News from around the nation.

MT group highlights 'invisible crisis of homelessness among kids'; GA residents push back on data center expansion; WI entrepreneurs create arts and crafts vending machines; OH groups watch debate of new Gaza genocide resolution; NV disability community speaks out on government shutdown impacts; and AZ conservationists work to bring back extinct turtle.

Transcript

Public news service Monday, November 17th, 2025 afternoon update.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira.

This week is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and Laura Hatch reports a Montana nonprofit is highlighting what it calls the invisible crisis of homelessness among kids and families.

Family Promise of Great Falls is hosting its annual Night Without a Bed Thursday at the University of Providence.

Executive Director Greg Grosnick says housing struggles for students aren't something people usually see.

We're talking about kids age 18 and under that are still in high school or younger kids that are in grade school that are couch surfing or bouncing around from place to place, possibly living in motels, living in vehicles.

Across Montana, more than 5,700 students experienced homelessness during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

Grosznik says already this school year, Great Falls Public Schools has had contact with more than 200 kids experiencing housing insecurity.

He says about 25 different agencies will be at Thursday night's event to help students and families get the services they need.

As data centers rapidly spread across Georgia, communities are questioning how the massive facilities will affect their water, power systems, and local environments.

Shantia Hudson has more.

In rural Twiggs County, residents are raising alarms about a proposed complex they say could significantly strain the county's limited resources.

Longtime resident Nancy LeBecq says the community has been left with few answers about what the project will mean for their wells, their electricity and their quality of life.

"Nobody really seems to know the impact of the water and the electrical.

These industries need a huge amount of water and electricity to be able to operate."

LeBec and her neighbors are urging county officials to slow the approval process and require independent studies on how the development will affect local water levels, power reliability and community health.

A pair of Wisconsin entrepreneurs are reimagining what vending machines can offer through their Madison-based business called Joy Vending Company.

Instead of snacks and drinks, their machines dispense locally made art and handcrafted goods.

Judith Ruiz Branch reports.

The art vending machines are stocked with items like Wisconsin-themed watercolor prints, polymer clay earrings shaped like Cheez-Its, and craft kits for kids.

They partner with local makers for their inventory.

Co-owner Sarah Van Dyke says their mission is to surprise and and delight consumers by bringing joy to everyday life.

I think life can tend to be a bit of a slog sometimes.

So I just love the idea of something that kind of jolts you out of that routine.

It kind of just ignites your curiosity or your sense of playfulness.

It gives you something that you wanna kind of nudge the person next to you and be like, wait a minute, look at that.

She says they're also reviving old school temporary tattoo dispensers, filling them with mini art prints they designed themselves.

These small machines rotate through local breweries, boutiques, and events with themed art tailored to each location.

Van Dyke hopes to reflect the vibrancy of Madison's creative community in her organization's work.

This story was produced with original reporting by Amy Franke-Felici with Arts Midwest.

This is Public News Service.

Ohio civil rights and faith groups say constituents across the state are watching closely as Congress debates a new resolution to formally recognize what its sponsors call the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

While advocates have been urging Ohio lawmakers to weigh in, Farah Siddiqui reports others argue the proposal is symbolic and risks deepening political divides.

Communities in Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo, and Dayton have been vocal about US policy toward Israel and Gaza, with organizations hosting town halls, vigils, and meetings with congressional offices.

Supporters of the resolution say Ohio's large Muslim, Arab American, and Palestinian populations want their representatives to address humanitarian concerns raised by international bodies.

Robert McCaw, government affairs director for the Council on American Islamic Relations or CARE, lawmakers are likely to face continued pressure on the issue.

There's always a moment to have moral clarity on an issue and change your position.

Now's the time.

There's never a better time to recognize that our nation has been complicit in genocide and that we need to turn on this.

Ohio's congressional delegation holds varying positions on Israel and Gaza.

Critics of the resolution say Congress should focus on diplomacy and de-escalation and warn that labeling the conflict as genocide could undermine negotiations.

Nevada's disability community is speaking out about the chaos caused by the government shutdown and ongoing uncertainty in federal funding.

Suzanne Potter has more.

During the shutdown, programs like the state centers for independent living had to dig into reserve funds to stay open.

Social security disability payments were unaffected, but other federally funded programs are on shaky ground because the bill to end the shutdown only funds the bulk of the government through January 30th.

Las Vegas disability rights activist Stephen Cohen, who lives with autism spectrum disorder, says people need to band together and make their displeasure heard.

Use your voice and collaborate with others.

Don't see your story as a burden.

See it as an opportunity to change the issue that you're facing.

Don't take no for an answer.

During the shutdown, the Trump administration tried to lay off thousands of federal workers, including 121 people at the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

Arizona wildlife biologists have released a plan to restore the endangered Sonoyta turtle to its native habitat in the Sonoran Desert.

As Mark Moran reports, its population is threatened by habitat loss from groundwater pumping and drought.

The tiny Sonoyta mud turtle was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2017.

Now, Arizona game and fish, amphibian, and reptile expert Tom Jones says, The plan is working to bring the tiny turtle back from extinction and preserve it in the southwest U.S. and neighboring northern Sonora, Mexico.

The Sonoran mud turtle is a unique member of our fauna in Arizona and in Sonora.

And as such, it deserves to be protected.

Now that the public has had a chance to weigh in, there's a recovery plan in place.

I'm Edwin J. Viera for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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