skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, May 6, 2024

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

Alabama faces battle at the ballot box; groups look to federal laws for protection; Israeli Cabinet votes to shut down Al Jazeera in the country; Florida among top states for children losing health coverage post-COVID; despite the increase, SD teacher salary one of the lowest in the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Civil rights groups criticize police actions against student protesters, Republicans accuse Democrats of "buying votes" through student debt relief, and anti-abortion groups plan legal challenges to a Florida ballot referendum.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Bidding begins soon for Wyoming's elk antlers, Southeastern states gained population in the past year, small rural energy projects are losing out to bigger proposals, and a rural arts cooperative is filling the gap for schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Four-state Launch for Latino Effort to Save Colorado River

play audio
Play

Friday, April 13, 2012   

PHOENIX – A new advocacy group is raising concerns about the growing imbalance of water use and supply from the Colorado River. Made up of of 13,000 Latinos in Southwestern states, Nuestro Rio (Spanish for "our river") supports actions to sustain the river's flow.

Its Arizona coordinator, Sal Rivera, suggests a variety of what he calls "practical" measures, including water banking, agricultural efficiency and urban conservation.

"I can't remember how many hundreds of thousands of pools we have in Phoenix, but the simple use of pool covers would prevent the large amounts of evaporation. You know, use of more efficient irrigation techniques and watering techniques; using appropriate plants."

Nuestro Rio held kickoff events Thursday in four Southwestern states, emphasizing historical connections between the Latino community and the river. Rivera says many people don't realize how crucial a healthy Colorado River is to the region's economy.

"Eighty-five percent of all the irrigated agriculture acreage in Arizona is fed by the Colorado River. Six-point-six million Arizonans drink their water from the Colorado River. The river supports at least 82,000 jobs, just in Arizona."

Latinos have a special connection to this river, adds Rivera, as part of their history in the Southwestern states.

"Something as simple as Cesar Chavez, who was born in Yuma and died in San Luis, near the river basin. Some of the first Spanish explorers that came up and explored up through the Colorado River. The fact that our community for so long has been involved in the agricultural industry."

A highlight of the four events was the public debut of a new corrido or ballad, remembering Cesar Chavez and urging policies that promote a healthy Colorado River for future generations.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 40 workers die every year from heat-related incidents but farmworker advocates said the number could be higher. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Farmworkers in South Carolina and across the U.S. face scorching heat with little protection at the federal and state level. However, the Farm Labor …


Health and Wellness

play sound

Last week, Walmart became the latest major retailer to retreat from providing direct health-care service by announcing closures of all its health …

Social Issues

play sound

Women, and particularly Black women, are disproportionately affected by strokes and other health conditions in Missouri. Keetra Thompson, a stroke …


While immigrants make up 10% of Oregon's population, they make up 13% of the working-age population ages 16-64, and a corresponding 13% of the labor force. (Natalie Kiyah, Oregon Food Bank)

Social Issues

play sound

Oregon advocates are shining a spotlight on hunger and related issues ahead of the fall elections. A recent report from the Immigrant Research …

Social Issues

play sound

Students and faculty at Northeastern University are demanding their school issue a public apology for what they say are false charges of antisemitism …

Some states disenrolled so many children that they had fewer enrolled than prior to the pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As pandemic-era protections were lifted a new report showed the number of children on Medicaid has varied widely between states, with Maryland doing …

Environment

play sound

State officials in Maine are highlighting apprenticeships as a way to earn a living wage and contribute to the state's growing green economy…

Social Issues

play sound

It's Teacher Appreciation Week, and there's some mixed news when it comes to how well South Dakota is compensating its teachers. According to the …

 

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