News from around the nation.

Tehran warns it could disrupt oil shipments as strikes on Iran continue; groups decry the ‘erasure’ of U.S. history from parks and public lands; career training programs face federal funding delays and confusion; and a Kentucky bill aims to improve child care for kids with disabilities.

Transcript

The Public News Service, Thursday, March 12, 2026 Update.

I'm Joe Ulery.

U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran continue as Tehran threatens retaliation and warns it could disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Associated Press reports the escalating conflict has already pushed global oil prices higher and raised fears the fighting could spread across the wider Middle East.

Like most other countries, America's past is both inspired by high ideals and flawed by cruelty.

But the Trump administration wants any depictions that might be unflattering removed from national parks and public lands.

Roz Brown reports.

New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich and some of his U.S. Senate colleagues blasted the Trump administration Wednesday for what they say is an effort to erase America's history by ordering the removal of images it says disparage the country's history.

Heinrich says America can't be a better nation by hiding from its past.

Right now, President Trump is dumbing down our history.

Heinrich and other members of Congress previously sent a letter to the U.S. Interior Department demanding answers about the removal of exhibits and signage.

Some Illinois schools are grappling with the aftermath of a federal decision to shift career and technical education funding from the U.S. Department of Education to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The move has been riddled with technical issues, funding delays, and confusion.

Michael Bricks is a CTE teacher with Peoria Public Schools.

His work-based learning class serves high school seniors with an interest in trade work.

He says department budgets have been put on hold due to federal funding constraints.

This is the first time I really had to recheck myself.

Do I want to spend that $100 on this item right now?

Despite voicing support for career tech education, The Trump administration also cut millions in grant funds for related programs.

The Kentucky State Families and Children Committee passed House Bill 6 this week.

Legislation aimed at improving child care for children with disabilities and lowering costs for families.

Alicia Haynes has owned a child care center in western Kentucky for the past several years.

She says she agrees with many of the actions outlined in the bill, such as requiring three hours of annual training for working with kids with disabilities, but says it still doesn't address attracting more workers to the field or retaining quality employees.

I have many children with different levels of special needs, and we do need some certified people for certain specific types of disabilities, and we need the funding.

The bill now heads to the full Senate.

This is Nadia Ramlagan for Kentucky News Connection.

This is Public News Service.

A new bill introduced in Congress this week could help doctors who provide care in office-based facilities stay open for business by bringing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates more in line with actual costs.

Between 2019 and 2024, the number of independent physicians in rural areas dropped by 43 percent, according to a new Physician Advocacy Institute report.

Dr. James Albert treats vein disease at offices in Colorado Springs and Denver.

He says over the past two decades, reimbursement rates have dropped dramatically.

Our current reimbursement for technologies that have proven the test of time is now 50 cents on the dollar of what was being paid in 2007.

The report shows last year, reimbursement rates for 300 services listed in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule were below the actual cost of providing care.

Some 7,300 independent medical practices were either closed or acquired by corporations between 2019 and 2024.

I'm Eric Galatas.

New York ranks as one of the top states for online scams.

Edwin J. Viera reports.

A Consumer Federation of America report finds state consumers lose $6.5 billion a year, or $325 per person, to scams.

It notes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are the top sites for scammers, but new state legislation would prevent bogus advertisements from suckering people in.

State Senator Andrew Gennardes, the bill's co-sponsor, says these sites should have to verify that their advertisers exist.

They have to have a real name or organization name.

They have to have a physical address.

There has to be a phone number.

There has to be some type of tax ID or other type of financial identification so you know exactly who you're dealing with.

He adds people who've lost money to these scams would be able to file a complaint with the social media site itself.

Data from New York Attorney General Letitia James finds online scams received the second highest amount of complaints behind retail scams.

The bill is under review by the State Senate's Internet and Technology Committee.

International events may have energy prices soaring, but Utah may have a homegrown solution to power generation.

The Beehive State is a top producer of geothermal energy, one of only seven states that produce utility-scale geothermal electricity.

And while Utah's geothermal power output is currently small, experts say its potential is massive.

Michael Vanderberg, energy manager for the Utah Geological Survey, says Utah's bright prospects are driven by its geology.

Calling 911 in an emergency should be allowed to happen and no employees should be threatened or fired in some of these large facilities.

For some reason cell phones just don't work.

There are three utility-skilled geothermal plants operating in western Utah along with a number of direct use facilities that use thermal energy for greenhouses, aquaculture, and recreational purposes.

The U.S. Department of Energy also operates a major testing site, Utah Forge, near Milford.

This is Joe Ulery for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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