News from around the nation.

Illinois residents urged to know their rights ahead of voting; Pennsylvania needs over 45,000 poll workers for upcoming elections; Plans to execute Robert Roberson paused after judge approves restraining order just 90 minutes before his scheduled execution; Childhood poverty high in Mississippi, but experts know how to fix it.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, October the 18th, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

This year's election day will be one of the most closely watched in history.

One concern for Illinois election officials is safety at polling sites.

The latest Brennan Center for Justice study shows since 2020, 92 percent of election officials nationwide have increased security for their workers and volunteers, as well as voters.

The steps include forming emergency response plans and extra security at polling sites and election offices.

Ed Yonka with the ACLU of Illinois says the fears are valid.

One of the things that we will be doing in Illinois and around the country is monitoring to assure that there is not violence or intimidation at the polls.

Everybody, everybody, no matter who they support, has a right to go and vote and participate in this election on behalf of the candidate they support.

One tool of voter suppression is to create anxiety, Yonka adds.

The ACLU of Illinois is encouraging people to prepare for election day in advance by having their proper ID with them and knowing how to obtain a provisional ballot if their name does not appear on a voting roster.

I'm Terry D. reporting.

Meantime, with election day less than three weeks away, while the focus for most people is on casting their ballot, Pennsylvania also needs a lot more poll workers.

Many of the eight point seven million registered voters in the state would be eligible to work at the polls for the November 5th presidential election.

Susan Gobretsky with the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania says prospective poll workers need to be registered to vote in the county where they want to work and would need to be available for the entire day.

There are over 9000 precincts or divisions in Pennsylvania and there are about five poll workers per precinct or division, plus translators in some places.

So it's over 45000 people who are needed.

She adds poll workers are appointed by the community, are elected every four years and are essential for ensuring the transparency and fairness of elections.

Gobretsky says they come from diverse backgrounds and are responsible for administering the voting process and filling in when any vacancies arise.

For Public News Service, I'm Danielle Smith.

And next from CNN, a Travis County judge granted a Texas House Committee's last minute temporary restraining order request against the state just 90 minutes before Robert Robertson was scheduled to be executed on Thursday.

The state is appealing the decision.

CNN reports that decision came after a remarkable period of legal maneuvers.

Robertson claims he was wrongly convicted of killing his two year old daughter more than two decades ago.

This is Public News Service.

Childhood poverty continues to plague the US, but with the election pending, families wonder how the outcome will affect their kids and their education.

We get the details of this Yes Media Mississippi News Connection collaboration.

Nowhere is the problem of childhood poverty worse than in Mississippi, which leads all the states in the proportion of kids living below the poverty line.

Experts say recent history shows that federal, state and local programs can successfully bridge the economic gap.

Michelle Bizar, a senior researcher at the Center for Early Learning Funding Equity at Northern Illinois University, says the early years are critical for kids from low-income households.

Children develop their most crucial social, emotional, and early learning skills during the first five years of life.

But this is the time in the US when we invest the least in children's care and education.

So the US lags in early care and education and enrollment.

The US Census Bureau reports that in 2022, the nationwide poverty rate for children under 18 is 16.3 percent, with Mississippi in 50th place, with 26.4 percent of kids below the poverty line.

And artificial intelligence is changing how people learn and work.

Universities in North Carolina and across the country are racing to keep up.

William Peace University in Raleigh is one of them, taking part in a national program to help students develop the AI skills they need to thrive in the workplace.

Linda Simansky from WPU says it's all about giving students real-world experience and preparing them for the demands of today's jobs.

The statistic that really struck me is 66 percent of the leaders said they would not hire someone without artificial intelligence skills.

And so we feel compelled to make sure our students have the skills that they need to be successful.

The latest Gallup poll finds 93 percent of Fortune 500 companies are already using AI in the workplace.

Shantia Hudson reporting.

Finally, our next takeoff is October is National Seafood Month.

Offshore fish farming has come to dominate wild harvest in recent decades, with farmed salmon making up 80 percent of global salmon supply.

Oregon doesn't have regulations that stop the practice.

And Johnny Fishmonger with Wild Salmon Nation says legislation proposed in Congress could make fish farming more prevalent in federal waters.

He compares large-scale fish farming practices to dairy and poultry farms.

It's like on land concentrated animal feedlot operations, CAFO.

So concentrated aquaculture feedlot operations where the fish are farmed intensively in high densities.

Fishmonger notes that sea lice infestations are common and devastating problems for fish farms.

The AQUA Act would allow aquaculture companies three miles offshore in federal waters.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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