skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

VA Faith Leaders Honor King's Legacy in Pipeline Fight

play audio
Play

Wednesday, April 4, 2018   

NEWPORT, Va. - Faith leaders in Virginia say they're continuing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy by fighting for environmental justice for the communities affected by the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines.

King was killed in 1968 in Memphis, Tenn., while supporting people protesting decades of discrimination against African-American sanitation workers. Faith leaders say the current goal is to raise concerns about two fracked-gas pipelines with paths directly through low-income communities.

The Rev. Morris Fleischer, pastor of Newport-Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, said they'll deliver a letter to Gov. Ralph Northam as a voice for those who can't speak out.

"We're looking at environmental justice, because it's talking about pipelines that are going to affect some of the poorest communities in the state," he said. "Specifically, the Atlantic Coast pipeline is going to affect significant African-American community, a community that's been in existence for many, many years."

Fleischer and other faith leaders will meet today at the state Capitol to pray, sing and deliver their message of justice to Northam.

According to information from the pipeline developers, the Mountain Valley line runs 300 miles and the Atlantic Coast pipeline crosses more than 600 miles in Virginia. Supporters of the gas pipelines have argued they will lead to jobs and opportunities for the state.

Fleischer said a sure sign of modern-day environmental racism at play is the decision to locate the routes near communities of color.

"You know, there are certainly racial overtones in this particular plight," he said, "as well as socioeconomic components, the people being affected directly by these pipelines."

Anti-pipeline protesters have been active for about four years. But now, the pipeline companies have most of their permits and have begun cutting some trees to clear rights of way. Faith leaders are hoping their peaceful effort will add pressure to change the outcome.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …


Social Issues

play sound

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have …

Social Issues

play sound

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …


Ohio is among 13 jurisdictions requiring Saturday and Sunday hours for early voting. (PX Media/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Self-Care Awareness Month and the American Heart Association in Missouri is urging caregivers to take some much-needed time for themselve…

Menhaden are forage fish species and filter feeders, each capable of filtering up to seven gallons of water per minute. (Photo of female Osprey with Menhaden/TRCP)

Environment

play sound

In Virginia's waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concern among conservation groups and fishermen alike…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right. Kallie Leyba…

Environment

play sound

By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for New Hampshire News Connection reporting for the Grist-Public News Service C…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021