News from around the nation.

Six-week abortion ban takes effect in Iowa; NLRB champions workers' rights, union power in Pennsylvania; Report urges lawmakers to take public health approach on legal cannabis; Revolutionary WA-built hydrogen ferry could jumpstart zero-emission vessels back home.

Transcript

(upbeat music)

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, July the 30th, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

A law that bans almost all abortions after six weeks has now taken effect in Iowa.

That from the BBC.

They report the law allows the procedure until early stages of cardiac activity can be detected with exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and when the mother's life is in danger.

The BBC notes that the Republican enacted ban was blocked after its passage last year before being upheld by the state's highest court last month.

It is among the most restrictive policies to be enforced since America lost the national right to abortion access two years ago.

This month, a Pittsburgh nonprofit that works with immigrants was fined almost $200,000 for unfair labor practices.

It is one of a growing number of cases decided by the National Labor Relations Board.

Our Danielle Smith explains.

The NLRB found the organization Hello Neighbor denied pay increases and let workers go for their union support.

Buddy Maxwell, a United Auto Workers member in McCungee, says the NLRB is still necessary for its ability to protect workers' rights, although its future may depend on who wins the presidential race in November.

Maxwell says more workers seem to want to unionize, which he adds has been easier under the current administration.

As of now, we are probably at our highest of organization.

I mean, you're talking about wins of over 70 percent of organizing campaigns, as well as well over, probably over 100,000 that wanted to join unions and be able to have a say in the workplace.

The NLRB says union election petitions filed with its office were up 35 percent in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same time in 2023.

But the agency says it's struggling to keep up with the demand, including investigations of unfair labor practices, since its budget has been flat for much of the last decade.

In South Dakota's approach to vote on recreational cannabis, a new paper makes recommendations to policy makers on implementing its legality.

The American College of Physicians suggests lawmakers take a public health approach to cannabis control in places where recreational use is legal.

That could soon include South Dakota if voters approve a ballot measure in November.

David Hilden chairs the college's health and public policy committee and says that kind of approach considers not just the effects of legalization on people who use cannabis, but on communities at large.

States that legalize cannabis should consider what framework are you giving for marketing, for advertising, what safeguards are in place for the content of your cannabis?

What about the effects on our roadways?

South Dakota voters approved medical and recreational cannabis use in 2020, but in a case that went to the state's Supreme Court, the recreational use vote was overturned on a technicality.

This is public news service.

Next up, a hydrogen-powered ferry that was built in Washington state is now operating in San Francisco Bay.

Clean energy advocates are hoping it spurs action closer to home.

The Sea Change is the first ferry in the world to run entirely on zero emission hydrogen fuel cells.

Its exhaust is water that can be safely drunk.

Erica T. Patterson with the organization Pacific Environment was on the ship's inaugural trip on July 19th.

She says it shows what's possible for other ferry fleets.

We've heard from court and municipal leaders in other cities that are running ferry services like New York and Seattle, that they're interested in this technology and have said that they're looking for opportunities to deliver more hydrogen-fueled passenger ferries to their cities soon.

The ship was built by All-American Marine in Bellingham.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

Patterson says an interesting detail she learned on the Sea Change's maiden voyage is that the ferry's only exhaust is water.

Meantime, Colorado has not yet recovered from the pandemic when it comes to fully staffing its public schools.

This past school year, districts faced a shortage of nearly 7,000 teachers, about 12 percent of the workforce needed.

Margarita Tovar with the Colorado Department of Education says a successful program is helping increase the number of teachers in parts of the state that face the biggest shortfalls by removing cost as a barrier from entering the profession.

The Colorado Department of Education is inviting aspiring educators who are interested in teaching in a shortage area and who can commit to working in that area for three years to apply for up to $10,000.

Educator recruitment and retention stipends are meant to help cover educator preparation program fees.

Applicants must be enrolled in a Colorado-approved traditional or alternative educator preparation program or be enrolled in a career and technical education credential program.

I'm Eric Galatas.

And more than 130,000 New Hampshire workers would benefit from a raise in the federal minimum wage.

That's according to a new report.

That includes the more than 20 percent of women in the state earning less than $17 per hour who make up the bulk of the state's childcare and eldercare workforce.

Kaitlin Henderson, senior researcher with the nonprofit Oxfam America, says Black and Latino women in particular are filling vital roles in the care industry, yet struggle to care for their own families on substandard pay.

There is an opportunity for us to not only invest more in those industries, but also to increase the wages of these workers who are doing some of the most essential work that there is in our economy.

Henderson says the overwhelming majority of low-wage earners are adults over age 20 and a significant number are single parents.

New Hampshire remains the only state in New England to follow the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

I'm Katherine Carley reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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