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Although SNAP benefits returned for millions of Americans after the federal government shutdown ended earlier this month, food banks and pantries across the U.S. are still seeing droves of people showing up to receive aid. ... Despite many states saying that benefits would be available immediately following the disruption, workers at food distribution sites are seeing a surge of people -- a trend they say is likely to continue into the holidays. (Kekatos, 11/24)

The families of six people detained in jails across Missouri sued state health officials on Monday, alleging that Missouri is illegally allowing individuals with mental health issues to languish behind bars. (Bayless, 11/24)

The cracks in North Carolina’s safety nets are widening under the compounding pressure of a months-long budget stalemate, and that’s putting the state’s most vulnerable residents at risk of falling through. (Fredde, 11/25)

In the mid-2010s, families across the country uprooted themselves to move to Colorado for reasons unrelated to outdoor adventures or craft beer. Instead, they moved for the state’s first-in-the-nation legal marijuana laws, which allowed access to cannabis-derived products they said were essential to their or their children’s health. (Facher, 11/24)

Florida continues to struggle in its efforts to detect and treat lung cancer early, ranking low in several key measures, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. Nearly 27% of Floridians diagnosed with lung cancer do not receive any treatment — one of the worst rates in the nation. The state ranks 45th out of 49 states with available data. (Mayer, 11/24)

On a cloudy November day on the west side of St. Paul, Camila Valenzuela-Panza pulls up to Alex McDougall and her husband and Josh’s home. She puts on her mask, knocks on the door and is greeted by two-week-old Diindiisi in McDougall’s arms. (Stroozas, 11/25)

In January 2025, Minnesota’s law regulating PFAS, a class of synthetic chemicals used to make products resistant to heat, grease, oil, and water, came into effect. The statute, one of the strongest of its kind in the United States, banned the chemicals across 11 categories, from cookware to textile furnishings. Beginning in July 2026, the state will also require manufacturers to report the presence of PFAS in their products and, starting in 2032, prohibit companies from selling any product with intentionally added PFAS, with some exceptions. The goal, according to the state’s Pollution Control Agency, is to protect “human health, the environment, and taxpayer dollars” by reducing the use of PFAS. (López Lloreda, 11/25)

With global plastic production projected to top 445 million tons next year, Maryland scientists say microplastic pollution is posing growing risks to the Chesapeake Bay — and to the oysters and people who depend on it. (Godiner, 11/24)