Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Virginians are upset about continuing development of a gas power plant; Floridians advocate for better environmental justice of their flooding community; a Georgia fire department takes on social service work; Ohio breast cancer patients should beware of scammers; and Connecticut activists support immigrants with a day of action.

TRANSCRIPT

Public News Service Daily Newscast for Friday, October 10th, 2025.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has been indicted on fraud charges.

This comes after prosecutors were uncertain whether the case against one of President Donald Trump's most vocal critics had merit.

Virginia's largest utility company is seeking approval to build a gas-powered peaker plant in Chesterfield, but advocates say the multi-billion dollar project will undermine the Commonwealth's clean energy laws.

More on that from Zimone Perez.

In 2020, the Commonwealth passed Virginia Clean Economy Act, requiring electric utilities to achieve a 100 percent clean energy standard by 2050.

It also requires the retirement of fossil fuel plants in upcoming decades, and reaching major renewable energy targets in solar and offshore wind by 2035.

Lee Francis, with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, says the Peeker plant is a project meant to help the skyrocketing number of data centers in the Commonwealth.

Virginia is home to 35 percent of the world's hyperscale data centers worldwide, and has more data centers than any other state in the U.S.

So this plant would cost billions of dollars to build being built in response to alleged demand from the data center industry and at its core if built Virginians would be paying for dirtier energy to subsidize big tax needs.

Dominion has defended the plant as necessary to keep up with a growing demand for electricity in the Commonwealth as demand for energy has soared in recent years.

The company also notes the plant construction and will create millions of dollars worth of economic activity in the region.

In Jacksonville, a community on the city's north side is facing down rising water.

Tramell Gomes has that story.

This is what community looks like.

Dana Mall, a community advocate who's showcasing the real impacts during a boat tour, says the issue is urgent in a neighborhood where 87 percent of residents are Black, highlighting the intersection of environmental justice and cultural preservation.

The high tide was right in people's backyards, And we saw one house where the water was right up to the bricks.

So a lot of these homeowners suffer from a lot of water damage, flooding.

And we're trying to use Florida Climate Week to talk about the issues so that we can find solutions.

Mall points to the area's significance as part of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Corridor, with Jacksonville home to the highest number of descendants of these historically significant communities.

Low income families who get home visits for the CalWORKs program will be able to stay enrolled longer, thanks to a bill signed this week by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Suzanne Potter reports.

Starting next year, Assembly Bill 607 will let families receive the home visits for three to five years instead of the current limit of two years.

Stacey Lee with the non-profit Children Now says evidence shows these programs make transformative changes that last a lifetime.

They support families with child development and parenting.

They work with the parents around personal goals for economic support and self-sufficiency like going to school, finishing college, getting a degree, thinking about career counts.

A 2023 report from Children Now found that home visiting programs prevent many problems for families.

This is public news service.

It's National Fire Prevention Week and at Decatur Fire and Rescue putting out fires is only part of the job.

As Shantia Hudson reports, the department is launching a program to help connect residents to community resources before crisis strikes.

Captain Gary Menard says years of fire safety education have drastically reduced fire incidents, allowing the department to focus on another kind of prevention, helping people who rely on 911 for basic needs.

He says about 70 percent of their calls are now for emergency medical services or lift assist for seniors who may not have access to regular care.

People will call when they have a stomach ache or things.

A lot of people would just go to their primary care physician for there are members of our community that know nothing other than calling 911 for those things.

So the department is working to bridge gaps in access with help from a Ge grant.

Menard says Decatur is building a team of com to help connect residents housing support and other is breast cancer awareness patients may seek treatme to offer it.

One doctor a to keep a clear head and professional.

Terry D has Department of Health Repo 2018 and 2022, Montgomery County represented almost 16 percent of all breast cancer cases. 78 cases of breast cancer in men were reported in the state.

With expensive medical treatment uncertainty, a patient may seek alternative cures they find online.

Breast surgeon and breast cancer survivor Dr. Liz O'Riordan says after a diagnosis, patients are often scared and willing to try anything.

She explains scammers prey on desperation.

"There are lots and lots of who are selling products or cures or clinics and they have glowing testimonials.

They promise you a miracle cure.

It's clever marketing.

They spend thousands and thousands trying to lure you in.

The Ohio Department of Health reports nearly 11,000 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed among Ohio women each year between 2017 and 2021.

Connecticut organizations are coming together for a Day of Action tomorrow to help immigrant families.

The Families Belong Together Day of Action kicks off a community engagement campaign to inform people in Danbury about their rights as arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement increase in the city and statewide.

Compared to last year, ICE arrests in Connecticut have doubled under the Trump administration.

Juan Fonseca Tapia with Danbury United for Immigrants describes just one example of the local effects, a local grocery store that's losing business because of ICE.

"People are afraid of going to the store, especially in that area because in the vicinity of the courthouse is where we have seen most of the kidnappings that have happened.

He says the day of action includes building partnerships to develop a neighborhood-based safety network and one-on-one outreach sharing immigrants rights resources like the Danbury United for Immigrants helpline where people can report ICE activity and connect with resources to help get a family member out of ICE detention.

The event begins at 9 a.m. at Kennedy Park in Danbury.

I'm Edwin J Viera for Public News Service.

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