News
‘We’re going to need so many seedlings’ for reforestation push
Over the next few years, state tree nurseries across the country will build new greenhouses, expand irrigation systems, upgrade seeding equipment and bring on staff. They’re hoping to turn millions of new federal dollars into millions of new seedlings — part of a collaborative effort to reforest landscapes threatened by climate change. “We’re going to […]
Even after a wet winter, California is preparing for the next drought
SAN DIEGO — Mountains are capped with record snowpack, rolling hills are covered in a rainbow of wildflowers, reservoirs are filled to the brim, and rivers are rushing with snowmelt. A vast majority of California is finally out of drought this month, after a punishing multiyear period of severe aridity that forced statewide water cuts […]
States weigh child abuse reporting vs. clergy’s duty of confidentiality
From the time Washington state Sen. Noel Frame was 5 years old until she was 10, she was sexually abused by a teenage cousin. The abuse only stopped when she told a teacher, who reported it to the authorities and to her parents. Now, Frame, 43, wants to require members of the clergy in Washington […]
Low fertility rates, high housing prices mean fewer children in most states
Thirty-five states have fewer children than they did five years ago, a situation caused by declining birth rates nationwide, but also by young families migrating across state borders in search of cheaper housing. Even in the 15 states that gained children, all but North Dakota experienced greater growth in the adult population, meaning children now […]
Some states hope to move climate-threatened species, but others say no way
This story is part two of a two-part series about a federal proposal to relocate endangered species outside their historic ranges. See part one: Federal wildlife managers and ecologists weigh the risks of action — and inaction — to rescue species from climate change. North Carolina might need to move a snail. A tiny mollusk […]
Climate change is destroying habitats. But relocating species could be tricky.
This story is part one of a two-part series about a federal proposal to relocate endangered species outside their historic ranges. Read part two: State wildlife officials have widely diverging reactions to the proposal. Nine years ago, a team of scientists studying a violet-blue, thumb-sized butterfly found only two remaining in a rolling landscape of […]
California just can’t quit Big Oil
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is an oil state. For a century, the Golden State has been one of the leading oil producers in the country. Although production has declined in recent decades, fossil fuels remain a major source of jobs and tax revenue. That’s why a crusade against oil that is revving up in the […]
Debate over holding back third graders roils state legislatures
Should third graders who don’t read well enough to pass a standardized test repeat their grade? That question is roiling states, with some choosing to keep the practice, some to modify it and others to scrap it. Most states require students to take standardized tests that measure progress in reading and math in the third […]
Wave of transgender health care bans has roots in past debates
In the past two years, 19 states have banned or restricted gender-affirming care for minors, and another 12 states are considering it — a tidal wave of policy change that has emboldened many Republicans on the far right while terrifying transgender youth and their families. Gender-affirming care for transgender patients can cover pediatrics, psychiatry and […]
New York to ban fossil fuels in new buildings. 23 states have forbidden such bans.
A widening clash over gas stoves and other fossil fuel appliances has ignited in statehouses across the country as Democratic lawmakers pursue more aggressive climate policies. On one side, environmentalists and left-leaning legislators have championed new construction rules that require homes and other buildings to run off electricity only, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On […]
4-day school weeks, gaining in popularity, face pushback from lawmakers
MINERAL WELLS, Texas — Desperate to fill open positions amid a statewide teacher shortage, school officials in this rural North Texas city of about 15,000 chose to follow the lead of neighboring districts by converting to a four-day school week at the start of the current student year. “We decided if we can’t beat them, […]
Tribal control at issue for lone sports betting holdout in the Midwest
HINCKLEY, Minn. — Amid the flat woodlands of east-central Minnesota, the Grand Casino stands out: Its hotel is the tallest building between the Twin Cities and Duluth. The casino floor beckons gamblers with more than 1,900 slot machines and round-the-clock blackjack and poker tables. With a golf course, an RV park and an amphitheater that […]