All Society
First LookWith e-cigarettes on the rise, surgeon general issues warning for kidsIn high schools across the US, 1 in 5 high students and 1 in 20 middle schoolers are using e-cigarettes, according to federal data. Though there is little research on long-term effects, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams warns that vaping can lead to addiction.
First LookMerriam-Webster chooses 'justice' as word of the yearSearch data for 2018 shows "justice" as a recurring theme spurred by the news cycle.聽To be word of the year worthy, an entry has to show both a high volume of traffic and a significant year-over-year increase in lookups.
Oakland鈥檚 plan to battle homelessness: Stop it before it startsAs rising rents push low-income tenants out of Oakland, the city is responding with a program that鈥檚 fighting homelessness and gentrification before they take root. The program's approach may be a model for California and the country.聽
Giving back: After winning asylum himself, he helps new refugees get settledWhere does the motivation come from to help? For one caseworker, his own hardship has given him the grit and generosity to pave the way to opportunity for others.
First Look'Misinformation' chosen by Dictionary.com as word of the yearWith the rise of social media, 2018 has seen the spread of conspiracy theories, half-baked insults, and sensationalist media. The choice of "misinformation" highlights this turbulence, says Dictionary.com's linguist Jane Solomon, while also inspiring self-reflection.聽
How Texas wants to save football from concussionsSafety concerns have made high school football controversial. The view from Texas shows those challenges but also how the drive to make football safer has focused on saving the good the sport does. 聽 聽
Are mass shootings doomed to be America鈥檚 鈥榥ew normal鈥�? 鈥楾hat is a myth.鈥�There are lots of headlines about the numbing of the American psyche to mass shootings. Researchers suggest that a desire to retreat emotionally when news of another shooting emerges doesn鈥檛 mean Americans accept gun violence as inevitable.
Cover StorySelf-driving trucks in US offer window into where machines may replace humansWith advances in artificial intelligence, machines are poised to invade workplaces that once seemed immune to automation.聽Transportation is one of the key areas where machines are on the march.
In Florida Panhandle, resilience battles uncertain ability to rebuildPoor rural communities inland were caught off guard by hurricane Michael, and lapses in long-term recovery efforts can exacerbate existing inequality, experts say. But there is a strain of resilience that does not lie far beneath the surface.
Why a global village thrives in this small Georgia townDecades of refugee arrivals have reshaped Clarkston, a town on Atlanta鈥檚 outskirts. Amid a heated national debate over immigration and asylum, Clarkston鈥檚 churches are playing a key role in the integration聽of newcomers.聽聽
FocusFor love of strangers: Behind the Jewish legacy of welcoming refugeesFor many, the question of whether to accept refugees into the United States comes down to politics. For many Jews 鈥� as well as Muslims and 海角大神s 鈥� it is聽鈥渁 matter of moral commitment.鈥�
It鈥檚 alive! On Halloween, Frankenreads celebrate 200th anniversary of classicLive readings of Mary Shelley鈥檚 Gothic classic around the world are offering a treat and a fresh sense of community for many of the book鈥檚 fans this Halloween.
鈥楲one wolves鈥� and the rhetoric that fuels themWhen acts of shocking violence start to feel commonplace, it becomes imperative to explore what it is about our society that enables hate to flourish.
The subway helped segment Atlanta; soccer at its stations may help unite itSoccer at the subway? Tie the sport and the transport system together, and suddenly connections form between people who would never have otherwise met.
Is this Boston sports fan 'tired of winning'? No, but understated in victory.Lovers of the Red Sox have experienced some of the lowest lows and highest triumphs of any fans in sport. One longtime Boston fan and Monitor writer reflects on the team's 鈥� and her own 鈥� journey.
Why Americans are talking less and less about 鈥榣ove鈥� and 鈥榢indness鈥�
In Alamo redesign, renewed battles over who gets to tell stories of TexasIt鈥檚 not often that a community gets the chance to redefine its symbols and decide who and what鈥檚 important. San Antonians are reflecting on a newly approved plan for its iconic site.
Rent control on ballot as California seeks a fix for housing costsMore than half of California鈥檚 renters spend at least a third of their income on housing. Next month, voters will decide a ballot measure that would protect tenants from steep rent hikes and, supporters say, help remedy the state鈥檚 affordable housing crisis.
First LookNew hires reflect NHL's move toward including womenFrom Buffalo Sabres president Kim Pegula to Toronto Maple Leafs assistant director of player development Hayley Wickenheiser, National Hockey League teams are hiring women for management positions to more accurately reflect the gender diversity of their fanbases.聽
The legacy of 'boys will be boys' on American lifeAs the FBI investigates this week sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, many have begun to zero in on a cultural ambivalence about how boys are trained to be men.
