Walgreens becomes newest member of the $15 an hour club
The $15 increase, which applies to both full- and part-time workers, will be phased in and completed by November 2022.
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.
City of Madison will begin sending specialists to non-violent mental health calls instead of police
Madison’s CARES (Community Alternative Response to Emergency Situations and Services) team will feature two paramedics from Madison Fire Department, as well as two representatives from the Journey Mental Health Facility in Madison.
HBCUs across the U.S. clear student balances and cancel debt with federal funds
Federal stimulus funds have enabled the U.S. Department of Education to make significant investments in under-resourced colleges and universities through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, including more than $2.6 billion to HBCUs.
U.S. EPA limits pesticide pollution into rivers and streams to protect Pacific salmon and trout
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finally acting to protect more than two dozen endangered West Coast salmon and steelhead species from pesticides.
Promising lung cancer blood test delivers impressively accurate results
A new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center is showing a novel blood test can detect the presence of lung cancer with over 90% accuracy using artificial intelligence.
Court rules North Carolina must allow former felons to vote
North Carolina judges ordered the restoration of voting rights for over 55,000 people with a felony conviction in what advocates call the largest expansion of voting rights in decades in the state.
U.S. to erase student debt for those with severe disabilities
The Biden administration will automatically erase student loan debt for more than 300,000 Americans with severe disabilities that leave them unable to earn significant incomes. The move will wipe out more than $5.8 billion in debt.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos
Studies from Columbia University, University of California Berkeley, and other renowned institutions show that chlorpyrifos can damage the developing brains of children, causing reduced IQ, loss of working memory, and attention deficit disorders.
Child hunger rates in the U.S. slashed 24% after first round of Child Tax Credit payment
The percentage of American families with kids who report not having enough to eat fell dramatically after the first child tax credit payments were distributed last month, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The world’s first all-electric tugboat to sail in 2023
Crowley Maritime Corporation recently revealed their design for eWolf — the world’s first all-electric harbor tugboat, due to hit the water over the next two years.