Pennsylvania is responding to the foreclosure crisis with two new measures aimed at helping homeowners. The Refinance to an Affordable Loan (REAL) program helps homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages transition into 30-year, fixed-rate loans. Additionally, the Homeowner Equity Recovery Opportunity (HERO) program is designed to help people who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Under HERO, the state housing agency would buy the mortgage from the lender and set up an affordable repayment agreement with the homeowner.

Programs that reward poor people for good behavior are increasingly popular. New York City is dispensing cash to families in high-poverty neighborhoods who exhibit good parenting skills. In Chicago, a nonprofit organization is experimenting with a program for families who live in public housing, distributing points (which can be converted into goods or services) to residents who are financially and professionally responsible and who take proper care of their children. Children can also win points by, for instance, earning good grades at school. Critics argue that these programs are demeaning to poor citizens and focus too much on behaviors as opposed to circumstances.

Community Justice Project, a much-acclaimed initiative launched several years ago by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches, shows the potential of partnering with faith-based organizations. The program matches trained volunteer mentors with recently released offenders, offering them logistical assistance and individualized psychological support.

The Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC has equipped 49 of their cars with "Rumblers," a new type of siren that emits low frequency sound waves which shake everything within a 200-foot radius. Supporters argue that it allows the police to move swiftly through traffic. Opponents claim that it might excessively worry motorists.

To meet the criteria set by the regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative—the pledge made by 10 Northeastern states to combat global warming—the Governor of New York has issued new rules that supporters describe as cutting-edge. Under the new plan, a power plant must compensate for its emissions by buying carbon credits that will be sold at auctions. The proceeds from those auctions will help finance energy-efficient programs.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) plans to conduct a two-year study to find alternatives to payday loans—short-term loans sold mostly to low-income customers at high interest rates. Under the Affordable and Responsible Consumer Credit pilot program, the FDIC will encourage its member banks to create replicable business models that offer affordable small-dollar loans of up to $1,000 with longer payment periods, and annual percentage rates below 36 percent. The pilot program also seeks to find institutions that offer low or no origination fees and no early repayment penalties. 

New York City has moved forward with a controversial plan to give cash bonuses to underperforming schools where student test scores are rising. Similar plans have alredy been deployed in Denver, Minneapolis, and other cities. With the blessing of New York's local teachers' union, the plan provides awards to entire schools, not just individual teachers, who raise test scores. A school committee then determines how the award will be distributed to the teachers. The plan is voluntary and would require that at least 55 percent of the teachers at a participating school vote to opt in.

Offenders leaving prisons and jails in Washington state will be eligible for state-issued identification cards to help them reestablish their place in society. Those persons released from jail often lack proper identification as they have lost or failed to keep drivers' licenses up-to-date and have lost other key documents. Without identification, prior offenders often struggle to obtain employment and housing, which increases the risk of recidivism.

In an effort to make classrooms safer, Ohio has launched a new Web site with a database that lists the names of over 1,700 teachers, coaches, administrators and other licensed educators investigated and reprimanded for misconduct. The creation of the Educator Conduct Search tool was a response to news reports of widespread disciplinary problems and the Ohio Education Department's frequent failure to notify school districts about reprimanded teachers. Officials are quick to point out that the database represents less than one percent of educators in the state. The database is modeled partially on similar projects in Florida, South Carolina, and Vermont.

Since 2005, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, has used the Success Academy program to keep parents who owe child support out of jail, thereby allowing them to continue to earn an income. Qualified individuals participate in the program for six months, and receive help with career planning and training in subjects ranging from financial management to parenting. Additionally, Success Academy has saved taxpayers nearly $370,000 so far through reduced incarceration costs.

A new program in Minnesota gives students the option of interacting with a licensed school counselor via the Web. The online program is a collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Education; the University of Minnesota; and other private, public, and nonprofit entities. While it is not a substitute for face-to-face guidance and counseling, a critical shortage of school counselors in the state makes this a welcome tool.

Newsletter produced by: Vanessa Ruget and Brendan St. Amant (researchers and writers); Jessica Engelman (editor).