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only to families at 100 percent of the poverty level and is considered a last resort.
• Minnehaha has spent nearly $136,000 so far this year on the assistance, which covers bills for heat, electric, water and sewer that are typically 60 or 90 days past due. It has about $14,000 left in its budget for the year.
• "You have to have disconnects before the county steps in," Muller said. "The county's considered to be last resort. We refer a tremendous number of people to the LIHEAP program."
• Avila said the federal program that started in 1981 targets three major categories of vulnerable populations -- the elderly, the disabled and households with children under 5.
• Congress' commitment to the program has dropped from $5.1 billion in the 2010 fiscal year to about $3.5 billion this year.
• "We can't reach every eligible household," he said. "Even at $5.1 billion, which is the highest we've gotten, it still only served one in four households that are eligible. Once the funds run out, they run out."
10 Things to Know for Today
The Associated Press
• Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about today:
• 1. WHY NORTH KOREA'S ROCKET MAY NOT BE A THREAT YET
• Experts say North Korea is still years away from developing nuclear missiles that could hit targets.
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• 2. SYRIA'S CLOSEST ALLY SAYS ASSAD IS LOSING CONTROL
• Russia's deputy foreign minister says the opposition may win the civil war.
•
• 3. WHAT OREGON MALL SHOOTING SUSPECT SAID ON FACEBOOK
• "I may be young but I have lived one crazy life so far," Jacob Tyler Roberts wrote.
•
• 4. HOW THE PRINCESS'S NURSE DIED
• A coroner says Jacintha Saldanha, who answered a hoax call about the Duchess of Cambridge, was found hanging in her room.
•
• 5. CONCERT FOR NEW YORK CITY 2.0
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