News from around the nation.

US Postal Service head DeJoy resigns; Electric vehicle incentives support NC economy, leaders say; A week of awareness of challenges farmworkers face; Co-ops help more KY school districts participate in local produce bidding.

Transcript

The Public News Service Tuesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Louis DeJoy resigned from his role as head of the US Postal Service Monday, leaving the independent government agency at a time when it faces calls for privatization and scrutiny from the Trump administration.

That from CNN.

They report the deputy postmaster general, Doug Toledo, will take the reins until the USPS Board of Governors names a permanent successor.

And a 21-year-old Columbia University student who has lived in the US since she was a child sued President Trump and other high-ranking administration officials Monday after immigration officials tried to arrest and deport her.

That from the New York Times.

Meantime, leaders and electric vehicle advocates in North Carolina are urging the federal government not to take away incentives for EVs.

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, tax credits were offered for electric vehicles, including up to $7,500 for certain EV models.

However, Congress is considering axing the credits to save money in the budget.

State Senator Michael Garrett, a Greensboro Democrat, says that would be bad for the state, which has seen growth in EV battery manufacturing because of incentives for these vehicles.

They're investments in North Carolina families.

They're investments in North Carolina jobs.

And it's an investment in North Carolina's competitive future.

Garrett also notes that greater adoption of electric vehicles would improve public health because of reduced pollution from cars.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

And as today begins National Farmworker Awareness Week, North Carolina boasts the sixth largest number of farmworkers of any state.

More than 150,000 people in the Tar Heel State are farmworkers or dependents of them.

Karina Vallejos with the North Carolina Farmworkers Project says some of the issues facing farmworkers include exposure to pesticides, inadequate housing, and wage theft.

But Vallejos says the most pressing problem remains helping farmworkers know and defend their rights.

Even if the workers know what their rights are, it's very challenging for them to speak up for themselves, defend their own rights, because if they're undocumented, they're afraid of being reported to ICE.

And we've heard of employers threatening that very thing in order to get people to do what they want.

In 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor's National Agricultural Workers Survey found that more than 40 percent of agricultural workers were not authorized to work in the U.S.

I'm Zimone Perez.

And school staffing shortages can impact nutrition in Kentucky school districts.

Many districts across the state rely on frozen processed breakfast and lunch options from conglomerates, but some cooperatives are helping schools with the bidding process to use their dollars for locally sourced produce, dairy, and meat.

Alex Smith is with the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative.

When staffing's an issue, it means your food service directors or your managers are having to work the line, and they have less time to do the admin task that's so important to food service.

He says the food industry is complex and involves a hefty amount of paperwork.

He says his organization simplifies the process.

This is Public News Service.

Underage drinkers in Indiana could soon receive legal protection during medical emergencies.

State lawmakers there passed a bill to expand the Lifeline Law, which now awaits the governor's signature.

The current law protects only the person who calls 911 to help someone underage with alcohol poisoning.

The updated version would also protect the person in medical danger from underage drinking charges.

Purdue student body vice president, Rebecca Siener, helped lead the push for change.

Currently, the person in need of medical attention is not protected.

Our students are more fearful of the legal repercussions of underage drinking than the potentially life-threatening condition of alcohol poisoning.

Opponents of the bill claim it could encourage more underage drinking.

This story was produced with original reporting from Kyla Russell for Wish TV.

I'm Joe Ulori, Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.

And Minnesota's up-and-coming doctors say in order to better care for patients down the road, they need collective bargaining power.

This week, a super majority of nearly 1,000 University of Minnesota resident physicians and fellows submitted their union creation plans.

Dr. Thomas Schmidt is an infectious disease fellow with the U of M, and he says the current work environment for providers advancing through their training in hospitals and other settings is pretty grueling with up to 80-hour work weeks in some cases.

It's us making sure that we're having some breaks and making sure that we're able to have some life outside of training to ensure that we can be good doctors when we're there with our patients.

Researchers say the number of newly union-represented doctors could soon double compared to the past two decades.

Because of consolidation in healthcare, more physicians are now employees of larger systems as opposed to independent practitioners.

I'm Mike Moen.

Finally, new legislation would bring the insurance industry under Oregon's Unlawful Trade Practices Act.

Supporters say the change would protect consumers from deceptive practices.

Attorney Tyler Staggs represented insurers for nearly 20 years.

He says his law firm now advocates for consumers because of the insurance industry's growing unfairness.

He cites cases such as a client left homeless when an insurer denied living expenses after a house fire.

In another case, he says, a client was denied a claim after a brain injury from a car accident.

Rather than paying the benefits that the insurer paid for, the insurance company low-balls them and delays to see if they can force them to take a settlement.

Oregon's insurance industry is the only major industry in the state not subject to the state's Unlawful Trade Practices Act.

The bill is scheduled for a work session in the Senate today.

I'm Isabel Charlay.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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