
Daily Audio Newscast - July 9, 2025
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Six minutes of news from around the nation.
More than 160 people still missing after deadly Texas floods, governor says; Ohio small businesses seek clarity as Congress weighs federal ownership reporting rule; Hoosiers' medical bills under state review; Survey: Gen Z teens don't know their options after high school; Rural Iowa farmers diversify crops for future success.
TRANSCRIPT
The Public News Service Daily Newscast, July the 9th, 2025, I'm Mike Clifford.
More than 160 people are still believed to be missing in Texas.
Days after flash floods killed over 100 people during the 4th of July weekend, the state's governor said on Tuesday.
That's the Associated Press.
They report the huge jump in the number of unaccounted for roughly three times higher than previously said came after authorities set up a hotline for families to call.
And the AP reports that Supreme Court Tuesday cleared the way for President Trump's plans to downsize the federal workforce, despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs.
We head next to Ohio, where small businesses are breathing a sigh of relief after a federal rollback of a controversial reporting rule.
Advocates say without action from Congress, the issue could resurface.
At stake was a requirement that millions of business owners share personal information or face steep penalties.
The Beneficial Ownership Information or BOI rule required any U.S. business person with at least 25 percent ownership or significant control of the business to submit details, like their birthdate, address and ID documents, to the federal government.
Josh McLeod with the National Federation of Independent Business, or NFIB, says the rule has created major confusion and concern for business owners.
It's so massive.
32.6 million small businesses were projected to register with FinCEN, most of who have never heard of these requirements.
When we surveyed and identified the members, 83 percent came back and said, "I don't know what this is."
FinCEN is short for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, part of the U.S. Treasury Department.
Under the BOI rule, failing to file could lead to fines up to $10,000 and two years in prison.
At the end of last year, nearly 17 percent of Ohio's small businesses had filed with Vinson.
Backers of the BOI rule said it was needed to crack down on fraud by shell companies.
This story was produced in association with media and the public interest and funded in part by the George Gunn Foundation.
Farah Siddiqui reporting.
And school funding is ranked as the top education priority in a spring survey of 850 Marion County voters by Rise Indy.
Rise Indy specializes in closing the academic achievement gap for historically marginalized communities.
Chief of Staff Jasmine Jackson says a child's access to a good school should not be determined by income, networking, or their ability to get to a certain school.
The political work allows us to support education champions and keep them honest and accountable.
Our policy work allows us to work with elected officials to promote kids.
Our programmatic work allows us to train them through literacy, through board governance.
U.S. News and World Report says almost 38 percent of students in Indianapolis public schools are black, slightly more than 36 percent are Hispanic, and 21 percent are white.
I'm Terry Dee reporting.
This is Public News Service.
Most Gen Z high school students and their parents are unaware of the range of options available to kids after graduation, according to a new survey.
The Gallup panel findings reveal more than half of families know a great deal about working at a paid job or earning a bachelor's degree, but feel far less informed about alternatives such as certification programs or apprenticeships.
Jeff Bulanda with the non-profit Jobs for the Future says too often family conversations about post-graduation plans occur too late.
Young people actually really trust and rely on their parents' guidance. 90 percent of young people, they rely on their parents' guidance when it comes to education and careers.
In the survey, just over half of all parents reported they frequently have those conversations with their high school-aged child, but that number jumps to 65 percent for high school seniors.
Bulanda says students engaged in those discussions are far more likely to show interest in career and education alternatives.
I'm Brett Pivito.
And people who are pregnant while they're in jail or prison often give birth without medical assistance, support, or basic safety protocols.
That's according to a new report for the Prison Policy Initiative.
Eastern Kentucky based Amanda Hall works for the criminal justice advocacy group Dream.org.
She says the Commonwealth has made strides to address how pregnancy is treated behind bars.
She points to 2018's Senate Bill 133, which improved conditions for women going into labor, and three years later, Senate Bill 84.
It prohibits solitary confinement for pregnant and postpartum women, provides six weeks of postpartum care and connects them with social workers to develop reunification plans with their children.
These bills actually ban the shackling of pregnant women while giving birth and also put into statute a pregnant medical release for pregnant people who have a substance use disorder.
The report compiles data from the cases of 35 mothers and newborns between 2013 and 2023.
This is Nadia Ramligan for Kentucky News Connection.
And just about everybody likes to get something free right now.
That's the case for kids ages 12 to 17 who can get fishing and hunting licenses at no cost from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
The license is good for one year and normally sells for $15.
Bobby Jones, Outdoor Connection Coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, says the free licenses are funded by donations to the Nevada Youth License Fund.
This is actually the third year that the program's been active.
We keep it open as much as possible.
We're just limited by the amount of donations that we have.
Right now we have almost 2,000 available and they go fast.
Youth can get a free license on the Nevada Department of Wildlife website, ndowlicensing.com, or wherever the licenses are sold.
I'm Suzanne Potter.
This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service, member and listener supported.
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