News from around the nation.

Investigations are underway into a fatal military aircraft crash in the Middle East; marchers press California lawmakers on adequate college funding; and a once-failing school system in New England transforms into a source of pride.

Transcript

The Public News Service Friday, March 13th, 2026 Afternoon Update.

I'm Joe Ulory.

Six people are dead after a U.S. Air Force KC-135 stratotanker crashed during wartime operations in the Middle East.

Military officials say the aerial refueling aircraft went down during a mission and investigators are working to determine what caused the crash.

NBC News reports the Pentagon has not yet released the identities of the crew members.

The annual March in March brought hundreds of community college students, staff, and faculty to the California State Capitol Thursday.

We turn to our Suzanne Potter for the story.

Speakers also called for policies to make housing and health care more affordable.

James McKeever, president of the American Federation of Teachers 1521 Faculty Guild, says lawmakers should prioritize community colleges during ongoing budget negotiations.

We want to keep education in the forefront of our legislators' minds.

Governor Gavin Newsom's proposed budget keeps current funding levels for the community college system.

Struggling New England public schools at risk of falling under state control are taking notes from one Massachusetts school district.

The Springfield Empowerment Zone Project has taken a once-failing urban school system and turned it into a source of pride for the communities it serves.

Co-executive director Matt Brunel says big schools have been broken down into smaller ones parents are engaged and teachers decide everything from budget to curriculum.

With this really novel approach of pushing down that decision making to the school-based level, they can better respond to the needs that they see in their student population.

After more than a decade of work, graduation rates are now close to the statewide average of 89 percent.

Not everyone would wade into thick mangrove roots to pick up someone else's trash, but one Miami man has been doing it for years.

It's just another example of Floridians proving that individual choices add up.

Andrew Otasso never set out to remove 43,000 pounds of trash from the city's mangroves.

He just fell in love with the ecosystem, a tangle of roots and water that many overlook, and decided to act.

Years later, he's still at it, pulling trash alone each week.

Otasso, CEO of Aro Communications, says anyone can make a difference, no matter how small.

I saw the incredible damage by all this trash building up and one day I was just like well I'm gonna start picking up trash and I picked up 40 pounds of trash that day and I've been at it ever since.

I'll be out there next weekend.

Otazo explains that most trash in the mangroves doesn't come from people littering there.

It washes in from city streets through storm drains.

He encourages others to start small by picking up a plastic bottle on a sidewalk knowing that it may never reach the bay.

He says you don't have to advertise your good deed, but sometimes people will get curious, ask what you're doing, and join in.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

This is Public News Service.

The rapid expansion of data centers in Washington and Oregon is threatening the region's shift to renewable energy.

The new report, released by Columbia Riverkeeper, identifies over 100 data centers that are completed or in progress across 12 counties bordering the Columbia River.

Kelly Campbell, policy director for the organization, says power demand is expected to soar because of the data centers, and tech companies are turning to fossil fuels to provide that power.

We're looking at having to put together four new Seattle's worth of energy in order to power all these data centers.

And my question would be why we shouldn't be going back to using more fossil fuels to power data centers.

The report calls on leaders in Oregon and Washington to impose more regulations on the centers, including transparency around water and energy use and a ban on fossil fuels and new nuclear.

Water affordability and access are top concerns for eastern Kentucky residents.

As Nadia Ramlagan reports, community leaders from Martin County recently joined others in Detroit to discuss the outdated water infrastructure in many communities and what to do about it.

Their concerns include the cost to residents and the importance of holding water companies and regulators accountable.

Nina McCoy, president of Martin County Concerned Citizens, says the Appalachian region continues to grapple with a lack of investment in water infrastructure that has led to repeated water supply outages and increasingly unaffordable water bills.

Because just trying to fix an old dilapidated system is just not within the ratepayers of our community's ability.

And more smoking scenes in Oscar films raise youth concerns.

This year, 8 out of 10 movies nominated for Best Picture contain scenes with vaping or smoking, according to a report by the Truth Initiative Schroeder Institute.

Senior Vice President at the Institute, Dr. Jessica Rath, notes that's a 10 percent increase compared to last year's films.

She says this is particularly concerning for young people who are twice as likely to start smoking or vaping when exposed to it in movies.

This continued depiction of cigarettes and other products in popular award-nominated films really normalizes this addictive behavior for impressionable viewers, and that extends well beyond awards season.

Rath says her organization is advocating for the entertainment industry to intervene by showing prevention ads and resources for quitting before or after content containing tobacco use.

In Illinois, people can access free support by texting vapefreeil to 88709.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

This is Joe Ulory for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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