News from around the nation.

Report: Violent crime rates continue to fall from pandemic heights; Biden, Trump exchange jabs as Russia prisoner swap turns political; Maine poll workers get a close-up view of 'democracy in action'; Reopened Pennsylvania juvenile center provides trauma-informed care.

Transcript

(upbeat music)

The Public News Service Daily newscast, August the 2nd, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Violent crime rates in major US cities are continuing to fall from the heights they reached during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That's according to a new report from the Council on Criminal Justice.

In Virginia, homicides in Richmond, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach have declined this year compared to the first half of 2023.

But advocates say there's still a lot of work to do to control crime, especially gun deaths.

Charles Crest is with the group Stop the Violence 757.

One is too many for me.

So what they're saying in the numbers, yes, we don't have 10 anymore, but we still have an astronomical number that it's almost week to week.

We're losing someone between the ages of 30 to 15.

Nationally, the murder rate rose 30 percent between 2019 and 2020, the largest single year increase in more than a century.

It's taken until this year for homicides to drop below pandemic levels in Milwaukee.

The data comes from about 30 cities of various sizes, and it also showed drops in robberies, aggravated assaults, and domestic violence cases.

Next, President Biden cast the release of several detained Americans in a multinational prisoner swap as a vindication of his effort to cultivate international alliances, rebuking his predecessors' isolationist impulses while celebrating a long sought foreign policy achievement.

That's The Washington Post.

They quote Biden as saying, "The deal that made this possible "was a feat of diplomacy and friendship."

Biden added, "For anyone who questions "whether allies matter, they do.

"They matter, and today is a powerful example "of why it's vital to have friends in the world, "friends you can trust and work with and depend on."

Next, to the state of Maine, where election officials are encouraging registered voters to sign up as poll workers ahead of the November 5th general election.

While some poll worker positions are paid, many more volunteers are needed to distribute ballots, monitor tabulators, and help document results at the end of the night.

Secretary of State Shana Bellows says being a poll worker is a great way to see just how democracy works.

This is a fabulous opportunity to see all of the steps and details that make our elections safe and secure.

Bellows says Mainers, including high school students pre-registered to vote, should contact their municipal clerk for more information.

Poll workers can serve in their own community or another location within their county.

I'm Catherine Carley reporting.

Maine law requires equal numbers of poll workers from each major political party in each municipality, one of the safeguards built into the system to ensure election integrity.

While some municipalities already have a full roster of poll workers, I would say the pandemic showed the importance of having backup workers.

This is Public News Service.

We head next to Pittsburgh, where their only juvenile detention center has reopened, offering trauma-informed care and a secure haven for young people at risk.

More on the story from our Daniel Smith.

The Westmoreland County-based non-profit Adelphia operates Highland Detention at Schumann Center.

It includes physical, mental, and behavioral health services.

Karen Pratt with Adelphia says the facility currently has 12 bids, with plans for more.

She emphasizes the center's role in addressing community needs and relieving pressure on a state juvenile justice system that is stretched thin.

We know that this service is important because it's protection for the kids, it's protection for the community, it's an opportunity to just provide a pause, provide stabilization for that child, and assess the services that they're going to need as they move on to their next placement.

Pratt says the center also addresses a critical shortage of detention bids, which has led to overcrowding in Allegheny County Jail and long-distance transport for youth.

Alternatives to detention are community-based programs that provide supervision, support, and services to youth.

And National Farmers Market Week is coming up soon.

In Devils Lake, Maureen Scott oversees Market in the Park, where each weekend through mid-fall, customers can load up on fresh fruits, vegetables, and specialty products.

Over the past several years, she says they've gone from fewer than 10 vendors to more than 60.

Scott says it takes a lot of phone calls and other marketing in the off-season to maintain that robust group of producers and sellers.

I think people need to work on it year-round because the season is over in October.

You need to start planning for next year, October 30th.

Without that desire, she suggests coordinators risk losing the many age groups who have taken a liking to farmers markets in towns and cities across the country, including young adults.

According to the USDA, there are more than 8,000 registered markets.

That compares to less than 2,000 in 1994, although the growth rate began to slow prior to the pandemic.

I'm Mike Moen.

And finally, Moen, recent changes on the political scene may have brought many younger voters into the fold, but a new poll shows in Ohio, older voters could still make up an outsized portion of the electorate in November.

A survey released this week by AARP Ohio finds that 89 percent of voters age 50 or older say they are extremely motivated to cast a ballot this year.

AARP Ohio State Director Jenny Carlson says the polling confirms that candidates need to pay attention to seniors and the issues they care about.

50 plus voters are the largest voting block and could tip the scale of any candidate this election.

They're gonna turn out this November.

They're the most motivated to vote.

For Public News Service, I'm Mark Richardson.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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