News from around the nation.

Milton erupts into Category 1 hurricane as Southeast reels from Helene aftermath; Last day to register in Arizona focuses on voters with disabilities; Colorado one of 23 states to allow in-person registration on Election Day; Ohio's evolving landscape of student activism.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily newscast, October the 7th, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Tropical storm Milton rapidly intensified into a cat one hurricane Sunday with its path aimed at Florida, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck the state.

That from NBC News.

They report the hurricane expected to make landfall on the state's west coast on Wednesday.

The storm debuted as a hurricane Sunday afternoon after producing sustained winds of 80 miles an hour and continued to strengthen by drawing fuel from the Gulf of Mexico's warm waters.

NBC reports that forecasters said Milton likely to reach a major hurricane status, a cat three, four or five storm, on Monday.

And today's the last day in Arizona to register online to vote in next month's election.

That means voting rights advocates in the battleground state are busy trying to ensure everyone is ready to make their voice heard, including people with disabilities.

There are dedicated events taking place throughout Arizona to educate Arizona voters with disabilities on useful information and tools before Election Day.

But Rinaldo Fowler with Disability Rights Arizona says despite elections happening every couple of years, it's important to prioritize what he calls full access to the electoral process.

What we want to do is help change the culture from the top, from the election administrators down to persons with disabilities, down to family members having high expectations for their loved ones to vote.

In order to change that culture, Fowler says his law firm focuses on promoting five different areas, which include voter registration, voter participation, voter education, collaboration with election officials and voting rights.

I'm Alex Gonzalez reporting.

Next to the state of Colorado, where folks there have a number of different voting options, even in the event of extreme weather.

Colorado residents who want to receive a November 5th general election ballot by mail must be registered by mail or online no later than October 28th.

But you can also register to vote in person up until and even on Election Day.

Christopher Mann with the Center for Election Innovation and Research says Colorado is one of 23 states that allow same-day registration.

Same-day registration has been around for a long time.

This is not new.

It actually predates the National Voter Registration Act.

Same-day registration has the same safeguards as every other type of voter registration in terms of checking identity, making sure that individuals can only vote once.

The November election will determine the next U.S. president, congressional and state representatives, and a host of ballot initiatives.

Coloradans can check their registration status and register online at GoVoteColorado.gov.

To request a registration form by mail, call your county clerk's office.

You can return completed forms by mail, email, fax, or in person.

To vote, you must be a U.S. citizen.

Coloradans serving felony conviction sentences are not eligible to vote until released.

I'm Eric Galatas.

This is Public News Service.

Next to Ohio, where universities are bracing for the fall semester, the campus protest landscape is set to change as a result of new legislation.

House Bill 606, aimed at addressing racial, religious and ethnic harassment, mandates that institutions implement clear guidelines on student protests and provide training for staff.

State Representative Dontavious Jarrells, a Democrat from Columbus and sponsor of the bill, says the new law reflects an ongoing dialogue about balancing free expression and campus safety.

I'm never against the ability for students to use their First Amendment rights.

My hope is through our bill that we tamp down on the number of incidences that lead to hateful acts on campuses.

The Enact Campus Act arose in response to nationwide campus protests linked to the Israel-Hamas War.

It garnered bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

This story produced in association with media in the public interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.

Meantime, a new report outlines how eliminating cash bail could affect people in Mississippi and beyond.

Danielle Smith has a look.

The ACLU of Mississippi says 14 out of 25 people in jail have not been convicted of a crime and the system penalizes them unfairly when they're unable to pay their bail.

The report from the Brennan Center for Justice notes that critics often blame bail reform for rising crime, but data show no direct link.

Ames Graward with the Brennan Center adds research shows cash bail imposes economic hardships, most often on people from marginalized communities.

People who are Latino or Black and accused of crimes, their bail amounts tend to be set higher.

And this can be a huge burden to those communities.

Even if someone is able to secure a bond rather than pay the amount of money required by the court outright, those bonds can often come with very high non-refundable fees.

Finally, from our Eric Ticket Office, it's been one year since the largest health care strike in US history, and union members say they've seen changes since their 2023 victory.

More than 85,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon and four other states conducted a three-day strike in October 2023 and won a 21 percent wage increase over four years.

Kevin Darden is a patient access representative with the Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas and was a member of the negotiation team with SEIU Local 49 during the strike.

He says there were risks involved in the strike.

This wasn't an easy decision for us.

It took a lot of time planning and speaking to not just our peers, but our families regarding what striking would mean to us and how we know it would affect our dance and our income to be able to do that for those three days.

SEIU Local 49 says members won the largest wage package in 25 years.

This is Mike Clifford.

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