News from around the nation.

Ohio educators warn SNAP cuts could worsen hunger in schools; Reports: Vaping pervades IL high schools and middle schools and IN lawmakers confront ongoing teacher pay gap. 

Transcript

The Public News Service Thursday afternoon update.

I'm Joe Ulery.

Reporters walked out of the Pentagon Wednesday after refusing new restrictions on military coverage.

The Defense Department's new policy would allow journalists to be expelled for reporting unapproved information, classified or not.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the changes were meant to bring order to press operations, But major news outlets say the rules threaten press freedom and transparency.

Ohio educators say recent snap cuts could have lasting effects on students' ability to learn.

Our Farah Siddiqui has more.

They warn the changes threaten free school meals provided through the Community Eligibility Provision, a federal program tied to family benefit levels.

Andrea Beeman is a para-educator in Maple Heights who says many students depend on those meals every day.

I am worried that our district is going to lose its community eligibility status, that our students will not have nutritious breakfast in the morning, lunch in the afternoon, that our students are going to come in here hungry.

And because they won't have food, that is going to affect their student achievement, affect their learning outcomes.

Ohio brought in more than $3.1 billion in SNAP funding last year, supporting more than 1.4 million households, nearly half with children. advocates warn new federal cuts could reduce access to free school meals for hundreds of thousands of students.

Now to a new report highlighting how common vaping is in Illinois schools and educators say they need help curbing the disruptive trend.

The report from the truth initiative shows e-cigarettes and other tobacco products have become increasingly popular with high school and even middle school students.

Jennifer Kresslake with the truth initiative says the latest data shows nearly 17 percent of high school students in Illinois are frequently using vapor products.

Educators feel vaping is pervasive.

They report that vaping is disruptive to the learning environment and expressed that they cannot address this problem alone.

They need the support of communities to get these products off the shelves and away from school campuses.

Kresslake says school enforcement can be a challenge and resources for helping kids kick the habit have been found to be more effective, especially, she says, given that these early practices can lead to cigarette use in adulthood.

Illinois students can text "VAPEFREEIL" to 88709 to get help quitting.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

A leaked young Republican group chat with racist and violent jokes sparked outrage across party lines.

The group's national leaders called for resignations, calling the message is disgraceful.

Some GOP officials demanded immediate action while Democrats pushed for investigations.

Vice President J.D. Vance dismissed the backlash, calling the reaction overblown.

This is Public News Service.

Indiana leaders say teacher pay remains a serious concern even after years of gradual increases.

New data show Hoosier teachers still earn less than educators in nearby states.

Members of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Study Committee are reviewing salaries and funding trends.

The median teacher salary now sits at just over $60,000, compared to nearly $120,000 for school administrators.

Joel Hand, who represents the American Federation of Teachers Indiana, told lawmakers that the state must do more to stay competitive.

If we want to address teacher retention or keeping those students who are going to school at Indiana colleges and universities and getting degrees in education and prevent them from leaving to go to Illinois or Ohio or Wisconsin or Michigan.

We simply have to raise teacher pay.

Some lawmakers agree pay matters, but they also question how local districts spend state dollars.

They argue too few dollars reach classrooms or teachers directly.

Utah's wide open spaces are home to hundreds of different animals and the state has developed a plan to protect them.

Mark Richardson has the story.

The 10-year update of the Utah Wildlife Action Plan, which forms the backbone of the state's conservation effort, is out.

The plan lists more than 250 species of animals, insects and plants under the protection of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

The agency's Habitation Section Assistant Chief, Paul Thompson, says it was a long-term team effort.

I've been working on the 2025 Utah Wildlife Action Plan for over three years, and we've had over 35 partner agency and organizations involved.

And that equates to over 150 people that have contributed.

The new plan will be the theme of the Utah Wildlife Summit this weekend at Salt Lake City's Hoagle Zoo.

The event, sponsored by the Utah Wildlife Federation, will feature success stories of saving endangered species and opportunities to volunteer.

Go to utahwildlifefederation.org for more information.

Consumer advocates in Maryland and nationwide are calling on Microsoft to extend free support for its Windows 10 software.

Zimone Perez has the story.

The company has stopped automatic security updates this week, which affects an estimated 400 million computers worldwide.

Nathan Proctor with the Public Interest Research Group says users will need to purchase new devices or risk exposing themselves to potential cyber attacks.

So many of the computers that are running it actually don't have the option to upgrade to Windows 11 and they're just kind of stuck.

Proctor says users who want security updates will have to pay or enroll in other Microsoft services and that the costs for small businesses could quickly add up.

Microsoft has extended support for its European customers, but not in the U.S., and has suggested users consider purchasing a new PC.

Microsoft originally claimed Windows 10 would remain current for the supported lifetime of a device at no cost.

Consumer and environmental advocates welcomed the news that it would still operate on older machines and help reduce the growing amount of electronic waste.

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

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