Latest news with #Morice
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Brief Recommends Extending Tax Breaks to Early Childhood Educators
Every year, in December and in May, Susan Morice prepares a special project for her preschool class. 'I do it as a thank you to my parents,' she says. This past year for Mother's Day, Morice purchased flower pots and flowers to plant. For Christmas, she purchased rainbow candy canes and supplies to make Christmas ornaments. Since these projects are outside the preschool curriculum at the Meadows Elementary School near Omaha, Nebraska, where she works, she pays for these items out of pocket. Morice has been a teacher for over 30 years, 16 of which she has been teaching pre-K; she estimates that she spends around $450 a year of her own money on non-reimbursed supplies like crafts, games, puzzles, books and toys for her classroom. She doesn't have access to a color printer at school, so she uses one at home to print out pages for her class. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter It's not uncommon for educators to spend their own money on classroom supplies, which is why the U.S. tax code includes an educator expense deduction, allowing teachers in K-12 classrooms to deduct up to $300 a year on expenses that were not reimbursed. But Morice, like so many other early childhood educators, doesn't qualify to take the deduction. Though she works alongside other teachers in her school, doing virtually identical teaching work, she and other pre-K teachers aren't able to deduct their expenses. Nationwide, early childhood educators earn, on average, less than half what their elementary school counterparts make, with a median hourly wage of $13.07. Thirteen percent earn below the poverty line, and almost half (43%) rely on public assistance. While policy debates about raising the wages of child care workers often center on bringing in more state or federal assistance, another option exists to shore up the industry using the tax code. The education expense deduction is a federal income tax deduction of up to $300 annually for unreimbursed expenses (or $600 if two married educators are filing jointly). The teacher who buys poster board and markers for her classroom, or who enrolls in a continuing education class, can deduct those expenses. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, qualified expenses also included PPE and disinfectant. A new brief released by the Buffett Early Childhood Institute this month recommends allowing early childhood educators to take the deduction, arguing that the move would help retain workers by 'easing a portion of their financial burden' and 'demonstrating they are respected for the important work they do.' The brief also points to the problems with the existing recruitment and retention of early childhood educators: Because of the very low pay, there are significant employment challenges for businesses and families, resulting in 'billions of dollars of lost economic activity.' Evidence supports this — without access to child care, many people, especially women, cannot work for pay. Walter Gilliam, executive director of the Buffett institute and a co-author of the report, believes the discrepancy caused by the tax laws contributes to early educators feeling there isn't sufficient respect in the field. Gilliam runs an ongoing survey of early educators, and of the 25,000 who responded, he estimated that over 90% would be able to take the tax deduction if it were available to them. 'They feel neglected, because they often are,' he said of early educators. He pointed to another example during the COVID-19 pandemic, when K-12 teachers were given priority for vaccinations and PPE supplies. Many early educators were skipped entirely, even though, in many cases, they were the ones showing up to work while many K-12 teachers were staying home. 'These kinds of things have huge implications for early childhood educators,' Gilliam said. The brief recommends that Congress extend the federal tax deduction to early educators, and that states consider providing their own tax deduction until a federal version is passed. But could a $300 tax deduction make a meaningful difference? Josh McCabe, the director of social policy at the Niskanen Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, doesn't think so. 'I'm relatively confident this deduction wouldn't make a dent in the problem for a few reasons,' he said. 'It's unclear to me how many ECE workers are 1) spending out of pocket on non reimbursed supplies, 2) are in tax brackets that make a deduction like this more than nominally valuable, and 3) would have their retention decision impacted by this on the margin.' And Gary Romano, the chief strategy advisor at Civitas Strategies, LLC, a group that provides tax education and business support, estimates that even with the tax deduction, the maximum amount that early educators would take home is an extra $66 a year. Romano explains that most child care providers max out at the 12% or 22% marginal tax rate, which would be the percentage they'd recoup on the $300 deduction, assuming they spent the maximum amount. He also noted that this is a personal deduction, not a business deduction, and many child care providers who work out of their homes already deduct supplies as a business expense. Gilliam acknowledges that even though it's not a lot of money, showing early educators they are valued may go a long way toward supporting retention efforts. 'Do I believe that double digit savings in the pockets of early educators is going to keep them in their seats? Probably not. Do I think showing them a little bit of respect might help? Absolutely.' Expanding the deduction would require Congressional approval, it's not a rule the Internal Revenue Service could expand on its own. Gilliam points to another survey he conducted about people who left the early education field. The top reason for leaving was compensation (54%), followed by not enough respect (39%). Other reasons included lack of benefits, lack of support for challenging behaviors, poor working conditions, and the need for more flexibility of hours. Morice, the preschool teacher, has even greater confidence: She knows teachers who could take advantage of this deduction, and believes some 'need to count every penny.' And for her, it's a basic issue of fairness that allows her to do her job well. 'I feel truly that if you want the best for these kids and start them out strong and give them a foundation, you have to give them the supplies to do that,' she said. 'We can't do it with one set of blocks all year.'
CBS News
25-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
They didn't know their backyard creek carried nuclear waste. Now, they're dying of cancer.
St. Louis woman says family decimated by cancer after living near toxic creek for decades This story is part one of a two-part series that examines the effects of nuclear waste contamination in Coldwater Creek on the surrounding community in St. Louis, Missouri. Part two aired Wednesday, April 23 on "CBS Evening News." When Linda Morice and her family first moved to St. Louis in 1957, they had no idea they had anything to fear. Then, people started getting sick. "It was a slow, insidious process," Morice said. After the death of Morice's mother, her physician uncle took her aside and gave her a stark warning: "Linda, I don't believe St. Louis is a very healthy place to live. Everyone on this street has a tumor." Their neighborhood was bordered by Coldwater Creek, a 19-mile tributary of the Missouri River. It wound through their backyards, near baseball fields, schools and cemeteries — and past lots where leaking barrels and open-air dumps of nuclear waste leeched into its waters. "It was shocking that this creek was likely making people sick," Morice said. Starting in 1942, roughly one ton of pure uranium was produced per day in downtown St. Louis. It was then shipped to labs across the country for the top secret Manhattan Project that created the first nuclear bomb. The leftover waste was dumped around the city. "That material was in 82 different spots throughout St. Louis County. It spilled. Children played in it. It seemed to me that there wasn't an attempt to absolutely get to the bottom of it," Morice said. In Morice's family alone, her mother, father and brother died of cancer, leaving her to think differently about her childhood. "All that time, all those fun things were happening, but that whole time we, and the rest of the community were being exposed to some pretty dangerous stuff," Morice said. Now her husband, who also lived in the area, is fighting cancer. He's being treated by urologic oncologist Dr. Gautum Agarwal. For the last several years, Agarwal has been tracking which of his patients lived near Coldwater Creek. "I was seeing patients who are young, who had developed pretty significant cancers from areas that there's been some contamination with nuclear waste," Agarwal said. While radiation is known to cause cancer, experts say they can't pin down the specific cause of the disease in a given patient. But a 2019 study from the Department of Health and Human Services found that people who lived and played near Coldwater Creek from the 1960s to 1990s "could be at an increased risk of developing lung cancer, bone cancer or leukemia." "The people there deserve for us to look at this much closer than we have," Agarwal said.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Nuclear waste has haunted St. Louis for decades, but cleanup isn't over
This story is part two of a two-part series that examines the effects of nuclear waste contamination in Coldwater Creek on the surrounding community in St. Louis, Missouri. Part one aired Tuesday, April 22 on "CBS Evening News." Just 15 miles away from St. Louis' Gateway Arch, nuclear waste was stored for decades. Coldwater Creek ran right by the storage site, and Linda Morice lived near the waterway for years. "It was all top secret," Morice said. "There was a deposit site where the processes and waste of the Manhattan Project had been stored, that is to say dumped, in the open or put in barrels that rusted." Eventually, Morice's mother, father and brother would all die of lymphoma. Starting in 1942, roughly one ton of pure uranium was produced per day in downtown St. Louis. It was then shipped to labs across the country for the top secret Manhattan Project that created the first nuclear bomb. "I think there are people to this day who don't know the story," Morice said. It wasn't until 1989 — 43 years after the waste was first dumped — that the Environmental Protection Agency classified the area as hazardous. Officials said it was dangerously contaminated and ordered a government cleanup. But by that time, more than 60,000 people lived within just one mile of the creek, including Christen Commuso. "I had to have a total hysterectomy. I've been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. They found a new tumor on my remaining adrenal gland," said Commuso, policy director for the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. She's been pushing for the remaining waste to be removed for more than 12 years. "I was quite literally laying in my hospital bed. I promised myself that I was gonna get better and do something about it," Commuso said. The Army Corps of Engineers has been in charge of the cleanup since 1997. An early project manager estimated it would take at least eight years to finish. But now, their best estimate is 2038. "There is a low level radioactive material there, and we're gonna remove it. It doesn't matter if it's low or high, we're going to remove it," said Col. Andy Pannier, who leads the St. Louis cleanup site. Pannier said the radioactive material is located in "small pockets at random locations along the creek." But the corps' own maps show some of those pockets of waste are near schools, cemeteries and even under people's homes. "St. Louisans are being chronically exposed to this every day of their lives," Commuso said. Last year, Commuso and the Washington University Environmental Law Clinic analyzed the corps' cleanup plans. Not only are they concerned about the slow pace, they say the corps is leaving behind nearly three times more radioactive isotopes, or nuclear byproducts, than the Department of Energy deems safe. One of those byproducts is thorium-230, Commuso said, which releases alpha particles as it decays. Alpha emitters aren't typically harmful to external skin. However, when they are inhaled, ingested or get into the body through a cut, they can damage sensitive living tissues, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. "Once it's in your body, it will continue to fire for the rest of your life," Commuso said. While radiation is known to cause cancer, experts say they can't pin down the specific cause of the disease in a given patient. But a 2019 study from the Department of Health and Human Services found that people who lived and played near Coldwater Creek from the 1960s to 1990s "could be at an increased risk of developing lung cancer, bone cancer or leukemia." The Army Corps of Engineers told CBS News their cleanup plans are safe, but the EPA wasn't convinced. In 2020, EPA scientists asked the corps for specific data on the contamination, but the corps did not respond to those requests, CBS News found. "Everybody has been touched by this history. I feel it's a responsibility of mine now that I know this information. I can't just sit on it," Commuso said. The corps has promised an update on the contamination in four months, when it is set to publish its latest five-year review. But while the people in the community wait for the threat to be dealt with, the creek continues to response to CBS News' reporting, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who has been advocating for residents of North St. Louis County, said, "For decades now, Missourians across the St. Louis region have been poisoned by radioactive waste that the federal government dumped in their backyards. First our government lied about the toxins, and then it left Missourians to deal with the health hazards they caused. It's time for the government to clean up its mess and compensate those, like Christen Commuso, who've borne the burden of its negligence." Sneak peek: The Detective's Wife St. Louis woman says family decimated by cancer after living near toxic creek for decades Trump says Putin should "STOP!" after deadly Ukraine attacks
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Nuclear waste has haunted Coldwater Creek for decades, but the cleanup is far from over
Nuclear waste haunts Missouri community, but cleanup is far from over This story is part two of a two-part series that examines the effects of nuclear waste contamination in Coldwater Creek on the surrounding community in St. Louis, Missouri. Part one aired Tuesday, April 22 on "CBS Evening News." Just 15 miles away from St. Louis' Gateway Arch, nuclear waste was stored for decades. Coldwater Creek ran right by the storage site, and Linda Morice lived near the waterway for years. "It was all top secret," Morice said. "There was a deposit site where the processes and waste of the Manhattan Project had been stored, that is to say dumped, in the open or put in barrels that rusted." Eventually, Morice's mother, father and brother would all die of lymphoma. Starting in 1942, roughly one ton of pure uranium was produced per day in downtown St. Louis. It was then shipped to labs across the country for the top secret Manhattan Project that created the first nuclear bomb. "I think there are people to this day who don't know the story," Morice said. It wasn't until 1989 — 43 years after the waste was first dumped — that the Environmental Protection Agency classified the area as hazardous. Officials said it was dangerously contaminated and ordered a government cleanup. But by that time, more than 60,000 people lived within just one mile of the creek, including Christen Commuso. "I had to have a total hysterectomy. I've been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. They found a new tumor on my remaining adrenal gland," said Commuso, policy director for the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. She's been pushing for the remaining waste to be removed for more than 12 years. "I was quite literally laying in my hospital bed. I promised myself that I was gonna get better and do something about it," Commuso said. The Army Corps of Engineers has been in charge of the cleanup since 1997. An early project manager estimated it would take at least eight years to finish. But now, their best estimate is 2038. "There is a low level radioactive material there, and we're gonna remove it. It doesn't matter if it's low or high, we're going to remove it," said Col. Andy Pannier, who leads the St. Louis cleanup site. Pannier said the radioactive material is located in "small pockets at random locations along the creek." But the corps' own maps show some of those pockets of waste are near schools, cemeteries and even under people's homes. "St. Louisans are being chronically exposed to this every day of their lives," Commuso said. Last year, Commuso and the Washington University Environmental Law Clinic analyzed the corps' cleanup plans. Not only are they concerned about the slow pace, they say the corps is leaving behind nearly three times more radioactive isotopes, or nuclear byproducts, than the Department of Energy deems safe. One of those byproducts is thorium-230, Commuso said, which releases alpha particles as it decays. Alpha emitters aren't typically harmful to external skin. However, when they are inhaled, ingested or get into the body through a cut, they can damage sensitive living tissues, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. "Once it's in your body, it will continue to fire for the rest of your life," Commuso said. While radiation is known to cause cancer, experts say they can't pin down the specific cause of the disease in a given patient. But a 2019 study from the Department of Health and Human Services found that people who lived and played near Coldwater Creek from the 1960s to 1990s "could be at an increased risk of developing lung cancer, bone cancer or leukemia." The Army Corps of Engineers told CBS News their cleanup plans are safe, but the EPA wasn't convinced. In 2020, EPA scientists asked the corps for specific data on the contamination, but the corps did not respond to those requests, CBS News found. "Everybody has been touched by this history. I feel it's a responsibility of mine now that I know this information. I can't just sit on it," Commuso said. The corps has promised an update on the contamination in four months, when it is set to publish its latest five-year review. But while the people in the community wait for the threat to be dealt with, the creek continues to flow. In response to CBS News' reporting, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who has been advocating for residents of North St. Louis County, said, "For decades now, Missourians across the St. Louis region have been poisoned by radioactive waste that the federal government dumped in their backyards. First our government lied about the toxins, and then it left Missourians to deal with the health hazards they caused. It's time for the government to clean up its mess and compensate those, like Christen Commuso, who've borne the burden of its negligence." contributed to this report.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
CBS News renews attention to nuclear waste fallout at Coldwater Creek
ST. LOUIS – A new two-part series from 'CBS Evening News' has brought renewed attention to decades-long concerns of nuclear waste contamination at Coldwater Creek and its devastating impact on St. Louis-area families. The contamination stems from uranium production during the Manhattan Project, a World War II-era effort that occurred in the St. Louis region. When leftover nuclear waste was later disposed, it found way into Coldwater Creek, a 19-mile tributary of the Missouri River that runs through neighborhoods, schools, and parks. Over the last few years, national reports have surfaced suggesting that the federal government downplayed and failed to fully investigate the risks of nuclear waste contamination that stemmed from the Manhattan Project. In its first of two reports, CBS Evening News focused on the story of Linda Morice, a north St. Louis County resident whose family was severely affected by cancer. Police respond to South County Mall after man displays gun Morice's family moved to St. Louis in 1957, unaware of dangers lurking in their backyard. Over the years, Morice lost her mother, father and brother to cancer, all believed to be tied to long-term exposure to nuclear waste at Coldwater Creek. 'It was a slow, insidious process,' Morice told CBS. 'All that time, all those fun things were happening, but that whole time we, and the rest of the community were being exposed to some pretty dangerous stuff.' Urologic oncologist Dr. Gautum Agarwal told CBS he has seen an unusually high number of aggressive cancers in people who grew up near the creek, something he has been tracking closely in medical reports. 'I was seeing patients who are young, who had developed pretty significant cancers from areas that there's been some contamination with nuclear waste,' said Agrawal. Morice also recalled a chilling comment from her physician's uncle, who once warned, 'Everyone on this street has a tumor.' The waste wasn't limited to one site. CBS reports that it spread across 82 different spots in St. Louis County, including places where children played and families lived unaware of risks. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now This isn't the only time nuclear waste around St. Louis has caught national attention either. In recent years, environmental investigation consultants have pointed out radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary School in north St. Louis County. There are also prolonged concerns about the West Lake landfill in Bridgeton and a former uranium plant site in Weldon Spring. Efforts to secure compensation for victims of radioactive contamination through U.S. Congress have gained some momentum in the past, including a push from a local advocacy group Just Moms STL, but legislation on the matter has not passed as of April 2025. Just Moms STL, a vocal forced behind the push for accountability, shared the CBS story to their social media pages with the caption: 'This is why we need RECA!' Missouri U.S. Josh Hawley has been a major proponent of swift action at Coldwater Creek, repeatedly urging Congress to recognize St. Louis-area radioactive contamination victims and fund their care. According to previous Associated Press reports on cleanup of Coldwater Creek isn't expected to finish until 2038, though the Army Corps of Engineers believes the worst of the contamination has been removed. Part II of the two-part 'CBS Evening News' special on Coldwater Creek airs Wednesday evening. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
