The first Latina senator ever is coming to Washington
Catherine Cortez Masto’s victory in the Nevada Senate race makes her the first Latina senator.
North & Central America
Californians vote to legalize recreational use of marijuana in the state
Voters on Tuesday approved Proposition 64, making California the most populous state in the nation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
Colorado voters approve minimum wage increase to $12 an hour
Colorado voters decided to join other states by voting to raise the minimum wage in the state, in steps, between 2017 and 2020 after passage of Amendment 70 on Tuesday.
Oregon elects the nation’s first openly bisexual governor
The people of Oregon have elected the nation’s first openly bisexual governor.
Voters approve minimum wage increase to $13.50 in Washington state
Washington’s low-wage workers can expect to earn at least $13.50 an hour by 2020 under a ballot measure that won Tuesday night.
Guatemala becomes fourth country in the world to eliminate onchocerciasis, known as ‘river blindness’
Of the six countries in the Americas where transmission of the debilitating disease was present in the 1990s, Guatemala accounted for about 41% of the 568,000 people at risk.
The income gap began to narrow under Obama
In a report released Friday, the president’s Council of Economic Advisers argued that the Obama administration’s policies on taxes, health care and other issues were responsible for a historic achievement in reducing inequality.
Obama sets aside 10 million acres in California for renewable energy and conservation
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell approved Wednesday a plan to set aside 10.8 million acres of public land in the California desert for mostly conservation, with a dash of renewable energy.
Obama to quadruple Hawaii monument, creating world’s largest protected marine area
The designation, expected to take effect Friday, will expand Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument from 139,797 square miles to 582,578 square miles, making it the largest marine protected area on the planet.
Learning gap between rich and poor kids in the U.S. narrows
Despite a societal backdrop of widening income inequality, kids on opposite ends of the wealth spectrum are now entering kindergarten with closer levels of achievement than in the past, new research finds.