August News Byte 2023

A month of literal and figurative heat and storms

Hello Verified News Community! We hope you are enjoying the final days of summer. Here’s VNN’s Rachael Schuit with a quick News Byte!

Our top story this month: deadly storms ripped through Michigan earlier this week. 

The National Weather Service has confirmed that seven tornadoes touched down in Michigan on Thursday night. At least four people are dead and thousands were without power Friday.

And a Detroit woman filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming Detroit Police arrested her because of the improper use of Facial Recognition Technology. 

In Oklahoma, Tulsa Public Schools maintained its accreditation “with deficiencies” after the district’s superintendent resigned. 

Oklahoma is ranked second to last place for education in the nation, but the focus has been on Tulsa schools as of late, made up of mostly Black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. 

And the conflict over tribal compacts heated up as Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt sued the state’s Speaker of the House and Senate President Pro Tempore after both chambers overturned two of his vetoes. 

In national news, Illinois became the first state to require “Kidfluencers” to be compensated if they’re in at least 30 percent of videos monetized by their parents. Parents will be required to put money from the earnings into a trust account. 

And speaking of kids, Broome County is stepping up in a variety of ways to help kids of all ages get ready for the new school year. 

Read about all of the community happenings in the latest news feed of the VNN app. 

That’s where you’ll find other verified news stories produced by our trusted affiliate collaborators, like Mvskoke Media. They shared information about MCN Community Centers forums for official candidates going on up to the primary election on September 15. 

The Black Wall Street Times told us about a Black-owned app that helps people find shelter before storms. And the creator of the app is a fellow Builders and Backers alumni. 

In Health News, KFF Health News reported on pay disparities between tribal health workers and their peers. According to the report, most state Medicaid programs don’t recognize or pay for health programs that are on Tribal lands. 

And ending on a happy note, some exciting news for VNN! Our series Stealing Tvlse with LHRI received the RevContent Local Reporting Award! 

Our team is headed to Philadelphia for the last leg of the Stealing Tvlse Summer Tour next month. It has been an eye-opening experience, and we are looking forward to sharing everything we have learned with you soon!