BOSTON (CBS) – A local tween is on a mission to help students who are struggling with mental health during the coronavirus pandemic. Jay’dha Rackard led her first rally when she was just 10 years old, protesting a persisting problem on her school’s playground: used needles. READ MORE: 'The Whole Front Exploded,' 2 Hurt As Car Crashes Into Boston Home “People were getting pricked, kindergarteners, so it just wasn’t safe for me to go to school,” said Jay’dha, who is now 12. She called for increased safety measures at her school in Boston’s South End and started shining a light on the root of the problem: the school’s proximity to the so-called Methadone Mile. “That’s when I started speaking up for people saying they needed this health care and needed just help to make them feel better.” Jay’dha brought her concerns to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and started collecting and donating clothes, deodorant and toothbrushes to those struggling on the streets. She even spent this past … [Read more...] about 12-Year-Old Creates Self-Care Workshop For Students Struggling During Pandemic
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Suncor refinery north of Denver faces state review of outdated permits, plans $300 million push to be “better not bigger”
Colorado officials committed to cleaner air and reducing reliance on fossil fuels have reached a turning point on whether to tolerate the hulking oil refinery north of Denver that ranks among the state’s major polluters and regularly malfunctions . They must approve or deny Suncor Energy’s applications to renew its operating permits, which serve as contracts governing the emission levels of toxic pollutants that can cause cancer and serious heart, lung and other health problems. This is oversight power Colorado air pollution regulators have declined to use over nearly a decade of letting Suncor run the refinery under the equivalent of an expired driver’s license — a perk granted to companies if they submit timely renewal applications. Suncor’s outdated permits, which records show were issued in 2006 and 2012, allow emissions of 866,100 tons a year of heat-trapping gases and toxics including sulfur dioxide, benzene and hydrogen cyanide . During malfunctions, pollution … [Read more...] about Suncor refinery north of Denver faces state review of outdated permits, plans $300 million push to be “better not bigger”
Hancock and Coffman: Congress must put aside partisanship and pass the American Rescue Plan
Last week, Americans watched the U.S. House of Representatives voted along party lines for President Joe Biden’s economic relief package, the American Rescue Plan, While some in Washington may view the COVID-19 crisis through a partisan lens, here in Colorado, we see things differently. Nearly 6,000 of our neighbors have died from this virus. More than 12,000 Coloradans applied for unemployment assistance in the past week. Small businesses have shuttered. Our towns are struggling, as the state experiences record losses in revenues. And our children have suffered through an unprecedented period of school closures and virtual learning, the impacts of which may have been detrimental to their ongoing educational and social development. Simply put, Coloradans are suffering. As mayors of two of the largest cities in Colorado — one Democrat and one Republican — we don’t see eye to eye on every issue, but we’re united about this: Coloradans need urgent relief, and the American Rescue … [Read more...] about Hancock and Coffman: Congress must put aside partisanship and pass the American Rescue Plan
State, city leaders push transparency to increase trust in COVID-19 vaccine
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) said ensuring transparency is one of the main reasons for his state’s success in vaccine distribution, citing regular communication with constituents. Speaking at The Hill’s “ COVID-19 Vaccine: Trust and Communication ” event Thursday, Justice described how he holds press conferences multiple times a week, stressing to residents that they should get their dose as soon as they are able and not to listen to misinformation about the vaccine. “The number of bad stories around the vaccines are next to nothing, and the bad stories around this situation, if you get this dreaded disease, everything is going to eat you up,” he told The Hill's Steve Clemons. ADVERTISEMENT West Virginia has recently been able to expand the populations eligible for the vaccine because of its success rate in vaccinating the initial groups. The state is now allowing residents age 50 and older, education workers age 40 to 50 and those 16 and older with certain … [Read more...] about State, city leaders push transparency to increase trust in COVID-19 vaccine
Majority of states considering bills limiting transgender access
Legislators in more than half the states are debating bills to limit access to sports or medical care for transgender people, opening a new front in the wars over LGBT rights that threaten to spill into the courts. Across the nation, at least 35 bills have been introduced to ban transgender students from playing sports in leagues that conform to their gender identity. Another 25 bills would prohibit access to gender-affirming medical care, in some cases with criminal punishments for parents who approve the care or doctors who perform it. ADVERTISEMENT © Flourish/Human Rights Campaign Only one state, Idaho, has passed a bill banning students from participating in sports under their gender identity, in 2020. None have passed measures that would block minors’ access to medical care, which usually involves medication to delay puberty. But for the first time this year, anti-transgender legislation is making significant progress in multiple states at the same time. The … [Read more...] about Majority of states considering bills limiting transgender access
