North & Central America | Peter Schulte

Disneyland unions agree to ‘historic’ 31% pay raise

By Peter Schulte / August 2, 2024 / Good news links

Master Services Council, which represents 14,000 Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, and Downtown Disney employees from four unions, announced its members had voted to accept a new contract that provides a 31% pay raise over the next three years.
The “biggest wage increases ever” for Disneyland resort employees will raise hourly pay more than $6 over three years from the current $19.90 to $24 in 2024 and $26 in 2026, according to the unions.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves blood test to screen for colon cancer

By Peter Schulte / July 29, 2024 / Good news links

The test, known as Shield, isn’t meant to replace colonoscopies, but is generating enthusiasm among doctors who say it has the potential to boost the dismal rate of screenings for the second-highest cause of cancer death in the United States. Shield has previously been available to doctors as a screening tool, at an out-of-pocket cost of $895. With the FDA approval, Medicare and private insurance companies are much more likely to cover the cost of the blood test, making it more widely accessible for patients.

Ocean Energy grid-scale wave energy generator Hawaii

Revolutionary grid-scale wave energy generator deployed in Hawaii

By Peter Schulte / July 26, 2024 / Good news links

Ocean Energy has deployed its 826-tonne wave energy converter buoy OE-35 at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site off the coast of the island of Oahu ahead of it being hooked up to Hawaii’s electricity grid. With a potential output of 1.25 MW, OE-35 harnesses energy from the waves using a remarkable double-flow air system.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs bill banning “gay or trans panic” defense

By Peter Schulte / July 24, 2024 / Good news links

Gov. Whitmer signed a slate of 39 bills into law, including H.B. 4718. The legislation, sponsored by bisexual state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, states that in criminal trials, “evidence of the discovery of, knowledge about, or potential disclosure of an individual’s actual or perceived sex, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation is not admissible” for the purposes of demonstrating “reasonable provocation.”

U.S. President Biden announces additional $1.2 billion in student debt relief for 35,000 public-sector workers

By Peter Schulte / July 18, 2024 / Good news links

President Joe Biden announced another round of student loan debt forgiveness, totaling $1.2 billion for 35,000 public-sector workers including teachers, nurses, and firefighters. The administration has now canceled more federal student loan debt than any prior administration – now totaling more than $168 billion for nearly 4.8 million Americans.

California passes first-in-the-nation law banning forced outings of queer students in state public schools

By Peter Schulte / July 16, 2024 / Good news links

The SAFETY Act prohibits “parental notification” policies in school districts that require educators to notify parents if their child requests to use pronouns and facilities different from the gender they were assigned at birth. The law, which goes into effect immediately, also protects teachers and administrators from retaliation if they choose not to follow district directives to out queer kids to their parents.

U.S. Internal Revenue Service collects milestone $1 billion in back taxes from high-wealth taxpayers

By Peter Schulte / July 11, 2024 / Good news links

Last year, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) launched a series of initiatives aimed at pursuing high-wealth individuals who have failed to pay their tax debts. The IRS says the campaign is focused on taxpayers with more than $1 million in income and more than $250,000 in recognized tax debt.

World’s biggest geothermal power purchase agreement completed in western U.S.

By Peter Schulte / July 4, 2024 / Good news links

It’s only been one year since Fervo Energy unveiled a novel concept in geothermal energy harvesting at its Project Red pilot plant in Nevada. Now the company has signed a 15-year agreement with Southern California Edison to provide 320 MW of power to the utility, which will power about 350,000 homes. The power will be provided by Fervo’s Cape Station project that is currently being built in southwest Utah, with the first 70 MW coming online in 2026 and the balance clicking on in 2028.

New twice-yearly shot to prevent HIV achieves 100% success rate in late-stage trial

By Peter Schulte / July 3, 2024 / Good news links

In this double-blind, randomized study of 5,300 cisgender women in South Africa and Uganda, 2,134 got the injection and the others took one of two types of daily PrEP pills. The trial from California-based company Gilead Sciences began on August 2021 and, so far, not a single woman who received the injections has contracted HIV. The participants who received either of the oral PrEP options, Truvada and Descovy, had infection rates of about 2% — consistent with the infection rates of oral PrEP in other clinical trials.

Colombian victims win historic lawsuit in U.S. court over banana giant Chiquita

By Peter Schulte / July 1, 2024 / Good news links

Following 17 years of legal proceedings, victims of paramilitary violence in Colombia have obtained justice, as a jury found the banana company Chiquita Brands International liable for financing the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitary group. The ruling is historic because it’s the first time an American jury has held a major U.S. corporation liable for complicity in serious human rights abuses in another country. Victims’ families will receive $38.3 million in compensation.