News from around the nation.

A win for a progressive Democrat in New Jersey 11th Congressional District; Vermont works to fill rural schools’ mental health provider shortage; Ohio victim advocates say complex sexual assault cases are on the rise; Earth Day celebrations are planned across North Carolina this weekend.

Transcript

The Public News Service Friday afternoon update by Mike Clifford.

Progressive activist Analia Mejia soundly defeated Republican Joe Hathaway in a special election Thursday in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, delivering a victory for Democrats in the run-up to this fall's midterm elections.

The New Jersey Monitor notes Mejia will fill the seat vacated by Governor Mickey Sherrill after Sherrill won the governorship in November.

The Associated Press called the race just seven minutes after the polls closed, prompting cheers from a raucous crowd.

Some attendees wore blue shirts that read, Defend Our Democracy.

Meantime, a program at the University of Vermont is working to fill a critical shortage of mental health providers in the state's rural schools.

Educators say ensuring students' access to care during the school day helps counter the lack of public transportation in rural counties and avoids scheduling conflicts with after-school sports or a job.

Associate Professor of Counseling Anna Elliott says school-based services also reduce the stigma of asking for help.

Just being able to see somebody who's part of the school team feels less intimidating than going to a community agency or a private practitioner outside of the school.

This story is based on original reporting by Andy Steiner with MinnPost.

I'm Katherine Carley.

And April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Ohio advocates say the crime of sexual assault extracts an untold emotional and psychological toll on victims and communities.

Survivors and experts gathered at the Ohio State Capitol this week to highlight new data and advocate for reforms.

Caitlin Burke, Senior Director of Prevention and Impact at the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, says they're seeing a trend of sexual assault occurring alongside other violent crimes.

We are seeing a significant shift in the complexity and severity of survivor needs.

Cases involving co-occurring sexual assault and strangulation are increasing, which is a concerning trend that could lead to increased deaths.

Several state-level reforms could help support sexual assault survivors, including the Ohio Safe Homes Act, which would protect rental histories that can follow survivors and create housing barriers.

Help for Survivors is available 24-7 through Ohio's Sexual Violence Hotline at 844-644-6435.

This is Nadia Ramlagan.

And environmental advocates and sustainability enthusiasts are preparing for the largest Earth Day celebration in North Carolina.

Jamie Meyer with the Piedmont Environmental Alliance says there's a little something for everyone at the fair.

The Earth Day Fair is this incredible, huge festival where we get thousands of people together to come learn from over 115 exhibitors, to learn through demonstrations and programs, to do kids activities and crafts.

Thousands expected to attend the Piedmont Environmental Alliance's annual Earth Day.

It's held at the Winston-Salem fairgrounds this Saturday.

This is Public News Service.

Rural communities in Illinois and across the nation are attracting more diverse populations.

Maternal care experts say this is adding yet another layer to an already complex set of barriers hindering access to care.

Research shows the lack of birthing hospitals, provider shortages, and long travel distances that plague these areas can lead to delayed prenatal care and higher rates of poor health outcomes for moms and their babies.

Karen Tabdina, professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, says rural communities are also increasingly becoming destinations for immigrant populations.

Demographics in rural areas are changing.

We have families who are speaking conjugal, the Mayan language, or Spanish, or French.

Imagine having limited access to health care based on geographic barriers, and then you also do not engage with the language of the clinic.

More than a third of counties in Illinois are considered maternity care deserts with less than 2 percent of OBGYNs practicing in rural areas.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

And April is Fraud Protection Month.

Police in Michigan are warning of a fast-growing scam targeting seniors.

Law enforcement authorities say cryptocurrency kiosks and ATMs are becoming a major tool for scammers.

According to AARP, these con artists are costing Michiganders millions of dollars.

Sterling Heights Police Captain Colleen Hopper exposes the popular tactic they use to persuade victims to send them money.

They'll befriend somebody via Facebook, and then the scammer will end up talking the person into sending them cryptocurrency, depositing cash and getting the crypto wallet to them so they can fly to come see them, demanding more and more money.

Because many of the criminals are overseas, they're hard to trace.

Seniors are urged to slow down, verify, and never send money under pressure.

Crystal Blair reporting.

The group American Rivers has named the Rogue River in southern Oregon as one of America's most endangered, citing threats from logging, mining, and road build.

The two federal agencies tasked with managing public lands, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, are both planning to increase road construction and logging in Western Oregon.

Michael Dotson with the Klamath-Siski Wildlands Center says protecting the rogue and its surrounding wildlife is a bipartisan issue.

Fishing, hunting, hiking, boating.

These are not just environmentalists doing these things.

These are activities that Oregonians love and would hope that a lot of folks speak up against what looks to us like a push towards resource extraction at a maximum level.

Adopted in 2001, the roadless rule safeguards nearly 60 million acres of national forest land, including 2 million in Oregon.

I'm Isobel Charle.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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