current events (101)

The Hispanic Century?

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A comprehensive look at voter behavior and demographics reveals a momentous prospect: A Hispanic electorate that votes en masse, allies itself with one political party and changes America’s political balance for decades.

The rapid growth in the U.S. Hispanic population over the last 40 years — both in terms of raw numbers and percentage of the population — is probably the most important emergent force in American politics today. The evidence is around us: In 2008, each party conducted an entire

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Salvadoran-Americans are now the fourth-largest Latino group in the United States, according to 2010 census figures released Thursday.

Those whose roots extend to El Salvador, one of the smallest and densest countries in the Western Hemisphere, now number more than 1.6 million in the United States, and nearly half reside in California. The latest tally means that Salvadoran-Americans have surpassed Dominican-Americans in number and are swiftly gaining on Cuban-Americans.

Those who hope the high

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At the end of May 2007, Jorge Sanchez loaded his cousin's pickup truck and moved his young family from an apartment into a house in Fitchburg. The house was just three years old. Its light brown siding was accented by a bright red front door. A park sat invitingly down the street.

That was six years after Sanchez and his wife, Minerva Abrajan, natives of Puebla, Mexico, arrived in Madison. They're not citizens, but, as permanent residents who pay U.S. taxes, the UW-Madison janitors obtained a m

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The decision by Bashas' Supermarkets to close three Food City stores illustrates how much businesses that cater to the Hispanic community are suffering as the economy and immigration crackdowns have driven Latinos out of Arizona. No one knows exactly how many Latinos have left the state, but advocates, business owners and experts who track the Latino market believe the number is significant. The collapse of the state's economy eliminated many labor jobs tied to growth industries. Edmundo Hida
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Latinos flock to New Orleans

For the first time since it was a Spanish colony some 200 years ago, New Orleans is getting revitalized by Spanish speakers. One of the more dramatic and immediate impacts of Hurricane Katrina has been the influx of thousands of new Latinos who have moved to the city to detoxify, renovate and rebuild storm damaged roads, flood walls, businesses and homes. Following a mini-boom in Latinos has been a growing number of Latino-owned businesses, especially in the retail and service sectors. Two Me
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Mexico Eases Ban on Drug Possession

Mexico decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and heroin on Friday, in a move that creates one of the world's most permissive narcotics markets and that opponents say could complicate President Felipe Calderón's war against illegal drug cartels. The law goes beyond what is allowed in many other countries by making it legal to possess small amounts of a wide array of drugs. For instance, the new law allows the equivalent of about five joints of marijuana or four lines of cocaine. T
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Immigrant rights activists said Friday that a White House meeting this week to reaffirm support for immigration reform -- featuring a surprise appearance by President Obama -- had helped mollify growing frustration over what some perceived as backpedaling on reform promises. But many said that action will be needed to keep the faith among immigrants and their supporters, particularly Latinos who turned out in record numbers to help elect Obama last year. "We've heard all of the beautiful orato
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Gabby Ornelas, a former teller at the giant Bank of America Corp., remembers the training sessions. And she remembers her marching orders: "Sell, sell, sell." Ornelas was instructed to use her Spanish language skills and Latina heritage to sign up customers for as many kinds of banking services as possible, she said -- services that led to lucrative fees for the bank and financial entanglement for many customers. "We were coached every day to push multiple checking accounts, credit cards and
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Optimism About American Dream Lives On

Over 80 percent Asians, Latinos and African Americans feel optimistic about achieving the American Dream, while two-third of whites share the same feeling, reports the International Daily News. According to “The 2009 MetLife Study of the American Dream,” the study shows Asians, when compared with other minorities, often view having a successful career as a key component of achieving the American Dream. READ FULL STORY
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Latinas face challenges that hinder their education

Most Latinas have goals to graduate and get professional jobs, but challenges including discrimination and gender stereotyping undermine their chances of success, a new survey shows. The discrimination -- sometimes from teachers and fellow students -- affects the young women's self-confidence and performance, leading to lower graduation rates, according to the report released last week by the National Women's Law Center and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. "About 80 pe
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Unemployment in California hits post-World War II high

California's jobless rate reached a fresh post-World War II high in July, climbing to 11.9%, a sobering reminder that though the nation's deep downturn may be nearing its end, the state's employment woes are far from over. Golden State employers cut their payrolls by 35,800 jobs in July, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department. That's a significant improvement over monthly losses that averaged 76,000 over the first half of the year. READ FULL STORY
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What Health Care Reform Means for Latinos

Health care reform plans don’t include any kind of public coverage for undocumented immigrants. President Barack Obama has even said that including the undocumented would create "a lot of resistance." But this hasn’t stopped opponents, including anti-immigrant lobbyist groups like the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), from denouncing supposed "loop holes" in the proposals that they say would benefit the undocumented. "Many Americans have used town hall meetings to express the
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The flow of immigrants from Mexico to the U.S. declined to the lowest level in a decade during the past year, a sign that the recession is deterring economic migrants from heading north in search of jobs. However, there is no evidence of an increase between March 2008 and March 2009 in the number of Mexicans returning home from the U.S., according to an analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center, an independent research group in Washington. The slowing of Mexican immigration to the U.S. is part of a
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Hispanic liaison bridging culture gap

There are more than 18,000 Hispanics living in Chesterfield County, and that number is expected to rise in the next few years. The county is taking notice. He's a hot commodity. Juan Santacoloma rushes between county departments and his office working to meet the needs of local Latinos. "I try to solve all the different problems or concerns that Latinos have," he said. RED FULL STORY
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6.5 Million US Latinos Hungry

Nearly 1 in 5 Latino households is suffering from food insecurity nationwide in one of the worlds richest countries. According to the latest US Department of Agriculture 2006 report on food security, Hispanics are disproportionately affected with 19.5 % of Latino households reporting food insecurity, well above the national average of 10.9% (Non Hispanic white average is 7.8%). The Tri State area is seeing an increase of households struggling to adequately feed their families. The averages natio
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Latinos Will Be on Lookout for Sotomayor Abuse

Latinos will be watching Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings "like hawks" for evidence that senators on the Judiciary Committee are mistreating the Second Circuit Court of Appeals Judge, or are mischaracterizing her record, leaders of Latino political, professional and advocacy groups tell ABC News. "We accept tough questions. But what we are going to object to are questions that misrepresent the judge or that distort her record," says Estuardo V. Rodriguez, director of Hispanics for a Fai
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Business tough for area Hispanics

Saul Moya’s restaurant, El Puerto Mexican Restaurant, serves the same size crowds as it did two years ago. But his revenue still has slipped. From Moya’s perspective, local residents are still choosing to eat out on occasion, but they’re being more thrifty with their cash. “Business has come down about 20 percent,” said Moya, who has owned the restaurant in Fox Lake for seven years. “When the people come to eat, they eat the less expensive dishes.” Moya’s business, like much of the Hispanic
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Paychecks, housing values and general optimism have all contracted in the state during the recession that began at the end of 2007, and now the tough times have ushered in another slowdown — at hospital delivery rooms. California had 14,570 fewer births in 2008 than in the previous year, a 2.6 percent drop that surprised demographers with its size. It was the first annual decline in births since 2001, when the state was last mired in a recession. While the economy is one likely cause, the migra
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Rivera warns of debate’s effects

Fox News host Geraldo Rivera said he received a text message from his 14-year-old daughter after he arrived in Houston on Monday night and was out enjoying a steak dinner. “Hi, Dad, I was watching a TV show, and a dad just died, and I got really sad. I want you to know I love you more than anything,” Rivera said his daughter wrote. When he woke up the next morning, Rivera turned on the TV in his hotel room and saw the daughter of slain Houston police officer Henry Canales saying essentially t
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Latinos make a place for themselves in Muslim America

Ponce de Leon Federal Bank, Pan Con Todo restaurant, and the Made In Colombia boutique line the sidewalk on Bergenline Avenue, which runs through the center of Union City, New Jersey. Flags from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic hang proudly in storefronts. Miniature Honduran flags dangle from the rear view mirrors of cars parked on the thoroughfare. More than 60 percent of Union City’s population is Latino. You don’t have to speak English to live here. Just off Bergenline, there
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