News from around the nation.

Israel retaliates against Iran; Americans oppose mass deportations; an online event aims to break myths about immigration; bail reform doesn't have the impacts some believe; insurance claims post-Helene and Milton are being denied at high rates; members of a teacher's union are unhappy at the pace of negotiations; and early voting yields high returns.

Transcript

♪ The Public News Service Daily Newscast for October 28th.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira.

♪ Over the weekend, Israel completed a retaliatory attack against Iran, hitting aerial defense systems and missile manufacturing facilities.

President Joe Biden hopes this is the last exchange between both countries to avoid a broader regional conflict in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, voters don't agree with plans to deport America's undocumented neighbors.

Eric Galatis has more.

A strong majority of voters across party lines want lawmakers to create a path to citizenship for America's 11 million undocumented immigrants, not mass deportation, according to a new survey.

Jennifer Piper with the American Friends Service Committee points to a series of so-called "show your papers" laws passed in Colorado between 2006 and 2013, which led to some of the highest deportation numbers in the nation.

Here in Colorado, we already know what the policies of mass deportation look like intimately.

And what we found is our businesses suffered, our schools suffered, our kids suffered.

Voters surveyed said allowing law-abiding, undocumented residents living in the U.S. for years paying their taxes to apply for citizenship is a better way forward than a deportation program that would tap local law enforcement, the National Guard, and possibly the military at a cost of over $100 billion.

A virtual "Ask Me Anything" program will address debunking immigration myths and tackle complex questions.

About one in 14 Pennsylvanians is an immigrant.

Katherine Miller-Wilson of Hyess, Pennsylvania, says immigration has been one of the most prominent issues throughout this current election cycle.

The virtual forum will feature Wharton professor Ezekiel Hernandez, author of "The Truth About Immigration," whose book uses data to show immigrants' positive economic and social impacts.

For every person that is deported, there are nine Americans who are economically hurt by that.

Even if the person who is deported is undocumented, immigrants are by far the largest entrepreneurs, so they start businesses that employ other Americans.

The online event is from 8 until 9 p.m. Eastern.

Miller-Wilson says Hernandez is a Uruguayan immigrant and has conducted decades of research linking immigration to investment in economic growth.

She adds this program aims to set the record straight so voters can make informed decisions at the polls.

Aside from immigration, the 2024 election is giving animals a political moment.

From false claims of immigrants eating cats to one candidate decapitating a whale, Americans' selective outrage at these stories reveals inconsistencies at how they value animal life.

Sentient science reporter Seth Milstein says being a hunter, for example, is characterized by some as a sign of political strength, but when South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem admitted to shooting her puppy, the public was outraged.

If you look closely at that story, there are no fewer than four different pieces of animals that were killed.

Milstein says there was little concern for the birds Noem planned to hunt, the additional goat she shot, or even the chicken the puppy killed.

He says it's an example of speciesism and how people value animals simply based on their biology rather than their size, intelligence, or social skills.

That was Catherine Carley with original reporting by Seth Milstein for a Sentient Maine News Service collaboration.

This is Public News Service.

Changes in bail policy don't affect crime rates in cities nationwide, including in West Virginia, shows new data from the Brennan Center for Justice, more from Nadia Romligon.

Eli Bromwell with the ACLU of West Virginia says several years ago, the state created a policy aimed at reducing the use of money bail for misdemeanors, but he says local jurisdictions have been slow to implement it.

It has not really been put into effect because discretion was baked in, and that was at the request of judicial officers who assured us that they would be making efforts to expand the use of personal cognizance.

That hasn't happened.

This study compared major offenses from 2015 through 2021 in around two dozen cities that had in place some type of bail reform.

Since Hurricane Helene and Milton devastated Florida, more than 49,000 insurance claims have been denied, leaving thousands of residents in financial uncertainty as they attempt to rebuild.

Tramell Gomes reports.

According to data from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, many denied claims are related to flood damage, apparel not typically covered under standard homeowners insurance policies.

Mark Friedlander with the Insurance Information Institute explains that many denied claims are tied to Florida's requirement for a separate flood insurance policy.

Standard home, condo, and renters policies do not include flood damage.

So if you're filing a flood loss with your property insurer, it's gonna be denied.

Another issue is not meeting the deductible.

That's another big category of denials.

For instance, he says if you have a $10,000 windstorm deductible and your damage is $8,000, there will be no claim payout.

He said this threshold has led many homeowners to find themselves without compensation for damages that fall just short of deductible limits.

He emphasized that property owners should consider purchasing separate flood insurance policies to fully be financially protected.

A meeting last week between the Board of Education and its teachers union in one Illinois town has left one group unhappy.

Contracts for the Meridian Federation of Teachers, ITF Local 4487 in Macon, expired in August. 70 teachers who are part of the bargaining unit have met with the board only six times since June.

Union President and teacher Brian Bukovic says they are seeking a resolution.

We have another session planned with the mediator on Wednesday.

We're very hopeful that we will be able to resolve these differences and come to an agreement to avoid a strike.

That's the absolute last resort that we wanna have happen.

92 percent of voting members of the union agreed last week to authorize a strike if more substantial progress is not made.

The district has difficulties even attracting substitute teachers for the school year.

According to the education site, Niche.com, Macon County's teacher to student ratio is 14 to one.

I'm Terri Dee reporting.

More states began early voting in the 2024 election this weekend.

The University of Florida's election lab estimates more than 30 million votes have been cast so far.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira for Public News Service.

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