Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Utah's governor calls for peace after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, while experts warn of rising strife. Advocates push New York lawmakers to act on federal budget cuts and Congress faces a fight over a plan for a mass killing of owls.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service daily newscast, September the 12th, 2025.

I'm Mike Griffin.

The shooter who assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk and then vanished off a roof and into the woods remained at large more than 24 hours later Thursday as federal investigators appealed for the public's help by releasing a pair of photos of the person believed to be responsible.

That from the Associated Press.

The report investigators obtained clues including a palm print, a shoe impression, and a high-powered hunting rifle found in a wooded area along the path the shooter fled.

But as we filed this report, they have yet to name a suspect or cite a motive in the killing.

The photos of a person in a hat, sunglasses, and a long-sleeve black shirt, as well as $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, suggested law enforcement thought tips from the public might be needed to crack the case.

Meantime, inflammatory rhetoric continues to escalate following Kirk's shocking death.

A sociologist says media consumption plays a big role in that rhetoric.

Research by Purdue University Professor Marcus Mann shows Republicans and Democrats have gotten further and further apart in their worldview, which has led many media consumers to seek out those who agree with them.

Mann notes much of what was traditional neutral news reporting has been replaced by opinion, or in some cases, outrage-based programming. that kind of us versus them mentality is incredibly compelling.

And it is very powerful for fostering strong in groups and making you feel part of a strong community.

And we see media outlets gaining audience share through this kind of thing.

I'm Roz Brown.

Man says his social isolation increases and society becomes more secular.

He doesn't see the intense level of polarization changing any time soon.

Next to their fight for survival, independent rural hospitals are increasingly joining what are called clinically integrated networks.

A North Dakota model continues to evolve with similar efforts in the Midwest.

Southwest Health Care Services and 21 other rural North Dakota hospitals are part of the Roughrider Network which uses combined patient roles to negotiate better prices for services like a mobile imaging truck.

KFF Health News reports the networks are an alternative to shutting down, reducing care, or giving up local autonomy by joining a large health care system.

Southwest Health Care's Dennis Goebel says leverage from the partnership makes running a hospital in these towns much easier.

Group purchasing, greater volumes, lower pricing and just learning from each other how to do things really helps each individual community.

Since 2010 more than 150 rural hospitals around the U.S. have shuttered completely or stopped offering inpatient services.

A company that works with Roughrider in managing the collaboration has helped start networks in Minnesota Nebraska, Montana and Ohio.

I'm Mike Moen.

This story was originally reported by Ariel Zajac with KFF Health News.

This is Public News Service.

Indiana food banks report growing concerns as food insecurity reaches its highest level in a decade.

A new nationwide study called Elevating Voices highlights the struggles faced by families, including many in the Hoosier State.

Jessica Murphy with Terra Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank says the report is based on surveys of people who directly experienced hunger.

Elevating Voices is a survey that talks to people who have experienced food insecurity directly or have just received food from a charitable organization sometime over the last two years.

While the findings point to persistent challenges, supporters of food assistance say federal and state programs like SNAP and USDA food distribution continue to provide vital help to families.

Critics argue the system relies too heavily on emergency relief and does not address the root causes of poverty.

I'm Joe Ulari, Public News Service.

And a Tennessee nonprofit that provides supervised visitation for at-risk kids and parents faces financial uncertainty.

Kamari House was founded in 2012 in memory of 16-month-old Kamari Clark who died in 2010 as a result of child abuse.

Executive Director Emily McKee says the program supports high conflict families with a safe neutral space for court ordered parenting time.

She emphasizes it is Tennessee's only provider for a non-custodial parents outside the Department of Children's Services and they're feeling the impact of federal legislation known as the one big beautiful bill act.

We receive some state pass-through dollars that originate at federal funding and so we've already had some cuts through that but we're expected to keep going and doing things like the money is still coming in and so we're going and we're just hoping that it will work out.

Nationwide the law is set to cut 880 billion dollars from Medicaid in the next decade.

Danielle Smith reporting.

Finally a California festival set for tomorrow in Long Beach will showcase the city's efforts to improve the quality of life in the Westside neighborhood surrounded by heavy industry and the port.

The Westside Fest will have music and food but also speakers and booths to highlight the progress made so far in the city's Westside Promise initiative which started two years ago.

Paul Barragán Monge with the Long Beach Mayor's Office says the fight to improve air quality and slow climate change is more important than ever especially in frontline communities.

In the context of a federal administration that has really retreated in terms of its commitment to environmental justice.

The onus is really on local government and local communities to take leadership in advancing public health focused environmental policy.

Long Beach is working with the port, nearby cities and others to move the ports towards zero emission technologies.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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