SALT LAKE CITY – A court challenge under way claims Utah's Agriculture Operation Interference law violates the First Amendment right to free speech.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press will be filing a friend of the court brief in federal District Court in Salt Lake City today.

It claims the so-called ag gag law prevents journalists from reporting on what happens inside slaughterhouses and other food-preparation facilities.

Gregg Leslie, legal defense director at the Reporters Committee, says the law makes it nearly impossible to expose possible cruelty and abuses.

"So we came in to say it also affects journalists when the people who want to act as their sources when their conduct is criminalized,” he says. “Yes, that is the purpose of a friend-of-the-court brief, is to bring another perspective to the court."

The controversial law says, "A person is guilty of agricultural operation interference if the person records an image of, or sound from, an agricultural operation under certain circumstances, obtains access to an agricultural operation under false pretenses; or obtains employment at an agricultural operation under certain circumstances with the intent to record an image of, or sound from, the agricultural operation."

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Animal Legal Defense Fund are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

Leslie says the Reporters Committee is not directly involved in the litigation, but is considered an outside party offering an opinion on the matter. He says the law prevents PETA and others from keeping an eye on food processors.

"People have a right to know how food is handled,” he stresses, “how animals are treated in slaughterhouses and in any other kind of facility."

Leslie adds that existing trespassing laws can be bypassed if there is illegal activity occurring at a certain location. He says the long history of groups exposing abuses in slaughterhouses has helped to improve animal welfare and overall food safety.



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MINNEAPOLIS -- Several regional labor groups rallied in Minneapolis on Wednesday, demanding state leaders take action to reflect the sacrifices made by front-line pandemic workers, including releasing money intended as bonus payments.

This fall, a legislative working group failed to come to an agreement on distributing $250 million in front-line worker pay. Republicans insist on divvying up bigger checks to a limited number of workers, while Democrats have pushed for a wider range of recipients, even if the payments are smaller.

Angie Halseth, statewide vice president for the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees and a caseworker at the Lino Lakes Correctional Facility, worries about being left out despite her commitment during the crisis.

"I became, I would say, a nurse," Halseth recounted. "We were used to take temperatures and vital signs. We made meals. We actually received duty belts and training to cover officer posts when we were so short-staffed."

Halseth echoed other calls for the state to go beyond the $250 million investment. She argued the state has the resources to make front-line workers whole. The stalemate is at the center of political differences over whether there should be a special session before year's end.

A range of front-line workers have received praise from elected officials and other leaders since the start of the pandemic. But Halseth argued praise only goes so far when so many have put themselves at risk.

"We have told our stories to the task force, and we'll keep telling them and keep standing together," Halseth emphasized.

Some Republican members of the working group say while they heard many of the stories, they feel the money should go to those who had direct contact with COVID, such as health-care workers.

But Halseth countered at her job, there were scenarios where staff had no other choice but to be in contact with people who were COVID-positive. She added if they became infected, there were situations where they had to use their paid time off, even with some COVID leave available to certain workers.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina communities will soon receive funding to preserve green spaces, maintain parks and boost resiliency against the impacts of climate change, the result of hundreds of millions of dollars allocated for conservation and outdoor recreation in the new state budget.

Charlie Brady, executive director of the Blue Ridge Conservancy, pointed out next year, many of the state's rural areas which have traditionally not received public funding, will have access to new resources.

"It will have a huge impact," Brady stated. "Particularly with that much more money than we've had since roughly 2008."

Communities will share $15 million for local floodplain projects to help buffer themselves from more frequent and heavy floods due to climate change. Outdoor recreation contributes around $28 billion a year to the state's economy and supports an estimated 260,000 jobs.

The budget also includes nearly $30 million dollars to aid the North Carolina Trails Program in building, planning and maintaining a dozen state trails, including the new Roanoke River Paddle Trail.

Brady said he believes the pandemic has prompted state lawmakers to pay attention to people's need to get outdoors, as a way to maintain social distancing and stay healthy.

"And this is going to go a long way to support the state trails that have been established by the Legislature in North Carolina," Brady added.

State parks received nearly 20 million visitors in 2020, despite being closed for six weeks when the pandemic began. Brady noted the funding will also help conservation groups acquire and preserve more land; an effort which has been on the decline, despite a spike in demand for parks and natural spaces.

PRINCETON, Minn. -- President Joe Biden is expected to visit Minnesota today to tout passage of the new federal infrastructure bill.

Those working to fill broadband gaps for students in rural areas say the new plan should be a big help. According to the White House, Minnesota is poised to receive at least $100 million to expand broadband coverage across the state, with the possibility of more funding based on needs in certain areas.

Marc Johnson, executive director of the East Central Minnesota Educational Cable Cooperative, said as the pandemic took shape, many of the rural districts in his region had to get creative to ensure their students still were getting lesson plans.

"Sending work back and forth on buses, you know, to kids so that they could paper copies of things and things like that," Johnson recounted.

Johnson pointed out it also was hard for rural districts to set up Wi-Fi hot spots to keep students connected, in part because of weaker cellular signals. He added the funding is vital amid concerns students who could not fully participate in distance learning encountered setbacks in their academic performance.

Johnson also serves on the Governor's Task Force on Broadband. He emphasized Minnesota's east-central region serves as a "bullseye" for underserved areas when it comes to high-speed internet. He noted the extra money will take a lot of pressure off families and schools.

"Districts won't have to spend the money that they're spending right now on all of these measures to help families that don't have access," Johnson stated.

Combined with the $70 million in broadband spending approved by the state earlier this year, Johnson predicted the federal investment will "move the needle" in reducing gaps. Currently, 12% of Minnesota households do not have an internet subscription. The White House said the new funding will also help with internet affordability.