skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

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

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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.

NV Lawmakers Urged to Prioritize Public Services, Environmental Justice

play audio
Play

Friday, January 29, 2021   

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Ahead of the Nevada legislative session starting next week, a coalition of progressive advocacy groups laid out its priorities to make sure all Nevadans have the tools they need to get through the pandemic and thrive beyond it.

Issues range from building up public services to criminal-justice reform, restoring education and health-care budgets, and protecting the land from over-development and pollution.

Since the pandemic began, many people in the state have lost their jobs and struggled to access unemployment benefits. Ronal Portillo is a buffet cook who was laid off by Station Casinos Fiesta Rancho.

He said he hopes Nevada will pass a law requiring employers to rehire their laid-off workers.

"And since September, I have no longer insurance because the company has stopped giving us insurance," said Portillo. "In fact, my daughter, my wife and I depend on my job insurance."

Portillo said many working Nevadans have been loyal to their companies for years - and after working at Station Casinos for three years, he wants to maintain his benefits, salary and full-time schedule.

Many of the same folks dealing with the health and economic stress from COVID-19 also are facing environmental-justice issues. Autumn Harry is a campaign strategist with the Great Basin Water Network and a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

She said communities have been harmed by environmental degradation, including water pollution caused by the mining industry.

"We must do more to envision a just transition to renewable energy," said Harry, "where we invest in Black, indigenous and Nevadans of color, who have been the most impacted by the corporate industry, without seeing the benefits, financially or otherwise."

In the last year, many everyday Nevadans have stepped up to support their fellow community members, and groups such as the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada are saying now it's lawmakers' time to step up.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

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

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

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