News from around the nation.

Social security COLA increase to benefit older Americans who feel like they're falling behind, California embraces tiny power plants by adopting balcony solar, and gas companies profit while Ohioans bemoan lack of jobs.

Transcript

The Public News Service, Thursday, October 15, 2026 Afternoon Update.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

More than 1 million Kentuckians receiving Social Security payments will see their benefits increase in January.

The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% benefit increase for 2027.

Nadia Ramlagan reports.

The cost of living adjustment, or COLA, increase is critical at a time when one in five older Americans have no retirement savings to rely on.

More households feel financially insecure compared to last year, according to Scott Wegness with AARP Kentucky.

Too many older Americans are still feeling like they're falling behind, and that can be from prescription drug costs increasing, utilities on the increase, fuel prices, grocery prices.

Nationwide, adults age 50-plus agreed that a 3.5 percent increase would be insufficient to keep up with rising prices, but the majority said an increase between 5 and 8 percent would be sufficient for affording everyday expenses.

Those results come from an AARP survey released just days before the administration's announcement.

Backers of Balcony Solar say it's about to take off in California thanks to a new bill signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Suzanne Potter has the story.

The policy makes it legal to plug in a small solar panel system on your balcony or in your yard and use that electricity to power your home or apartment.

State Senator Scott Weiner says renters can now get in on the savings.

Plus, consumers won't have to negotiate an interconnection agreement with the power company.

You can just plug into the wall and start generating solar energy that lowers your electric bill.

PG&E hates it, but it's going to help a lot of people get their electric bill down.

The panels cost anywhere from $800 to $2,500, and experts say they can save consumers about $500 a year on their utility bills.

New data from the Nature Conservancy in Arizona show rising energy prices and extreme heat are the most pressing concerns for state residents heading into the midterms.

However, support for energy efficiency programs and rebates are being phased out by the state's major utilities.

More from Mark Moran.

A poll conducted by the Conservancy and the Arizona Public Interest Research Group Education Fund show that almost 80% of Arizona residents say their energy bills have increased dramatically over the last two years, and 60% say those bills are hard to afford.

The Nature Conservancy in Arizona's Nicole Hill says a recent poll shows residents are concerned about shifting climate patterns and air pollution and the rising costs associated with them. 58% of Arizonans wanted a policy that could make electricity affordable. 42% of Arizonans said expanding renewable energy is a priority energy policy for them.

Increasing energy efficiency was 31%.

Extreme heat and growing infrastructure, including data centers and exploding residential areas, have combined to drive energy demand to an all-time high, according to the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Heat-related deaths in Maricopa County this summer were 60 percent higher than last summer, according to county data.

This is Public News Service.

Proposition 134 on Colorado's November ballot would ban transgender students from participating in school sports that do not align with their biological sex.

Eric Galatas has more.

In response, parents, kids, and advocates are holding a pep rally today in Denver to amplify a position held by many Coloradans.

Trans people belong everywhere, including in sports.

Mental health therapist Katrina Whitehead, who works with trans youth, plans to attend.

She says kids shouldn't have to worry about whether their gender will be questioned when they sign up for sports, and no one should be excluded from lifelong benefits that come with playing.

Well, I think it affects them being able to learn how to be on a and work as a team and being included.

They just really want to be with their friends.

Prop 134 would require elementary schools through colleges to designate all sports as male-only, female-only, or mixed.

Supporters say allowing biological males to play on female teams creates an unfair advantage and can prevent females from winning scholarships.

Critics warn that if passed, student athletes, not just those who are transgender, could be subject to uncomfortable physical inspections.

The Trans Kids Belong Here Denver Summit pep rally kicks off at 4 p.m. at the Town Hall Collaborative.

North Dakota residents who qualify to have their federal student loans forgiven could face thousands of dollars in additional tax costs, potentially undermining the financial relief they've spent decades working toward.

Judith Ruiz Branch reports.

That's according to a new report from advocacy group Protect Borrowers that labels the changes as a tax bomb that could hit families with limited incomes and savings especially hard.

Jennifer Zhang with the group notes those who qualify for income-driven repayment forgiveness made less than $50,000 in 2022.

By and large, the people who will be forced to pay these tax bills will not be able to afford them.

The report estimates a married North Dakota borrower with two children could face more than $5,800 in additional tax liability and lost credits.

For a single parent with two children, the added tax cost could exceed $9,600.

Some Ohioans question the loss of natural gas industry jobs while mayoral candidates walk a political tightrope about the issue.

More from Terry Dee.

Fracking drills water, sand, and a chemical mix into cracked rock formations to release trapped oil or natural gas to produce shale gas.

Ohio River Valley Institute senior researcher Sean O'Leary explains, There's been great interest in gas deposits in Northeast Ohio since the 2000s.

Many political leaders, certainly business leaders, saw the development of what would eventually become the richest natural gas field in the world would be a driver of economic development in the region.

Generating natural gas produces substantial revenue, O'Leary notes, and since 2006, micro seismic technology has advanced shale gas production and the need for workers has declined.

I'm Edwin J. Viera for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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