News items for February 19, 2019

Cohdra, Morguefile.com
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1. Stockton, CA’s universal basic income experiment
Stockton, California, is giving away money, “no strings attached,” to more than 100 of its residents as part of a controversial experiment to combat poverty. Mayor Michael Tubbs announced last year that the city would be collaborating with the Economic Security Project to see what kind of impact universal basic income(UBI) could have on the lives of the community’s most vulnerable citizens.
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2. Petroleum terminal expands to allow more oil trains in Portland
A Portland petroleum terminal is significantly expanding its capacity to unload rail cars, a move that sets the stage to more than double the number of oil trains along the Columbia and Willamette rivers into Oregon’s biggest city, OPB has learned.
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3. WA looks to write its own rules on drinking water pollution
Some studies link the chemicals called PFAS to an increased risk of cancer, higher cholesterol, suppressed immune systems and problems in fetal development. In Washington, the state Board of Health is taking aim at a broader swath of PFAS chemicals than is the federal government.
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4. Tips for talking about the Green New Deal
Focus on what we stand to gain. Go bold, think big.
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5. How removing asphalt is softening our cities
Greening alleys reclaims public space, reconnects urban dwellers to one another, and invites nature deep into cities.
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6. Massive loss of beehives afflicts orchard growers and beekeepers
This year, many US beekeepers have lost more than half their bees. Some have lost 80 percent of their hives. That’s unusual, even in an age where 40 percent losses over the winter have become more common. People are debating what’s causing it.
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7. Effort underway to lower OR voting age to 16
There is an effort underway in Salem to change Oregon’s legal voting age from 18 to 16 years old.
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8. After CA’s destructive Camp Fire, tiny homes get go-ahead
Before the state’s most destructive wildfire tore through Butte County, Calif., detailed plans for a tiny home village for the homeless in the northern California city of Chico were met with a mix of indifference, NIMBY-ism and outright rejection from a previous city council. But November’s Camp Fire, which killed 85 people and incinerated some 14,000 area homes, breathed new life into plans for a community of one-room wooden homes to help house some of Butte County’s homeless.
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9. Views: Bring on the Green New Deal vote
While not one question was asked about climate change in the 2016 general-election debates, in 2020, climate change and the Green New Deal (GND) will be at the center of the conversation.
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10. American segregation, mapped at day and night
The racial makeup of neighborhoods changes during the workday. See how yours changes.
More News from February 19, 2019
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As more electric cars arrive, what’s the future for gas-powered engines?
Going electric is not just an eco-friendly goal, an ambition that would help fight climate change. It’s a business reality, according to industry analysts.
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Farmworkers could be replaced by robots sooner than we think
Agricultural workers of the future may soon be made of tech and steel. Can a robot pick a strawberry better, faster, and cheaper than a seasonal farmworker?
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Trying to quit plastic? This startup sells soap in milk cartons
Cleancult sells detergent refills in paper milk boxes to cut down on the plastic in your home.
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What investors need to know from companies about sustainability
While nearly half of the largest US companies are communicating with investors on sustainability issues, the vast majority are doing so in ways that continue to reinforce the misconception that sustainability is a “nice to do” rather than material to financial well-being.