News from around the nation.

Trustees warn the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts could have to close its doors as early as this week; Orchards in Maryland struggle with early blooms and poor yields, and rural Illinois is encouraged to cash in on renewables, with careful thought.

Transcript

The Public News Service Monday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

It could happen as early as this week.

Leaders of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts installed by President Donald Trump say the center is now on the brink of bankruptcy.

According to documents obtained by the Washington Post, they argue putting Trump's name on its facade and thus ensuring his fundraising efforts may be the only way to avoid imminent and certain fiscal collapse.

And the National Weather Service said the hardest hit areas this weekend appeared to be northern New Jersey and parts of New York's Westchester County.

NBC News notes flash flooding from heavy rains prompted road closures, water rescues, and commuter rail problems across the tri-state area on Sunday.

Meantime, farmers and small ag advocates are finding ways to manage a season that so far bore little fruit.

Losses of apples, cherries, peaches, nectarines, and apricots in the mid-Atlantic due to this year's cold snap range anywhere from 70 to 100 percent.

As greenhouse gas emissions continue to fuel climate change, experts fear that this year's harvest is a harbinger of things to come.

Ben Wenk, with Three Springs Fruit Farm, remembers how a catastrophic freeze in April left the flower petals on his trees looking singed.

Speaking at a Silver Spring farmer's market, he said the farm lost 95% of its stone fruit.

We've seen climate change manifesting itself in a variety of ways.

This is the first time that the changing climate has resulted in a catastrophic cross injury of this magnitude and this scope.

There's nobody alive that's seen anything like this.

Wank adds he's studying how best to build a more resilient orchard.

I'm Zamone Perez.

Next, Illinois is seeing a major expansion of renewable energy alongside a power struggle over who gets to call the shots.

Now communities are being asked to consider how to make that growth work for them.

The state has more than 13,000 megawatts of installed wind and solar capacity combined.

And this summer, regulators approved another 1,500 of new renewable projects.

Jeff Risley with Renewable Energy Farmers of America says communities that are skeptical should look beyond whether they can stop a project and consider what they can gain through what he calls a community benefit agreement.

Which is essentially a contract between the community and the developer to deliver benefits beyond just the taxes that they are paying.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

And starting Friday, the Trump administration's new rules on public charge go into effect.

Adriana Kadena with the nonprofit Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition says a wide range of programs can be counted against an immigrant, including Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP, or Section 8 housing assistance.

This new public charge policy is intended to force families to choose between applying for a green card even now or in the future or accessing basic needs like food, rent, and health care.

The public charge is used to determine how much an applicant might need public assistance.

The change overturns Biden-era policy that limited this rule to federal cash assistance or long-term institutionalization.

This is Public News Service.

Alaska faces questions from children's advocates about how it will use its share of the $17 billion settlement with the social media company Meta.

Alaska could receive up to $23 million over a decade as part of the deal.

Most states are using their share for youth mental health programs, crisis hotlines, and school initiatives.

Alaska Children's Trust President Trevor Storrs says the lack of youth mental health programs presents a grave concern given Alaska's teen suicide numbers and social media's youth mental health.

We have six times higher rate of teen suicide and or attempted suicide compared to the rest of the nation.

That's just one indicator that we're seeing our kids are struggling.

In a press release, Alaska's Attorney General Corey Mills says as a mom, she's incredibly relieved the settlement installs safeguards around kids and social media.

I'm Mark Moran.

An extreme heat represents an urgent workplace safety hazard in Midwestern states like Michigan, but competing measures in the Congress have blocked a solution.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, proposed a rule requiring that employers provide water, rest breaks, and cooling for workers.

But it's since stalled, and legislation has been introduced to prevent OSHA from enforcing the rule.

Nicole Hernandez-Hammer, with Service Employees International Union, says hotter outdoor temperatures aren't going away.

Conditions, whether you're indoor or outdoor during extreme heat, or even just the hotter times of the summer, can be and have been life-threatening.

Fast food workers, as an example of that, in hot kitchens without proper cooling.

Union members submitted more than a thousand public comments supporting the standard.

I'm Roz Brown.

Finally, Congress is considering funding to repair public lands in New York and nationwide.

Since 2020, the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund has funded billions in unaddressed maintenance issues.

More than a billion dollars has gone to several New York public lands.

However, the fund expired in 2025, with more than $35 billion in repairs still needed nationwide.

Michael Oates with the Hudson Valley Economic Development Council says national parks are important to the local economy.

"There's over 400,000 visitors that come to that part of the Hudson Valley supporting close to 200 jobs.

And these sites are a critical component to keep people staying in the valley, spending money at restaurants, hotels, and shops."

Data show New York still needs another billion dollars to clear the rest of its repairs from the federal backlog.

Bills in both chambers of Congress to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund have widespread bipartisan support, but there are divisions on what specifically the money should be spent on.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

Between 2020 and 2025, the Legacy Restoration Fund helped fund more than a thousand repairs.

This is Mike Clifford.

Thank you for starting a week with Public News Service.

Member and listener supported.

Find our trust indicators at Public News Service.