News from around the nation.

FBI director says 'potential terrorist attack' over Halloween weekend was averted; Dia de Los Muertos: NM celebrates, CA cancels events amid ICE fears; Cleveland retailers face new tobacco license rule; Many Virginia inpatient health care beds in flood zones, report finds.

Transcript

The Public News Service Friday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Two federal judges said Friday that the Trump administration must tap into billions of dollars in emergency funds to at least partially cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November.

That from CNN.

They report the rulings from judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island reject a controversial U.S.

Department of Agriculture claim that it could not use a contingency fund, which the agency says has $5.3 billion remaining in it to help cover the benefits amid the month-long government shutdown.

The STAT program costs roughly $9 billion a month, so the orders will not cover all of the needed payments for November.

Meantime, Day of the Dead celebrations are planned in multiple U.S. cities this weekend, including Albuquerque and Santa Fe, while some California communities have canceled events amid fears that ICE agents could attend.

The fall holiday honors ancestors who've passed on through ancient indigenous rituals.

Observances have grown in the U.S., fueled by a larger Mexican and Central American population and an increased interest in families' cultural roots.

Professor Mario del Angel Guevara teaches Spanish at the University of New Mexico.

Day of the Dead is not about death, it's about life.

And we're celebrating the life of the people who are no longer here in the physical world, but they are still with us, especially during these few days.

Albuquerque has transformed its Old Town Plaza for a 10-day Day of the Dead festival that continues through Sunday.

I'm Roz Brown.

Next, retailers in Cleveland can now apply for a new required local tobacco retail license aimed at cutting youth tobacco use and tightening compliance with local laws.

The Cleveland Department of Public Health opened applications this week with a deadline of December 31st for the 2026 license year.

Catrice Minor, Director of Community Health Initiatives at the Health Department, says the new program creates a local tracking system for stores that sell cigarettes, cigars, e-cigs and vaping devices.

It also allows the city to enforce rules such as the ban on selling to anyone under age 21.

This license gives you the privilege to sell products.

If you do not have a license you are not able to sell products within the city of Cleveland.

The city says it will use the local program to monitor compliance and address violations through fines or possible license suspension.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

And Virginia ranks in middle of the pack for states that protect against climate impacts on its health care system according to a new report.

Sarah Collins with the Commonwealth Fund explains Virginia does not face severe heat at the same rate as other states.

That's one reason for its rank of 18.

One of the deadliest weather related events are extreme heat events.

The fact that Virginia ranks higher on that is probably a factor of where it's located in the United States compared to a state like Arizona.

The study from the Commonwealth Fund surveyed all 50 states and measured a variety of factors including air quality, greenhouse gas emissions from the health care sector, and risk to health care facilities from natural hazards.

This is public news service.

The McDonald's chain has been praised for committing to invest 200 million dollars in sustainable agriculture practices over the next seven years.

Illinois conservation groups say a lot more is needed to consider this a win for farmers or the environment.

The initiative includes a focus on regenerative livestock systems.

Ryan Slabal with the non-profit Think Regeneration says partnerships with the fast food industry are crucial to establishing a food supply system that prioritizes nutrition.

But instead of investing just one quarter of one percent of its supply chain in short-term sustainability practices, he argues McDonald's and other companies should also work to undo the longer-term damage he says they're causing.

The reason we call it the regenerative movement is because we need to decouple some of the food supply systems that are causing pollution and causing health issues and recouple them into something that actually creates positive human health outcomes.

He says concentrated animal feeding operations, which companies like McDonald's heavily rely on, are a significant contributor to reduce nutritional value in food and negative environmental impacts.

McDonnell says the initiative aims to address some of these issues by helping ranchers adopt grazing practices that benefit soil water and wildlife habitat.

Slaball says there's a common misconception that CAFOs are necessary to feed the world.

He counters that stressed animals and cramped environments become less nutritious food with higher rates of toxins.

However, Slaball emphasizes that CAFO managers should not be seen as the enemy.

It's a really really challenging position that this generation of CAFO managers have inherited.

I worry about them.

I worry about their mental health.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

Finally, the federal government shutdown didn't stop county leaders in 15 states, including Tennessee, from visiting Washington, D.C. this week to push for reforms for disaster relief.

The National Association of Counties backs the bipartisan bill known as the FEMA Act, which cleared a House committee with 57 to 3 vote and now awaits consideration by the full House.

Severe County Mayor Larry Water says the bill would strengthen disaster response and recovery, noting his county's struggles after the 2016 Gatlinburg fires.

Water says the association has an intergovernmental disaster reform task force focused on improving the system, including changes to the public assistance program.

It's a reimbursement type situation now where the community has to actually write a check and then submit that for reimbursement.

We would prefer moving to a grant where FEMA provides the funds up front and which would allow a community to focus on recovery and to start rebuilding immediately.

Waters says he's meeting with Tennessee Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty to urge them to introduce a Senate version of the FEMA Act.

Danielle Smith reporting.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.