Six minutes of news from around the nation.

New photos of Rosa Parks expand the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, while new rankings highlight the nation s best places to live as states grapple with holiday-season pressures including addiction risks, rising energy costs, school cardiac preparedness, and gaps in rural health care.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, Monday, December 8th, 2025.

I'm Farah Sidiqui.

Newly released photos of Rosa Parks at the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March are offering a fuller picture of her lifelong activism, far beyond her famous bus protests.

And a new U.S. News and World Report ranking of the 250 best places to live in 2025 and 2026 puts Johns Creek, Georgia, at number one, followed by Carmel, Indiana and Perlan, Texas.

Poor eye health can cause children to fall behind in school and leave adults with fewer work opportunities.

In Massachusetts, a movement to make vision more accessible is gaining momentum.

Our Catherine Carley has more.

Nearly one billion people worldwide, including eight million Americans, need glasses but simply can't afford them, according to the charity Good Vision USA.

Executive Director Matt Giannino says it's a problem that remains greatly underfunded.

We're talking about a highly scalable and impactful way to make a huge, life-changing, immediate difference in the lives of individuals around the world.

Good Vision has delivered more than one million pairs of glasses over the past two decades, with technicians in the field able to produce them for less than a dollar in materials.

Giannino says for every dollar invested in VisionCare, there's a $28 return in economic benefits for underserved communities.

With the holiday season in full swing, many are looking for ways to give back.

A newly recognized volunteer leader in Mississippi says the rewards of service benefit both the volunteer and the community.

Experts from the Mayo Clinic support this, noting that volunteering can reduce stress, combat depression and provide a sense of purpose.

Karen Payne-Fountain of Moss Point is this year's recipient of AARP's Mississippi's 2025 Andress Award for Community Service.

Sometimes seniors sit at home and they don't feel useful and they feel isolated and that's not what AARP is about.

It's about keeping our seniors moving and knowing that we can grow old gracefully and still feel useful.

I'm Tramell Gomes.

The holiday season is seen as a time for socializing with family and friends, but the stress, loneliness and financial worries that accompany the holidays can trigger a relapse for those with substance addictions.

According to a 2024 report from the Indiana Family Social Services Agency and Syra Health, Approximately 10 percent of Hoosiers report alcohol addiction.

Cooper Zelnick is the CEO of Groups Recovery Together, a national provider of outpatient addiction treatment.

He says the holidays can be either a time of increased risk or a turning point toward recovery.

This is a disease of isolation.

The disease makes you think and feel that you're the only person who's ever had this experience.

You're not, so reaching out, being honest about what you're going through and asking for help is the best suggestion folks who are struggling.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

This is Public News Service.

Rural Iowans face rising energy costs as winter sets in while utility companies continue to look for alternatives to coal for home heating.

Research shows there are market factors that could increase rates for natural gas customers.

Mark Moran reports.

Natural gas accounts for about 30 percent of Iowa's energy consumption as utilities move away from coal and construct more natural gas plants, Andrew Johnson with Clean Energy Districts of Iowa says the shift could lead to higher prices.

That demand for electricity plus the growing demand for exports we worry could significantly outstrip the growing supply and then you have the supply and demand problem.

Johnson says utilities are also considering renewable energy sources like wind and solar to meet the state's electricity needs.

Iowa already leads the nation in the percentage of power created by wind, which is especially helpful in rural areas.

New state legislation backed by the American Heart Association would require all Washington schools to have a cardiac emergency response plan in place known as a CERP.

Our Isabel Charlay has more.

Nationally it's estimated that about 23,000 children under the age of 18 experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital every year.

Ryan Schaefer is a registered nurse and works with Project Adam, which has been supporting Washington schools to put SERPs in place.

He says most schools in the state already have automated external defibrillators or AEDs.

Oftentimes we hear no one's been trained, no one oversees it, it hasn't been integrated into the EMS system.

And when an event happens, the AED just stands on the wall and nobody's really sure what to do with it.

Schaefer explains a SERP outlines how to maintain AEDs, serves as a blueprint for how those devices will get to where they're needed and designate school staff to be part of a response team that is integrated with EMS.

House Bill 1863 is sponsored by Representative Alicia Ruhle.

And young people living in rural parts of Colorado are accessing oral healthcare at half the rate of the general population.

That's according to data from a new online dental dashboard created by the Center for Improving Value in Healthcare in partnership with the Colorado Dental Association.

Lauren Harvey with the association says the new dashboard, which taps insurance data from the state's all-payer claims database, provides key insights into communities that are missing out on important oral health care.

Oral health is a vital part of overall health and well-being.

If you have poor oral health, chances are you also will have other issues with your overall health that are going to impact you on your day-to-day life.

Untreated oral health conditions have been linked to increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Poor oral health can also reduce self-esteem, the ability to get and keep a job, and overall quality of life.

I'm Eric Galatas.

This is Farah Siddiqui for Public News Service.

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