Some of the week’s brightest stories came from public safety, health, conservation and clean energy, with new figures and projects pointing to sharp shifts in several areas.
The United States is on track for its lowest recorded murder rate since the FBI began collecting comparable data in 1960. According to early data from crime analyst Jeff Asher, who pooled data from about 600 police agencies, murders dropped 18.7 percent in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year. Violent crime overall dropped 6.4 percent.
Electric vehicle sales have risen tenfold in six years, with about 21 million EVs sold worldwide in 2025 alone. That represents 25 percent of new car sales, up from 1 percent in 2019. By May this year, 63 percent of new cars sold were EVs, and 85 million of the 1.4 billion cars on the road are electric. The figures do not include hybrid-electric vehicles.
Researchers from the University of South Florida said bacteria living inside tiny Antarctic sea squirts produce toxins that destroyed melanoma cells in mice. The toxins did not appear to harm the animals. A recent six-week expedition brought back more sea squirt specimens for the next stage of the research.
A new report found companies that derive a significant portion of profits from environmental solutions have now topped $10 trillion in market value. The milestone followed 5.3 percent growth last year. The report said green companies have outperformed the overall market by about 12 percent over the past decade.
In New York City, the Mamdani administration and the City Council announced an agreement on the 2027 fiscal budget on June 30. Among the measures was $750,000 for the city government’s first pet food pantry pilot program. The budget agreement also included a $54 million increase for Fair Fares expansion, $175 million for housing vouchers, and another $79.1 million to restore funding for parks, libraries and cultural institutions.
In British Columbia, a new study found free take-home naloxone services prevented between 76 percent and 80 percent of potential deaths from opioid poisoning. The province declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency a decade ago.
Researchers at the University of Buffalo said they have found a way, with the help of AI, to reveal multiple sclerosis lesions in the brain’s grey matter. Until now, MRI scans used to monitor MS patients have only been able to detect lesions in the brain’s white matter.
Paul “Pen” Farthing, from Dovercourt, Essex, rescued 194 animals from the front lines of the war in Ukraine across two operations in April, as Russian troops advanced on Kramatorsk. Farthing, a former Royal Marine, said animals in cargo “never got in the way of people getting on a flight.”
California is transferring 136 acres of coastline in Mendocino County to Kai Poma, a nonprofit founded by representatives of three Indigenous nations. It is the first time land managed by Caltrans has been returned to Indigenous tribes. One Indigenous representative said the transfer was “beyond huge.”
In Benin’s Pendjari National Park, researchers reported an increase in West African leopard population density after restoring habitat, managing water sources and increasing natural prey populations. The West African leopard is critically endangered, with 354 individuals left across West Africa.
Other developments this week included Michigan lawmakers unanimously passing a bill to let children run lemonade stands without permits or fees, with minors allowed to make up to $5,000 a year through temporary food stands.
North Carolina approved a $10.2 million investment in wildlife crossings in the Great Smoky Mountains. Advocates said it will “improve safety for both people and wildlife” across the area.
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