CHICAGO (AP) — Reeling from a string of defeats, anti-abortion groups and their Republican allies in state governments are using an array of strategies to counter proposed ballot initiatives intended to protect reproductive rights or prevent voters from having a say in the fall elections. The tactics include attempts to get signatures removed from initiative […]

The steering committee charged with redefining Kings County Memorial Hospital’s role within healthcare and designing a new facility does not contain any local representatives, according to documents obtained through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. KCMH and QEH administration and working committees have both been consulted, according to the records, but they […]

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A new, reworked version of a bill that originally caught flak for removing a pandemic-era health exemption for wearing a mask in public was approved by North Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday. The amended bill still increases punishments for people wearing masks while committing a crime. It was brought forth in part […]

Ontario will add more beds to its beleaguered jails, which are bursting with inmates, solicitor general Michael Kerzner said Monday. The province intends to add several hundred spots throughout the system as it grapples with a surge of inmates over the past 18 months. “We’re expanding and building facilities that will help front-line staff to […]

At what age should kids be on social media? Should they be on it at all? If they aren’t, will they be social pariahs? Should parents monitor their conversations? Do parental controls work?  Navigating social media as a parent — not to mention a child — is not easy. Using social media platforms is still […]

More than 70,000 children are seeking support through the Ontario Autism Program, but fewer than 15,000 of them are getting funding for core therapies, the province’s Financial Accountability Office said in a report Wednesday. The Progressive Conservative government has more than doubled the budget for the Ontario Autism Program, now at $720 million, but that […]

A new Washington state parental rights law derided by critics as a “forced outing” measure will be allowed to take effect this week after a court commissioner on Tuesday declined to issue an emergency order temporarily blocking it. The civil liberties groups, school district, youth services organizations and others who are challenging the law did […]

The Alberta government is facing calls to stop admitting complex mental health patients into long-term care facilities until the risks are fully reviewed. Seniors’ advocates joined Opposition New Democrats at a news conference Monday in asking for the halt. They said mixing residents at Calgary’s Carewest Colonel Belcher facility with those who have vastly different […]

SEATTLE (AP) — A school district, a nurse, and civil rights and youth services organizations sued Thursday to block a new Washington state parental rights law that critics describe as a “forced outing” measure. A conservative megadonor backed the law, which is set to take effect in June. The Democratic-led Legislature overwhelmingly approved it, with […]

The First Nations Health Authority in B.C. is investigating after being hit by a cybersecurity attack. The health authority, which bills itself as the first and only provincial one of its kind in Canada, says it became aware on May 13 of “unusual activity” on its corporate network. It says an “unauthorize entity” was intercepted […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine woman is appealing the dismissal of her lawsuit that accused school officials of encouraging her teen’s gender expression by providing a chest binder and using a new name and pronouns, without consulting her. Amber Lavigne filed her notice of appeal to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on […]

Ontario will need 33,200 more nurses and 50,853 more personal support workers by 2032, the government projects — figures it tried to keep secret but were obtained by The Canadian Press. The government recently won a fight in front of the Information and Privacy Commissioner to keep those figures under wraps after denying access to […]