by Yunita Ong | Mar 19, 2015 | Immigration
By Yunita Ong WASHINGTON – When Laura Drain moved from Mexico City to Atlanta to be a Hewlett-Packard engineer 15 years ago, she was single and her maiden name, Ramirez, created tensions with her co-workers. “People called me different and the pronunciation of...
by Tanner Howard | Mar 19, 2015 | Education
After her first semester at the University of Nevada-Reno, 20-year-old English major Mariah Birnbaum hit a wall: she couldn’t afford her tuition. Despite being an A student in high school and with parents earning almost $100,000 per year, her costs mounted,...
by Tal Axelrod | Mar 18, 2015 | National Security
WASHINGTON – This is the final year of a Veterans Affairs Department initiative to end veteran homelessness. Advocates note that the program is working, with the number of homeless veterans decreasing by 33 percent in five years, but skeptics say America will still...
by Astrid Goh | Mar 18, 2015 | Immigration
WASHINGTON—When Kenfe Bellay fled from the Ethiopian Red Terror in the late 1970s, he never thought he’d one day own a successful café. The cozy joint on H Street Northeast was established by Bellay and his wife, Yalemzwed Desta, in 2006. Money did not come easy...
by Ashley Gilmore | Mar 18, 2015 | Politics
WASHINGTON—Political cartoonists argued Wednesday that humor that questions power and societal conventions should not be limited by government authorities, but protected. At a Freedom House forum, two South American cartoonists Rayma of Venezuela, and Bonil of...
by Joshua Rosenblat | Mar 18, 2015 | Education
WASHINGTON – The Education Department has a math problem. Experts from Republican and Democratic administrations agreed Wednesday with a report detailing policies to more effectively distribute federal education funding through stronger use of statistics. All that’s...
by Shelbie Bostedt | Mar 17, 2015 | Living, Politics
WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans fell short of the 60 votes needed to limit debate Tuesday on legislation that would increase penalties for sex traffickers. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has picked up bipartisan support for his Justice for Victims of Sex Trafficking...
by Preston R. Michelson | Mar 17, 2015 | Education
WASHINGTON — High tuition prices and complicated student aid in higher education have not kept pace with the nation’s needs. “Today’s higher education resources are incomplete, inaccurate and often complicate the financial aid process, misguiding students about their...
by Joshua Rosenblat | Mar 17, 2015 | Education
“Welcome to the pride of the city, Peoria High School,” the answering machine message in Principal Brett Elliott’s office says. It’s not only a play on the school’s nickname, the Lions, but a constant reminder to Elliott of where the school has been, where it is now...
by Tyler Pager | Mar 17, 2015 | National Security
By Tyler Pager and Paige Leskin GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — A group of men in orange jumpsuits are kneeling. Their hands are shackled and their mouths are covered with light blue surgical masks. Military guards stand watch. It is one of the iconic images of...
by Tara Longardner | Mar 17, 2015 | Education, Living
WASHINGTON– Though most people know basic online security protocol, there are a number of people who don’t even know what a password is. The elderly, those with low incomes and people who speak limited English are especially at risk for targeting and...
