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"The South has become the first region in the country where more than half of public school students are poor and more than half are members of minorities, according to a new report."

"State and federal lawmakers from around the country are pressing a variety of new laws that would make sweeping changes in the way runaways and prostituted children are handled by police officers and social workers."

"This is the sixth year that the program, started by Chris Lerch, owner of Home Instead Senior Care of San Antonio, has organized the distribution of gifts for homebound, isolated and low-income seniors, said Karen Freeman of Home Instead."

"Barriers include being a dropout, pregnant or a parent, homeless or a runaway, a foster child, an offender, disabled or having deficient literary skills."

"Macon being named among the country's poorest cities by Forbes Magazine, the U.S. Census showing about a third of Bibb students living in poverty, and Bibb students' lagging in math and science on state exams give importance to the program's goal."

"Harris Miller... [whose company] represents for-profit colleges, said the increase reflects the poor economy. He also said high default rates don't measure a school's quality and noted that his group's members enroll large numbers of low-income students."

"They now look at factors like geography, family college history, and socioeconomics. They reach out to first-generation students through scholarships and have closer ties with schools in low-income, urban areas."

"While 76 percent of youths in custody are from the New York City area, nearly all the prisons are upstate, and the youths' relatives, many of them poor, cannot afford frequent visits, cutting them off from support networks."

"'What's the alternative?' Mr. Dodd asked. 'Getting rid of all your assets, impoverishing yourself, relying on your family or friends to take care of you in order to try to survive.'"

"Among those in attendance was a group of people particularly hit hard - people forced into early retirement by the economy and thereby forced out of their medical coverage."

"The program will offer services for caregivers such as respite care, transportation to doctor's offices, leaf raking, snow shoveling and keeping elderly charges company. Church volunteers will offer the services to low- to moderate-income caregivers of relatives... age 60 and older."

"Ms. Conti is among a growing legion of unemployed older workers who say the recession is leading them on a path toward early retirement -- whether they like it or not. Many are relying on financial resources, like Social Security payments, previously reserved for later in life..."