...AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM MST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...An extended period of stagnant air, with light winds
and little vertical mixing.
* WHERE...Portions of south central, southwest and west central
Idaho and northeast and southeast Oregon.
* WHEN...Until 1 PM MST Friday, and this time may be extended.
* IMPACTS...Periods of air stagnation can lead to the buildup of
pollutants near the surface.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds will increase Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday afternoons in portions of the Upper Treasure Valley
(generally in and around Mountain Home) to the point where
stagnation will be limited. However, the majority of the zone
will experience stagnant air and was therefore included in this
advisory.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
An Air Stagnation Advisory concerns itself with meteorological
conditions only. For more information on air pollution in Idaho,
visit website www.deq.idaho.gov. For Oregon, visit website
www.oregon.gov/deq.
If possible, reduce or eliminate activities that contribute to
air pollution, such as outdoor burning, and the use of
residential wood burning devices. Reduce vehicle trips and
vehicle idling as much as possible.
&&
BOISE — The number of households classified as the working poor rose 86% between 2007 and 2018, according to a new study from United Way of Treasure Valley.
The nonprofit regularly studies the numbers of households classified as ALICE — which means asset limited, income constrained, employed — to study the economic well-being of low-wage earners in Idaho. Workers in these households typically hold jobs in the health care sector, food service or other jobs that have been essential to society during the pandemic, but have low wages and few job protections. The latest numbers available from the United Way are for 2018.
“During good economic times, (ALICE workers) are one emergency away from a financial crisis,” United Way CEO and President Nora Carpenter said in a press release. “COVID-19 became that one universal tipping point. ALICE families are facing the greatest health and financial risks today, as they are the workers who don’t have health insurance, have no paid sick days, and whose children receive daily meals at school.”
In 2018, nearly 180,000 of the state’s 637,451 households were classified as ALICE, a record number, according to United Way. ALICE households grew to 28% of Idaho’s households in 2018, up from 17% in 2007. During the same decade, the nonprofit's studies found wages for these workers remained stagnant while the cost of expenses grew 3.4% annually.
The study found that in 2018 the cost of survival for a year ranged from $21,156 for a single adult, $24,156 for a senior citizen and $63,384 for a family of four with an infant and a preschooler. At the same time, the median hourly wage for a retail salesperson in Idaho was $11.55, which at 40 hours per week would bring in an annual salary of $24,024 before taxes.
In Ada County, 37% of the households fell below the ALICE threshold in 2018. Canyon County had 42% of households below the threshold.
The ALICE Report for Idaho was underwritten in part by Washington Federal Foundation, Idaho Community Foundation, Idaho Nonprofit Center, and Avista Corporation, and is a project of United For ALICE, a grassroots movement of some 650 United Ways in 21 states, corporations and foundations, all using the same methodology to document financial need.
