Berkeley becomes first city to divest from U.S.-Mexico border wall companies
The Bay Area city won’t do business with government contractors that work on Donald Trump’s pet project.
United States
Police departments in the 7 cities of Virginia have all appointed LGBT liaisons
Police in Chesapeake, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hampton, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach had already created the position. Local law enforcement agencies are taking proactive steps to foster a relationship with the LGBT community and establish an ongoing dialogue to better serve the community.
A majority of Americas now oppose discriminatory transgender bathroom bills
Majorities of Americans support legal protections for lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender people, opposing laws that force transgender people to use bathrooms according to the gender on their birth certificate and that allow business owners to refuse to service to LGBT people based on religious beliefs.
Maryland House votes to ban fracking by veto-proof margin
The majority, including a handful of Republicans, voted to ban the practice after hearing arguments that science shows that the risk of earthquakes, water contamination and health problems increases in fracked areas.
Breckinridge Capital adopts Social Progress Index to reward cities for inclusiveness.
Specifically, the framework follows the Social Progress Index in assessing how a community meets basic human needs for healthcare, sanitation and safety; provides foundations of wellbeing, including environmental quality; and offers opportunities, such as access to advanced education and personal choice.
Wind overtakes hydro as renewable energy leader in the U.S.
According to new data released on Monday 6 March, installed wind capacity in the U.S. surpassed hydroelectric generating capacity, long the nation’s largest source of renewable energy, in 2016.
Tesla charges ahead with plans for more gigafactories
Tesla claims that by the end of 2018, the Nevada factory will assemble more lithium-ion batteries than what were produced globally in 2013.
U.S. Appeals Court rules that Second Amendment doesn’t protect right to assault weapons
Issued by the court sitting en banc, Tuesday’s decision reversed a previous ruling in which a panel of judges had struck down Maryland’s ban on assault weapons and detachable large capacity magazines.
Teen suicide attempts have declined since legalization of same-sex marriage
Teen suicide attempts in the U.S. declined after same-sex marriage became legal and the biggest impact was among gay, lesbian and bisexual kids, a study found.
Solar now provides twice as many jobs as the coal industry
As solar power keeps getting cheaperand more and more of it is built as a resultthe industry is also an increasingly important source of new jobs, adding workers at a rate nearly 17 times faster than the overall economy.