"We believe healthy communities require willing institutions to engage with each other in the public square for the common good..."

-- IESC Statement

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"An alliance of Omaha churches and community groups celebrated Tuesday after the City Council unanimously approved measures to increase fees for city building permits and inspections...About 30 members of the group Omaha Together One Community filled ...council chambers as seven of its members testified in favor of the amendments..."We know that many owners respond by fixing the problem. Our concern is with those who do not," said OTOC member Susan Kuhlmann of Omaha."

Since 2003, city fees had stagnated at $41 per re-inspection, a fee so low that 4,000 cases with unpaid fees remain open. The change would increase the fees to $125 per re-inspection over the next three years, high enough for an unpaid fee to appear on a landlord's credit report.

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New Computers, New Mindset, San Angelo Standard Times

Phoenix Mayoral Candidates Don't Follow Debate Rules, Fox 10 News

"'Iowa's revamped mental health care system must include more state workers so that care is easier to access and is funded properly,' an advocate said Sunday..."

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In a large scale effort to help California IAF leaders address the state's economy and challenges facing state and local officials, over 400 Bay Area IAF leaders convened in an October conference, joined by economists, thinkers, demographers, and other state power players. Leaders told stories illustrating how the downturn has hurt families and communities, reflected on their faith traditions and strategized around local opportunities. The conference helped energize regional strategies around immigration and identify training opportunities on housing and education.

"I'm excited. I'm very excited, about the whole thing," says the customer service rep. "I want a career, not just a job."

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"The prayer service, sponsored by The Metropolitan Organization ...is part of the Houston Area Interfaith Campaign for Humane Immigration Reform, which has reach thousands of Houstonians with its trainings in over the past two years....The service was followed by a series of workshops on human trafficking, work and wages, and pending federal legislation and policy."

[Photo Credit: Johnny Hanson/ Houston Chronicle]

Houston Clergy, Politicians Gather for Immigration Prayer Service, Houston Chronicle

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"VIDA's career pathways model is comprehensive and ambitious, beginning with our College Prep Academy." -- Myra Garcia, Executive Director of VIDA

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"The Rev. Julie Roberts-Fronk, pastor at First Christian Church and a leader with One LA, said there are no proposed plans that would ensure careful oversight by outside agencies of the project. In the past, city residents opposed other waste facility proposals, Roberts-Fronk said.

'It was a bad idea then,' she said.

'It's a bad idea now!' ...the audience responded."

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