News from around the nation.

Government shutdown looms after Trump-backed bill fails; Environmental groups sue CA Air Resources Board over biogas credits; NY elected officials work to electrify municipal buildings; Need a mental health boost? Talking hot dog is here.

Transcript

The Public News Service Friday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The US is just hours away from a government shutdown unless a funding plan is passed to avoid it.

The House failed Thursday to pass a new Donald Trump backed GOP proposal to fund the government into March, intensifying the threat of a shutdown ahead of the Friday night deadline.

That from CNN.

They report Donald Trump on Friday morning said, "If there has to be a government shutdown, "he wants it to occur while Joe Biden, not he, is president."

Nearly all Democrats and 38 Republicans voted against the new bill after Trump sank a bipartisan deal and Republicans scrambled to find a plan B.

Next, three environmental nonprofits filed suit Wednesday against the California Air Resources Board to oppose the expansion of a program that allows oil and gas companies to offset their pollution by buying credits from huge farms that produce natural gas from animal waste.

Last month, the state amended the low carbon fuel standard to expand credits that favor biogas, arguing that it removes methane from the waste stream and creates renewable power.

But Tyler Lobdell, a staff attorney with co-plaintiff Food and Water Watch, says the program is actually a perverse incentive for factory farms to get bigger.

The biggest operators, the biggest polluters are the most rewarded and that is the incentive structure here.

Go out and be as big and as polluting as possible and you will see the largest reward from our program.

The low carbon fuel standard is intended to reduce carbon pollution by incentivizing the transition to clean cars.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

Next to New York, where lawmakers are focusing on electrifying municipal buildings.

Buildings statewide make up 32 percent of New York's greenhouse gas emissions and experts say electrifying them would lower heating and cooling costs as well as reducing emissions.

Inflation Reduction Act funds are available for municipalities to convert public buildings to use electricity, but Marion Brown with Elected Officials to Protect America says there's one challenge worrying elected leaders.

One of the biggest challenges right now when we were hearing this from folks, it's uncertainty over the durability of Inflation Reduction Act funding, the IRA, with a new federal administration that's already signaling that it's not supportive of clean energy technology.

Courts find conservative states are seeing the greatest benefits from IRA investments.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira.

And a self-taught artist from Southern Minnesota was once swimming in panic attacks.

He eventually found a creative outlet by bringing to life lively comic book characters who highlight ways to manage mental health.

Rocky Castillas Aguirre of Northfield was having trouble sleeping, so then he found meditation, which he said transformed his life and career.

He went on to develop the silly duo of Twitch and Weenie.

The arts has always been an ally to people, I think.

It not only has a way to express yourself and to communicate about the world around you.

His children's book is entitled "Where Did Anxiety Go?"

This story on Arts Midwest Minnesota News Service Connection Collaboration.

This is public news service.

We head next to Massachusetts, where rural communities are benefiting from state grants aimed at strengthening the local food supply and building climate resilience.

State officials have awarded nearly $4 million to help farmers improve soil health, upgrade irrigation systems, and prepare for extreme weather events, including the current critical drought conditions.

Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randall says farms are helping the state meet its ambitious climate goals.

They're a mitigation and resilience strategy so that farms can be best positioned to withstand the changing weather conditions that they're facing.

Randall says grants will help farms improve efficiency and environmental controls and reduce greenhouse gases.

Massachusetts has set a goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

I'm Katherine Carley.

Meantime, Indiana's busy holiday roads can put older drivers to the test.

With 2.8 million Hoosiers traveling this season, Triple A Hoosier Motor Club encourages families to help senior drivers stay safe.

The club's Christina Griffiths highlights the importance of preparation for older drivers.

It really isn't about age necessarily.

It truly is a case-by-case basis of what am I dealing with physically, mentally, emotionally, and what can I do better to be as safe as possible.

Griffiths recommends that older drivers take simple steps to prepare for challenging conditions.

She suggests checking car tires, brakes, and visibility aids like wiper blades.

I'm Joe Ulari, Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.

Finally, with Christmas less than a week away, experts are giving advice on how seniors and the community can fight against social isolation.

The United Health Foundation report ranks Maryland 27th in the nation for the risk of social isolation to its seniors.

One study by AARP finds more than 30 percent of seniors have felt lonely over the past five years during the holidays.

Psychologist Lois Mazaras with Maryland AARP says that there are common signs that warn family, friends, or seniors themselves that they may be experiencing isolation.

One of those, she says, is shrinking social circles.

They're complaining of their world shrinking.

They're no longer working, so they're not doing things with coworkers.

Friends have moved away to warmer climates or to be closer to grandchildren.

Mazaras says other signs of loneliness include a lack of interest in previously loved activities and unexplainable physical ailments.

That could mean seniors complaining of a sore arm or leg despite doctors not being able to find anything wrong.

She suggests reaching out to family members and friends on the phone or going for walks in the neighborhood.

Even if they don't feel like accepting an invitation, Mazaras says they should go.

I'm Simone Perez.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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