News from around the nation.

The death toll stands at 8 after a building collapse in Brooklyn, New York, Big changes could be coming for reproductive rights in Texas and the nation, a commission urged to protect Colorado's 'Outstanding Waters.'

Transcript

The Public News Service Thursday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

In Brooklyn, New York, the death toll stands at 8 and could rise.

ABC 7 News reports 17 others hurt too critically after part of a three-story building collapsed into a construction site at the corner of Flatbush and Bedford Avenues just after 4 p.m., according to the FDNY.

Six bodies recovered from the rubble.

Two people died at the hospital.

Four of the victims found Thursday believed to be construction workers. seven children among those treated.

Others may still be missing.

Meantime, following last week's midterm elections, women's maternal health advocates are energized and looking forward to making changes to reproductive health legislation on the state and federal levels.

Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, who is pro-choice, can't legally repeal Texas' restrictive abortion ban, but can limit how the law is applied.

Daria Neal with the Center for Reproductive Rights says they have an opportunity to ensure everyone has a chance to make reproductive decisions for themselves.

The states are laboratories for innovation.

With more reproductive rights friendly people in power, there's an opportunity to try new things and see new ideas develop.

Where there's something that's working well, the center is well positioned to help translate those ideas to other states.

When the new Congress is sworn in next year, it will be the most pro Reproductive Freedom Congress in the nation's history.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

And this week, a state commission advanced efforts to protect some of Colorado's most pristine creeks and rivers in the Arkansas and Rio Grande river bases.

If segments of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and wilderness areas are designated as outstanding waters under the Clean Water Act, current high quality levels could be preserved while maintaining existing water rights and uses.

Westcliffe resident Andrew Todd is a lifelong high country angler.

He believes these areas represent the best of the best of Colorado's waterways in both ecological and recreational value.

We think it makes sense to preserve that water quality in those areas for generations to come.

So my grandkids can go up there and fish and recreate.

Despite increasing threats to watersheds posed by hotter temperatures and longer droughts, the Trump administration has rolled back key sections of the Clean Water Act.

I'm Eric Galatas.

Next, Detroit residents struggling with repeated flooding could soon have a hand in developing their own solutions.

Detroit Sustainability Director Tepfar Rushton says selected applicants will receive professional assistance.

Applicants who apply and are awarded will be partnered with landscape designers who will be actually walking them through kind of best practices.

The new pilot program is led by We the People of Detroit in partnership with the city's Office of Sustainability. it will fund up to three projects designed to capture stormwater before it floods homes, streets, and neighborhoods.

This is Public News Service. 23% of adults in California, more than 7 million people, are family caregivers, that's according to data from AARP.

Now advocates are speaking out on how hard it is for low-income seniors to afford long-term care and in-home assistance.

Nationally, 130 million Americans care to a family member or loved one.

Anika Leon-Weil, a single mom from Santa Cruz, spent six years taking care of her late mother who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

And she says finding a memory care facility that takes Medi-Cal was difficult.

There was no coverage for any kind of care for someone with Alzheimer's disease.

The most affordable care that we could find was around $7,000 a month.

And it also forced her to move out of her home.

She says the impending cuts to Medi-Cal are straining a system that is already wholly inadequate to address the needs of millions of older Californians, putting a burden on families who are already struggling to pay for housing, food, gas, and health care.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

And severe weather washed out roads in Arizona's tribal lands just days before the November election.

Those living on reservations already face geographical challenges when trying to cast a ballot in Arizona, which can include having no physical address, long distances to reach polling places, or a lack of transportation.

Adding to the difficulty, several inches of rain fell prior to the November 3rd election on the Navajo and Hopi reservations, washing out roads and bridges.

But Arizona Native Vote Executive Director Janie Parrish says workers were ready, and many of them stepped in to help well before Election Day.

Early voting, educating people on tracking their ballot, educating people about their signatures, getting their families to do the same, and encouraging people to check their family's status, trying to do as much up front as we can, even giving folks rides to early voting locations.

I'm Mark Moran.

Finally, in a world where people often take in stories through short online videos, A Minnesota organization is getting media consumers reacquainted with a traditional platform.

The Minnesota Humanities Center is out with its debut edition of 10,000 Threads, a magazine offering human interest stories like a farmer and educator who hosts independent writing workshops or a hub in St. Paul that allows curious people to learn about East African culture.

MHC's Ali Severson says they wanted this approach to capture the depth of people around the state trying to build social connections.

10,000 Threads is supposed to be an open love letter to the people of Minnesota.

It's about weaving together the stories of Minnesota's people, and it's all about to help us imagine and create and ensure a vibrant and thriving state.

I'm Mike Moen.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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