News from around the nation.

Comey will seek to dismiss case as malicious prosecution; Ohio domestic violence deaths reach record high, report shows; Report: New college grads feel 'unprepared' for jobs in their field; Satellite data show NM's stricter methane rules reduce emissions.

Transcript

The Public News Service Wednesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

James Comey, the former FBI director reviled by President Trump and targeted as part of his retribution campaign, entered a plea of not guilty as arraignment this morning at federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.

That from the New York Times.

They report Comey's lawyer Patrick J. Fitzgerald entered the plea on behalf of his client and requested a trial by jury.

Comey will seek to dismiss the case as malicious prosecution.

The judges had a date of January the 5th.

Meantime, Ohio has seen a 37 percent rise in domestic violence fatalities in the past year.

This marks the highest total since the Ohio Domestic Violence Network began tracking these deaths a decade ago.

The group's new annual report shows 157 people lost their lives in 108 incidences between July 2024 and June 2025.

Lisa DeGeter with ODVN says firearms remain the most common cause of death.

This year, 84 percent of all the fatalities were a result of gun violence.

We had 40 murder suicides, 43 of those 44 cases involved guns.

If Ohio had disarmed all these offenders, we might have set the opposite record for the fewest number of lives lost.

For us at E.Q. reporting, we head next to Maryland, where colleges and universities celebrated more than 30,000 graduates last year alone.

And now comes the hard part.

A new report confirms recent college grads face one of the toughest entry level job markets in at least five years.

The Cengage group finds nearly half of college graduates say they feel unprepared for a job in their field, and just 30 percent are landing those jobs.

Kim Russell with Cengage group explains professors may teach soft skills like communication and problem solving, but nearly 60 percent of those who feel unprepared say they lack job specific skills for their career fields.

And that's definitely what employers are looking for but really what's going to distinguish between two candidates is that technical skill, that ability to do on the job work day one when they land that job.

The report says one-third of recent graduates in 2025 are looking for work compared to just 20 percent of last year's graduates.

I'm Zamone Perez, Maryland News Connection.

And a satellite launch to measure global methane emissions has documented the positive effect on New Mexico's stricter regulations adopted in 2021.

But Texas does not have comparable methane regulations.

Isaac Brown with the Center for Methane Emissions Solutions says recent data showed Texas emissions were twice that of Mexico's.

And that is significant because not only is methane a tremendous contributor to climate change and a risk to public health, but also it's a huge loss for the economy.

The Environmental Defense Fund estimates that New Mexico's higher rate of methane capture is worth about $125 million annually and would generate about $27 million in royalties and revenue for taxpayers.

This is Public News Service.

Next to Connecticut, where a new report finds the state can do more to support its growing immigrant population.

The Migration Policy Institute report examines various policy areas to see how these can better aid immigrants.

While the state has programs to help immigrants, the report notes a lack of funds and infrastructure strains upward mobility.

Julia Gillette with the Migration Policy Institute says in some parts of Connecticut, having a sizable immigrant population is a new phenomenon.

There's lots of goodwill and there's lots of good intention, but thinking about immigrants isn't always baked into the structure of how the school system is working, how business development is done, or how people who think about renters think about who those renters are.

Gillette says education has many areas where there's room for improvement despite state efforts to better aid immigrant students.

The report notes identifying dual language learners early on can better support these students.

The state has already enacted bilingual education for K through 12 students, though the report notes there aren't enough educators in the state who are trained in multiple languages.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

And October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Experts are educating the public on false alternative treatments for the disease.

With expensive medical treatment uncertainty, a breast cancer patient may seek alternative cures they find online.

Breast surgeon and breast cancer survivor, Dr. Liz O'Riordan says, after a diagnosis, patients are often scared and willing to try anything.

She explains scammers prey on desperation.

There are lots and lots of people who are selling products or cures or clinics, and they have glowing testimonials.

They promise you a miracle cure.

It's clever marketing.

They spend thousands and thousands trying to lure you in, and we are sitting ducks.

Breast cancer is detected when the uncontrolled growth and the spread of abnormal cells occurs in one or both breasts of women and men.

A 2022 Indiana Department of Health report indicates that in 2019, there were almost 5,200 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Indiana.

I'm Terri Dee reporting.

Finally, affordability is a major issue when it comes to college.

So credit unions in North Carolina and South Carolina are helping future students with scholarships.

The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation manages scholarships for more than 20 credit unions in the Carolinas and open applications for next year at the beginning of October.

The scholarships are open to members of the participating credit unions.

Joe Mecca is with Coastal Credit Union.

It's really a great way to build for a brighter future.

We know that investing in education is one way to contribute that.

We also know that college tuition has been continuing to rise year over year and we're really committed through our foundation to helping our younger members pursue their academic goals.

The scholarships are open to students with GPAs of 3.0 or higher.

MECA knows the funds can be used at a range of institutions including four-year universities, community colleges, and technical colleges.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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