Six minutes of news from around the nation.

UK's Starmer says Europe is at 'crossroads in history' as leaders agree to steps to Ukraine peace; Scranton mayor puts bipartisan infrastructure law funding to work: L.A.'s urban trees remove more C02 than expected; and teachers' union guides colleges on response to ICE inquiries.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily newscast, March the 3rd, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rallied his European counterparts Sunday to shore up their borders and throw their full weight behind Ukraine, as he announced outlines of a plan to end Russia's war.

That from the Associated Press, they report, "Starmer said every nation must contribute to that in the best way that it can, bringing different capabilities and support to the table, but all taking responsibility to act, all stepping up their own share of the burden."

The AP notes, "Starmer's exhortation to 18 fellow leaders that they need to do the heavy lifting for their own security comes two days after US backing of Ukraine appeared in jeopardy when President Donald Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he wasn't grateful enough for American support."

And a Pennsylvania city is leveraging funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law to improve road safety, housing, and more.

Our Daniel Smith has the story.

The largest infrastructure project funded by the infrastructure bill is an Amtrak line from Scranton to New York City, now entering phase two, one of only five projects nationwide to progress to this stage.

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti says the community is enhancing infrastructure investments and utilizing funds from the bipartisan infrastructure act to support local projects and programs.

We continue to work on road safety.

We have lots of projects going on, especially in our downtowns who have re-imagined streetscape, more safety concerns, things like calming down the traffic, taking down traffic signals, and putting stop signs in.

As part of the bipartisan infrastructure law, Pennsylvania is expected to receive about $13.2 billion in federal funding for highways and bridges over five years.

Next, a new study shows trees in mid-city Los Angeles absorb up to 60 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions during spring and summer when the trees are most active.

In 2021, researchers from the University of Southern California placed 12 sensors in central LA to monitor carbon dioxide levels.

Professor Will Berrelson with the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences says trees are surprisingly effective at lowering carbon dioxide levels in the air.

That whole input of CO2 from cars is predicted to be a certain level, but when we look for CO2, we find much less.

And the reason is because this difference is due to uptake of CO2 by trees.

Berrelson says emissions are like passengers on a train in that wind moves pollution through the city where some gets picked up and dropped off.

The sensors measure the pollution in real time.

The research published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology shows that trees absorb about 30 percent of carbon dioxide, averaged over 24 hour periods over a year.

This is Suzanne Potter reporting.

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Following President Donald Trump's executive order lifting immigration and customs enforcement or ICE restrictions in protected areas, the American Federation of Teachers is offering guidance to colleges in Michigan and nationwide.

The AFT National Immigration Law Center and President's Alliance teamed up to release a guide to help colleges handle ICE encounters, including establishing school protocols and understanding constitutional rights.

Eric Rader, AFT President at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, says the school provides support for its large Arab and Muslim student population affected by current events.

All of our students at Henry Ford are eligible for free counseling in our counseling department.

We also have a lot of affinity group, student groups that are a great place for students of Arab or Muslim descent to talk to other students.

Rader says the college also offers specialized support for international staff members.

Immigration law states that ICE can enter public areas of campus without a warrant, but an authorized official must approve access to non-public areas.

Crystal Blair reporting.

And a recent study showed high rates of tooth decay among young kids in Kentucky, particularly in rural areas.

The Kentucky Oral Health Coalition is backing proposed legislation that would allow public health registered dental hygienists or PHRDHs the ability to treat school children and others.

Jennifer Harrison with the coalition says the law, House Bill 223, would allow hygienists with additional qualifications an exemption from current regulations.

In Kentucky, dental hygienists have to work for a dentist.

For them to see a patient, that patient must have had an exam from a dentist.

There are exceptions, one of which is the PHRDH model.

It just removes barriers so that hygienists can go straight out into the community.

Public health hygienists are allowed to provide assessments, cleanings, education, fluoride varnish, and sealants to mainly underserved populations.

I'm Mark Richardson.

Finally, our food systems contribute more than a quarter to all greenhouse emissions on the planet.

Scientists offer guidelines on how to eat more sustainably for the planet, but questions remain for those with few grocery options or low incomes.

Americans are relying more on so-called dollar stores to do their grocery shopping.

Maryland is home to hundreds of dollar stores.

Rachel Santo with the nonprofit World Resources Institute says where people can shop has an outsized role on their diets.

Their choices are based on what is around them.

Therefore, food retailers and other outlets where we purchase food are really important in driving kind of the general direction of our diets.

The Center for Science for the Public Interest finds that dollar stores offer limited healthy food options, yet these stores are relied upon more heavily in Black, Latino, rural, and low-income communities.

This story is based on original reporting by Darna Noor for Sentient and is part of a collaborative reporting project exploring a just and climate-friendly food system.

I'm Zimone Perez.

This is Mike Clifford.

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