Nonprofit Food Cart Helps Train Luzerne County Adults with Special Needs

The JumpStart Cart employs adults with special needs in Luzerne County as they transition from school to the working world.

Founded in 2019 and based primarily in Mountain Top, the cart is operated by funding and grants but is also gaining popularity through exposure.

Employing five adults this year, the JumpStart Cart builds life skills, and additionally can partner with other means of employment in the local food industry.

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Philly Environmental Justice: City Gathers Input for Map

The Philadelphia Office of Sustainability is hosting a series of local workshops to gather feedback of environmental issues to construct a new mapping tool.

The finished map will aim to identify local communities that are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards such as pollution and lack of green space.

The mapping tool also hopes to gain inspiration from other statewide mapping tools such as PennEnviroScreen and the national EJScreen which also use metrics such as race and income to identify environmentally fueled inequality. 



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Debt Relief Program Aims to Bring Health Care Workers to Rural PA

A new bipartisan proposal will make health care professionals in rural Pennsylvania eligible for student debt relief to address the rural care gap.

The Rural Health Care Grant Program, which is expected to be voted on this fall, will have physicians, nurses, and midwives in rural health facilities qualify for assistance.

This will not only benefit the workers, but also provide new employees and growth to remote facilities across the state. 

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Coal Communities Need Deeper Investments in Capacity Building to Capitalize on Energy Transition Funding

In order for the United States to reach its goal of being carbon-pollution free by 2030, is has to stop its reliance on coal.

Over the last decade, coal has ceased its role as primary fuel source for the country, now focusing on renewable resources and nuclear energy.

However, the complete erasure of coal would have dire consequences on the economies and quality of life for coal-dependent communities; Urban discusses three insights from the Coal Communities Commitment Program.



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Senior Living Benefits from Living Near Child Care Centers

Intergenerational housing developments are growing in popularity across several nations to address the issue of senior loneliness.

There are two models currently being tested: daycares integrated into senior care homes and retirement housing on higher education campuses.

Bloomberg Research explains the benefits of seniors living near childcare centers and universities, and the ways in which the proposed models would have economic and social success. 



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Budget Reconciliation Simplified

Since the implementation of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act in 1974, budget reconciliation has been an important legislative process.

This allows expedited consideration for changes in law to align spending and debts with budget targets.

The Bipartisan Policy Center discusses the 50-year history of budget reconciliation, its primary functions, and its role today.



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