Difference decreased over three years of study; questions remain about “true” prevalence of autism" said  Dr. Sanne Magnan, Minnesota Commissioner of Health speaking today at a press conference held MDH's energy park office.

Somali children in Minneapolis have been receiving preschool special education services for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from the city’s public schools at higher rates than other children, according to a new study by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).

MDH officials emphasized that the study only measured “administrative prevalence” – the rate at which all children aged 3 and 4 in Minneapolis were taking part in school-based preschool programs for ASD. The scope of the study did not include calculations of the “true” population prevalence of ASD – the percentage of all Somali or non-Somali children who have ASD.

                             Ethiopian " walk to a beautiful" movie

Cairo to Capetown, Casablanca to the Congo, some 10 films from  the sub-Sahara to the  east and west of Åfrica are scheduled to play in the 27th annual Minneapolis/St.Paul International Film Festival from Apr.16 through Apr.30, a two-week run at the St.Anthony Main Theaters,219 Main St.,Minneapolis (along the river) (with free parking). A post-fest run of “best of the fest” is also due at the Oak St.Cinema following the fest at 309 Oak St. SE,Mpls.

As a journalist, I found that Congolese women were silenced and I decided to battle for their freedom of expression.”
 
Those were the words of Franchou (Chouchou) Namegabe Nabintu, a young radio reporter from the Democratic Republic of Congo, honored this month by the Washington DC-based Vital Voices Global Partnership for bringing the voices of women survivors of sexual violence to the air and a wide audience.

Tuberculosis: Answers to Your Questions

March 24 is World TB Day. This was the day in 1882 a doctor in Germany announced that he had discovered the germ that causes tuberculosis (TB). TB is a complicated and sometimes confusing disease. This article will answer many common questions about TB.

Klobuchar Announces Obama Administration Extends Protective Status for Liberians Residing Legally in the U.S. Says temporary status has been extended, legislation to grant permanent status introduced in Senate
 
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced today that President Obama has extended Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status to eligible Liberians residing legally in the U.S., granting them a twelve month reprieve from imminent deportation.   More than 30,000 Liberians reside in Minnesota and an estimated 1,000 currently are living under DED status as refugees from a devastating civil war in Liberia.  Since 1991, these refugees have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.  The refugees are currently under DED status, which was set to expire on March 31, 2009. 

By Swallehe Msuya

There is an upsurge of public complaints in Minnesota against law enforcement authorities where innocent lives have been stolen by the use of excessive force by the establishment.
This was the theme of a community conversation on ending police brutality held at the Minneapolis Urban League last Thursday to address indiscriminate police killings, house raids, misuse of taser and chemicals on unarmed people of color, poor minorities and poor whites.

A collaborative effort in the Ninth Federal Reserve District has created an alternative to traditional refund anticipation loans that gives workers fast access to tax refunds at little cost.

Sandy Gerber  
Community Affairs Senior Project Manager

Since its inception in 1975, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has been lauded as one of the most important income-enhancement programs for low-wage workers. The program provides refundable tax credits to people who are working but whose earnings fall below a certain level. For tax year 2008, the eligibility threshold for a married couple filing jointly, with two or more children, was more than $41,000. The amount of the credit was up to $4,824, depending on a worker's income, marital status, and number of qualifying children. In 2007, almost 24 million working families and individuals received EITC refunds, which provided close to $48 billion in additional income.

By Dick Wittenberg

Development aid does more harm than good in Africa, says Zambian economist and author Dambisa Moyo, so we should stop it. She has the ear of at least one African president, Paul Kagame of Rwanda. 'Why should Bono be the one to determine economic policy in Africa?

Abddirahman Mukhtar, Youth Program Manager

By Bashe Said

Washington D.C.- Members from Somali Community in Minnesota left for Washington D.C. earlier this week and today  testified in front of the Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee

[Minneapolis, MN]  Today,  a coalition of local grassroots organizations and their allies will converge on the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office at 10:00 am.  Participants will gather with the intention of acting to encourage Sheriff Rich Stanek to stop forcing local residents onto the street.  In solidarity with the many people in Hennepin County who are in the process of losing their homes, this new coalition is calling for Sheriff Stanek to effect a moratorium on local home evictions and foreclosures.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, along with Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to President Obama today calling on him to direct the Attorney General to grant Liberians residing legally in the U.S. a reprieve from imminent deportation.  

Several thousand Liberians, including more than 30,000 in Minnesota, currently reside in the U.S. as refugees from a devastating civil war in Liberia.  Now, even though Liberia is still struggling to provide basic services to its citizens, many face the prospect of deportation as their temporary status is set to expire on March 31, 2009. 

 By Jaclyn Evert

Semenyo Ahli gathers stray carts in the Wal-Mart parking lot on University Avenue in St. Paul. He came to the United States four years ago for economic opportunity and to attend college to become a registered nurse. Despite being qualified to work as a nursing assistant, Ahli has been unsuccessful in finding a second job in addition to Wal-Mart. However, no matter how tight the money gets, Ahli still sends money back home to Togo every month.

ST. PAUL, MN – Eugene Piccolo, Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools (MACS), today announced the organization’s concern that an amendment added to HF 935, “The Charter School Improvement Act of 2009,” could prove extremely problematic for the overall future of the charter school movement. 

 African American playwright Lynn Nottage finds the courage and character of women living amidst war and the ever-present threat of sexual violence in her new play “Ruined,” now playing in a theatre in New York.
 
Based on interviews with victims of rape and mutilation from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nottage has produced a work of drama that tells of the suffering of victims but also their efforts to rebuild their lives.
 

More than 20 representatives of Minnesota’s diverse communities gathered Feb. 24 at the State Office Building in St. Paul for to announce the formation of Complete Count Committees for the 2010 U.S. Census.