Groups Seek to Register a Quarter Million Latinos to Vote – Hoping to influence mid-term elections in November, a group of organizations launched a new effort to register a quarter million Latinos to vote. They are targeting California, Florida, and Texas, states with an enormous electoral weight, and where 5 million Latino citizens are eligible to register. José López Zamorano reports from the nation’s capital.
Latino Children in Arizona at Risk of Repeating 3rd Grade – Third grade is a crucial point in the education of children because it is when they go from learning how to read to reading to learn, according to educational experts. If that ability is not solid after third grade, those children can be at risk of remaining behind permanently. More than thirteen states require children who do not demonstrate a good grasp of reading to repeat third grade. This is the first year that students in Arizona face that challenge, which could affect Latino and African-American students more. Valeria Fernández reports on a school district in Phoenix, where teachers are trying to improve reading skills among their students, who are mostly Latino. This report is part of American Graduate – Let’s Make It Happen! – a public media initiative to address the drop out crisis, supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
In California, a Proposal to Expand Health Reform to Immigrants – Health reform proposes to cover about seven million people who are uninsured in California. But the federal plan leaves out millions of undocumented immigrants and “dreamer” youth. In response, the Chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus is proposing a bill to expand health insurance to everyone in the state, regardless of their immigration status. Manuel Ocaño reports from San Diego.
