(Feature Impact) Invasive pests can hide in places you'd never expect, and once they spread, they can destroy the trees, plants and food people rely on every day. Many invasive species cannot travel far on their own; instead people unknowingly move them from place to place. more

Vermont's healthcare debate keeps arguing over who pays. The real crisis is that regulators are already deciding who gets seen — and calling it cost control instead of rationing. Read the story on VTDigger here: An insurance card is not an appointment. more

“What happens when you call us, 99% of the time, is that we give you advice on how to coexist with the bear,” said the department’s public information officer. “That’s what we want to be doing and that is what mostly happens.” Read the story on VTDigger here: ‘The worst possible catch-22’: Fish and Wildlife struggles to combat bear rumors. more

Just 20 years ago, trying to avoid smoke in Arkansas was an onerous task. Going out to restaurants and bars often meant coming home reeking of cigarettes, even if you or your companions weren’t the ones smoking. Many employers had a smoke break room.  At my first newspaper job in Arkansas, that meant walking through […] more

ELKHART — Nearly 100 Iowa Farmers Union members from across the state came out Saturday to learn how several Iowa Democratic candidates plan on leading change — especially for the ag industry and the struggling farm economy. The event at Big Oak Barn in Elkhart kicked off with Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat who is […] more

Oregonians won’t vote in November on whether to ban hunting, fishing, livestock farming and animal research after backers of a widely criticized initiative failed to gather enough valid signatures to make the ballot. The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office announced late Friday afternoon that it had determined Initiative Petition 28, an effort led by Portland-based […] more

Idaho state health officials plan to start implementing work requirements for people on Medicaid expansion starting next year. Idaho Republican lawmakers and Gov. Brad Little in April adopted the work requirements from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the state’s largest agency that runs Medicaid and […] more

A federal judge in Virginia ruled Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not sufficiently justify restrictions imposed in 2023 on a drug used to terminate early pregnancies, adding another layer of complexity to a string of legal cases with opposing goals that could affect future abortion access.   The lawsuit was filed in […] more

North Carolinians pay more than many Americans for healthcare. The state ranks 38th nationally in healthcare access and affordability, according to a 2025 scorecard by the Commonwealth Fund. A separate study by RAND found North Carolina had the 15th highest overall hospital prices in the country. Gov. Josh Stein announced the formation of the North […] more

Michigan has documented 8,176 cases of cyclosporiasis, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, marking a significant increase from the 5,002 cases it reported last Friday. The department is issuing daily updates on the number of documented cases with weekly updates on Thursdays on the number of cases resulting in hospitalization, as well […] more