Police: Shooting suspect holed up in Montgomery home

A man described as a person of interest in connection with a shooting that left three people dead and three more wounded at an Auburn apartment complex late Saturday was taken into custody by Montgomery police Monday.

Jeremy Thomas, 18, of Montgomery has been charged with hindering prosecution and allegedly fled with 22-year-old Desmonte Leonard, the man police suspect in the shooting, from University Heights apartments Saturday, Auburn Police Chief Tommy Dawson said.

DOL announces On-the-Job Training funding.

April 13, 2010

Department of Labor Announces Availability of $90 Million for On-the-Job Training (OJT)

On April 12, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announced the availability of $90 million in Recovery Act-funded National Emergency Grants (NEGs) to help states develop and implement on-the-job training (OJT) programs for dislocated workers. ETA is particularly encouraging states to “start planning a strategic approach and a NEG application that would greatly expand OJT activities for hard-to-serve population with the greatest barriers to reemployment.”

Although states will have until June 30, 2012 to expend OJT NEG award funds, the timeline to apply for the OJT grants will be very tight as ETA is required under the Recovery Act to obligate these funds by June 30 of this year.

ETA has established a two-tiered process for states to apply for grants under this program. States must first submit initial funding applications to ETA describing how the state would use OJT to provide workers with the opportunity to earn a paycheck and gain needed work experience while acquiring new skills. Upon receipt of an award, a state will have 60 days to submit a more detailed implementation plan addressing a range of issues, including how the state will: create OJT opportunities in the private and non-profit sectors (funds may not be used to create OJT opportunities in the public sector); create partnerships that develop additional recruitment and outreach services that will contribute to and support the creation of OJT opportunities; recruit suitable employers; serve areas disproportionately impacted by the current economic downturn; focus on populations with the greatest barriers to employment; and identify and develop a “skilled and diverse pipeline of workers” by drawing on the experience and expertise of CBOs and other intermediaries to both help recruit OJT NEG participants and to create OJT training opportunities.

States are allowed to expend no more than 10 percent of awarded funds prior to approval of the state implementation plans. As part of their applications, states may submit waiver requests to reimburse employers for training costs at a rate up to 90 percent of the employee’s wages, rather than the statutory 50 percent, depending on employer size and the gap between a participant’s initial skill level and the skills required for the job.

National Skills Coalition strongly supports investments in OJT, and other “earn and learn” strategies such as summer youth employment programs and TANF subsidized employment opportunities, as part of a federal job creation strategy. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the administration to ensure that job training remains a key component of our nation’s economic recovery strategy.

National Skills Coalition will provide additional details about the OJT NEG grant program as they become available. 

A lot of people are not aware of this information.  Did you know about it?  If so, are you a recipient of this grant to implement jobs in your area?  Are you a benefactor of this grant by getting hired at a company who took advantage of the OJT grant?  

Great Recession erased nearly 40% of family wealth

Washington—

A for-sale sign stands in front of a bank-owned home in Las Vegas. (Associated Press / February 8, 2008)

The Great Recession took such a heavy toll on the economy that the typical American family lost nearly 40% of its wealth from 2007 to 2010, shaving the median net worth to a level not seen since the early 1990s.

The Federal Reserve said in a new report Monday that median family net worth, the point smack in the middle of those richer and poorer, fell to $77,300 in 2010 from $126,400 three years earlier after adjusting for inflation.

The fall came with the collapse in the housing market and massive layoffs that slashed people’s incomes, and the pain was felt by families across the board -- young and old, well-educated and less so, with children or not.

But the biggest impact was felt by young middle-age families, those headed by people ages 35 to 44. For this group, the median net worth -- total assets minus debts -- fell a whopping 54% in the three-year period to $42,100 in 2010. Such was their financial hardships that only 47.6% of these families said they had saved money in 2010; that was the lowest among all age groups, where an overall average of 52% of families saved some money that year.

Nation’s biggest insurers will keep parts health care law regardless of Supreme Court ruling

Some of the nation’s biggest health insurers will keep some popular parts of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul even if the law fails to survive Supreme Court scrutiny later this month.
 
UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Aetna all said Monday that they will continue to cover preventive care such as immunizations and screenings without requiring patients to pay a set fee called a co-payment.