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.

CA Wilderness Bills to Get Floor Votes in U.S. House

play audio
Play

Wednesday, February 12, 2020   

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Three bills that would protect more than 1 million acres of California wilderness are expected to get votes on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today.

The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act would designate as wilderness 245,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument. Rebecca August, advocacy director at Los Padres Forest Watch, said it also would create the Condor National Recreational Trail, giving millions of urban families access to this special place.

"It's going to establish a trail that goes all the way through the entire length of this forest, which is the second-largest in California," August said. "So, this trail is 400 miles and it will go from L.A. County up to Monterey County."

Two other bills protect lands in the San Gabriel Mountains and in Trinity County in Northern California. All three have versions now pending in the U.S. Senate. Opponents contend the lands already have adequate protections and should be managed for both conservation and commercial interests.

The Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act would establish a 730,000-acre South Fork Trinity-Mad River Special Restoration Area, and designate 262,000 acres of wilderness and 379 miles of Wild and Scenic rivers.

Kent Collard, who runs a children's camp at a mountain ranch west of Redding, said the area is paradise for outdoor enthusiasts.

"There's going to be so many benefits, in terms of increasing access to the wilderness and to preserve it before it's any further degraded," Collard said.

The other bill, the San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act, would add 30,000 acres to the Yerba Buena, San Gabriel and Sheep Mountain Wilderness areas in Southern California.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.




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