Alaska sees first two transgender women elected to office
Kathy Ottersten and Liz Lyke recently took positions as elected officials during the past municipal election.
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.
Local watershed non-profits in the United States have improved water quality, study shows
“We determined that the presence of water groups in a watershed resulted in improved water quality and higher proportions of swimmable and fishable water bodies.”
Majority of Americans now want energy from renewable sources
“The American public expresses overwhelming majority support for the twin goals of greater reliance on cleaner and renewable energy sources,” says Shannon Baker-Branstetter, senior policy counsel for Consumers Reports.
West Virginia to offer mobile blockchain voting app for overseas voters in November election
It will be the first state to offer this technology to improve voting accessibility for deployed members of the military and their families, according to West Virginia’s secretary of state.
MIT pledges $1 billion to develop ethical artificial intelligence
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced a billion-dollar initiative to confront the rise of artificial intelligence that will involve supporting deep interdisciplinary research into both AI’s promise and its ethical perils.
PepsiCo inks deal for 100 per cent recycled plastic packaging
The “multi-year” supply agreement, announced late last week, will see Loop supply PepsiCo with production capacity at its factory in the US, which produces PET plastic using 100 per cent recycled materials.
Washington state abolishes death penalty
Washington has become the 20th US state to ban the death penalty, after its Supreme Court ruled the punishment was applied in an “arbitrary and racially biased manner”.
New report finds raising the minimum wage reduces prison recidivism
Economics professors found that a minimum wage increase of $.50 an hour reduced the chance that a person would end up back in prison within a year by 2.8%.
Taylor Swift’s Instagram post has caused a massive spike in voter registration
The singer waded into politics on Sunday with a social media post encouraging her fans to register to vote before it was too late.
Minnesota now offers ‘X’ for gender option on driver’s licenses
In addition to “M” and “F,” “X” can now be checked by any applicant who does not want to identify as male or female.