News from around the nation.

US citizens urged to 'shelter in place' after Mexico drug lord's killing sparks wave of violence; Near impossible' travel conditions in New York as 22 inches of snow falls on the east coast; One Colorado marks 15th LGBTQIA+ Lobby Day at State Capitol; Advocates warn Medicaid work rules could hurt MI caregivers; Fewer Arkansans enrolled in ACA Marketplace.

Transcript

The Public News Service Monday afternoon update, I'm Mike Clifford.

Mexico's most wanted cartel boss was killed in a Mexican military operation.

White House officials said the US provided intelligence for that operation.

CNN reports the killing sparked widespread unrest, with suspected gang members now torching buses and businesses.

The US State Department urged Americans in parts of Mexico to seek shelter and remain in residences or hotels.

Next, New Yorkers started this Monday with near impossible travel conditions after up to 22 inches of snow fell overnight.

Winter storm warning stretched from North Carolina to Northern Maine.

By the BBC's count, more than 5,000 flights into and out of the U.S. have been canceled.

Meantime, for many Coloradans, especially in rural areas, access to lawmakers and the legislative process can feel out of reach.

Our Eric Galatas lets us know today marks one Colorado's 15th LGBTQIA+ Lobby Day. gathering at the state capitol to help remove barriers between lawmakers and their constituents.

Heidi Hess with One Colorado says participants will learn the basics, like how to find your representative, and other skills to make sure they know where you stand on issues most important to you and your community.

She says folks are coming from all four corners of the state.

We have folks coming in from Durango, from Grand Junction, back.

There are folks that are driving six hours one way just to get there to participate in this event. - The Post notes group focused on caregiving and aging issues.

She explains why her organization opposes the Medicaid work requirements which require people to prove they're working in school or volunteering at least 80 hours per month to keep their Medicaid coverage.

This care is something that's essential and the incorporation of a work requirement creates additional barriers for folks who are really just trying to get quality care.

Supporters contend that adding work or community engagement requirements could encourage labor force participation.

Crystal Blair reporting.

And fewer folks in Arkansas signed up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace and a report from the group Protect Our Care shows more than one million Americans have dropped ACA coverage entirely.

Protect Our Care's Vishu Jalahar says the price increases are being felt across the board. 43 percent of small business owners surveyed rely on the enhanced premium tax credits to afford their health care.

In some cases, insurance premiums quadrupled after the government subsidies that help people pay their premiums were allowed to expire at the end of last year.

This is Public News Service.

A new class at the University of Wisconsin Law School aims to fill gaps in traditional legal training by letting students learn from a formerly incarcerated professor.

The class called Criminal Justice System, a lived experience perspective, aims to provide students with a real image of incarceration from arrest to reentry.

Dante Cottingham is a co-instructor who serves substantial time in Wisconsin's prison system.

He says students are often taught to understand what the law says on paper, but lack exposure to its real-world impacts.

I told the students, "You guys bring a learned experience to the table.

I bring a lived experience to the table."

So my whole hope is to connect their learned experience with my lived experience and create something new, something more potent, and something more powerful.

The class is in its first semester.

Cottingham says not only is it already proving to be transformational for students, but it's also changing the narrative by showing people what's possible during life after prison.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

Next to New York State where lawmakers are considering a bill to reduce plastic packaging and increase recycling.

The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act calls for manufacturers to reduce plastic packaging by 30 percent over 12 years, with the first 10 percent reduction required by 2027.

Monique Fitzgerald with the Long Island Progressive Coalition says plastic toxins have significant health impacts on communities like North Bellport.

People have higher incidences of asthma and respiratory illnesses.

We have the first highest ER visits for asthma in Suffolk County and North Bellport.

We also have the lowest life expectancy as of 2018. impact stem from Brookhaven landfills emissions according to Fitzgerald.

The bill has received wide support and polls show the idea is popular among New Yorkers.

However it faces opposition and misinformation from the plastic industry with some leaders arguing passing the bill will cost taxpayers more money.

But some reports claim passing the bill would save the state more than a billion dollars in its first decade as a law.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

Finally West Virginians have seen dramatic increases in electricity costs over the past several years, affordability advocates say they want lawmakers to enact a rapier's bill of rights to protect consumers.

They feel that House Bill 56 48 makes progress toward that goal.

It would allow for bill assistance to help reduce shut offs, legalize small scale household solar systems and allow residents to participate in utility regulation proceedings at the Public Service Commission.

Courtney McDonald is with West Virginians for Energy Freedom.

She says the bill provides essential protections.

It creates stronger guardrails so that when rates do go up, there is more transparency, public input and real consumer protection that doesn't exist right now.

This is Nadia Ramlagon for West Virginia News Service.

This is Mike Clifford.

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