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Thursday, June 19, 2025

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PNS Daily Newscast: June 19, 2025
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Israel, Iran trade strikes as Trump weighs U.S. involvement in conflict; Challenge to ND gender-affirming care ban in play, despite SCOTUS ruling; 'Jubilee Day' was honored before Juneteenth in 1800s Indiana; Ohio urged to restore $61M for foster care in final budget talks.

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2025Talks - June 19, 2025
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Lawmakers on both sides urge President Trump not to enter the Israel-Iran war. Supreme Court deals the transgender community a major blow by upholding a Tennessee state law.

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The Yonder Report - June 19, 2025
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Hurricane Helene mobilized the North Carolina community of Marshall in unexpected ways, giant data centers powering AI want cheap rural land but can face community pushback, and ceramics made by Cherokee potters honor multiple generations.

Chris Thomas

News Director

Chris Thomas has worked with Public News Service since 2006, currently as News Director. Previous experience includes stints as a news reporter, producer and anchor for TV stations in Boise, ID (KBOI), Portland, OR (KATU), and Dallas, TX (WFAA), plus multiple radio stations and three daily newspapers. Also a former film critic and restaurant critic – tough but fair! Chris also writes and edits non-news copy for a variety of organizations.


Languages Spoken: English, Greek

Topic Expertise: Food safety, politics, salmon recovery, environment, eldercare & dementia

Local Expertise: Pacific Northwest, Texas, Greece

Location: Monterey, CA

Demographic Expertise: Seniors, rural Americans

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Latest Work

Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in Nye County is one of hundreds of Nevada historic or recreational sites that have received Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars over the years. (Nevada State Parks)

100 Days and Counting: Nevadans Aim to Save LWCF

LAS VEGAS — To kick off a 100-day campaign to save the Land and Water Conservation Fund, some Nevada business owners and outdoor enthusiasts …

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The federal government doesn't allow raw milk to be sold across state lines because of the health risks associated with lack of pasteurization. (Couleur/Pixabay)

Group Asks FDA for Interstate Sales of Raw Milk

RICHMOND, Va. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is being asked to allow sales of raw milk across state lines - something that's been …

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A group of protesters at the West Virginia State Capitol, awaiting the arrival of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price. (Public News Service-Dan Heyman) (Note: photo was originally misidentified. Heyman took the photo, he was not in it.)

At WV State Capitol, Questions Land a Reporter in Jail

CHARLESTON, W. Va. - Reporter Dan Heyman, who covers West Virginia and Virginia for Public News Service, was arrested inside the State Capitol in …

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This weekend, Richard Wilhelm and Sue Arbuthnot were at Diamond Craters, southeast of Burns, filming for their documentary about the issues raised in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge armed occupation. (Hare in the Gate Productions)

OR Filmmakers Follow Malheur Refuge Takeover from Day One

PORTLAND, Ore. - Two Oregon filmmakers are among those who will closely follow the trial of Ammon and Ryan Bundy and their co-defendants on federal …

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People at a Black Lives Matter gathering in Josephine County on Aug. 9 were met with a counter-protest by members of the Oath Keepers. (Rural Organizing Project)

“Constitutional” Sheriff Backed Malheur Occupation

JOHN DAY, Ore. - The small-town sheriff who made front-page headlines in Oregon this week also tops an investigative report by the Southern Poverty …

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Supporters say the CARE Act would keep family caregivers better informed and better prepared when loved ones are released from the hospital. (Xenia/morguefile)

WA Lawmakers Asked to Give Helping Hand to Family Caregivers

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington legislators are considering an idea that just became a state law in Oregon and Nevada. The CARE Act outlines rules for …

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House Bill 2615 proposes converting 200 part-time teaching positions to full-time every two years in Washington's community and technical college system. (alvimann/morguefile)

WA Part-Time College Instructors Seek Job Stability

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Almost half the college courses in Washington are taught by part-time instructors at less pay than full-timers and with no …

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The Iron Gate Dam is one of four slated for removal if all parties agree on amendments to the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement. (California Trout)

New Year Brings New Approach for Klamath Basin Dam Removal

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - A plan for the Klamath Basin water-use agreements may have expired in Congress, but at least part of it was resuscitated this …

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Even some Portland city-dwellers took the time to make their views known about the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns. (Rural Organizing Project)

Support for Harney County Residents Sweeps Across State

ROSEBURG, Ore. - About 350 people gathered in Burns, Ore., on Monday for a local rally to tell the last few armed anti-government occupiers at the …

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No matter what type of home heat source, assistance is available for low-income Oregonians who can't afford their utility bills. (C. Thomas)

Funds Still Available to Help Low-Income Oregonians with Power Bills

REDMOND, Ore. - Oregonians at risk of falling behind on their home-heating bills this winter have some options. Funds are still available for the …

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