Connecticut expands abortion rights to balance new wave of restrictions
Advanced practice registered nurses, nurse-midwives, and physician assistants will now be permitted to conduct medication and aspiration abortions in Connecticut.
United States
New plastic-eating enzyme could eliminate billions of tons of landfill waste
An enzyme created by engineers and scientists at the University of Texas breaks down plastics that typically take centuries to degrade in a matter of days.
Amazon will pay U.S. staff travel expenses for abortions and other treatments
The new benefits will apply to treatments that are not available inside a 100-mile radius of an employee’s home and for which virtual options are not available.
Washington state takes strongest clean commercial building action in the U.S.
Under the new code that will take effect in July 2023, new commercial buildings will be built with high-efficiency electric heat pumps for water and space heating.
Massive planned solar-plus-storage project in Nevada secures $1.3 billion in financing
Located in southern Nevada, the project is set to be the largest continuous solar installation in the United States when it’s completed in 2023.
Colorado passes bill offering 10 hours per week of free universal preschool
By the fall of 2023, all 4-year-old children in Colorado will be able to attend preschool at no cost to their families.
Los Angeles County mandates compostable and recyclable dining ware
This new ordinance will also ban the sale of expanded polystyrene foam, more commonly known as Styrofoam, in items like coolers, dining ware, and pool toys.
First COVID-19 breath test authorized for use in U.S.
The device takes three minutes to return results and has been found to be over 90 percent accurate in detecting positive COVID-19 cases.
U.S. forgives 40,000 student loans, provides aid to 3.6 million more
The government said it was addressing “historical failures” to communicate to borrowers all the benefits they were eligible for in federal student loan programs.
New treatment helps alopecia patients regrow their hair
A new Yale study shows that one in three patients with a severe skin disease were able to regrow hair after being treated with a common arthritis drug.