Essential StateImpact: Top Five Stories of the Week

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Here’s a look at the five stories getting the most clicks, comments and shares at StateImpact Idaho this week.  In case you missed anything, we bundled them in one tidy package.

1. Northwest States Coping with Government Employee Layoffs: Across the Northwest, government agencies and schools have laid off thousands of workers. Just like corporate downsizing, those public sector job losses have a human and an economic impact.  This story is a collaboration between reporters in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
2. A Young Refugee Searches for a Place in Idaho’s Reshaped Economy: In the last few years, more than 4,000 refugees have found their way to Idaho.  They’ve come from Africa, and from East and South Asia.  Most came to Boise.  For years, the city’s strong economy, good quality affordable housing and supportive community created an especially favorable environment for refugee resettlement.  Now, the recession has shifted that picture.
3. Idaho Miners are in High Demand, Despite Lucky Friday Closure: They say the days when you could go from high school to a high-paying, blue collar job are long gone. But there are places in the Northwest where those days still exist — that is, if you’re willing to work a mile underground.
4. State Spending for Idaho Colleges and Universities Below 2006 Levels: The Center of the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University compiles dataon state funding of higher education.  It’s called the annual Grapevine study.  The Associated Press reportsoverall state spending nationwide has declined about $6 billion, or nearly 8 percent, over the past year.
5. The Recession and its Effects on Refugee Resettlement: Deciding to reduce the number of refugees that will be resettled in a particular community is not an easy call.  Incoming refugees want to join family members who arrived in the U.S. before them.  As International Rescue Committee Vice President Bob Carey points out, it’s important to keep in mind why refugees come to the U.S. in the first place.  “Refugees are coming here for protection.” We look at the data behind Idaho’s refugee resettlement effort.