In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re covering Maryland’s decision to forgive 175,000 low-level marijuana possession charges, the EU’s ambitious environmental plan to restore 20% of its land and sea by the end of the decade, and the debut of San Francisco’s free grocery store, offering accessible food options to all residents.
Maryland to pardon 175,000 marijuana convictions to right ‘historical wrongs’
The pardons will forgive low-level marijuana possession charges for an estimated 100,000 people. Black Americans have historically been more than three times as likely as white Americans to be arrested on marijuana charges, according to research from the American Civil Liberties Union.
EU passes law to restore 20% of bloc’s land and sea by end of decade
The EU has passed a landmark law to protect nature after a knife-edge vote, ending a months-long deadlock among member states spooked by fierce protests from farmers.
San Francisco welcomes its first completely free grocery store
Low-income residents will soon have access to essential pantry items without any cost, marking a significant departure from traditional food banks that typically provide pre-bagged kits or operate in a farmers market format.
The world’s largest solar farm goes online in China
Spanning 33,000 acres outside Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, the 3.5-gigawatt facility has officially begun operations. It’s expected to generate roughly 6.09 billion kilowatt hours of electricity – enough to power 2.03 million electric vehicles for a year.
New Biden administration rule would remove medical debt from credit reports
Medical debt, which disproportionately affects women, Black individuals, and people with disabilities, may soon no longer impact credit scores under a new rule proposed by the Biden administration.
With global blood shortages putting critical medical procedures at risk, researchers have discovered a new method which uses enzymes to strip away specific sugars from A and B blood cells – bringing us closer to the possibility of universal blood types.
Livingston school district has an absenteeism rate almost 10 percentage points below the state average. This is thanks to three key approaches: educating young parents on the importance of regular attendance, guiding parents through pandemic health protocols, and making school a place children want to be.
A group of keen anglers has acquired a four-mile stretch of the River Ericht in Perthshire. Their mission? To reboot the river’s water conditions and provide a lifeline for the endangered salmon struggling to survive in it.
AI is helping to make animal testing a thing of the past
Animal testing has long been a method for studying diseases and ensuring the safety of new drugs before human trials – but AI might offer a better, more humane solution.
29-year-old Murrawah Maroochy Johnson has taken on a coal giant – and won. Her lawsuit was the first to leverage Queensland’s new human rights law – arguing that the greenhouse gas emissions from the Waratah coal mine threatened Indigenous peoples and their cultural heritage.