News from around the nation.

Biden pardons nearly 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders; Israeli security cabinet recommends Gaza ceasefire deal; Report: AL needs to make energy efficiency a priority; Lawmaker fights for better health, housing for Michiganders; PA power demand spurs concerns over rising rates, gas dependency.

Transcript

The Public News Service Friday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Joe Biden has now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in history.

That comes from ABC News.

Biden said in the announcement, which came just three days before his term ends, that he is commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses and serving disproportionately long sentences.

Next from Reuters, the Israeli Security Cabinet has recommended approving the Gaza ceasefire and hostage return deal ahead of a full cabinet meeting expected later today.

And from CNN, the Supreme Court ruled today that a controversial ban on TikTok may take effect this weekend, rejecting an appeal from the popular app's owners that claimed the ban was violating the First Amendment.

And a new report shows Alabama needs to invest more in energy efficiency.

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy's report on energy efficiency in the southeast says Alabama trails behind other states in utility companies' energy efficiency investments.

It says this leads to not only higher energy bills for their customers, but increased carbon emissions that contribute to the warming climate.

Adding more, what the alliance says there are multiple benefits to prioritizing energy efficiency.

If we take energy efficiency seriously, there will be everyday cost savings, there will be delays of expensive investments, but there's also a reliability benefit.

The report finds utilities like Duke Energy in North and South Carolina outperform others in the southeast, with Alabama Power at the bottom of the list.

Shantia Hudson reporting.

Meantime, more Michigan residents need access to affordable housing and health insurance, and those are the priorities of State Representative Kerry Reingan, a public health policy expert from Ann Arbor.

This week, Reingan, a Democrat, introduced House Bill 4009 to repeal Michigan's 1988 ban on rent stabilization.

She says it would restore local control and allow cities to consider measures like rent control.

Reingan shares her personal experience of the financial strain on renters in cities like Ann Arbor, where many spend over half their income on housing.

I'm a renter in Ann Arbor.

I've been a renter there for over 20 years because I can't afford to buy a house in the area.

My rent went up 33 percent from my last lease year to this lease year, and there's nothing prohibiting that.

The bill has been referred to the Committee on Government Operations for review.

Crystal Blair reporting.

Next, utility providers see a big rise in electricity demand that could mean double-digit rate hikes if it's met with new gas-fired power plants.

That's according to a new report.

Sean O'Leary at the Ohio River Valley Institute says relying on natural gas for that power could drive up Pennsylvania's rates faster than the national average.

It costs almost as much to retrofit a gas-fired power plant so that it won't emit greenhouse gases as it costs to build the plant in the first place.

He adds the climate impacts could cost even more.

This is public news service.

Governor Brian Kemp delivered his 2025 State of the State address Thursday, emphasizing tax cuts and tort reform as key priorities for Georgia.

Kemp also highlighted the state's resilience following Hurricane Helene and praised its economic strength.

He's convinced that one of the best ways to continue growing Georgia's economy is by putting more money in the pockets of Georgians.

So he announced plans to reduce the state income tax rate by 20 basis points, bringing it down to 5.19 percent.

Because at the end of the day, that's your money, not the government's.

And here in Georgia, we believe you should keep more of it.

The governor says this proposed tax cut would save residents about $7.5 billion over the next decade.

Shantia Hudson reporting.

Kemp also addressed expanding funding for law enforcement units to prosecute gangs and human traffickers and to increase access to health care.

Next up, January is National Mentoring Month and organizations like Mentor Indiana are making a difference.

Mentor Indiana is part of the Indiana Youth Institute.

For nearly 20 years, it has connected young Hoosiers with caring adults.

Institute president and CEO Tammy Silverman says mentoring changes lives and there's research to prove it.

When a young person has a mentor, they're 55 percent more likely to enroll in college, 78 percent more likely to volunteer in their home communities, and they're twice as likely to hold a leadership position.

She says their work ensures young people get the support they need to succeed.

Despite these benefits, one in three young people lacks a mentor outside their family.

I'm Joe Ulari, Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.

Finally, during President Joe Biden's final weeks in office, the Interior Department has announced $41 million in support of water resources and ecosystem health, including two projects in Montana.

The bipartisan infrastructure law will fund work to restore irrigation channels in two western Montana watersheds.

Chris Edgington with Montana Trout Unlimited, one of the partner groups, calls this type of federal funding critical to support conservation work that also benefits agricultural producers.

We're working with the landowner who voluntarily gives water back to the river for fish.

So it's a great partnership and a win-win project.

Over $1 million will help restore nearly 8,000 feet of side channel and critical trout habitat along the Jefferson River.

$1.3 million more will restore nearly 11,000 feet of stream bank and five acres of floodplains on Flint Creek.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

This is Mark Clifford for Public News Service, remember, endless is important.

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