As the state’s poverty rate climbs and low-wage jobs expand, the minimum wage–$5.15 an hour—has less buying power than it has had since the 1940s.

In the world of foundation giving, it’s all about the rich getting richer, or so says a study conducted by the Foundation Center and the Boston Globe.

The Congressionally chartered Institute of Medicine said in a high-profile report yesterday that the nation must reach universal health care coverage by 2010.

Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist attacked a law passed last spring that limits judges’ ability to depart from sentencing guidelines.

One-fifth of immigrant families surveyed said they were concerned that signing up for public health insurance would cause them problems with immigration.