News from around the nation.

Meta to end fact-checking program ahead of Trump term; Task force tackles Oregon's hospital 'boarding' problem; Teton park acquires addition after widespread, multiyear effort; Ohio funding gaps leave Adams County kids in crisis.

Transcript

The Public News Service Tuesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Meta on Tuesday announced a set of changes to its content moderation practices that would effectively put an end to its long-standing fact-checking program, a policy instituted to curtail the spread of misinformation across its social media apps.

That from the New York Times.

They report the reversal of the years-old policy is a stark sign of how the company is repositioning itself for the Trump era.

The Times notes instead of using news organizations and other third-party groups, Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, will rely on users to add notes or corrections to posts that may contain false or misleading information.

We head next to Oregon where folks who are ready to leave the hospital but still require care do not have enough places to go.

With nowhere to send discharged patients, hospitals can end up boarding them, which hurts hospitals financially and means fewer beds are available for people who need them.

Senator Deb Patterson was part of a task force that has released 10 recommendations to address the problem.

The Salem Democrats has a top priority is presumptive eligibility for Medicaid.

So people who likely qualify don't have to wait for their applications to be processed in order to receive care, which would also benefit providers.

Long-term care facilities need to be assured that the patients they're accepting, they already have their insurance in place.

Increased reimbursement rates for adult foster homes are high on the list for the task force.

I'm Isabel Sharlay.

Next to Wyoming with the 640-acre Kelly parcel has been in limbo for decades.

It sits within the bounds of Grand Teton National Park, but has long been owned by the state. $100 million and years of work later, the parcel now belongs to the park.

The sale, which closed December 27th, was a slow process.

That's because the parcel was part of state-owned school trust lands, which, according to the state constitution, must benefit Wyoming students.

A 2003 law made it possible for the sale of such lands to count.

Monies came for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, whose president, Leslie Mattson, says the deal has huge benefits.

So it's kind of a twofer property.

Not only are we benefiting future students here in Wyoming, but this property is a very, very important wildlife habitat and has migration corridors for a number of species on it.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

Meantime, the rising cost of children's placements and a failed tax levy in Adams County have heightened concerns about the future of children's services in Ohio.

Sonja Meyer, director of Adams County Children's Services, says the placement crisis in Ohio stems from both rising costs and a severe lack of foster homes.

Our board care has been running us around $3.5 million.

That's more than half our budget, actually, for the whole year.

For our agency, the amount that it's costing us to provide for the care of those kids, it's just not something that I don't think anybody could have prepared for.

As counties such as Adams face financial strain, many rely on temporary solutions, including residential centers that cost significantly more than foster care placements.

This is Public News Service.

A unique mental health tool called the Climate Emotions Wheel is making its way into classrooms, helping students process their feelings about climate change.

Designed to supplement traditional therapy, the wheel encourages students to identify and navigate emotions such as anxiety, fear, and anger related to the climate crisis.

The wheel offers a flexible approach based on research by Dr. Panu Pekala, a leading Finnish expert on eco-anxiety and ecological emotions.

Sarah Newman with the Climate Mental Health Network highlights its significance, describing it as a fluid process.

Sometimes it's both joy and sadness or anger and inspiration.

But the wheel is really an important tool for people of all ages to understand and name and validate the different emotions that they're experiencing because of climate change.

This story was produced with original reporting from Rebecca Randall for YES Media.

I'm Tramell Gomes.

And a Pennsylvania environmental justice group is voicing concerns about the block sale of U.S. steel to Nippon Steel, citing its effect on the community and jobs.

If it does, go through.

Our Daniel Smith has more.

On Monday, Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel filed a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration over the decision.

Matthew Mihalik, executive director of the Pittsburgh-based nonprofit Breathe Projects, says Nippon's bid would not have benefited union workers or the community as it didn't include a long-term plan for helping the Bond Valley.

He adds Nippon said they would honor all collective bargaining agreements, but the union contract expires in 2026.

So if you look at the big picture, really what Nippon wants is the Big River Steel brand new electric arc non-union facilities in Arkansas that U.S.

Steel spent over four billion dollars over the past couple of years purchasing and building up as a threat to deunionize U.S. Steel.

Finally, despite recent gains in sales, electric vehicles still face skepticism over concerns like the battery not holding up in cold weather.

Research has found that bitterly cold temperatures can reduce the average driving range of an electric vehicle from anywhere from 25 percent to 41 percent, depending on the circumstances.

Ingrid Malmgren with the group Plug in America says while some of these effects are real, they can be overstated.

A lot of EVs now include heat pumps to help the batteries be more efficient and to work better in cold weather.

And experts say drivers can take certain steps to ensure their commute goes smoothly.

That includes using a setting on most newer EV models that warms the battery to an optimal temperature, allowing for faster charging.

I'm Mike Moen.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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