News from around the nation.

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.

Transcript

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

The U.S. labor market showed continued signs of resilience in January as the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell, wages grew more than expected, and December's monthly job gains revised higher to show the U.S. labor market exited 2024 on even better footing than previously reported.

That from Yahoo News.

The report data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday show the unemployment rate fell to 4 percent in January, the unemployment rate now sits at its lowest level since May 2024.

And President Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel.

That from the Associated Press, they report neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member of or recognizes the court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes over his military response in Gaza after the Hamas attack against Israel in October 2023.

Next the South Dakota House Committee takes up a controversial bill today that would require school districts in the state to display the Ten Commandments in each classroom.

The bill, which narrowly cleared the Senate last week, also contains provisions that would require the Ten Commandments be taught in civics classes.

Opponents say the mandate crosses the line when it comes to separation of church and state.

In the recent debate, Republican Senator Stephanie Sauter of Bryant, a former teacher, said her biggest issue was the loss of local control.

This bill, which will remove the school's freedom of choice to decide what's best for the students in the district.

Backers of the bill say it's an important part of learning U.S. history.

But opponents like Sauter say current teaching already makes mention of the commandments when covering various religions.

I'm Mike Moen.

And Virginia ranks third among the worst states for the average amount of back wages companies owe their workers.

The report from the Goat Academy finds since 2021, nearly 4,800 wage theft violations have occurred.

Attorney Paul Falabella is with the Virginia Employment Lawyers Association.

Virginia had no state law on wage theft and didn't have the ability for workers to sue directly.

And so workers had to go to either the federal or the state Department of Labor.

He says that changed in 2020 when the Virginia Wage Payment Act went into effect.

And finally, an endangered bat species have been detected in southwestern Arizona.

Kristen Lear with Bat Conservation International says knowing that this endangered species has been found in Arizona opens up new avenues for research and conservation.

Some of the work for the conservation of the species for the Mexican long-nosed bat are really two things.

One is roost protections, finding the caves, the mines, or wherever this bat is roosting along their migratory route and protecting those roosts.

And then the second aspect is maintaining healthy foraging habitats.

Lear says the discovery of the tiny bat was made possible as project participants collected what's called environmental DNA.

I'm Alex Gonzalez reporting.

This is public news service.

The negative impacts on air quality from industrialized animal facilities in North Carolina stick around for a long time.

That's according to a new study.

The research also shows that the effects are felt most by communities of color.

Lead author of the study, Sally Fusetti at the University of Virginia says her team used satellite measurements of ammonia pollution associated with industrialized swine operations in eastern North Carolina.

Those ammonia air quality impacts are disproportionately experienced by residents in eastern North Carolina who are black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, and indigenous.

Compared to white communities, the study found ammonia concentrations were 27 percent higher for black communities, 35 percent higher for Hispanic communities and 49 percent higher for indigenous communities between 2016 and 2021.

Fusetti notes that satellite data from 2008 to 2023 shows these trends have largely remained unchanged.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

Next to Georgia where one in five folks experience a mental illness each year and while the state has made strides in expanding crisis support, a new report suggests there is still work to do.

The mental health advocacy group, Inseparable, says despite Georgia's investment in the 988 crisis hotline, gaps remain in ensuring people receive care instead of landing in jails or emergency rooms.

Kaitlin Hochul, vice president of public policy at Inseparable, says one area that needs improvement is how calls are handled in state.

More investment is needed to help boost those in-state answer rates.

As you can see in our report, Georgia's in-state answer rate is currently around 82 percent, whereas the national goal is 90 percent or higher.

She explains having in-state professionals answer crisis calls is crucial.

They understand the local resources, providers and geography, making it easier to connect people with the right care and if needed, dispatch mobile crisis teams more effectively.

Shantia Hudson reporting.

Finally, as we've been reporting, Americans working multiple jobs to cover living expenses has become increasingly common, and Ohioans are no exception.

According to U.S. census data, a significant portion of Midwestern workers hold secondary jobs.

A study by My Perfect Resume found 71 percent of U.S. workers rely on additional income to make ends meet.

Career expert Jasmine Escalera notes that while this extra work is necessary for many, it can negatively impact job performance. 49 percent of people surveyed said that their secondary source of income is actually impacting their performance at their primary job.

She notes the lack of productivity brought on by stress and fatigue from a primary job means you're likely not putting in the extra investment needed to get higher pay, better titles or job promotions.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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