In Minneapolis, fallout continues from the ICE shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good. Federal and local officials dispute what led to the killing. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem insisted Good’s actions were “an act of domestic terrorism,” while Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz warned “don’t believe this propaganda machine.” Several videos captured by bystanders show the shooting itself. Last night, thousands of people gathered peacefully across Minnesota to mourn Good. Our friends at Minnesota Public Radio are covering all angles of the shooting. There's a lot going on today, so let's buckle down and get to the news: The data's in the details: Among a flurry of new laws going into effect this year is one requiring state agencies to collect more detailed demographic data . Proponents say it's among the most comprehensive data collection efforts in the country. Previously, state agencies only collected broad ethnic group data, like "Asian," "Latino," or "African American." But no group is a monolith, said state Rep. Tackey Chan, who sponsored the bill. " The aggregate data masks smaller demographics of different ethnic groups because they're underrepresented in the larger sets," Chan told WBUR's Amy Sokolow. That leads to smaller ethnic subgroups being left out. - What's changing: Rather than only seeing "Asian" as a box to check, there will be at least 19 subgroups, from Chinese to Sri Lankan. There will be more detailed ethnicities for Black, Latino and Caucasian groups as well. (Check out all the subgroups in the law here.)
- Why this matters: Using broad ethnic categories can hide the needs of smaller groups, Chan told Amy. Take healthcare for instance: "Asian Americans as a whole don't have a high rate of cervical cancer, but Vietnamese have a higher rate of cervical cancer than even a Caucasian population," Chan said. Differences between subgroups also come up in areas like education.
- How will the state use the data? Any research or reports using state data can include these more targeted racial and ethnic breakdowns, Chan said. Policymakers can then direct resources to help the specific groups that need them.
Heating help: It was a chillier than normal December (an average of 4.5 degrees colder, to be exact) and state officials are reminding people that they can get help keeping their homes warm. After a tumultuous start to the season , WBUR's Miriam Wasser reports the Home Energy Assistance Program, formerly known as LIHEAP, is back up and running. It uses federal dollars to help offset the price of oil, gas, electricity or any other home heating fuel. "We're here to encourage people to apply now, help normalize asking for help, because no one should fall through the cracks during the coldest months of the year," said Sharon Scott-Chandler, CEO of ABCD, the organization in Boston that handles HEAP applications and benefits. - What happened with the program? The government shutdown last fall delayed billions of dollars that would have normally been distributed to the states ahead of the cold weather. Now, funds are flowing again.
- How to get help: Qualifying households can get up to $1,000 in assistance. It's free to apply and can be done online. All the details are here.
Veggie tales: Asparagus may not have been highlighted in RFK Jr.'s new food pyramid illustration, but a group of kids in western Mass. want to see the vegetable get some more recognition. They're petitioning for "Hadley grass" (that's apparently the nickname for asparagus, which is widely grown in that part of the state) to be the official state vegetable. Bill sponsor state Sen. Jo Comerford told WBUR's Kevin Vu that the third graders at Hadley Elementary School lobbied her hard. "They made a very strong case that asparagus farming, the love of the land, the Connecticut River Valley, deserved to be recognized through asparagus becoming the state vegetable of the commonwealth," she said. - Hadley was at one time the asparagus capital of the nation. In the early 20th century, the town produced 80% of the country's asparagus before a fungus wiped out most of the crop. Now, there are about 175 asparagus farms in the state, according to federal agriculture data.
- For dinner tonight, if you want to do the Full Massachusetts (something I just made up), maybe you can have your asparagus with a main of baked Atlantic Cod (state fish), a side of baked Navy beans (state bean) and a corn muffin (state muffin). Wash it all down with a glass of cranberry juice (state beverage). And for dessert, how about a Boston cream pie or chocolate chip cookie (state dessert and state cookie, respectively). Warning: it might cause a bit of indigestion (state ailment ... just kidding).
P.S — Ever wonder why there are so many stone walls in New England? We did, too. WBUR's Katie Cole put her nose to the grindstone and did this hard hitting investigation. |
