News from around the nation.

The US seizes an Iranian-flagged ship, Tehran responds by rejecting ceasefire talks; A mass shooting in Louisiana leaves 8 children dead; Virtual medical hubs could improve care for rural Texas seniors; A refundable adoption tax credit brings relief to Georgia families for the first time; PA group urges Congress to save Chesapeake Bay restoration funding.

Transcript

The public news service Monday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The week begins with the U.S.-Iran ceasefire at risk.

That after the U.S. Senate had seized an Iranian cargo ship that had tried to run the blockade.

In return, Tehran vowed to retaliate, refusing for now to join new peace talks.

Reuters quotes the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson as saying, Washington has not shown it was serious about pursuing the diplomatic process and Tehran would not change its clearly stated demands.

And a gunman executed eight children, seven of them his own, in Shreveport, Louisiana, before leading police on a chase in a stolen vehicle and being killed by police.

The man also shot his wife and another woman, believed to be his girlfriend.

As of this report, both of them are still alive.

Meantime, telehealth appointments are helping rural Texans stay healthy.

In multiple counties across the state, libraries and other facilities are being used to help patients connect with doctors and providers online.

A shipping container in Fort Davis has been converted into the Davis Mountain Clinic.

Director Carol Brewer says she guides patients through their virtual doctor's appointments in addition to taking their vital signs.

The advantage is when they come here to see the doctor, I manage the technology on my end.

They don't have to deal with that at all.

Internet service can be unreliable in rural areas and having a dedicated hub can improve connectivity.

This story was produced with original reporting from Madeline DeFigurito for The Daily Yonder.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

And a new refundable adoption tax credit is helping Georgia families offset the high cost of adoption.

For Caitlin Ward, who finalized the adoption of her daughter August in February, the money came as a welcome surprise.

I'd never heard about the tax credit.

And what I found out was pretty well after we had adopted August.

But I was pretty excited about it.

I'm sure you know it and anyone else knows that the economy now is very high and it takes a lot to be able to live comfortably.

Ward says she and her husband both work and want August to have opportunities they didn't have growing up.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

And an environmental advocacy group is voicing concerns about a Trump administration budget proposal that cuts funding for multiple Chesapeake Bay restoration programs.

Keisha Sedlicek with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation says the federal cuts would leave cash-strapped Pennsylvania struggling to meet its commitments to reduce pollution to the Susquehanna River.

Since 2020, three of the major grant programs that were either slashed by 90 percent or 100 percent in the budget has provided Pennsylvania with approximately $237 million for restoration efforts.

The plan would slash the overall EPA budget by 52 percent, threatening grants for tree plantings, oyster restoration, and other water quality projects.

This is Public News Service.

Michigan's Constitution has remained unchanged since the early 1960s, but that could change if voters support Proposal 1.

Placing a constitutional convention on the ballot every 16 years was established when voters approved Proposal 3 in 1960.

Michiganders will vote on suggested revisions on November 6 to determine whether they want a group of delegates to decide whether to amend the current Constitution or draft a new one.

Michigan State University law professor Quinn Yergin says, in his view, more conservatives want changes.

Given how tight control over the Michigan Senate and House has been in recent years, we could have a very, very tight convention in terms of party control one way or another.

I would expect that that would probably dictate much of what ends up happening.

If voters adopt that constitution or any subsequent changes, the previous document might be replaced or there could be individual and distinct amendments.

It effectively gives the convention the ability to propose whatever changes it wants, including shredding it and starting from scratch.

This story was produced with original reporting from Alyssa Burr for the Michigan Independent.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

And Colorado Governor Jared Polis expected to sign a law passed by the state lawmakers last week that denies farm workers overtime protections granted to all other workers.

The move comes after agriculture industry lobbyists claimed that farm wages have grown at a much faster pace than other sectors.

But Daniel Costa with the Economic Policy Institute says when adjusted for inflation, wage growth for farm workers has been almost identical to other low-wage workers.

He adds farm worker wages as a share of farm owner profits have not budged for at least two decades.

Farm owners see that they can use the significant power that they have politically to try to increase their profits a bit by squeezing this powerless group of workers.

Colorado is also facing historically low snowpack reservoirs and decades of drought exacerbated by climate change.

I'm Eric Galatas.

Finally, Nevada's Amargosa River has the dubious distinction of making the top 10 list of most endangered rivers in the United States.

The 2026 report from the non-profit American Rivers chose the Amargosa because it's threatened by development, including mining, lithium exploration, and large-scale solar projects.

Mason Vole with the Amargosa Conservancy describes it as a river of groundwater in one of the hottest and driest places on the planet that nonetheless supports more than 100 species unique to that area.

It is one of the most important biodiversity havens remaining in North America.

The landscape, because of these isolated springs and wetlands, hosts an extraordinary concentration of rare, unique species found nowhere else in the world.

The river runs from the Oasis Valley in Nevada to Death Valley in California.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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