Afternoon Newscast for August 14, 2026

From the KBIA Newsroom in Colombia, I'm Jason Brianne. New research from the U.S. Geological Survey shows nutrient pollution increased in many streams and rivers across the country. But as Harvest Public Media's Rachel Kramer reports, a lot of the uptick was due to the release of older nutrients stored in soil and groundwater. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus and waterways can feed algal blooms and contaminate drinking water. The study estimates up to half of the nutrients and streams between 2000 and 2020 took more than one season to get there. Some of that stems from natural sources, but a lot also comes from farming practices like applying fertilizer. Olivia Miller is the lead author of the study. Our models were showing that that was because of those kind of lingering past inputs. agricultural runoff and also changing stream flow. Like in the Midwest, for example, it got a lot wetter over our study period and that wetting, you know, moves more nutrients into streams. Miller says the research could help inform future decisions about water quality. I'm Rachel Kramer Harvest Public Media. And as voters prepare to weigh in on another abortion referendum in November, a fourth clinic is now offering the procedure. The Missouri Independent reports that voters enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution by passing a 2024 referendum. Now, a Springfield Planned Parenthood Clinic Clinic Clinic is the fourth in Missouri to offer in clinic procedures, with the group's clinics already in Columbia, St. Louis, and Kansas City offering procedural abortions since 2025. And food manufacturers are under pressure from consumers and federal agencies to phase out synthetic petroleum-based dyes, which have been linked to certain health risks. Researchers at the University of Missouri say a purple corn variety from South America could offer a natural alternative. Scientist Pavel Samavat and his team found the extracted pigments largely retained their color, even when exposed to 250 degrees Fahrenheit for more than an hour. If the colors are stable after that much heat exposure, it's a very good thing because natural pigments, they tend to break down. The researchers also found colors from purple corn held up well for weeks in both low and high acidic beverages stored at different temperatures. They're collaborating with a USDA researcher who's developing purple corn varieties better suited to growing in the U.S. They say this could provide a new economic opportunity for farmers. And an American flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol in Washington on the nation's 250th birthday is now in the hands of a mid-Missouri veteran. KOMU8 reports, the flag was presented to Mitchell Bennett of Ashland. Bennett is a 95-year-old veteran who served in the Navy on the USS Coral Sea in the Korean War. I'm Yuzan, KBI News, Colombia.