New York governor signs law raising age to own semiautomatic rifle
New York’s Legislature passed the bills last week, pushing the changes through after a pair of mass shootings involving 18-year-old gunmen using semiautomatic rifles.
North & Central America
Caribou herds in British Columbia have tripled in less than a decade
Environmentalists say the mix of traditional knowledge from Indigenous elders, hands-on community engagement, and Western science offer a model for improved conservation.
In historic shift, far fewer teens face adult U.S. courts
Data reported to the FBI each year by thousands of police departments across the country shows the percentage of youths taken into custody who were referred to adult courts dropped from 8% in 2010 to 2% in 2019.
Rectal cancer immunotherapy trials deliver ‘unheard of’ remission in all 14 patients
In every case, the rectal cancer disappeared after immunotherapy and the cancer has not returned in any of the patients, who have been cancer-free for up to two years.
Three oil companies pull out of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Indigenous and environmental groups led a campaign against drilling in the refuge, and 29 banks and 14 insurers now say they won’t fund drilling in the refuge.
British Columbia becomes first Canadian province to remove criminal penalties for possession of some hard drugs
“By decriminalizing people who use drugs, we will break down the stigma that stops people from accessing life-saving support and services.”
Activision Blizzard workers vote in video game industry’s first union
A group of quality-assurance testers in Activision Blizzard’s Raven Software division, which developed the popular Call of Duty Game, voted 19-3 in favor of unionizing.
Marijuana legalization linked to fall in alcohol, tobacco, and pain medication consumption in new study
“Implementation of legalized non-medical cannabis coincided with decreases in alcohol and cigarette use and pain reliever misuse,” the University of Washington researchers reported.
Starbucks will now pay for employees who need to travel for abortions
Starbucks says it will pay travel expenses for U.S. employees to access abortion or gender-confirmation procedures if those services aren’t available within 100 miles of a worker’s home.
North Texas city to become first in the U.S. to offer free healthcare
Ferris, Texas, about 20 miles south of Dallas, will use money from the American Rescue Plan Act to provide free physical and mental healthcare to all residents.