Tuesday Links

• Congratulations to Shelby County, TN. After months spent discussing the matter, the 13-member County County Commission split down party lines yesterday, with Democrats prevailing, to approve a living wage. Workers will be paid at least $10 an hour with benefits or $12 without, similar to what has been approved by the Memphis City Council.

• As the costs for fixing the state's troubled corrections system rocket higher, California is headed for a dubious milestone -- for the first time the state will spend more on incarcerating inmates than on educating students in its public universities.

• A New York Times editorial: As more and more workers who inhaled the dust at ground zero fall ill, it has become increasingly clear that much of the problem can be traced to the Giuliani administration’s failure to insist that all emergency personnel and construction workers at the site wear respirators.

• Pregnancy discrimination is on the rise: EEOC seeing more complaints, filing more suits on behalf of affected women.