From the Associated Press: The federal government is rewarding Indiana for having fewer payment errors in its food stamp program a year after fining the state for making too many mistakes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Indiana was among the most improved states from fiscal year 2009 to 2010. In total, Indiana had errors in 2.6 percent of cases in 2010, down from 7.1 percent in 2009. The errors included underpaying some food stamp recipients and overpaying others. State officials chalked up the better rate to Indiana's new hybrid welfare system, which was implemented after the state cancelled its contract with an outside company it blamed for the 2009 errors. USDA Undersecretary Kevin Concannon says Indiana will get $1.6 million as a bonus because of its improvement.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.