Portland, OR commits to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050
Leaders from the City of Portland and Multnomah County have committed to 100 percent clean energy by the year 2050.
North & Central America
This archive covers progress stories from North and Central America, spanning the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the nations of Central America. Readers will find reporting on health, environment, community resilience, and policy advances across the region.
New York grants free tuition for all state colleges
New York just became the first state in the nation to make tuition free for middle class students at both two- and four-year public colleges.
Rikers Island prison to close, New York mayor says
De Blasio set a timeline of 10 years to reduce the overall jail population in the city, which he said would allow for a “complete departure of all inmates from Rikers Island.”
FDA approves first treatment for severe type of multiple sclerosis
“We’ve been banging on a wall with a bunch of drugs, and we finally put a big crack in the wall,” said Dr. Jerry Wolinsky.
California EPA becomes first U.S. agency to declare that Roundup causes cancer
The state of California has finalized its decision designating glyphosate, the main ingredient in the pesticide Roundup, as a known human carcinogen under the state’s Proposition 65.
25 U.S. cities have now committed to 100% renewables
Madison, Wisconsin and Abita Springs in Louisiana will transition to 100 per cent renewable energy following respective city council votes on Tuesday 21 March.
Diet, including eating less beef, dropped Americans’ carbon emissions by 9%
A decline in carbon-intensive foods like beef and orange juice has shrunk individuals’ carbon footprints between 2005 and 2014.
The United States Supreme Court rules in favor of special education students
The decision in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District could have far-reaching implications for the 6.5 million students with disabilities in the United States.
Infant mortality rates fall 15 percent over last decade in United States
The biggest drop 29 percent is for deaths from sudden infant death syndrome, also known as SIDS, the team at the National Center for Health Statistics found.
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.