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.

A Christmas Eve Memorial for Florida Manatees

play audio
Play

Friday, December 24, 2021   

A record number of manatees have died this year, more than a thousand, and conservation groups warn hundreds more will die from starvation and illness, the result of Florida's toxic sewage and polluted waters.

At a memorial service today in Port St. John, participants are encouraged to wear black as they kayak or paddleboard near a Florida Power and Light plant, where an experimental feeding site will be set up to help feed the slow-moving manatees that used to graze on seagrass.

Katrina Shadix, executive director of the group Bear Warriors United, said after a massive loss of habitat, she wished officials had moved faster to approve a federal supplemental feeding program.

"The starvation deaths never stopped for the manatees," Shadix observed. "They decreased, and that's because two-thirds of the population migrated out. But for the one-third that call the Northern Indian River Lagoon home all year round, they have had no food. So, they've continued to starve, they've continued to be pulled lifeless from the river."

Federal and state officials have launched a temporary field response station in Brevard County, adding small amounts of lettuce to the water. Still, the few animals spotted this week were not seen eating the leafy greens, according to a Florida Wildlife Commission spokesperson.

The memorial service starts at noon at the Port St. John Boat Ramp.

Shadix commended the work of Florida's Fish and Wildlife officials. She pointed out they are often put in the position of having to clean up after what she calls the "failed policies" of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

"The algal blooms killed off the seagrass, which caused the manatees to starve," Shadix explained. "If we want to get back down to it, it's all about development and the DEP's lack of regulation of the sewage that goes into the Indian River Lagoon."

Shadix filed a 60-day letter of intent to sue the DEP over the pollution. She believes state officials began the feeding program because of the legal pressure her group is exerting, citing a possible violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Other groups, including EarthJustice and Save the Manatee Club, have announced their intent to sue the federal Environmental Protection Agency for failing to protect the threatened species.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
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)

Health and Wellness

play sound

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


Social Issues

play sound

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 …

Social Issues

play sound

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


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

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 …

Social Issues

play sound

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 …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

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