New England has seen an unusual uptick in births during the coronavirus pandemic as more highly educated residents, especially those in their 30s, seized working from home as an opportunity to start a family. All six New England states were among the 1…
After leaked Roe ruling, GOP weighs stricter abortion bans
If, as expected, the U.S. Supreme Court decides as early as next month to overturn Roe v. Wade, just how quickly Republican-dominated legislatures will act to restrict abortion and how far they will go to eliminate the procedure is uncertain. But recen…
Romance scams bedevil law enforcement
Jeanne Aikens was a widow in her late 60s when she found a new love. Or so she thought. Aikens had nursed her husband through Parkinson’s disease until his death a few years earlier, and she was ready to start dating again. Aikens, a nursing manager at…
More states shield against rogue abortion prosecutions
Last month, 26-year-old Lizelle Herrera was arrested in Texas and charged with murder over a self-induced abortion. A hospital had reported the abortion to law enforcement. But prosecutors later acknowledged she shouldn’t have been prosecuted and dropp…
As women return to jobs, remote work could lock in gains
The pandemic “shecession” is fading as more women return to jobs across the country, aided by new workplace flexibility that could lock in future increases in female employment. Remote work, a loosening of 9-5 workday constraints and evolving ideas suc…
State supreme courts are starting to look more like America
State supreme courts wield power over many areas of American life, from school funding to environmental protection, gun laws to voting. Even as the United States population has become more diverse, state high courts have been the domain of white judges…
With implicit bias hurting patients, some states train doctors
In a groundbreaking study, Dr. Lisa Cooper, a leading researcher on racial health disparities at Johns Hopkins University, found that nearly all 40 participating Baltimore-area primary care doctors said they regarded their white and their Black patient…
Residents left behind as pandemic hurts bus companies
Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, Rochester City Lines, a family-owned commuter and charter bus company in Minnesota, was riding high. “We were set for our best year ever in 2020,” said Christian Holter, the company’s director of opera…
States look to community colleges to fill labor gap
Monique Acosta began the month of March as a pre-K classroom assistant in Arizona, with no credential other than her high school degree. She ended it with a certification in a booming branch of electronics and started applying to entry-level jobs at Bo…