Six minutes of news from around the nation.

TSA staffing concerns grow as federal shutdown continues, Minnesota students press state lawmakers on gun control, and more smoking scenes in Oscar films raise youth concerns.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast for March 13th, 2026.

I'm Joe Ulery.

Authorities say a deadly shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, sent the campus into lockdown and prompted a large law enforcement response Thursday.

Police say the violence erupted inside an ROTC classroom building before officers secured the scene.

The Associated Press reports the gunman, a former Army National Guard member previously convicted of attempting to support ISIS, opened fire inside the classroom.

One person died and two others were wounded before students subdued the attacker.

The suspect also died.

The FBI is investigating the case as possible terrorism.

Indiana TSA agents say the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown is already taking a toll on workers at Indianapolis International Airport.

The funding lapse began February 14th and affects several DHS agencies, including TSA, FEMA, and civilian Coast Guard employees.

By law, those workers must report to the job, even though paychecks have stopped.

Kevin Smith, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 618, says many agents are still recovering from the last shutdown.

A lot of my officers are trying to pay back the loans that they took out.

Smith says about half a dozen TSA officers at Indianapolis International Airport have already quit since the shutdown started.

Around 240 TSA agents work at the airport, with roughly 370 across Indiana.

Minnesota students demanding movement on gun control laws say they are sacrificing class time to get their message across to lawmakers.

At the state capitol today, an outpouring of grief and frustration is expected as key bills are considered at the committee level.

Our Mike Moen has the story.

Last fall's mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School in Minneapolis and the assassination of House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman brought renewed urgency for the state to enact meaningful reforms.

Eagan High School student Kyle Chen says the mood among his peers has changed since these attacks, where students are even more vocal about preventing gun violence.

Chen's district last December had to cancel classes for a day because of an online threat.

He says an incident like that adds to the trauma.

It is impossible to go to school not knowing whether or not you will make it out of there at 2:30 p.m., alive or not.

The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee will consider a proposed assault weapons ban and other restrictions.

Partisan divides loom over these debates, with Republicans wanting to focus more on mental health support and beefing up school safety.

This is Public News Service.

The rapid expansion of data centers in Washington and Oregon is threatening the region's shift to renewable energy.

The new report, released by Columbia Riverkeeper, identifies over 100 data centers that are completed or in progress across 12 counties bordering the Columbia River.

Kelly Campbell, policy director for the organization, says power demand is expected to soar because of the data centers.

And tech companies are turning to fossil fuels to provide that power.

We're looking at having to put together four new Seattle's worth of energy in order to power all these data centers.

And my question would be why we shouldn't be going back to using more fossil fuels to power data centers.

The report calls on leaders in Oregon and Washington to impose more regulations on the centers, including transparency around water and energy use and a ban on fossil fuels and new nuclear.

Water affordability and access are top concerns for eastern Kentucky residents.

As Nadia Ramlagan reports, community leaders from Martin County recently joined others in Detroit to discuss the outdated water infrastructure in many communities and what to do about it.

Their concerns include the cost to residents and the importance of holding water companies and regulators accountable.

Nina McCoy, president of Martin County Concerned Citizens, says the Appalachian region continues to grapple with a lack of investment in water infrastructure that has led to repeated water supply outages and increasingly unaffordable water bills.

Because just trying to fix an old dilapidated system is just not within the ratepayers of our community's ability.

And more smoking scenes in Oscar films raise youth concerns.

This year, eight out of 10 movies nominated for Best Picture contain scenes with vaping or smoking, according to a report by the Truth Initiative Schroeder Institute.

Senior Vice President at the Institute, Dr. Jessica Rath, notes that's a 10 percent increase compared to last year's films.

She says this is particularly concerning for young people who are twice as likely to start smoking or vaping when exposed to it in movies.

This continued depiction of cigarettes and other products in popular award-nominated films really normalizes this addictive behavior for impressionable viewers, and that extends well beyond award season.

Rath says her organization is advocating for the entertainment industry to intervene by showing prevention ads and resources for quitting before or after content containing tobacco use.

In Illinois, people can access free support by texting vapefreeil to 88709.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.