Latest news with #SouthernStates
New York Times
5 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
How to Protect Yourself From Saharan Dust
A plume of dust that has traveled across the Atlantic Ocean from the Sahara was affecting air quality in Florida on Thursday and may reach other Southern states by the weekend. Such events occur in the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast region several times a year, and scientists are studying how climate change may affect their frequency and intensity. Here is what research shows about the health effects of Saharan dust exposure, and how people can protect themselves. What is in the dust plume? Dust plumes like this one originate in deserts, in this case, the Sahara. The dust is composed mainly of minerals found in desert sand, including silicates such as quartz. But as they travel, plumes can pick up other pollutants, as well as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Reactions among the pollutants, and between those pollutants and sunlight, can produce additional chemicals as well. What are the effects of exposure? What makes Saharan dust dangerous is that its particles are extremely small, which means they can be inhaled deep into the lungs, irritating and damaging them. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
North Carolina governor forms council to recommend cannabis regulations
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein says a panel he's tasked with recommending cannabis sale regulations — including potential legalization of adult use of marijuana — should aim to provide a structure in a state where products now from otherwise lawful hemp are unregulated and leave young people unprotected. The Democratic governor signed an executive order this week creating a State Advisory Council on Cannabis. North Carolina is among a small number of states whose laws prohibit marijuana for both medicinal use or adult recreational use. The General Assembly would have to enact any law legalizing marijuana. The council's findings could add pressure upon lawmakers to place regulations on products, many of which can be obtained at vape and convenience stores. The order directs the 24-member council also named this week to offer preliminary recommendations for a 'comprehensive cannabis policy' and any proposed legislation by next March 15, with final recommendations by the end of 2026. Council members include representatives of state agencies, law enforcement, legislators and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, whose dispensary on tribal land has sold since last year marijuana and cannabis products to any adult over 21. 'Let's work together on a thoughtful, comprehensive solution that allows sales to adults and that is grounded in public safety and health.' Stein said Wednesday in a news release. 'We can work together and get this right.' Hemp is actually a lawful form of cannabis in the state based on its low levels of THC, the chemical that in larger amounts makes people high. Consumable products made from hemp promote CBD, the non-psychoactive chemical within it. But Stein, the former attorney general, says some in the hemp product industry have found ways to extract enough THC from hemp so that their offerings also provide the high of marijuana. He said this has led to an unregulated "Wild West" cannabis market in which anyone, including children, can purchase products with 'intoxicating THC.' In an interview with WRAL-TV on Tuesday, Stein said that he personally supports legalizing adult recreational use of marijuana and other intoxicating THC products, and believes a structure can be put in place that simultaneously keeps them away from children. 'I believe adults should be able to choose what they want to do, but they need to have information,' Stein said. 'They need to be protected.' Legislation that would authorize medical marijuana have cleared the Senate in the recent past occasions but have failed to pass the House. Council members include Republican state Sen. Bill Rabon and GOP Rep. John Bell. Rabon has championed medical marijuana legalization at the General Assembly, while Bell is an executive at a manufacturer of CBD and hemp-based products and who has called for stricter industry regulation. Stein said Wednesday the council should propose developing a regulatory system that "allows adult sales, ensures public safety, promotes public health, supports North Carolina agriculture, expunges past convictions of simple THC possession, and invests the revenues in resources for addiction, mental health, and drugged driving detection.' The order says recommendations also should consider taxation. For now, Stein said, the General Assembly should pass laws prohibiting sales of products with intoxicating THC to anyone under 2021 and set packaging standards. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia allow the medical use of cannabis products, while about half of the states and D.C. have legalized small amounts of cannabis for adult recreational use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Early voting is underway for Georgia PSC races. Here's what you need to know.
Primaries for two Georgia Public Service commission races will take place on June 17. Early voting began May 27 and will end June 13. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder (file) For the first time since 2020, Georgia voters have a chance to decide who will represent them on the Public Service Commission. This delayed election comes after a lawsuit challenged the statewide elections used to elect commissioners, arguing it diluted the voting strength of Black voters. Despite each commissioner hailing from a specific geographic district in Georgia, voters across the state are eligible to vote for each member. This year, District 2 and 3 seats are on the ballot. The 2025 election comes as commissioners face criticism for signing off rising rates for Georgia Power customers. After June's primary election, winners will advance to the general election in November that will coincide with municipal elections across the state. With early voting already in full swing, about 18,000 people have cast a ballot as of Monday, according to the Secretary of State's data hub. The primary election will take place on June 17. Early voting began May 27 and will end June 13. If a candidate does not receive at least 50% of the vote in the primary, a runoff election will be held on July 15. Voters can check their registration status, polling information and sample ballots on the Georgia Secretary of State's My Voter Page. The PSC is a five-member commission that is tasked with regulating electric, telecommunication and natural gas services. The commissioners' decisions and outcomes directly affect how much people in Georgia pay for necessary utility services. Their website points out that 'very few governmental agencies have as much impact on peoples' lives as the PSC.' Despite this impact, PSC elections tend to have low visibility and voter turnout across Georgia. University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock attributes that partly to limited campaign capability. 'I've often said that most Georgians [are] probably not fully aware we have a public service commission, don't know that it has five members, and couldn't name a single one of them,' Bullock said. With limited campaign finances and awareness, it can be tough for candidates to reach voters. As a political scientist, Bullock said he often uses the PSC as an example when trying to identify what partisan division exists in the state. He says that when people vote for the PSC election with limited knowledge they tend to fall back on their preferred party. 'Georgia is still more Republican than Democratic, so I think ultimately, probably the incumbent Republicans are going to win,' Bullock said. 'It also helps that once we get to the general election ballot, it'll have the 'I' beside their name, indicating they are the incumbents.' In District 2, incumbent Commissioner Tim Echols is running for re-election. If elected, this would mark the beginning of his third term as a commissioner. Echols will face Lee Muns on the Republican ballot. Alicia M. Johnson is running uncontested on the Democratic ballot. District 2 goes as far north as Hart County and as far south as Savannah. In District 3, which includes Clayton, DeKalb, and Fulton counties, incumbent Commissioner Fitz Johnson is the sole candidate on the Republican ballot this month. Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Johnson to the seat in 2021. All the action in this race is on the Democratic side right now, with four candidates trying to clinch the nomination. Daniel Blackman, who served as the Environmental Protection Agency's Southeast regional administrator during the Biden administration, is fighting to remain a candidate. Blackman was disqualified after Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger agreed with an administrative court judge that he did not have the adequate residency qualifications to run. A Fulton County Superior Court judge granted an injunction allowing Blackman to remain on the ballot for now. A hearing on Blackman's appeal is set for June 10. Other Democratic candidates include Peter Hubbard, who is the founder of the clean nonprofit Center for Energy Solutions, former utility executive Robert Jones and Keisha Sean Waites, who is a former Atlanta City Council member and ex-state representative. The PSC primary is a partisan election and requires voters to choose a Democratic or Republican ballot. The primary election will not occur at the same time as any municipal elections. This will not be true for the general election. For cities with municipal general elections also occurring on Nov. 4, different ballots will be offered for each election. The partisan nature of the primary election often contributes to low voter turnout. 'Many people do not turn out for primaries,' said Travis Doss, president of the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials and Richmond County's election director. 'They do not feel that they have an affiliation with a party, so there's always confusion when it comes to primaries. People argue with us that they should be able to vote for both sets of candidates.' This was true for a Richmond County woman who recently came in ready to cast her vote but ended up telling Doss that she would not be picking a party. A 2020 lawsuit brought forth by Black voters in Atlanta delayed years of PSC elections and challenged the electoral process that allows statewide voters to elect district-specific commissioners. Plaintiffs argued that this is a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and dilutes the voting power of Black Georgians. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately decided not to hear the case, and the at-large method of electing commissioners remains in place. Critics and consumer watch groups have continued to express concerns over rate prices, growing electricity demands and the spread of data centers. According to previous Georgia Recorder reporting, the average Georgia Power residential customer pays about $43 more to cover base electric rate increases, recover excess fuel expenses, and cover the cost of completing two new nuclear power generators at Plant Vogtle. PSC staff and Georgia Power reached a proposed agreement to 'freeze' base electric rates from 2026 to 2028. Critics have pointed out that Georgia Power customers could still see an increase on their utility bill after the approval of funds for storm damage and fuel recovery expenses. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Georgia can't afford Medicaid cuts
Guest opinion writer Natalie Crawford argues that proposed Medicaid cuts would hurt everyday Georgians and the state's Georgia, 1 in 10 adults or 2 in 5 children rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage, over 70% of which is federally funded. While Georgia already has one of the highest uninsured rates in the country with 1.2 million of our fellow Georgians living without critical coverage, lawmakers in Congress are right now weighing legislation that includes major changes to Medicaid which would reduce federal investment in the program by an estimated $625 billion. Not only would such reforms increase our already high uninsured rate and threaten Georgians' access to care, but they would also deeply harm our local economies and state, putting pressure on the state budget. Everyday Georgians, including those who don't receive their health care from the program, will ultimately be the ones shouldering the economic burdens caused by federal Medicaid cuts. Depending on the specific type of cut Congress ultimately enacts, Georgia could lose nearly 17,000 jobs, including nearly nine thousand healthcare jobs in 2026 alone. Georgia also potentially stands to lose $578 million in federal Medicaid funding, putting enormous pressure on our state budget, and forcing our state officials to make difficult choices about which programs will continue to get funding, potentially reversing the strides Georgia has made in addressing issues like maternal and infant mortality and mental health. If Congress were to move forward with the House-passed legislation, it's estimated that between 72,000 and 120,000 Georgians could lose Medicaid coverage. And, we know that when more uninsured Georgians show up to hospitals needing medical attention, rates of uncompensated care increase. More uninsured Georgians means that we all will pay more for our health insurance, as premiums will go up when hospitals raise their prices to shift the cost of uncompensated care to those who can pay. These higher premiums also impact Georgia's employers, especially our small business owners, who may have to make the tough choice between cutting employee benefits, reducing wages, or risking financial strain. Property taxes would also likely increase, because local governments rely on them to sustain struggling community hospitals. Included in the House bill is a framework requiring states to implement work requirements for certain groups of Medicaid enrollees, a method Georgia has piloted for the past two years in Georgia Pathways, Georgia's partial Medicaid expansion program, which launched in 2023. With its low enrollment numbers and high administrative costs, Pathways has proven that work requirements are burdensome to the state, the taxpayer, and the enrollee. In Georgia's 2025 renewal application for the Pathways program, the state has requested to decrease the frequency of work reporting requirements because of the administrative burden. Congress right now is proposing to add reporting requirements for Medicaid programs nationally, which goes against everything we've learned in Georgia. The impacts of proposed federal reforms to Medicaid would be felt most acutely by our state's most vulnerable communities. Folks living in rural areas are more likely to be served by Medicaid, and cuts to the program will threaten an essential revenue stream for our rural hospitals, who often rely more heavily on Medicaid reimbursement. Nine rural Georgia hospitals have closed since 2010, and as many as 18 more are now struggling and in danger of closing or dramatically reducing services. Cutting Medicaid may push many of those over the line. Such closures have ripple effects — local businesses will suffer or be forced to relocate when rural hospitals close, leaving thousands of community members without jobs and access to healthcare. As a proud lifelong Republican and former County Commissioner for Habersham County, I have spent decades pushing for fiscally responsible solutions for our state. Cuts to Medicaid are not only fiscally irresponsible, but they could threaten the livelihoods of our fellow Georgians and the economic opportunities that consistently make our great state a top state for business. Unfortunately, there are many influential voices who use divisive rhetoric, misinformation, and fear mongering to cloud the understanding of what the Medicaid program is delivering for our state, and who really benefits from this safety net. Chances are, you know someone who could lose access to their local hospital, their job, or their healthcare coverage as a result of the proposed Medicaid changes. It might surprise you to learn that I used Medicaid insurance as a young mother, which enabled me to have my first child and take care of my family without going into medical debt — or worse. Without it, I likely would not have been able to become a successful FinTech professional and small business owner, or fulfill my call to public service. Medicaid covers 40% of all babies and kids in our state, thousands of seniors in nursing homes and people receiving long-term care, and many hardworking adults like me. Buying into misinformation will lead to policy decisions that hurt our neighbors and our state economy. While Congress is considering harmful cuts, it's essential everyday Georgians be heard. If enough Georgians speak up for the health of our neighbors and our economy, together, a symphony of voices can rise above the noise. Call your representatives — let them know about the negative impacts that Medicaid cuts would have on Georgians like you and me. Remind them that work reporting requirements add costly red tape without improving accountability. Urge your friends, family members, and neighbors to do the same. A vote to cut Medicaid is a vote against the health — and the economic prosperity — of our state and Georgian families. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
In Nashville, Volunteers Are Figuring Out How to Counter ICE
Word spread quickly through Nashville in early May: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had been spotted alongside state highway patrol officers along the southern roads where much of the city's Latino population lives. The outcry over the nearly 200 immigration-related arrests was fierce in Nashville, a liberal enclave in an otherwise ruby red state. But even as the city's Democratic mayor, Freddie O'Connell, condemned what he called the operation's 'deep community harm,' it reflected how most Tennessee leaders have embraced President Trump's crackdown on immigration. With little official recourse, several Nashville residents and immigration advocacy groups are now acting as unofficial chroniclers of immigration activity. Among them is The ReMIX Tennessee, which set up a hotline for community members to call in and report any sign of immigration enforcement. On social media, they also circulate warnings about where the Tennessee Highway Patrol and ICE agents have been spotted together. State troopers can make routine traffic stops. Immigration officers legally cannot without probable cause or a warrant, but together, it meant traffic stops could end in immigration arrests. 'Anyone who's from Nashville knows those areas are densely immigrant, Hispanic, Latino areas,' said Cathy Carrillo, a co-founder of the organization. She added, 'if we weren't out there documenting everything that they were doing, they would be doing double what they were doing, and they would be treating people worse.' Brian Acuna, an official in ICE's New Orleans field office, said the operation was focused on 'identifying and removing individuals who pose a threat to the safety and security of Tennessee residents.' While some of those detained have not been identified, the agency said that 96 of the 196 arrests had either prior convictions or pending charges. The Tennessee Highway Patrol 'categorically rejects any suggestion that our troopers engage in racial profiling or target individuals based on ethnicity, race, or national origin,' Jason Pack, a spokesman for the department said. Troopers were focused on 'observed hazardous driving behavior,' conducting 660 traffic stops and 16 arrests between May 3 and May 13. 'Each stop was lawful, consistent with department policy, and conducted in accordance with the Constitution,' Mr. Pack said. The agency is now one of more than 600 state and local agencies that have signed a formal agreement with the federal government that allows them to help with immigration enforcement.
