Six minutes of news from around the nation.

DHS official tells state election chiefs there won't be ICE agents at polling places; Maine helps keep the cold winter air out; NC sees largest drop in coverage after health care credits expire; Bridging the rural school meal gap in ND; Cement industry pours billions of dollars into the TX economy.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, February the 26th, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

A senior Department of Homeland Security official said on a call with state election officials Wednesday that ICE agents will not show up at polling places this year.

Quoting Heather Honey, a deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, any suggestion that ICE is going to be present at polling places is simply disinformation.

According to NBC News, federal law makes it illegal to deploy troops or armed men to a polling site, but some election officials have raised concerns that President Donald Trump's immigration operations could affect the upcoming midterms.

Meantime, as Mainers continue to dig themselves out of the sweet blizzard, resident volunteers are working to ensure their neighbors stay warm.

Our Katharine Carley reports, since 2010, the nonprofit Window Dressers has organized community builds to teach people the basic carpentry skills needed to make insulating window inserts that help keep the cold air out.

Program manager Donald DeVoil says they help save money but the long-term results are even greater.

The model we use is very intentional in its desire to strengthen communities and build those community ties.

He says what began as a project to retrofit the windows of the first Universalist church in Rockland has grown into a region-wide effort with more than 50 builds planned this year across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

So far, more than 78,000 inserts have been measured, built and installed.

This story is based on original reporting by Andrew McKeever with The Daily Yonder.

I'm Catherine Carley.

And North Carolina saw the largest drop in coverage in the nation after the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits.

That's according to a new report from Protect Our Care, which finds more than 210,000 people got rid of their ACA coverage between 2025 and 2026.

Republicans in Congress refused to extend the improved tax credits, putting the cost of insurance out of reach for many.

Across the nation, coverage numbers have dropped by more than 1.2 million since 2025.

Faishu Jawahar is Director of Policy Programs with Protect Our Care.

This also isn't counting folks who are being forced to reduce their coverage and rely on high deductible plans that will force them to pay thousands of dollars more in out-of-pocket costs before their coverage even kicks in.

The Protect Our Care report adds more than 20 million Americans saw their premiums double or triple this year.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

And a tool in North Carolina is connecting people with public benefits they may not know they are eligible for.

My friend Ben NC was developed by the non-profit Code the Dream.

Dan Ruerich is co-executive director of the organization.

My friend Ben NC is a free one-stop benefits eligibility screener.

It takes six minutes and doesn't require any personal information. the end you get a personalized report outlining the benefits you're likely eligible for and how much they could mean to your family specifically.

He says 80 billion dollars in benefits go unclaimed by eligible families each year.

This is Public News Service.

Next to North Dakota where the intersection between healthy meals and schools is poised to be a big conversation throughout this year.

Statewide voters could decide whether North Dakota should provide free school meals to all students regardless of household income if a citizen-led coalition succeeds in getting the question on the ballot.

In the meantime, food access efforts remain a priority in areas where grocery stores have a hard time staying open.

Jenna Gullickson co-owns Hoople Grocery, part of the Rural Access Distribution Cooperative.

Under the program, local stores share and purchase bulk items together, and Gullickson says a handful of rural schools are on the delivery route.

They get all their fresh produce from us.

They get their milk through us.

Our rad co-op brings that to their schools every week.

She says the school still work with other food vendors but partnering with the co-op helps overcome issues with distributors.

I'm Mike Moen.

And Texas is the largest cement producing state in the nation.

The industry pumps more than 20 billion dollars into the state's economy and employs more than 24,000 people.

During his State of the Union speech this week President Donald Trump rallied the country around efforts to strengthen domestic infrastructure and expand US manufacturing.

Steve Krim with Common Sense America says American-made cement is the best material to use to build sustainable infrastructure and energy-efficient buildings.

Cement is used extensively throughout the home building process.

We've seen in Texas tremendous growth in the AI data center programs, electricity growth, and all those things are driven by construction.

He adds importing cement from other countries takes away American jobs and cement manufactured outside the U.S. isn't held to American standards.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

Finally a measure to establish cardiac emergency response plans at all Utah schools is making its way through the Utah legislature.

Experts say the plan could save hundreds of lives each year.

Each school would install automatic external defibrillators called AEDs, conduct CPR training for staff members, and develop an emergency plan rehearsed at regular intervals.

Amy Mitchell, a retired school administrator, says an emergency plan saved her life.

Mitchell survived a sudden cardiac arrest at her district's offices.

I was in the right place at the right time I'm surrounded by people who knew CPR and had immediate access to an AED.

Every school deserves these same life-saving tools and trained individuals.

Sponsor of the bill, State Senator Jerry Stevenson, says more than 120 Utahns die annually from out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest.

The measure is pending before the state Senate and would go next to the House.

I'm Mark Richardson.

The measure, Senate Bill 244, has bipartisan support.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

Member and listener supported.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.