skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, May 1, 2025

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

Harris warns a lack of checks on Trump administration could lead to a "constitutional crisis"; Report: NYS faces high risk of PFAS in drinking water; Mississippi rape kit tests reveal serial offender patterns as backlog persists; Lack of affordable child care costs Colorado $2.7 billion annually.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Trump acknowledges the consumer toll of his tariffs on Chinese goods. Labor groups protest administration policies on May Day, and U.S. House votes to repeal a waiver letting California ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural students who face hurdles going to college are getting noticed, Native Alaskans may want to live off the land but obstacles like climate change loom large, and the Cherokee language is being preserved by kids in North Carolina.

Report explores environmental health issues, solutions in NC

play audio
Play

Tuesday, January 28, 2025   

A new report highlights steps North Carolina can take as it faces pressing environmental health issues.

The report lays out conclusions from the 9th annual NC BREATHE conference in 2024, which brought together more than 200 people over two days in Durham, including researchers, policymakers and community members.

Emily Wolfe, health manager for the advocacy group CleanAIRE NC, which hosted the event, said one of the report's recommendations is on PFAS contamination, a chemical with major health effects, such as increased cancer risks. Its widespread nature is not well understood.

"The importance of understanding and educating the public, the importance of understanding the research, and then communicating these issues to the public and communities so that they can advocate for themselves," Wolfe urged.

The report said it is important to hold policymakers and regulators accountable and to encourage them to do more to protect public health.

The conference also focused on the effects of extreme heat. Wolfe pointed out it is an issue for everyone but especially vulnerable groups like communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. She noted in winter months, the law prohibits disconnecting someone's utilities even if they cannot pay the bill but it is not the case in increasingly hot summer months.

"It could be extremely hot for days and never cool off at night," Wolfe emphasized. "If a person is unable to pay their power bill, they could still have their power disconnected and then that can become a major safety issue."

Justin Cook, a climate journalist and photographer based in Durham, who spoke at NC BREATHE on a panel about the effects of climate change on mental health, said changing landscapes in North Carolina from extreme weather are making people feel out of place. He added hopelessness in the face of the crisis is a luxury people who are rebuilding from disasters do not have time for.

"Taking action and that feeling of agency is what helps people push through these things," Cook stressed. "It's what makes them feel the most useful and it gives them more of a sense of purpose. And it's actually a really helpful survival tool in the age of climate chaos."

Disclosure: CleanAIRE NC contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Energy Policy, Environment, and Environmental Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
In 2023, nearly 18% of U.S. households with children faced food insecurity, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Lauren Cohen / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State NewsLab-Ohio News Connection Collaboration. S.B. 109, a bill that …


Social Issues

play sound

An Illinois law professor is weighing in on what she called a "very public and open test of due process" for immigrants being deported from the United…

Health and Wellness

play sound

New data show a 27% increase in rape kit testing across Mississippi since the state implemented a 2023 law requiring all new sexual assault evidence t…


Families in Colorado and across the nation spend up to 60% of their income on child care, the equivalent of a second mortgage or rent payment. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The lack of quality child care for infants and toddlers costs Colorado nearly $3 billion each year in lost earnings, productivity and revenue but an …

Environment

play sound

By Seth Millstein for Sentient.Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Tennessee News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collabora…

Mexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegue said 90% of the tomatoes exported by Mexico go to the United States. (Pixabay)

Environment

play sound

The Florida tomato industry is stepping into uncharted territory following the termination of a decades old trade agreement with Mexico, marking what …

Environment

play sound

When consumers buy a meat product, they might like the idea it came from a local farm or ranch. But experts say there are still logjams in regional …

Environment

play sound

The unmistakable smell of hamburgers or steak on outdoor grills will soon be making its way through Minnesota neighborhoods and with the weather warmi…

 

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