Six minutes of news from around the nation.

The US launches new attacks, and Trump tells Tehran to behave; Ohioans squeezed by rising utility costs amid a summer heat wave; It takes a village for small Minnesota towns to adapt to wildfires; Oregon farmers slam USDA rollback of meat-industry fairness rules.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service daily newscast July 16, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The U.S. military launched new strikes against Iran Wednesday.

As President Donald Trump warned Tehran, it better behave.

The U.S. military said Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz have been targeted and that it had separately fired on a ship attempting to violate its renewed blockade of Iran's ports.

The BBC notes the move came after Iran claimed that it struck U.S. military targets in the region, including in Bahrain and Kuwait, as a fifth day of renewed hostilities to strain any preliminary deal to end the war.

Meantime, utility bills in states like Ohio continue to climb, and many older adults, especially those on fixed incomes, can't keep up.

Arnady Aramnagan reports new data from the advocacy group Powerline shows that across the nation, utilities have proposed more than $18 billion in rate increases this year.

In Ohio, at least three companies submitted rate increase proposals, including Cleveland Illuminating Company, Toledo Edison, and Ohio Edison.

Community leader with the Cincinnati-based group Coffee Compassion Action, Christy Pember, says more residents are expressing frustration with unaffordable monthly cooling costs as temperatures climb.

One lady said for the last three months her Duke bill has been $1,200 a month.

And, I mean, that's just where we are, and it's not changing.

Investor-owned utilities are planning to spend more than a trillion dollars on operating expenses, infrastructure, and other costs that, according to the report, could be felt for years to come through future rate increase requests.

Nationwide, two out of every three consumers reported their electric or gas bill increased this year, and three out of four are worried their bills will continue to rise.

The Ohio Utility Assistance Program, which is administered by the Dollar Energy Fund provides grants of up to $300 for past due bills.

Next, rapidly expanding wildfires along Minnesota's boundary waters are cementing a new reality for rural communities of the region.

Towns there are adapting to the elevated risks, but also would welcome an infusion of planning resources.

A collection of fires prompted a closure this week of the popular wilderness area.

Local leaders say it's a reflection of longer seasons in Minnesota, where large blazes sweep across the landscape.

Teresa Floberg is with Dovetail Partners, which contracts with St. Louis County on mitigation work.

We've had these catastrophic fires before, but there haven't been that many that have been so geographically vast.

Property owners, municipalities, and other entities are having more conversations about how to keep residents and structures safe.

But Floberg says it's expensive to create more sites to drop off dry vegetation or widen roads for safer evacuations.

I'm Mike Moen.

This is Public News Service.

Farmers in Oregon are criticizing the Trump administration's repeal of three Biden-era rules aimed at boosting competition and fairness in the meat industry.

One 2024 rule barred meat processing facilities from discriminating or retaliating against producers based on race, gender, or co-op membership.

Alice Morrison of Friends of Family Farmers warns that limited access to USDA inspected facilities already stifles independent meat producers, and the rollback will only worsen the bottleneck.

Our farmers are getting 12 to 18 month wait times quoted to them for processing slots.

Before you even start the farm, you need to figure out your processing because if there's no way to bring your product to market, you shouldn't dig yourself into that financial hole of raising those animals.

Morrison explains rescinding the rules will allow processing facilities to favor farmers with corporate contracts over smaller operations.

National Chicken Council President Mike Brown called the rules anti-business and said they would lead to higher prices for consumers.

I'm Isobel Charle.

And small farm supporters in Iowa call a recent settlement between the U.S. Justice Department and three egg companies inadequate.

The three egg producers were ordered to pay $1.8 million and donate 53 million eggs.

Sioux Center-based Versova will be responsible for 23 million of those eggs.

Farm Action President Angela Huffman says the fine and donation are paltry compared to what the inflated prices cost consumers.

The settlement that was agreed to is very small compared to the profits that these companies made.

These companies then can just treat them as a cost of doing business.

Commercial poultry farms have also come under scrutiny for violating federal health safety standards and confinements where thousands of egg-laying chickens are raised in unsanitary conditions.

Commercial operations have countered that their products do not pose health risks because cooking poultry eliminates the threat of salmonella and other contaminants.

I'm Mark Moran.

Finally, the bipartisan budget in Pennsylvania takes a few small steps forward in addressing early child care and education, but still falls short, according to Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.

The $50.8 billion spending plan contains modest investments in programs for kids and families.

The partnerships' Kerry King says they appreciate the support, but notes lawmakers leaned on leftover funds instead of new revenue.

King says in early education, the governor proposed $9.5 million for pre-K counts and Head Start, but the funding target wasn't reached.

And then what was in the enacted budget is $3.75 million for pre-K and $1 million for Head Start, so $4.75 overall.

Danielle Smith reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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