Massachusetts adopts universal free school meals
All public school students grades K-12 will be entitled to free lunches regardless of their financial status. It’s estimated to save families about $1,200 a year per student.
United States
This archive collects solutions-journalism stories and milestones from the United States — covering policy wins, community-led efforts, scientific advances, and social progress happening across the country. Each entry highlights what’s working and why it matters.
Work begins along California-Oregon border on largest dam removal project in U.S. history
Klamath River restoration is now the largest dam removal effort in U.S. history, reopening more than 400 miles of river to salmon once the last three dams come down. But the real story is what comes next: members of the Karuk, Yurok, and other tribal nations spent five years hand-gathering seeds from nearly 100 native plant species, and roughly 17 billion of those seeds will be sown along the freed riverbanks over the coming decade. Tribal ecological knowledge is shaping every phase, woven together with western science. For Indigenous communities worldwide fighting to restore ancestral waters, the Klamath offers a powerful template — proof that rivers, and the cultures rooted in them, can be brought back to life.
Michigan bans conversion therapy for minors
The law prohibits state-licensed providers from engaging in the psychologically-damaging practice. Michigan is now the 22nd state in the United States to ban such “therapy.”
Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic form body to regulate AI development
The Frontier Model Forum will focus on the “safe and responsible” development of frontier AI models, referring to AI technology even more advanced than the examples available currently.
Jacksonville Jaguars’ Kevin Maxen becomes the first male professional men’s coach in the U.S. to come out as gay
In a historic moment, Jacksonville Jaguars assistant strength and conditioning coach Kevin Maxen has come out, becoming the NFL’s first male coach to publicly identify as gay.
Admiral Lisa Franchetti to become the first female top officer in the U.S. Navy
Admiral Lisa Franchetti’s nomination as the U.S. Navy’s top officer would make her the first woman ever to sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the body’s history. A 38-year veteran who commissioned in 1985, she’s already only the second woman to reach four-star admiral in the Navy’s nearly 250 years. Her path includes commanding two carrier strike groups and leading U.S. Naval Forces Korea — the kind of operational résumé that speaks for itself. Her nomination came alongside several other historic firsts at the Pentagon, signaling a real generational shift in who gets to lead. It’s a reminder that the long, patient work of opening doors at the very top of powerful institutions does, eventually, move forward.
Number of EV charging points in the U.S. has nearly doubled in three years
In the first quarter of 2020, the U.S. had roughly 80,000 public charging stations nationwide. In Q1 2023, it surpassed 140,000 public stations.
U.S. destroys last of its Cold War chemical weapons
After over three decades of effort, the United States has destroyed the last of its chemical weapon stockpile that once consisted of 30,000 tonnes of deadly chemical agents in explosive munitions and storage containers.
Arizona governor greenlights over-the-counter birth control
Arizonans 18 and older will soon be able to go to their local pharmacy and purchase oral contraceptives without a doctor’s prescription.
41 countries implement mental health and resiliency training for healthcare workers
Project HOPE has created and implemented a training program on mental health and resiliency that has reached over 100,000 healthcare workers since the start of the pandemic.