skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

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

Israel announces wave of strikes on Tehran after Trump demands Iran's unconditional surrender; NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander arrested at immigration court; Federal bill would dim rooftop solar's future, says Michigan CEO; Despite known Iowa nitrate risks, EPA focuses on fluoride; Georgia's Macon-Bibb County launches justice reform plan.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump's big budget and policy act faces pushback from clean energy advocates and small businesses. A federal court weighs legality of deploying the California National Guard over the governor's objections. And ICE detains a New York mayoral candidate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

EV charging stations are harder to find in rural America, improving the mental health of children and teachers is the goal of a new partnership in seven rural states, and a once segregated Mississippi movie theater is born again.

What the Supreme Court's Decision on Creative Services Could Mean in AZ

play audio
Play

Thursday, July 6, 2023   

It has been less than a week since the United States Supreme Court ruled businesses which provide expressive goods can pick and choose who they want to work with.

The court's conservative majority ruled in favor of Colorado Christian web designer Lorie Smith who refuses to create websites for same-sex weddings due to her religious beliefs and said she is protected by the First Amendment's free speech protections.

Jake Hylton, president and executive director of LOOKOUT publications in Phoenix called the latest move from the Supreme Court a "slippery slope."

"It feels very much like this can and will be the start of something that enables more discrimination and more prejudice against anyone associated with the LGBTQ+ community," Hylton pointed out.

Hylton noted he does not believe it to be a progressive versus conservative issue, but thinks the decision is rooted in what he calls "religious inspired bigotry versus individuality." He added almost anything can be considered a "creative service," and is concerned about where the line will be drawn regarding when someone can arbitrarily discriminate.

Public accommodation nondiscrimination laws protect LGBTQ+ people from being unfairly denied service and entry, or from being discriminated against in public spaces based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

According to Movement Advancement Project, there are 22 states in the nation with explicit laws along those lines. Arizona is not one of them. But states like Arizona without state protections may still provide local-level nondiscrimination provisions. Hylton fears what the ruling could mean for Arizona's LGBTQ+ community.

"A state like Arizona, where this is a very diverse array of people who live here, between more urban and more rural, I think it lends itself to a lot of interpretation that I'm afraid will lead to a lot of harm," Hylton stressed.

Hylton recommended people find ways to stay informed while also building a sense of community and belonging, as he argued the ruling is likely to cause confusion and fear.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Nutrient management planning has been around for more than 30 years, traditionally developed for farmers by private sector farm co-ops and agronomists. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A new effort is helping Wisconsin farmers protect water quality in their communities by learning more about how to prevent manure and fertilizer spill…


play sound

More than 70,000 Marylanders are student parents, raising kids while attending college full or part-time and proposed cuts in this year's big budget …

Social Issues

play sound

Advocates for homeownership in Oregon are celebrating a new bill which sets targets to boost the state's homeownership rate, currently at 64%…


Medical organizations said the effects of Alzheimer's are projected to rise in states like South Dakota and families should be more in tune with potential issues facing their loved one, including money management. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month and new research examined the connection between dementia and awareness about money management skills…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado, already considered a national leader in workforce development, is aiming to raise the bar even higher. Gov. Jared Polis recently issued an …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Gov. Greg Abbott has until June 22 to sign or veto Senate Bill 3, which would ban consumable THC products in Texas. Banning items like vapes and …

Social Issues

play sound

A case with national implications on the power of the U.S. president to use state National Guard troops to quell protests now rests with a panel of …

 

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