skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

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

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Budget Policy & Priorities

The bobcat was recognized as an endangered species in Indiana until 2005. (Adobe stock)

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Indiana bobcats in the crosshairs, again

After years of trying and failing, Indiana lawmakers have put bobcats in the crosshairs. The decision forces the Indiana Department of Natural …

play audio
The Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform, formed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and led by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, took a comprehensive look at the state's system and released its report in July 2022 with 32 recommendations for improving Michigan's juvenile justice system. (Oleg Kozlovskiy/Adobe Stock)

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

play audio

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Thursday, March 28, 2024

AARP AZ cites impacts of APS rate increase

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

play audio
More than 71 million Americans saw a 3.2% increase in their Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income payments this year with the average retirement benefit increasing by more than $50 per month. (Adobe Stock)

Thursday, March 28, 2024

GOP proposal threatens cuts to MA Social Security benefits

Congressional Republicans' proposed changes to Social Security have advocates for Massachusetts beneficiaries concerned about the future of the key sa…

play audio

As of 2023, 29 of Nebraska's 93 counties had no behavioral health professionals. (Adobe Stock)

Thursday, March 28, 2024

NE behavioral health advocates, consumers question $15 million funding shift

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

play audio
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Medicaid expansion could save TN rural hospitals from closing

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

play audio

Organizations fighting wage theft said it harms affected workers and surrounding communities because the money withheld is not being circulated through the local economy. (Adobe Stock)

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

play audio
House Resolution 4366 is a package of six Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills that continues funding for several programs and helps avoid a partial government shutdown. (DC Studio/Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

MS Community Health Centers get boost from federal funding bill

In Mississippi and across the country, Community Health Centers are getting a funding increase, thanks to Congress passing a bipartisan spending …

play audio

The Congressional Budget Office estimated as early as 2023, Social Security might have a harder time paying full benefits to beneficiaries because program revenues will not be keeping up. (Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Possible cuts to Social Security come back into focus

Congress just avoided a partial government shutdown by approving a budget through the end of September, but a new blueprint is renewing debate about …

play audio
Congress gave final approval to the 2024 budget after a six-month delay. (doganmesut/Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Missed opportunities in 2024 budget, peacekeeping groups say

Groups supporting peace around the globe say the budget approved by Congress is lacking crucial components. After a monthslong stalemate, Congress …

play audio

Nationally, it's estimated 38 million family caregivers provide unpaid labor worth approximately $600 billion per year. (Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Assembly considers grants to assist MD family caregivers

Advocates are calling on Maryland lawmakers to fund a grant program to help family caregivers. A 2021 study indicated about 760,000 family …

play audio
California's Family Urgent Response System's mandate is to be available to send an emergency care team to any California foster family within one hour. (DimaBerlin/Adobestock)

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

CA foster care advocates ask lawmakers to fund in-person response teams

Advocates for foster families are pressing lawmakers to save the Family Urgent Response System from the budget ax. California faces a $37.9 billion …

play audio

 

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