Colorado Begins Planning Return of Wolverine Across its Parks, Absent for More Than 100 Years

Colorado Begins Planning Return of Wolverine Across its Parks, Absent for More Than 100 Years

Credit: Vincent van Zalinge/Unsplash Colorado wildlife authorities have introduced a plan to reintroduce the wolverine, one of the largest members of the weasel family, back into the state where it’s been absent for a century. Hunted to extinction, small populations of this solitary scavenger survived in Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Canada, from where they’ve gradually … Read more

Partnership With Farms Reinvents Kentucky School Lunches, Ending Days of Pan Pizza and Fruit Cups

Partnership With Farms Reinvents Kentucky School Lunches, Ending Days of Pan Pizza and Fruit Cups

Obi via Unsplash Whether you’re a student, an administrator, a farmer—or the journalists getting their teeth into the story of Kentucky schools’ movement to buy and serve local produce, the consensus is clear: the fajitas are great. At Boyle County High School, locally-raised beef marinated in cumin is heaped onto corn tortillas with queso, guacamole, … Read more

How Mississippi Moved from the Bottom to the Top in Student Reading Achievement Scores

How Mississippi Moved from the Bottom to the Top in Student Reading Achievement Scores

You won’t find a more literate bunch of 4th graders anywhere in the nation than if you go and stand in a Mississippi elementary school. Over the last few years, the Magnolia state has risen from 49th in the country for 4th grade reading level to number 1 in both reading and math at the … Read more

‘Great Iowa Treasure Hunt’ Reunites Rightful Owners with Lost Assets, Returns $33 Million Last Year

‘Great Iowa Treasure Hunt’ Reunites Rightful Owners with Lost Assets, Returns  Million Last Year

Fachrizal Maulana – via Unsplash If government is supposed to be a bureaucracy that operates on behalf of the citizens, one couldn’t hope to find a better example than a yearly tradition at the state treasury of Iowa known as the “Great Iowa Treasure Hunt.” That makes it sound like there’s a big state tax … Read more

France Bans Forever Chemicals in Cosmetics, Fashion, and Ski Wax

France Bans Forever Chemicals in Cosmetics, Fashion, and Ski Wax

Christin Hume – Unsplash Being that many of the so-called “forever chemicals” are involved in making products water-resistant, a French ban on their use in the textile, fashion, and cosmetics industries should serve to greatly reduce the nation’s population to their exposure. There are hundreds of forever chemicals often called per or poly fluoroalkyl substances … Read more

Bostonians Wanted More Bike Lanes: Now They Have Them, and Traffic Is Down

Bostonians Wanted More Bike Lanes: Now They Have Them, and Traffic Is Down

A bike lane in Cambridge, Boston – credit, Photo by Adam Coppola taken under contract for PeopleForBikes The Better Bike Lanes project in the metropolitan area of Boston has led to a substantial increase in bicycle trips and a modest decrease in the number of motor vehicles on the roads at any given time. Taking … Read more

19-Year-old Defeats His Former HS Civics Teacher in Local Election: ‘I’m so proud of him’

19-Year-old Defeats His Former HS Civics Teacher in Local Election: ‘I’m so proud of him’

A recent local election in Virginia was surprising not only because of its outcome but because of its unusual civility. In Surrey County, Virginia, a 19-year-old had the courage and audacity to run against the incumbent Conservative for a seat on the Surry County Board of Supervisors. But there was a catch: He would need … Read more

Uruguay Achieves 99% Green Energy After Seeking the Lowest Price for Consumers

Uruguay Achieves 99% Green Energy After Seeking the Lowest Price for Consumers

Valentines Wind Park, in Florida and Treinta y Tres Departementes, Uruguay – credit, NaBUru38 CC 4.0. BY-SA One of the most stable and prosperous South American countries has managed to virtually zero-out fossil fuel use and transition almost entirely to renewable energy—by not focusing on environmental goals. The great folly of politics is believing that … Read more

Egypt Becomes 26th Country to Eliminate Leading Cause of Infectious Blindness with Triumph Over Trachoma

Egypt Becomes 26th Country to Eliminate Leading Cause of Infectious Blindness with Triumph Over Trachoma

Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, receiving a commendation from Dr. Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director for WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region – credit WHO Egypt has become the 26th country to eliminate trachoma as a public health concern, building on a steady string of triumphs over tropical … Read more