News from around the nation.

Arizona educators push for vouchers on November ballot; Proposed offshore fish farms pose risks to New England seafood scene; Arizona business owners reeling from health care subsidy cuts, and a call for tariff rebates for U.S. taxpayers.

Transcript

The Public News Service Thursday, March 19th, 2026 Afternoon Update.

I'm Joe Ulory.

Mississippi lawmakers are considering a bill to help fight cryptocurrency scams.

House Bill 1625 would require fraud warnings on all crypto ATMs to help protect consumers.

Our Frida Ross has the story.

Melinda Bertucci with AARP Mississippi says the bill would also require crypto kiosk operators be licensed under the Money Transmission Modernization Act, place limits on daily withdrawals, require both paper and electronic receipts, and ask consumers a series of screening questions before a transaction can occur.

Has someone told you to deposit money here?

Is this for a government fine court fee?

The Senate has passed an amended bill and the legislation now goes back to the House of Representatives.

A final vote is expected before March 26th.

Public school teachers and administrators in Arizona are working to require more accountability of parents using taxpayer-funded vouchers for private and home school education.

They are pushing for a measure on the November ballot that would change who can qualify for the state's Empowerment Scholarship Account Program.

Parents who use Arizona's ESA can receive about $10,000 each school year for every child.

That money can be used for private school tuition, homeschooling curricula, and other school-related materials.

But the definition of what can be considered education-related has been broad.

Raina York, an eighth-grade science teacher for Marana Public Schools, says the proposed ballot measure would require student academic achievement tests and implement safety requirements for ESA recipients, among other things.

We're asking that funds for non-educational luxury items are banned.

We're also asking for a cap on families that participate in it, their income be capped at $150,000.

The ballot measure would exempt the income cap and assessment tests for special education students who use ESA funds.

I'm Mark Moran.

New England business owners say legislation to develop large-scale offshore aquaculture farms in federal waters threatens the region's iconic seafood scene.

Our Catherine Carley has the story.

The Marine Aquaculture Research for America, or MARA, Act would fast-track permits for commercial finfish and shellfish farms in an effort to boost American seafood production.

Virginia Schaefer, owner of Lady Oyster Tours and Hastings in Bath, Maine, says it would harm the local family-run operations people enjoy.

To change that cultural narrative of what we are as a seafood industry, I think, isn't what we want.

We want to really preserve.

She says Maine's small-scale oyster and kelp farms deserve to be celebrated for helping revitalize coastal waterways and boosting tourism.

Backers of the Mara Act say it focuses on ocean health, but large fish farms rely heavily on pesticides and antibiotics, which can't be contained.

This is Public News Service.

After a tumultuous few days, Connecticut's first offshore wind farm began operation.

Edwin J. Viera has the story.

Revolution Wind is expected to provide more than 700 megawatts of electricity to power 350,000 homes across Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The project was slightly delayed due to several stop work orders issued by the Trump administration.

Samantha Dynowski with the Sierra Club Connecticut chapter says feedback on Revolution Wind is positive so far.

We need offshore wind and other renewable resources.

It comes as the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection considers final approval for a pipeline compressor station expansion.

Brookfield Town officials and other local groups sued to block the project, arguing it increases environmental harm.

But the judge dismissed the suit, saying residents can appeal after the agency makes its decision.

Spring storm season is here, and for local officials who prepare for emergency responses after a natural disaster, they say it's a hard time to get plans together.

That includes a manager from one of North Dakota's rural counties.

Emergency management directors have long dealt with resource challenges, but a new report from ProPublica outlines the growing uncertainty for this line of work.

The report points to FEMA overhauls sought by the Trump administration, including staffing cuts, grant cancellations, and disruptions, outlining how those changes impact local partners.

Angela Herda is the emergency manager for Nelson County and says government shutdowns haven't helped either.

We get trained through FEMA and so if they're not being funded they can't send out their people to train us.

Curtis says rural counties lean heavily on grants to maintain emergency response planning.

Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would raise funds for the construction of wildlife crossings and other safety measures that reduce wildlife vehicle collisions where roads and highways meet migration corridors.

If passed, motorists can pay an optional $5 fee when they register their vehicle.

Suzanne O'Neill with the Colorado Wildlife Federation says Colorado has the highest annual collision costs of any western state.

Each year, the cost of lost wildlife, emergency response, injuries, and vehicle repairs is over $320 million.

From 2010 to 2024, almost 55,000 crashes occurred between motorists and wildlife.

O'Neill says wildlife crossings, which can be underpasses or overpasses, have reduced wildlife vehicle collisions by 90 percent on average.

They also allow animals to safely reach critical habitat during migration.

The recently completed I-25 Greenland wildlife overpass between Denver and Colorado Springs, the largest crossing over a major roadway in North America, connects 39,000 acres of habitat.

I'm Eric Galatas.

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

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