News from around the nation.

Leaders in the trans-Latinx community work to lift up a community long in the shadows, Wisconsin's gubernatorial election will determine future energy costs for the state; advocates in Minnesota vow to be vigilant about clean air amid the EPA public comment period for power plant emission rollbacks.

Transcript

The Public News Service, Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Afternoon Update.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, leaders in the trans-Latinx community are working to lift up a community they say has long been in the shadows.

Suzanne Potter has more.

Data from UCLA show that more than 174,000 transgender immigrants live in the U.S. 41,000 are in California, and of those, 38% are Latinx.

Chloe Rios Wyatt founded Alianza Trans-Latinx in Orange County in 2020 to create a space of cultural connection and community empowerment for trans migrants.

Hispanic Heritage Month is about celebrating our culture and making sure trans and immigrant people are part of that celebration as well.

We are Latinas, we are immigrants, and we have stories and contributions that also deserve to be recognized.

This organization helps people access health care, housing supports, mental health services, financial literacy classes, and legal resources.

Utilities nationwide and in North Carolina received failing grades for their progress in scaling down fossil fuels, expanding renewable energy capacity, and refusing to build out new gas power plants, according to a new report.

Zamone Perez reports that story.

The Dirty Truth report by the Sierra Club finds many utility companies are doubling down on fossil fuels instead of following their renewable energy goals.

Duke Energy received a failing grade in the report for its plan to build out new gas infrastructure.

It had the second most planned projects of any utility in the report.

Michaela Curry, with the Sierra Campaigns Beyond Coal campaign, says renewable energy sources offer a practical alternative to fossil fuels, and they help the health of communities across the planet.

Coal is the dirtiest and often the most expensive way to generate power, and so it's important for people's health, for the environment, for climate, for our future, our kids' future, that we try to get these fossil fuel infrastructure offline, and that we are depending on cleaner, more affordable sources of energy.

Duke Energy and other utilities defend gas plant build-outs as a necessary and reliable way to dispatch energy when renewables can't.

They also argue new natural gas plants will allow utility companies to retire coal power plants, which emit far more pollutants than the burning of methane.

Advocates for comprehensive child care are looking to New Mexico for guidance after the state became the first ever to offer a no-cost universal program for all resident families regardless of income.

Roz Brown has that story.

The state aims to add 12,000 more child care spaces, targeting 1,000 or more registered child care homes, 120 more licensed homes, and 55 new licensed centers.

Elizabeth Grudzinski with the state's Early Childhood Education and Care Department says progress is notable.

We have had 400 new providers come into the system, but we've also had providers leave, so our net gain of new providers is 251.

Grudzinski says her office recently met with policymakers, advocates, and early childhood researchers from California eager to establish a similar program there.

U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned after reports claimed she asked high-profile Republican donor Eric Dieters for $100,000 to pay her American Express credit card bill.

This is public news service.

Wisconsin voters could face a major difference in household energy costs depending on who wins the governor's race and the energy policies they pursue, Judith Ruiz Branch reports.

That's according to a new analysis from Greenline Insights.

Between 2027 and 2040, it projects a roughly $4,000 gap in average household costs among the agendas of Democratic candidate David Crowley and Republican candidate Tom Tiffany.

Jonah Faberman, founder and CEO of Greenline Insights, estimates Crowley's proposed investments would save households money, while Tiffany's approach would increase costs.

Known as a crystal ball, but we know the general directions here.

So the specific dollars to the cent may not matter as much as which one is going to save you thousands of dollars and which one is going to lose you thousands of dollars.

According to the analysis, the biggest driver of the gap is based on investment or disinvestment in Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program, which aims to help households reduce energy use through efficiency upgrades and home weatherization.

Kentucky is receiving more than $9 million from the federal government to bring the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program to more rural and low-income counties.

Nadia Ramlagan has more.

It allows trained home visitors to meet regularly with expecting mothers and families with young children.

Research shows that voluntary home visits during pregnancy and early childhood can help prevent chronic disease, abuse, and neglect, explains Tom Ingalls with the Federal Health Resources and Services Administration.

They build a trusting relationship with families, go into their homes, and not to judge and not to tell them what to do, but to help parents become better parents.

Data shows children in enrolled households are more likely to have a parent who reads, tells stories, or sings to them daily and be taken to doctor's checkups, compared to non-enrolled households from similar demographics.

Public comments are being taken through November 2nd on a proposal tied to federal efforts to scrap EPA standards for power plant emissions.

Minnesota officials say the state will remain vigilant in pursuing cleaner air.

More from Mike Moen.

The Trump administration recently announced a final rule change to eliminate most standards imposed in 2024.

The pending proposal seeks to block remaining and future restrictions.

Minnesota has a law that requires all electricity generated here to be carbon-free by 2040.

Frank Kolash, an assistant commissioner with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, says that mandate will protect the state, but Minnesota will still import energy from areas without such laws.

While we can control what we generate within our borders, we do rely on other states and the federal government to take appropriate action.

Also, some local utilities want to build new natural gas plants ahead of 2040 to meet growing electricity demand.

Polash says these emerging factors need heightened state regulatory scrutiny.

Minnesota House Representative Ilhan Omar says she won't be silenced after Homeland Security agents raided her Washington, D.C. home.

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

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