Society

The Maine State Prison.

Incarcerated people partner with state officials to encourage voter turnout in Maine prisons

BY: - September 26, 2023

This story first appeared in the Maine Morning Star. In Maine, people in prison retain their right to vote, making the state one of just two in the nation — along with Vermont — where that is the case. Emphasizing the importance of being able to vote while incarcerated, advocates inside and outside prisons have […]

A woman sitting on a curb.

Amid rising evictions and rents, states grapple with protections in tenant-landlord laws

BY: - September 26, 2023

At 90 years old, Hilda Chavera has found a new purpose in life: tenant organizing. A Minneapolis resident for 50 years, Chavera said she has seen her city change, with many of her neighbors struggling to stay in their homes. “People can’t afford their rent. They are getting kicked out of their homes. They feel […]

A girl on a slide and her mother.

As child poverty doubles, states launch or expand their own tax credits

BY: - September 21, 2023

The federal pandemic-era child tax credit expansion lifted millions of children out of poverty in the second half of 2021. But Congress allowed it to expire at the end of that year, and new U.S. census data shows the child poverty rate more than doubled in 2022, erasing the record gains that were made. “It […]

A bike delivery worker.

States and cities eye stronger protections for gig economy workers

BY: - September 19, 2023

Joshua Wood remembers days during the COVID-19 lockdown when New York City’s streets were practically empty, save for workers like him. That experience convinced the 25-year-old Brooklynite — who makes deliveries for both Uber Eats and a package delivery service — that the gig economy needed some urgent changes. Roughly 1 in 6 American adults […]

A sign outside chipmaker Intel.

States sweeten their offers to chipmakers in competition for jobs

BY: - September 18, 2023

HILLSBORO, Ore. — “Oregon’s been at this for decades,” the governor’s office assures potential investors in its so-called Silicon Forest. The Lone Star State’s governor calls it a “race that Texas must win for our state, our workforce, our national security, and our future.” And New York’s governor boasts on the state’s YouTube channel that […]

A boat on land.

‘It’s an emergency.’ Midwest towns scramble as drought threatens drinking water.

BY: - September 15, 2023

SEDAN, Kan. — James Rainbolt typically can tackle most problems at his rural water plant with some extra time or money. But he can’t fix this. “I just can’t make it rain,” he said. Like others across Southeast Kansas, Rainbolt remains helpless as he watches a persistent drought dry up the local water supply. He […]

A child at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

States see influx of migrants from India, Venezuela and China

BY: - September 14, 2023

NEW YORK — A late-pandemic surge of new arrivals from India, Venezuela and China, reflecting people with legal visas and those fleeing across the United States’ southern border seeking asylum, helped bring more than 900,000 new immigrants to the U.S. between 2021 and 2022, according to a Stateline analysis of new census data to be released Thursday. Florida […]

A drug recovery center in Salem, Ore.

Drug decriminalization stumbled in Oregon. Other states are taking note.

BY: - September 12, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. — Just before Portland’s city council approved a ban on public drug use last week, Mayor Ted Wheeler described what he’d observed on his way to work that afternoon: “The last time I saw somebody consuming what I believe to be fentanyl publicly on our streets was less than five minutes ago, three […]

A sign in Oregon.

An Eastern Oregon effort to join Idaho reflects the growing American divide

BY: - September 6, 2023

ENTERPRISE, Ore. — This small ranching town, surrounded by towering tree-topped mountains and a valley of rolling grass fields, sits tucked into the northeast corner of the state — both out of the way and right in the middle of a contentious debate. At a meeting late last month, 25 people packed into a stuffy […]

An overdose awareness event.

Death rates for people under 40 have skyrocketed. Blame fentanyl.

BY: - September 5, 2023

A new Stateline analysis shows that U.S. residents under 40 were relatively unscathed by COVID-19 in the pandemic but fell victim to another killer: accidental drug overdose deaths. Death rates in the age group were up by nearly a third in 2021 over 2018, and last year were still 21% higher. COVID-19 was a small […]

Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour.

Seeing ‘Red’ after Taylor Swift debacle, lawmakers weigh concert ticket rules

BY: - September 1, 2023

There’s no question what motivated state Rep. Kelly Moller to push for changes in Minnesota law on concert ticket sales. “Really, it was the Taylor Swift debacle for me,” she said. A self-professed Swiftie, the Democrat found herself among millions of other Americans unable to buy tickets last year to Swift’s Eras Tour. She preregistered […]

Cultivated chicken.

Was that chicken cutlet grown in a lab? These states want you to know.

BY: - August 31, 2023

Select U.S. restaurants have begun serving laboratory-grown chicken, spurring long wait times for reservations by diners curious to taste it. In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave final approval for a few California-based companies to begin selling lab-produced chicken across the country. While it may be years before lab-grown meat is available at grocery […]