction of Hurricane Ida, which shut down two of the state’s three abortion clinics for several days.
Some states poised to allow college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness
WASHINGTON — A seismic shift will rock college sports next month, when a handful of new state laws go into effect allowing student athletes to make money off their personal images. It’s been against the rules governing collegiate sports for student athletes to make a profit off their name or image — a practice that’s commonplace in professional sports.
Supreme Court nominee Barrett: No one has asked me to rule against ACA
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley asked Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Tuesday whether she has made any promises to vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, as he sought to counter arguments from Democratic senators that she would unravel the landmark health care law.
How Mississippi court case could pave way for new abortion bans across the U.S.
A six-week abortion ban in Texas enacted in September forced those seeking abortion services in the Lone Star State to look across state lines for care. But the timing couldn’t have been worse for Texans living near the state’s eastern border. The law took effect as neighboring Louisiana was reeling from the destruction of Hurricane Ida, which shut down two of the state’s three abortion clinics for several days.
How a Mississippi court case could reshape abortion laws across the US
WASHINGTON — A six-week abortion ban in Texas enacted in September forced those seeking abortion services in the Lone Star State to look across state lines for care. But the timing couldn't have been worse for Texans living near the state's eastern border. The law took effect as neighboring Louisiana was reeling from the destruction of Hurricane Ida, which shut down two of the state's three abortion clinics for several days.
ACT participation declined among Minnesota seniors in 2021
Sixty percent of Minnesota high school seniors took the ACT in spring 2021, down from more than 90% in recent years, the Minnesota Department of Education announced Wednesday. The participation decline among the graduating class of 2021 was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted the graduating class’s junior and senior years, according to MDE. The statewide average composite score increased slightly, from 21.3 in 2020 to 21.6 in 2021.
Congrats on the baby — now pay up | Column - Minnesota Reformer
Here’s a notice a new mom shouldn’t receive: “Your doctor ordered a test to see if the membranes around your baby were leaking. The procedure is not approvable under the plan clinical criteria because there is no proof or not enough proof that it works as well as other tests to check for ROM. For this reason, the request is denied as investigational and not medically necessary.” Let’s start at the beginning: On Jan. 4, I went to an ultrasound appointment with my midwife.
Scrap the Hyde Amendment — Opinion - Minnesota Reformer
“I would certainly like to prevent, if I could legally, anybody having an abortion, a rich woman, a middle class woman, or a poor woman. Unfortunately, the only vehicle available is the…Medicaid bill.” When U.S. Rep.Henry Hyde, R-Illinois, stated his intent to make abortion inaccessible for as many people as possible, he unintentionally illustrated the link between abortion access and the economic well-being of people seeking abortion care.
DFL Rep. Ami Wazlawik won't seek reelection in 2022
State Rep. Ami Wazlawik, DFL-White Bear, will not seek reelection in 2022, she announced Wednesday. Wazlawik, a child care professional, was first elected in 2018. With the seat open, flipping district 38B will likely be a top priority for Republicans seeking to regain a majority in the state House next year. Wazlawik beat out Republican candidates by less than one percentage point in both 2018 and 2020, winning election last year by 100 votes.
Georgia Is Among the Slowest to Distribute Aid to Renters
Make it simpler to apply for rental assistance money. Allow landlords to apply on behalf of unresponsive tenants. And consolidate two overlapping federal programs aimed at getting financial help to struggling renters. Those are among the proposals that U.S. House members are weighing to help states and local governments that have moved far too slowly in getting federal emergency rental assistance money to tenants who need that aid.
Book excerpt: Addressing congestion with efficiency
The following is an excerpt from Chapter Six of “Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town,” the latest book in the Strong Towns series. It has been slightly modified for this space. Ramp meters are those mini traffic signals that queue vehicles as they enter the highway.
Rejection of eviction ban increases pressure to distribute rental aid money
Rejection of eviction ban increases pressure to distribute rental aid money Published Tuesday, August 31, 2021 by Laura Olson, The Policy Watch WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of the Biden administration’s last-ditch effort to extend a federal ban on evictions has put hundreds of thousands of American renters at risk of losing their housing, and is increasing pressure on states and localities to get rental assistance dollars distributed faster.
Murphy says New Jersey will welcome Afghan refugees
New Jersey will welcome refugees from Afghanistan who have fled or are attempting to flee the country to escape Taliban rule, Gov. Phil Murphy said in a letter to President Biden Sunday. The people of Afghanistan, who have watched as their country has plunged into chaos in the leadup to the withdrawal of American troops, “must not be left behind,” Murphy wrote. “Many have already shared the view that providing safe-harbor and support is an expression of our values,” Murphy’s letter reads.
Afghan evacuees to arrive in the U.S. through Wisconsin, Virginia military bases
WASHINGTON — The first U.S. stop for the nearly 2,000 Afghan interpreters and other refugees evacuated so far amid the collapse of the Afghan government has been central Virginia’s Fort Lee military base. Tapped for its East Coast location and its ability to quickly ramp up to serve as a temporary host installation, the Army base just south of Richmond has been receiving Afghans eligible for Special Immigrant Visas since late last month.
New eviction ban applies to York County, Maine, other areas with high COVID transmission
Federal health officials on Tuesday announced a new, narrower moratorium on evictions through Oct. 3, which would protect struggling renters in areas of the U.S. that have been hit hardest by soaring COVID-19 infection rates. The targeted eviction ban comes days after a federal moratorium in place since September expired on Saturday.
Federal Eviction Ban Covers Metro Milwaukee
Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee At a press conference on evictions outside the U.S. Capitol, L-R Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY), Rep. Al Green (D-NY), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY). (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/ Wisconsin Examiner) WASHINGTON — Federal health officials on Tuesday announced a new, narrower moratorium on evictions through Oct.
House Democrats struggle to extend federal eviction ban through mid-October
Lou, a Pittsburgh resident facing eviction, holds up a sign during a rally outside of the Pittsburgh's City-County Building in February. WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are in a last-minute scramble to possibly extend federal legal protections against eviction that expired on July 31.
These old timers have nostalgia all wrong | Column
Years ago, when he was still alive, my grandfather Marvin Johnson showed me a small slip of paper from the drawer of his end table. It was a list of names I did not recognize. As he filled in his crossword puzzle, grandpa told me that these people were buried in unmarked graves on the other side of the freeway. They died in 1918 during the flu epidemic. They had no known next of kin, so the village of Keewatin buried the bodies south of town long before the freeway came through.
Federal eviction ban to expire Saturday after attempt to extend it fails
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats unsuccessfully scrambled on Friday to extend federal legal protections against eviction that will expire on Saturday. The end of the eviction moratorium jeopardizes housing security for millions of Americans who are struggling both to pay their rent and to access billions of dollars in slow-moving federal rental assistance funds.
New laws taking effect Aug. 1 include changes for life insurance, pregnant inmates, Canadian protection orders
A slew of new laws will take effect starting Sunday, Aug. 1. Here are some compiled by the nonpartisan House of Representatives research office. Dubbed the “Healthy Start Act,” pregnant inmates will be able to receive conditional release for up to a year after giving birth, as well as inmates who give birth within eight months of the date of being incarcerated. Inmates can also be conditionally released for the duration of the pregnancy and up to one year after giving birth.
‘Pro-life Democrat’ Bob Casey opens up on abortion. Surprisingly, his plan to end them doesn’t involve the courts
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, one of the few self-described pro-life Democrats remaining in Congress, does not support the strategy behind the series of increasingly restrictive state abortion laws intended to spark a showdown over abortion in the nation’s top court. The Pennsylvania lawmaker opposes the 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling creating a constitutional protection for ending a pregnancy.
Charlie Dent, Brian Fitzpatrick vote against measure kicking off Obamacare repeal process
Skip to content xml:space="preserve"> xml:space="preserve"> Learn more about subscriptions Call Washington Bureau | Jan 13, 2017 at 4:13 PM WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Friday on the first of many steps involved in dismantling Obamacare, setting up a complex process in which lawmakers will draft bills undoing specific parts of the health care law. U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th District, split from his GOP colleagues, casting a "no" vote Friday in the 227-198 tally.
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