Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Elon Musk's $50 billion Tesla pay can't be reinstated; AZ utility regulators could vote to change rule making; Report: lax oversight of OR gun dealers fuels shootings, homicides; TX business leaders form new alliance; FL's native youth: Overlooked voices call for change, inclusion.

Transcript

- The Public News Service DOA newscast for December the 3rd, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

We head first to Arizona where ratepayers could end up paying more for utilities if state regulators decide to change the rate making process.

The Arizona Corporation Commission is set to vote on their proposed policy statement today, which would allow Arizona utilities to move from a historical test year model to a formula rate plan.

An FRP is used to adjust a utility's base rates outside of a general rate case, many times because of increases in the average cost of utility service.

Diane Brown with the Arizona Perg Education Fund calls the proposed change seismic and is concerned ratepayers could experience higher utility bill aftershocks on an annual basis as a result.

There appears to be a full court press to approve a policy statement that essentially upends a long standing rate making process without providing the necessary time and attention to details.

But supporters of FRPs say they can help stabilize a utility's rate of return without a full rate case review.

I'm Alex Gonzalez reporting.

And a Delaware judge Monday affirmed an earlier ruling that rescinded a giant pay package that Tesla had awarded to its chief exec, Elon Musk, that for the New York Times.

They report the pay in the form of stock options was worth more than $50 billion and helped make Musk the richest person in the world.

The judge of the Delaware Court of Chancery struck down the award in January, ruling that shareholders had not been properly informed of its details and that members of the Tesla board were not sufficiently independent.

Next up, nearly 40 percent of guns used in Oregon homicides are illegally trafficked through legal gun dealers.

Another 30 percent are stolen from them.

That's according to new research.

The report by the Alliance for a Safe Oregon highlights gaps in security, training and inspections among the state's 2,100 gun dealers.

The report said employees often lack training to detect straw purchases when someone buys a gun for another person who can't legally own one.

Jess Marks with the Alliance says increasing state inspections, which now happen only every 10 years, could help reduce illegal gun trafficking.

When we compare that to every other industry, hair salons, nail, taco trucks, the cannabis industry that are inspected every six months, every two years, we have got to be doing better.

The report says training employees to recognize straw gun sales, as well as upgrading gun dealers' storage and security measures goes a long way.

Marks says states with these policies in place, like New Jersey, have a 35 percent lower homicide rate.

I'm Isabel Charlet.

The report blames lax oversight that allows Oregon gun dealers with repeated safety and security violations to operate without repercussions.

This is Public News Service.

We head next to the Lone Star State where a new Texas organization hopes to increase civic engagement among business leaders.

The Texas Business Leader Alliance officially launches today.

Dr. Anjanette Wyatt with Clinical Care Pharmacies in Houston says the group will focus on several key issues to increase work in the community.

Economic development, healthcare, civic participation, cross-sector collaborations, business community partnerships.

All this can really take us a long, long ways.

We're hoping to impact the communities and private sector by conducting research.

A recent survey of 500 Texas business leaders shows that 97 percent agree that civic engagement is important and 64 percent believe businesses should do more.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

And Bethany Christian Schools in Goshen is transforming its food service through a vibrant farm to school program.

We get more in this Arts Midwest Indiana News Service collaboration.

Tara Swarzendruber leads the initiative which integrates education, sustainability, and locally sourced meals.

She says the program includes gardening on campus, partnerships with local farmers, and a hands-on approach for students from kindergarten through high school.

She adds it gets kids out of their box.

Thinking about the experiential piece of food and those connections, sort of the joy that we have when we eat together and feels like it's been a good way to sort of introduce foods to students they may have not ever had before.

The school's cafeteria has moved beyond reheating food to preparing meals with fresh seasonal ingredients.

This story was produced with original reporting from Amy Felagy for Arts Midwest.

I'm Joe Ulari, Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.

Finally, as Colorado experiences more frequent extreme weather events, prolonged drought, and loss of biodiversity because of a change in climate, farmers and scientists are developing more resilient and sustainable practices, and they mimic what Mother Nature has been doing for thousands of years.

Liz Carlisle is co-author of a new study published in the science journal "Frontiers" and says agroecological farming can create tightly connected cycles of energy, water, and nutrients if farmers get the resources they need.

If we wanna have a more sustainable food system, we really need to invest in that next generation of farmers and their development of knowledge and really think of them as the most important resource in farming.

Most of today's farms rely on fossil fuel-based inputs, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

This new approach prioritizes a living, healthy soil and aims to replace non-renewable chemicals with people who know how to tap into natural ecosystems.

I'm Eric Galatas.

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

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