Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Winter storm warning issued for SoCal mountains ahead of major storm; Michigan congresswoman joins advocates opposing SAVE Act; CA faith leaders condemn move to undermine climate regulation; KS anti-transgender bill could sharply impact MO residents.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, February the 16th, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for several Southern California mountain areas as a powerful storm system approaches the region this week.

Forecasters say snowfall totals could reach 1 to 2 feet above 6,000 feet.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports wind gusts could reach 70 miles per hour. roads, especially bridges and mountain passes, expected to become slick and hazardous and travel could be difficult or impossible during periods of heavier snowfall.

Meantime, the Safeguard America Voter Eligibility or SAVE Act is now before the U.S.

Senate after narrowly passing the House in April of last year.

The bill would require in-person proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Voting rights advocates call it unnecessary and discriminatory, warning it would end online and mail registration and disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.

Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens opposes the proposal and she says she'll push to restore the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which requires federal review of election law changes in places with a history of discrimination.

To protect every American's right to vote in this country and to pass the Freedom to Vote Act.

And this is going to ensure that every American can have their voice heard and their vote counted.

Supporters of the SAVE Act argue the measure is needed to protect election integrity, saying requiring in-person proof of citizenship would help prevent non-citizens from registering to vote and restore public confidence in US elections.

Chrystal Blair reporting.

We're next to California, where members of a faith organization are speaking out against the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to reverse a rule that underpins climate protections under the Clean Air Act.

The EPA finalized a decision reversing the 2009 endangerment finding, a legal provision that says greenhouse gases put human health at risk and therefore must be regulated.

Susan Stevenson with the nonprofit California Interfaith Power and Light says the EPA is betraying its own mission.

Their mission is to protect human health and the environment and this claim that global warming is not a threat is unfathomable and it is a morally reprehensible act.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

Concerning the consequences for Georgia, Michael Hawthorne Jr. with the Sierra Club says the EPA decision could have significant consequences for communities across the state.

Even with how we look at our emissions from our cars and a lot of utilities, really gives them the opportunity to just essentially pollute without any sense of responsibility. -Sierra Club leaders say they are exploring legal options in response to the repeal.

This is Public News Service.

Folks in Missouri could be impacted by an anti-transgender bill in Kansas.

Senate Bill 244 requires people to use bathrooms in public buildings corresponding with the gender they were assigned at birth, building on a 2023 law, creating a state definition of biological sex.

The new bill allows people to sue anyone found violating the law as an enforcement mechanism.

Transgender advocate Hazel Krebs says this bill makes life more challenging for people like her in Kansas.

The reality of being trans in Kansas is I don't know where I can go safely.

I don't know if I can get healthcare.

There's so many important parts of life in question that we can maybe not access because of these laws.

Though state Democratic lawmakers opposed the bill during debate, Krebs notes the bill never received a public comment since it was subject to a process called gut and go.

This means the bill's contents are shifted to another bill, fast tracking it and skipping public comment.

Governor Laura Kelly vetoed the bill, but now it goes back to the Kansas State Legislature for a possible override vote.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

And Shell is reportedly struggling to recoup its massive investment in Pennsylvania's petrochemical sector with weak fourth quarter returns, renewing concerns that the project has under-delivered on jobs, growth, and profits.

Kathy Hipple with the Ohio River Valley Institute says data show Shell received a major state tax subsidy intended to build a regional petrochemical hub.

The company has already collected about $90 million and could keep receiving roughly 60 to $65 million a year if the company continues to purchase and process more than a billion gallons of ethane annually.

She adds Shell has begun to sell off tax credits intended to support the local petrochemical industry.

By law, they are able to sell these tax credits.

And so far, they seem to have sold 100 percent of the tax credits that they have received to other companies that are not in manufacturing industry.

They're usually in the insurance industry.

Sometimes they're not even in the region.

Danielle Smith reporting.

And finally, February is Library Lovers Month.

Support for libraries has been threatened in recent years.

An executive order by President Donald Trump last year attempted to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a government agency responsible for grants to local libraries.

But the new budget, passed by Congress and signed by Trump earlier this month, provides a small increase for the agency's budget.

David Dahl with the Maryland Library Association believes libraries are a cornerstone of society.

If you think about it, it's one of the few remaining places where you can go be who you are and make use of without making a purchase.

I'm Zamone Perez.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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