News from around the nation.

First school shooting of the year - GBI releases name of suspected shooter at Apalachee High School; Delaware schools emphasize mental-health assessments for students; U.S. Justice Dept. hits Montana landlord with $25,000 discrimination fine; Report highlights decline in youth incarceration, but FL challenges remain.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, September the 5th, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

First from Fox 5 Atlanta, the first school shooting of the year.

During a press conference by the GBI, it was revealed that two teachers and two students were killed during a shooting at the Apalachee High School on Wednesday morning.

The FBI also released the suspect's name, 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student at the high school.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Borough County Sheriff's Office began receiving calls around 10:20 in the morning.

Officers responded to the high school within minutes and almost immediately encountered the suspected shooter, who dropped his weapon and surrendered immediately.

The GBI did not release the names of the deceased or give any other information about the victims.

Meantime, with mental health challenges on the rise among young people, Delaware officials say school-based services have become essential in addressing these issues.

A new checklist from the advocacy group Inseparable guides parents and educators to ensure their children receive the mental health care they need.

The checklist outlines key areas of focus, including staff training, availability of mental health professionals, and regular wellness checks.

Inseparable Vice President for Public Policy, Caitlin Hochul, says the checklist helps identify what services may be needed.

When you identify a mental health condition early, you have a better chance for better outcomes.

We help make sure that kids are receiving the care that they need before they experience potentially a mental health emergency or life-threatening crisis.

So it really helps ensure better outcomes and can help save lives.

Delaware lawmakers recently approved a measure ensuring at least one mental health professional is available for every 700 elementary and middle school students and for every 250 high schoolers.

Mark Richardson reporting.

Next to Montana, where the US Justice Department has issued a ruling against a Livingston, Montana landlord for discriminating against a tenant.

A tenant of a Livingston apartment complex alleged that Yellowstone Apartments landlord, Dana Christian, discriminated against her after the tenant asked Christian to stop making advances toward her daughter, who was visiting her mother from Russia.

The complaint alleged that Christian made life increasingly difficult for the tenant after the complaint, even though she'd lived there for years with no issues.

The Justice Department ordered Christian to pay a $25,000 fine to compensate her for moving costs, time, and emotional hardship.

Montana Fair Housing's Pam Bean says the ruling sets precedent for equal housing opportunity.

And when issues arise such as did with this complainant, there's an avenue to address those, hopefully, prior to the filing of complaints.

The federal court ruling also requires Christian to undergo training on what constitutes housing discrimination and post-Montana's Fair Housing guidelines on the properties he manages.

I'm Mark Moran.

This is Public News Service.

Next to the Sunshine State, where a new national report reveals that while the US has made significant progress in reducing youth incarceration rates, troubling disparities still exist.

The Youth Justice by the Numbers report by the Sentencing Project highlights a dramatic 75 percent decline in youth incarceration nationwide.

With the number of youths in juvenile justice facilities dropping from 108,000 in 2000 to just 27,000 in 2022.

Florida has mirrored this national trend with a notable decline in youth incarceration.

Christian Minor with the Florida Juvenile Justice Association attributes this decrease to a philosophical shift in the state's approach to juvenile justice.

They used to lock a ton of kids up in residential settings for violations of probation, which would be things like missing curfew, failed drug tests, you know, we're not talking new crime.

And now it's nothing like that.

So the biggest thing was the implementation of the risk assessment.

I'm Tramell Gomes.

And some emergency medical services or EMS are consolidating or closing across Wyoming while the need for services is on the rise.

In 2021, Wyoming EMS agencies received about 89,000 calls for service.

That's a roughly 27 percent increase in five years.

The law doesn't require EMS services be funded in the community, but a recent AARP survey shows that many people think communities should chip in funding.

Tom Laycock with AARP Wyoming says 16 EMS providers have folded or consolidated over the last decade.

And when you tell folks that, you know, EMS is not an essential service, it's not required to be there, they kind of do a double take.

73 percent of Wyomingites think that communities should fund EMS in the same way as police and fire departments, according to the survey.

A 2022 Wyoming Department of Health report shows roughly half of EMS nationwide are delivered through fire departments.

Others come via a combination of municipal and county governments, private providers, and hospital systems.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

Finally, from our Eric Ticket Off, a new poll indicates strong support for protections of the West Greater Sage-Grouse.

BLM is reviewing public comments on its draft environmental impact statement for amending and strengthening Sage-Grouse protections.

The agency has plenty of public support for this.

A poll commissioned by the Pew Charitable Trusts found 93 percent of people surveyed backed the BLM's efforts to protect the bird and its habitat.

Tyler Dungannon with Oregon Hunters Association says many support even greater protections.

In the Western US, roughly 70 percent favored restricting some development of specific public lands to ensure long-term habitat protections for Sage-Grouse.

The poll also found that nearly 60 percent of respondents say Sage-Grouse conservation efforts boost economic development.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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