News from around the nation.

How the humble hornwort could supercharge agriculture; rural Illinois sites eyed for future data centers; Utah delegation seeks to revoke Grand Staircase monument status; and grant funding at Carnegie Mellon will fight food insecurity.

Transcript

The Public News Service, Friday, March 20, 2026, afternoon update.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

Minnesota has an abundance of a plants scientists are taking a closer look at so they can weave in a unique enzyme and develop a powerful tool that could boost crop production.

And as Mike Moen reports, the experts say it might not be as taxing on the environment.

The enzyme at the center of this research is Rubisco, known to be the protein that makes photosynthesis possible.

It's also considered largely inefficient because it creates a toxic byproduct and limits how quickly plants can grow.

Enter the hornwort, a tiny plant that can supercharge rubisco by concentrating carbon dioxide around the enzyme.

An international team of scientists has cracked the code on how hornwort does this and whether it can apply that superpower to crops.

Cornell University's Laura Gunn suggests they're still in the early stages.

Basically we've built the walls, right?

We've built the roof, but we haven't got the system in there that's going to pump the CO2 in.

Once the researchers figure that out, it could mean a field day for farmers, and scaling up this type of crop production might result in less fertilizer and water use.

This story was produced with original reporting by Matt Simon with Grist.

Illinois continues to be a hotspot for data center construction.

Rural areas are next on the list, and residents are worried, as Terry Dee reports.

Illinois has 178 data centers and 50 data center providers in major cities, according to the website datacenters.com.

To meet growth demands, rural areas of the state are under the microscope for new projects.

A Brookings Institution study says local rural communities would benefit from a greater focus on accessibility and duration of data center jobs.

Tony Pippa with the Brookings Institution says concerns over jobs are valid, but residents also question whether the size and development of these centers are what is best for their community.

People are worried about how it will affect the quality of life and even the integrity of the places where they're living.

These are really large industrial developments.

They take up a lot of land.

What it means for the viewshed, there may be noise and light pollution.

The Brookings research points to electricity, water, and public service demands under rural systems that may already be strained as additional concerns.

It says local governments generally have limited authority over prices, service demands, and environmental impacts.

PIPA says this leads to a loss of ability to control, engage, and help shape what might be happening.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is seeking an additional $200 billion for the Iran war.

Estimates show just the first six days of the war cost between $11 and $12 billion.

Congressional lawmakers from both parties are wary of the request, with some saying they're, quote, tired of sending money elsewhere.

Polls show the war is deeply unpopular with a majority of Americans.

This comes as the Trump administration says its considering regime change in Cuba, either through diplomacy or military force.

This is public news service.

With the flurry of data centers and large farm expansions across Wisconsin, rural advocates are voicing concerns about what they see as a pattern of corporate extraction from their communities, Judith Rui's branch reports.

The state has at least 50 data centers and more than 350 permits for concentrated animal feeding operation permits, with pending projects for both.

Two of the state's AI data centers will reportedly use more energy than all of the homes in the state, according to Clean Wisconsin.

And Danny Akinson with Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin says both industries consume millions of gallons of water and pose significant climate risks to air, land, and water quality.

These two industries are just two examples of a big corporate agenda that is extracting wealth from our communities, extracting resources, and subsidizing the costs of their operations onto community members.

Data center supporters say they're critical for economic development, job creation, and boosting the state's digital infrastructure.

And CAFO operators argue there are state regulations that ensure safeguards for the environment and that expansion is necessary to meet increasing demand.

Utah conservation groups are opposing a move by the state's congressional delegation that jeopardizes Grand Staircase-Escalante's national monument status.

Mark Richardson reports.

Trump administration allies cite a recent ruling by the Government Accounting Office and have introduced a resolution to overturn the Biden-era resource management plan for the 1.9 million acre preserves.

Steve Block with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance calls removing Grand Staircase Escalante from BLM management a very bad idea.

If the plan is undone through the Congressional Review Act, it's not clear what plan would replace it.

That's a big part of the concern is that the plan provides that certainty for land management.

The Congressional Review Act resolution filed two weeks ago by Utah Senator Mike Lee would revoke the management plan for the monument, which currently provides for recreational access, protection of cultural sites, safeguards for wildlife habitat, restrictions on off-road vehicles in sensitive areas, and more.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is awarding $1 million in hunger-free campus grants to 30 colleges and schools to help address student food insecurity.

Daniel Smith reports the program, now in its fourth year, has supported 92 institutions statewide since 2023.

Carnegie Mellon University just received its fourth $60,000 grant, so its awards have totaled $240,000.

Elizabeth Vaughn with Carnegie Mellon says the bulk of the hunger-free campus dollars will support a variety of food initiatives, including what's known as the Meal Swipe Program to help students who have the highest level of need.

This Meal Swipe Program offers an additional resource to those students to be able to eat at our All You Care to Eat dining facility on campus and also a secondary location that has allergen-free options.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

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