NEW ORLEANS — It’s a beloved century-old Carnival season tradition in New Orleans — masked riders on lavish floats fling strings of colorful beads or other trinkets to parade watchers clamoring with outstretched arms. It’s all in good fun but it’s also a bit of a “plastics disaster,” says Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection … Read more
LOS ANGELES — The tributes that poured in following Wayne Kramer’s death last week came from musicians praising the MC5 guitarist’s contributions to rock music, as well as from prison reform advocates who extolled his legacy of bringing music to incarcerated people. Kramer, who died Feb. 2 at age 75 of pancreatic cancer, influenced generations … Read more
SEATTLE — Providence health care system is refunding nearly $21 million in medical bills paid by low-income residents of Washington — and it’s erasing $137 million more in outstanding debt for tens of thousands of others — to settle the state’s allegations that it overcharged those patients and then used aggressive collection tactics when they … Read more
The Social Stock Exchange (SSE) is a segment of the existing stock exchange, designed to help non-profit organizations (NPOs) and for-profit social enterprises raise funds. It’s a new approach to impact investing, where financial investments are made with the intent to generate social impact alongside financial returns. Why the Need for SSE? The UNDP estimates … Read more
NEW YORK — A poetry collection, a coming-of-age novel and a history of deep sea exploration are unlikely to be found in the same section of your favorite bookstore. But they all have enough in common to be this year’s winners of Science + Literature awards, $10,000 prizes administered by the National Book Foundation and … Read more
NEW YORK — New York City intends to wipe out more than $2 billion in medical debt for up to 500,000 residents, tackling a top cause of personal bankruptcy, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday. The city is working with RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that buys medical debt in bulk from hospitals and debt collectors … Read more
NEW ORLEANS — At 19 months old, Elijah Jack, born with no femur bone in one leg and a short femur in the other, is unable to walk on his own like most toddlers his age. Another 19-month-old, Freya Baudoin, born prematurely at 28 weeks and delayed in her mobility, has finally taken her first … Read more
PHOENIX — With his gap-tooth smile, hip-hop routines and volunteer work for a food charity, Roosevelt White III was well known in the downtown Phoenix tent city known as “The Zone.” But like many homeless people, White suffered from diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He died unexpectedly one sweltering September day at age 36. Thousands of … Read more
