Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

The hidden costs of wildfires go beyond putting them out

Jun 9, 2023
Where there’s smoke, there’s a massive increase in costs for health care, commerce, and productivity.
People wear face masks as they arrive to Newark Liberty International Airport amid hazy conditions due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

More wildfires mean worsening air quality. How do we adapt?

Jun 8, 2023
Some pandemic-related tools get a second life, while investors look at more high-tech solutions.
A person wears a face mask as smoke from Canada wildfires blankets Manhattan on June 7, 2023 in New York City.
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

Texas may be the next state to end the sales tax on period products

Apr 27, 2023
Texas is poised to be the next state to eliminate the sales tax on tampons, pads and liners. It's currently the most populous state taxing these products.
Nitya Pakala, a Houston-area high school student, hosts a period packing party at her parent's house to supply local schools with free pads and tampons.
Elizabeth Trovall/Marketplace

Everyone's got an opinion on proposed USDA nutrition standards for schools — especially the students

Apr 7, 2023
The USDA says kids' health is at stake with the proposed nutrition standards. But some manufacturers say making food with less salt and sugar will cost more, while nutrition directors are worried students won’t eat the meals.
The USDA is currently accepting comments on proposed changes to the nutritional standards of school meals.
Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images

Health and civil rights: an iconic family counts the costs

Apr 4, 2023
Lee Hawkins, host of an upcoming podcast from APM Studios, talks about how racism can affect victims' health outcomes.
Children of Martin Luther King Jr. with their mother Coretta Scott King in February 1964. A new APM Studios podcast delves the health toll the fight against racism took on Dr. King's family even after his assassination.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Loneliness is an epidemic — social media may not always help

Mar 2, 2023
Social media platforms that bring people together IRL can help. Those that privilege one-way communication from influencers to followers may make matters worse.
Social media can be a tool for human connection, but some experts say some follower-type platforms can instead exacerbate loneliness.
Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images

The cost of loneliness: Social isolation holds back workers and costs employers billions

Mar 1, 2023
An 'epidemic of loneliness' in recent decades causes stress-related absenteeism, job turnover, and lost productivity.
In addition to affecting employees' mental health, researchers at Cigna found that employers could be losing up to $154 billion a year because of loneliness.
Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

While the wellness industry booms, the FTC is cracking down on its marketing tactics

Feb 9, 2023
The FTC says health-related claims need to be backed by relevant, peer-reviewed scientific research. "It's long overdue," said one marketer.
iStock/Getty Images Plus

Steadily (and quietly), more electric school buses are getting on the road

Jan 20, 2023
The vehicles have struggled to gain traction, but school districts are being swayed by new funding options, as well as environmental and health concerns.
A Beverly Public Schools electric school bus charges in the parking lot. The district will get three more electric buses in spring.
Robin Lubbock/WBUR

A $30 million gift to build an addiction treatment center. Then staffers had to run it.

Jan 19, 2023
The money was a one-time gift for infrastructure, but to stay running, the clinic is on its own.
Crossing Healthcare, an addiction treatment facility in Decatur, Illinois, received a $30 million grant to build the center, but had to fund staffing and programs by itself.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images