Oglala Sioux Tribe legalizes same-sex marriage
The tribal council last week approved a same-gender marriage ordinance in a 12-3 vote with one abstention.
United States
This archive gathers more than 1,500 solutions-journalism stories tied to the United States — covering policy wins, community efforts, scientific advances, and social progress reported from across the country. Each article highlights what is working, who is driving change, and what results have followed.
University of Texas promises full scholarships to low-income students
The UT Board of Regents voted to establish a $160 million endowment to offer full scholarships to in-state students with family incomes under $65K by 2020.
California becomes first state in the U.S. to ban racial discrimination against natural hair
The CROWN Act updates the state’s anti-discrimination law so that “race” includes “traits historically associated with race,” such as afros and braids.
Rare sea turtles smash nesting records in Georgia, Carolinas
Researchers and volunteers have cataloged more than 12,200 nests left by loggerheads, a threatened species protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Hawaii becomes 26th U.S. state to decriminalize marijuana
The new law removes the possibility of jail time as a penalty for up to three grams of marijuana, but maintains a $130 fine.
Maine passes 2 bills to reduce ‘welfare cliff’
The bills aim to keep families transitioning from welfare to work from losing health, financial, and education benefits until they are earning enough to fully support themselves.
Minnesota Methodists resolve to allow officiating of same-sex unions, LGBT ordination
Members of Minnesota’s United Methodist Church voted to commit to full inclusion of LGBT people.
New York City begins enforcing Styrofoam ban
The city banned Styrofoam because the material can’t be “recycled in a manner that is economically feasible” or “environmentally effective.”
Scientists eliminate HIV in animal genome in historic first
Existing HIV treatment used antiretroviral therapy, which is not a cure for HIV and requires lifelong use. In this study, researchers used a gene editing system to remove large fragments of HIV DNA from infected cells, along with a new drug regimen called long-acting slow-effective release. This approach eliminated HIV DNA from about one-third of the mice, marking the first time that HIV had been eradicated from the genomes of living animals.
Illinois is expunging marijuana convictions from nearly 800,000 criminal records
In addition to legalizing marijuana, Illinois HB 1438 offers relief to the roughly 770,000 residents of the state with marijuana-related offenses on their criminal records.