News from around the nation.

Cultural debates, public services, and workforce challenges are shaping the day, from book bans and newsroom changes to health coverage and classrooms under strain.

Transcript

The Public News Service, Monday, February 9th, 2026, afternoon update.

I'm Farah Siddiqui.

The Washington Post announced publisher and CEO, Will Lewis, has stepped down following recent newsroom layoffs, with Jeff D'Onofrio named acting publisher and chief executive.

In many states, librarians are finding themselves on the front lines of a growing national debate over book bans, and a new documentary highlights the personal toll.

The organization, PEN America, which advocates for freedom of expression, says the number of book bans in the past four years is unprecedented, with more titles being removed from libraries across the country.

Filmmaker Kim Schneider highlights the surge in her documentary, "The Librarians."

Schneider traveled to Texas, Florida, and New Jersey in 2021 and 2022 to chronicle how librarians have become frontline workers in the national debate over book bans.

We have experienced many librarians who come and see it who feel encouraged and motivated by the stories of the other librarians to be able to speak their story and how important it is.

I'm Roz Brown.

Beyond cultural debates, many Americans are navigating complex systems that directly affect their daily lives.

Lots of Californians got new health insurance plans in January.

So now is the time to get to know your benefits to make the most of your policy.

Suzanne Potter has more.

Many plans offer free preventive services, mental health support and access to wellness apps, options that often go underused because you might not realize they're available.

Amy Jordan with UnitedHealthcare says your health plan's digital app can do much more than list your benefits and help you find an in-network provider.

These apps are now highly personalized and can help you compare costs and treatment options.

Best step is to download an app or log onto the website so they kind of understand what's there and also reach out to your member services team so that when the time comes that you need care, you're actually able to understand exactly where to go and how to navigate.

Jordan adds, you need to understand how your plan is structured in terms of your premium, co-pays and deductibles, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum.

Access to essential services also depends on having enough people to deliver them, including in classrooms.

Across Alabama, school districts are facing hundreds of unfilled teaching positions, with rural communities often hit hardest.

Teach for America Alabama says it's working to help close those gaps.

Shantia Hudson reports.

Those most interested in these positions are Gen Z teachers.

Brian Billy with Teach for America Alabama says the organization's approach is to meet districts where the need is greatest and build long-term solutions for students and schools.

We recruit outstanding leaders who are early in their careers and we ask them to commit at least two years to teaching in the classroom.

And we see most of them decide to stay in the classroom longer than that two-year commitment.

Billy says the group focuses specifically on under-resourced public schools, including rural districts that often struggle to attract and retain educators.

This is Public News Service.

Across Ohio, child welfare leaders are testing new ways to support families before they ever enter the child protection system, aiming to reduce trauma while ensuring children remain safe.

In Hamilton County, one effort centers on connecting families to help earlier, encouraging them to use the 211 community helpline operated by the United Way of Greater Cincinnati.

The goal is to give families access to housing, child care and other supports before challenges escalate into crisis.

Moira Weir, President and CEO of the organization, says early intervention can prevent unnecessary involvement with child protection services.

"There's so much trauma when you involve public sector systems.

And again, they're there for families that are in crisis that really need it, but sometimes there are other ways we can do interventions."

Child protection agencies remain legally required to investigate cases involving abuse or neglect, and officials stress that alternative pathways are meant to complement, not replace, mandatory reporting when child safety is at risk.

Veterans are among those in North Carolina who struggle to find housing they can afford.

One credit union in the state has stepped up to help.

Eric Tegethoff has more.

Coastal Credit Union says it has a variety of benefits for veterans, including lower closing costs and more flexible credit requirements.

The company also provides Veterans Affairs mortgage products, including 15-year and 30-year loans, refinancing, and interest rate reduction refinance loans.

And Kevin Houlton with Coastal Credit Union says his organization makes loans with lower down payments available to veterans.

It's a lower cost program than a normal conventional loan.

Typically they have lower interest rates, so it saves the veteran on their costs with their payment and it expands the ownership throughout our state.

Houlton notes many military veterans live on modest means and says there's been a lot of demand for these products.

North Carolina has a large military presence and is home to 10 bases, including Fort Bragg, the largest in the country.

A handful of farmers are implementing regenerative agriculture practices to reduce the use of glyphosate and other potentially dangerous herbicides on a portion of Arizona's 1.2 million acres of cropland.

Regenerative agriculture focuses on long-term soil health rather than using herbicides to kill weeds.

Will Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures, A regenerative farm in Bluffton, Georgia, says the transition away from the current model will be challenging.

If we see a shift in how we produce food in this country, if we do, and I hope we do, it's going to come more from new farmers choosing to farm this way than existing industrial farmers choosing to transition over.

That's a hard switch.

Harris says focusing on soil health and zero-waste ag practices could almost entirely reduce the need for glyphosate and other herbicides on Arizona's cotton, produce and dairy farms, which routinely run off into ground and surface water.

I'm Mark Moran.

This is Farah Siddiqui for Public News Service.

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