News from around the nation.

Oil back up to $99 per barrel after Houthi attacks on two Saudi Tankers; Safety concerns in Michigan prisons grow after pension bills are vetoed; Wildfire survivors offer recovery tips for Colorado communities; Alabama families lose food assistance as SNAP enrollment plunges.

Transcript

The Public News Service Thursday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Strikes and counter-strikes in the U.S. war with Iran caused another spike in oil prices, with the price back up to $99 a barrel.

Houthi allies in Yemen claimed strikes overnight on two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.

Neither of the U.S. and Iran showed any let-up in their fighting.

The New York Times notes the Houthi strikes were the first since the group announced a blockade on Saudi ships earlier this week.

President Trump said Thursday he would hold around responsible for any further attacks in the Red Sea and threatened to widen the conflict to include the Houthis.

Meantime, Michigan correctional officers are calling Governor Gretchen Whitmer's recent veto of two pension bills a major setback in efforts to address chronic staffing shortages.

The measures would have moved eligible officers into a state police retirement system and established a hybrid pension plan, benefits their union says could help recruit and retain officers.

Byron Osborne, president of the Michigan Corrections Organization, warns persistent vacancies and mandatory overtime are creating dangerous conditions inside Michigan prisons, including inmates being housed in facilities that don't match their security classifications.

With the short staffing, we've still got this massive problem with the MDOC not having enough high-security facilities to house problematic and assaulted prisoners.

So we're still seeing a lot of assaults on staff, assaults on other prisoners.

Governor Whitmer said the pension bills had been delayed too long to be put into effect as written.

Crystal Blair reporting.

And as Colorado communities once again face devastating wildfire losses, survivors of the most recent costly fire in the state's history are offering tips for managing the long road to recovery.

So far, the Aspen Acres, Elk, Gold Mountain and Willow fires have burned through a combined 230 square miles, an area equivalent to the city of Chicago.

Daryl McCool was one of 37,000 people evacuated during the Marshall Fire in 2021.

She says it's important for people to check in at their local recovery center, and if you can, bring someone you trust with you.

You're suffering from trauma, and all of this information coming at you is definitely hard.

You might not be able to be clear of mind.

Bring a friend that is able to maybe take notes for you.

To find help near you, Coloradans can call 211 from anywhere in the state.

I'm Eric Galatas.

Next, one year after Congress passed President Trump's so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, SNAP enrollment has dropped by more than 4.5 million people nationwide.

Littell Clifford-Wood is a hunger policy advocate for Alabama Arise.

She says, Alabama is home to some of the most food insecure counties in the country.

As Alabama families are getting ready to go back to school, I'm hearing a lot of folks concerned about how they are going to feed their children.

In Alabama, nearly 82,000 people have lost food assistance, including more than 23,000 children.

This is Public News Service.

The 4th of July, of course, has come and gone, but Minnesota events are still happening.

To observe America's 250th anniversary, there are community discussions that blend a deep look into our nation's founding with the shared values of residents.

The Minnesota Humanities Center and partner organizations are crisscrossing the state with the Declaration of Independence and Liberty Then and Now initiative.

The center's Kevin Lindsay says that conversations involve a full reading of the document and comparing it with the Constitution.

He says that helps attendees gain perspective on the U.S. living up to its principles, even during turbulent times.

This reminder of the difficulty of really grabbing hold of the American experiment and really breathing life into it does take work.

Organizers say the talks are grounded in curiosity and respect.

The last event for this free summer series will be held on the evening of August 13th in Moorhead.

I'm Mike Moen.

And tick-related illness is on the rise in states like Rhode Island.

The state's top tick expert says education is the best defense.

Black-legged ticks which cause Lyme disease represent about 25 percent of the ticks people encounter, but Lone Star ticks, which can trigger a red meat allergy known as Alpha-Gal syndrome, are spiking in the Ocean State, southeastern Massachusetts, and the islands.

Dr. Thomas Mather directs the Tick Encounter Resource Center at the University of Rhode Island.

He explains that getting to know each tick's identifying features will determine which protective measures to take.

I've learned that when people really accept that, They say, well, I used to be freaked out or fearful or whatever, and now at least I know.

Mather says while a professional can help people assess the risks in their own backyard, DIY training is possible through the university's online resources.

He says the information can be helpful in choosing between a natural or synthetic spray or which areas to avoid.

I'm Katherine Carley.

And a small Ohio village of Hamden made national headlines last month after 16 children were found suffering from severe psychological and physical neglect inside a crowded home.

Gut instinct may tell a neighbor something isn't right, but a fear of overreaction to an innocent situation may cause hesitancy in filing a report.

Public Children's Services Organization of Ohio believes offering support to families and reporting maltreatment concerns is one form of intervention.

Practice advisor Laura LaRoche says strong interconnected communities are the most successful at preventing these kinds of crimes.

So as a community, as much as we can be a part of the solution through connection of our neighbors, of those that are in our close proximity, really being in relationship as much as possible.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

This is by Clifford for Public News Service.

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