What's making headlines...
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-Around Oregon:
Salem, Ore.-The State of Oregon faces a major overhaul of its program that provides cash to needy families, according to an article from Oregonlive.com
New federal rules, the article said, will require 50 percent of adults on welfare to either have a job or participate in an approved program that prepares them for work as of Oct. 1. Currently, only 16 percent of Oregon's adults on welfare hold a job.
Oregon officials said they will not understand the full reactions of such an overhaul, the Oregonlive.com article said, until the Federal Government releases more information on June 1. They have reportedly said, though, that meeting such requirements may be difficult.
Some of the state's choices, Oregonlive.com said, include declaring some families ineligible for state-federal cash assistance, making it more difficult for people to qualify for help and spending more state tax money to keep more working Oregonians in the program.
-Around the Nation:
Milwaukee, Wis.-A man opened fire on Monday, May 29, at a park in Milwaukee, Wis., killing two and injuring three, according to a report from The Associated Press.
South Shore Park on Lake Michigan was reportedly packed with picnickers and celebrators for Memorial Day when the gunman shot Monday evening.
According to Police Spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz, the man allegedly argued with the victims at the park around 7:30 p.m. before opening fire and fleeing the scene in a vehicle.
Witnesses said they heard at least 10 separate shots, reported The Associated Press, spurring hundreds of people at the park to scatter, screaming.
The police are reportedly looking for the alleged gunman, The Associated Press said.
-Around the World:
Bantul, Indonesia-More than 5,000 were killed in a devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake that hit Indonesia on Saturday, May 27, reported news agency Reuters.
According to an article by Reuters released on Monday, May 29, aid reaching Indonesian residents has been arriving at a slow pace.
Government figures said the number of the injured is at 2,155, but the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said there were 20,000 injured and more than 130,000 homeless, of which 40 percent are children, the article said.
Government and aid groups told Reuters that shelter and clean water are key for displaced survivors of the quake. The United Nations reportedly will ship three 100-bed field hospitals, tents, medical supplies and generators sometime by Thursday, June 1. According to the Reuters article, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, vowed that all relief funds would be spent on quake victims and said he had warned government officials against pocketing aid themselves.
"I have asked [officials], and this has been implemented, that we must maintain transparency and accountability," he said at a news conference. "Don't misappropriate one dollar...not even a single rupiah that is for the quake."