Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Child care bill seeks to expand access for parents, pay for workers; IN lawmakers confront ongoing teacher pay gap and SCOTUS hears arguments in pivotal challenge to Voting Rights Act. 

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast for October 16th, 2025.

I'm Joe Ulori.

A federal judge in San Francisco ordered the Trump administration to stop firing federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown.

The Associated Press reports layoffs began last week as part of the administration's push to shrink government and increase pressure on Democrats.

The judge's order comes as the shutdown stretches into its third week.

As the shutdown continues, a bipartisan bill aims to strengthen child care services and options for families.

The Child Care Modernization Act would reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant.

Those grants help low-income families access child care as prices for full-time daycare reach record highs.

Whitney Pesick with the National Women's Law Center Action Fund says child care is in crisis.

Parents are having to pay unaffordable sums if they're even able to find a child care.

If passed, the bill would transition to a new model that better estimates the costs of high quality child care for reimbursement, including the cost to recruit, train and retain qualified staff.

Future cuts to Medicaid are already impacting North Carolina, and it's expecting more challenges are on the horizon for providing people with health care.

The in July is expected to cut $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program by 2034.

With North Carolina lawmakers still negotiating the budget, the State Department of Health and Human Services announced cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates at the beginning of October.

Head of the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center, Alexandra Serota says reductions at the federal and state levels are likely to impact rural areas in particular.

We're very concerned that the impacts will be the loss of providers, closures of hospitals and overall poorer health outcomes in communities that are already struggling.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

The US Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in a case that legal experts say could undercut the heart of the Voting Rights Act.

Tribal advocates are watching closely with a similar legal fight playing out concerning Native American districts in North Dakota.

Mike Moen reports.

The case heard this week stems from the drawing of political boundaries in Louisiana.

Plaintiffs are challenging the constitutionality of Section 2 with VRA which prohibits racial discrimination regarding voting practices and procedures.

The Native American Rights Fund's Jacqueline DeLeon says there's a presumption from challengers that barriers to civic engagement are a thing of the past for minority populations.

We know through our work that racial discrimination is alive and well.

She says gutting section 2 would embolden states to redraw maps that further weaken the voting power of communities of color.

In the North Dakota case, tribal advocates last month appeal to the high court with the focus there on whether private citizens can sue to enforce section 2.

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. 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, an 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 cost for small businesses could quickly add up.

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

Microsoft originally claimed Windows 10 for the supported lifetime of a device at no cost, consumer and environmental advocates welcome the news that it would still operate on older machines and help reduce the growing amount of electronic waste.

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

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