Convictions cleared for nearly 850K Michiganders as ‘Clean Slate’ program takes effect
The bipartisan “Clean Slate” legislation, as advocates call it, wipes clean a range of convictions from people’s records after a defined waiting period.
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.
New Jersey governor protects trans youth seeking health care with executive order
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order preventing people in the state from being extradited for providing, receiving, or facilitating gender-affirming care.
New nuclear medicine therapy cures human non-hodgkin lymphoma in preclinical model
A single dose of this radioimmunotherapy was found to eliminate tumor cells and extend the life of mice injected with cancerous cells for more than 221 days (the trial endpoint), compared to just 19 days in untreated control mice.
Colorado passes first U.S. right to repair legislation for farmers
Right-to-repair just scored a historic win: in April 2023, Colorado became the first U.S. state to legally guarantee farmers the ability to fix their own agricultural equipment. The law requires manufacturers to share the same diagnostic tools, software, and manuals they give authorized dealers — closing a digital loophole that often left skilled local mechanics unable to complete a repair without a corporate authorization code. For farmers facing a broken combine mid-harvest, that shift can mean the difference between saving a season and losing it. Colorado’s breakthrough is now serving as a template for similar fights across other states and at the federal level, and for a broader movement extending repair rights to electronics, medical devices, and beyond.
New Mexico governor signs bill ending juvenile life sentences without parole
Under SB64, offenders who committed crimes when they were younger than 18 and received life sentences will be eligible for parole hearings 15 to 25 years into their sentences.
Oregon approves the U.S.’s first legal psilocybin mushroom farms
Legal psilocybin mushrooms are now being grown in Oregon for the first time in over 50 years of U.S. prohibition, with Satori Farms PDX becoming the first licensed producer in the country. Owner Tori Armbrust, a longtime gourmet mushroom grower, plans to supply two service centers within months, where trained facilitators will guide adults through supervised sessions. The framework, approved by Oregon voters in 2020, has already drawn more than 200 license and worker permit applications, and the first cohort of state-trained facilitators has graduated. Cost and federal scheduling remain real hurdles, but Oregon is quietly turning a decade of promising mental health research into the country’s first working model — one that other states, and people struggling with treatment-resistant depression, will be watching closely.
The U.S. is on track to close half of its coal-fired generation capacity by 2026
By the end of 2026, based on current announcements from utilities, coal capacity will fall to 159 gigawatts (GW), down from its peak of 318GW in 2011.
U.S. FDA approves over-the-counter sale of overdose reversal drug Narcan
Over-the-counter Narcan is now a reality: the FDA cleared the 4 mg naloxone nasal spray for sale at pharmacies, convenience stores, and other retailers without a prescription — the first opioid overdose reversal drug ever to earn that status in the U.S. The medication works within minutes to restore breathing, and it’s safe enough that any bystander can use it, no medical training required. For years, harm reduction workers quietly distributed naloxone in their communities, knowing how much it mattered; this decision finally meets them where they’ve been standing. Putting a life-saving tool on the same shelf as aspirin won’t end the overdose crisis on its own, but it’s a powerful reminder that expanding access — trusting ordinary people to help each other — is how public health movements actually save lives.
New Mexico updates anti-discrimination law to include LGBTQ+ protections
The new law establishes a broader slate of protections for LGBTQ+ people by defining gender and sex in state law and expanding existing definitions of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Novo Nordisk to slash U.S. insulin prices, following move by Eli Lilly
The Danish drugmaker will reduce the list price of its NovoLog insulin by 75%, and for Novolin and Levemir by 65%.