News from around the nation.

More than 1 in 4 Wyoming workers would benefit from higher minimum wage; Project 2025 director steps down amid backlash from Trump; Tennessee rural counties show slight improvement in poverty rates; City urged to take over neglected Indiana prison site.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, July the 31st, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

We head first to Wyoming, where more than 80,000 workers would benefit from an increased minimum wage, as according to a new report.

Wyoming is one of 16 states that pays only the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

A pay bump to $17 an hour would boost the pay for over 27 percent of Wyoming's workforce, according to Oxfam America.

Income needs vary across the state.

According to the Wyoming Women's Foundation, a self-sufficient wage for one adult with one preschooler ranges from a high of $36 an hour in Teton County to $21 in Goshen County.

Alex Shannon with the foundation says the minimum wage doesn't meet the self-sufficiency threshold in any county.

Even working full-time, earning the 2024 federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is not enough to meet the standard anywhere in Wyoming for any family composition, including a single adult.

A 2021 Wyoming House bill that would have raised the state's hourly minimum wage to $15 was never considered for introduction.

Opponents said it would hurt small businesses and lead to layoffs.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

Next, the director of Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for a potential second Donald Trump term, has stepped down, amid intense criticism, including from the former president, there from CNN.

CNN notes, while a source with knowledge of the planning said Project 2025 would be effectively ending its policy operations, others familiar with the matter noted that it was always the plan to move on to the next phase now.

And the latest report on the well-being of Tennessee's kids notes improvements in some areas and challenges in others.

More now from our Daniel Smith.

Statewide child poverty rates decreased slightly by one full percentage point between 2021 and 2022, to 17.8 percent.

John Quell Newland, with the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, says the slight decrease may be due to wage growth.

She explains, since the pandemic, there's been a big push in recent years to try to increase pay, especially hourly wages.

So, where someone was making between $7 and $10 before, now they're probably making between $12 and $15.

When you think about that and all the folks who are trying to support families who are living on minimum wages, that, we believe, one of the main indicators of why our children are living in poverty, has decreased ever so slightly.

One alarming finding in 2022, nearly 10 out of every 1,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect.

The rate varied widely across counties, with Coke County reporting the highest number of cases and Williamson County the lowest.

The Oxfam report also shows a significant pay gap in Wyoming by gender.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

This is Public News Service.

Neighbors of the abandoned Indiana Women's Prison in East Indianapolis are urging the city to take control of the site.

More on that from our Joe Ulori.

The property, which has been neglected since its closure in 2017, shows clear signs of decay, such as open windows, roof damage, and trash buildup.

Reporter Darian Benson is covering the story for Mirror Indy.

She says neighbors know there is an urgency to transferring ownership of the site.

There's this advocacy group called the Indiana Women's Prison Alliance who wants the city to take ownership of the site.

This alliance believes that the city is better equipped to work with the neighborhood.

Benson says the city has a track record of successful Eastside projects and has expressed interest in the idea.

However, the state has yet to commit to a specific plan for the site, leaving its future uncertain.

Local leaders have opposed the demolition of historic buildings on the property.

This story was produced with original reporting from Darian Benson for Mirror Indy.

And a new school year is still several weeks away, but North Dakota voters are being asked to study up on the state's K-12 system and the candidates who are running to lead it.

The superintendent of public instruction is one of several statewide offices up for grabs this fall.

Longtime incumbent Kirsten Basler is seeking re-election with former state lawmaker Jason Heitkamp looking to unseat her.

A candidate from the June primary, who had been pushing for Christian-based curriculum in public schools, failed to advance.

The University of North Dakota's Chris Clark, who teaches about education, says it's eye-opening that wedge issues have found their way into races like these.

That is interesting to me that it has gotten to the level where state education policy is being impacted, and it's not just local schools having the authority to reject certain textbooks.

While the candidate viewed as having an extreme platform is no longer in the race, I'm Mike Moen.

Finally, from our Eric Galatis, AARP Colorado is urging residents, including those age 50 and older, to sign up for the 2024 Planning Academy.

Marissa Volpe with the group says the academy will show participants how public policies are made and give them the tools they need to make communities even better for people of all ages to live, work, and play.

It's pretty expansive.

We're talking everything from, "Can I afford where I live?

Can I get to where I need to go?

Can I stay in my community?

Can I have access to quality health care?"

Part of AARP's National Livable Communities Initiative, the academy will focus on key policies that can be implemented at state, regional, and local levels.

Applications are online at states.aarp.org/colorado.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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