skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, February 8, 2025

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

January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

NM bill would help domestic abuse survivors get legal assistance

play audio
Play

Friday, January 24, 2025   

Women surveyed about why they stayed in an abusive relationship often said they did not have the money to leave.

Now, a bill introduced in the New Mexico Legislature is aimed to help them.

Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-Albuquerque, sponsor of House Bill 57, said it would have the court determine whether an abuse survivor is indigent and cannot pay for legal help. If so, the court would assign a lawyer to represent them.

When she's not at the Roundhouse, Herndon runs a nonprofit law center.

"I come in contact with far too many individuals who are facing situations where they are trying to get custody of their children, they're trying to make sure there's funds for their children or housing, for that matter," Herndon reported. "I see it too many times on a regular basis."

Relationship abuse, which is estimated to affect one in three American women, often includes being stripped of financial resources. Herndon noted those without money for an attorney are often forced to represent themselves in court, which she added is rarely successful if the partner in the abusive relationship can afford professional services.

Herndon said her bill is modeled after similar legislation in New York state.

"I know New Mexico is not New York but we have some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the entire country," Herndon stressed. "Too many people are not represented who should be, to make sure they have access to justice."

Data from Women Against Abuse shows Oklahoma had the highest rate of violence against women in 2024, followed by Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada and Alaska. And a United Nations report from last year showed 140 women and girls each day were killed by an intimate partner or family member.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Opponents of a South Dakota bill that would require the Ten Commandments be posted in all public school classrooms say it would be an unfunded mandate. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A South Dakota House committee takes up a controversial bill today that would require all school districts in the state to display the Ten Commandment…


play sound

Virginia ranks third behind only Maryland and Delaware among the worst states for the average amount of back wages companies owe to their workers…

Environment

play sound

Some North Dakota school districts are part of a movement that has embraced electric school buses, but the federal funding shakeup carried out by the …


Florida immigrant advocacy groups are intensifying efforts to help undocumented individuals navigate encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. (David Peinado/Pexels)

Social Issues

play sound

Immigrant advocates in Florida are ramping up efforts to help families navigate President Donald Trump's new immigration orders, which have increased …

Social Issues

play sound

The rate of U.S. high school seniors seeking higher education is on the upswing, according to research from Lumina Foundation. Although Hoosier …

Gov. Kathy Hochul's free community college proposal would apply to people pursuing first-time associate degrees for jobs in high-demand fields, including nursing, teaching, technology and engineering. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

New York State is making historic higher education investments. As part of the 2026 budget proposal, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposes free community …

Social Issues

play sound

Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed state budget includes a significant increase for public education to address Pennsylvania's school funding issues and …

Social Issues

play sound

Alabama nonprofits are coming together to tackle challenges that may threaten their survival, from declining donor support to shifting federal …

 

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