News briefs

Tribune News Service on Jun 2, 2026

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NYC Council pushes for $4.5 million to fund 9/11 Ground Zero toxin report

NEW YORK — City council leaders are pushing for an $4.5 million in city budget money to fund a report about 9/11 toxins — and to finally determine when city officials first learned air quality at Ground Zero was dangerous.

The elected officials made the funding request ahead of a council Oversight and Investigations Executive Budget hearing on Tuesday seeking the release of all documents related to post-9/11 air quality.

In February, City Council Speaker Julie Menin joined Councilwoman Gale Brewer, advocates and labor leaders to demand the city disclose all records related to toxins surrounding Ground Zero. That push came after an internal memo surfaced revealing city officials anticipated health-related lawsuits in the weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

“Thousands of families, including my own, are still waiting for answers about what the city knew about the environmental toxins that sickened or killed our loved ones,” Menin said in a statement. “The City Council has continually demanded full transparency and accountability. Now, we’re fighting for additional funding in the budget that will allow the city to finally complete and release this long-overdue report.”

—New York Daily News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues city of Denton over plans for 'Big Gay Swim Day'

DALLAS —Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the city of Denton to block plans for gender-neutral changing rooms at a gay Pride swim party.

Two nonprofits, Pridenton and OUTReach Denton, are hosting the "Big Gay Swim Day" June 7 at the city-owned Quakertown Civic Center.

In a statement, the city said it notified the groups that the event's advertising conflicted with a new state law that restricts which bathrooms people can use in schools and government facilities. The city said it plans to notify Paxton's office that it has already addressed the issue.

The groups said in a joint statement Thursday they have changed plans and removed language about the changing rooms on social media. "This frivolous lawsuit is a waste of taxpayers' time and money," they said.

—The Dallas Morning News

More Idaho farmers, ranchers can now get federal funds to help migrating wildlife

BOISE, Idaho — Federal officials on Tuesday announced an expansion to a program that uses Farm Bill funding to help farmers and ranchers preserve big-game migration corridors on private land. The announcement was made in Boise at a Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies conference.

The program, called Migratory Big Game: A Framework for Conservation Action, began in 2020 with a focus on several Great Plains states. The program later expanded west to include sagebrush habitat, including parts of Idaho in 2023.

The newest expansion includes the entirety of 17 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

The conservation program allows farmers and ranchers to apply for funds to implement “wildlife-friendly practices,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The money comes from programs funded through the Farm Bill, a piece of federal legislation passed every few years that addresses agriculture policy, and funds food and agriculture producer support programs, among many other things.

—The Idaho Statesman

Kenya ordered to disclose details of Ebola center deal with US

A Kenyan high court instructed the authorities to disclose details of an agreement with the U.S. government to establish an Ebola quarantine facility in the East African nation.

Judge Patricia Nyaundi ordered the publication of the “full terms of any agreement, memorandum, arrangement or negotiations relating to the proposed facility,” details of public health, environmental, biosafety or security assessments that were undertaken and approvals obtained from lawmakers and other regulatory bodies.

The protocols intended to govern the admission, handling, isolation and treatment of people exposed to the virus also had to be made public, she said in a ruling handed down on Tuesday. The directives were granted in a case filed by a human rights group and the Law Society of Kenya seeking to block the establishment of the isolation unit or entry of Ebola patients into Kenya.

The latest outbreak of Ebola has been concentrated in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo and been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization.

—Bloomberg News