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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Report: Child poverty hits 20-year high

From Wire Reports

Child poverty in America is at its highest point in 20 years, putting millions of children at increased risk of injuries, infant mortality and premature death, according to a policy analysis published this week in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

As the U.S. emerges from the worst recession since the Great Depression, 25 percent of children don’t have enough food to eat and 7 million kids still don’t have health insurance, the analysis says. Even worse: Five children die daily by firearms, and one dies every seven hours from abuse or neglect.

“It shouldn’t be this hard for kids to grow and thrive in the world’s richest, most powerful nation,” co-author Bruce Lesley, president of the Washington-based child advocacy organization First Focus, said in a statement.

The report – co-written with Dr. Glenn Flores, professor of pediatrics at University of Texas Southwestern – notes that although 24 percent of Americans are children, only 12 percent of the National Institutes of Health’s 2013 budget was devoted to pediatric research.

Lesley and Flores called on the federal government to take 10 specific steps to turn things around for kids, including:

• Set a national target date for the elimination of child poverty

• Cut maltreatment deaths in half by 2018

• Step up funding for pediatric research

• Invest in child nutrition programs

• Extend Medicaid insurance programs for children

• Enforce a mandatory criminal background check for every firearm sale

Cupich takes pope’s lead on new residence

CHICAGO – Taking a page from the pope’s playbook, incoming Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich will forgo the historic Gold Coast mansion that has housed the city’s archbishops for more than a century, opting for more modest digs inside the rectory of Holy Name Cathedral.

While Cupich will continue using the residence to host guests for at least another year, Roman Catholic Church officials said Wednesday that he will move into a 945-square-foot apartment and will establish a committee to study how the property can best serve the mission of the archdiocese.

Cupich, who inspected the apartment for the first time in September and again Monday, has said he didn’t want to be rushed into a decision about whether to live in the grand mansion overlooking Lincoln Park.

“Wherever I live, I want to have a place where I can get some rest and feel the support of people who are around me,” he said.

“It is a lovely place, and I really want to honor that,” he said. “At the same time, I would have to say I’m going to take my time to make that decision. I’m going to see where I can be most effective.”

Many wondered if he would take his cue from Pope Francis, who chose to live in the Vatican’s guesthouse for visiting clergy instead of the Apostolic Palace, or pontifical household. In fact, Cupich already lives in a small apartment at the seminary of the Spokane diocese, which he has led since 2010.