PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — As most Americans braced themselves for losing an hour of sleep this past weekend, some corners of the country were considering bold alternatives to daylight saving time.
California has a bill that would ask voters to abolish the practice of changing clocks twice a year. Lawmakers in Alaska and nearly a dozen other states are debating similar measures. Some lawmakers in New England want to go even further, seceding from the populous Eastern Time Zone and throwing their lot in with Nova Scotia and Puerto Rico.
STATE HOUSE — An emotional Gov. Charlie Baker fought back tears Monday as he recounted the stories he's heard from the parents of young people who have died from drug overdoses and letters he received from students at North Shore Recovery High School, detailing their "heartbreaking stories of addiction and loss."
"This is truthfully one of those moments where I barely know what to say," Baker said after signing into law what he called "the most comprehensive measure in the country to combat opioid addiction" and a signal to those who shared their stories of addiction "that the commonwealth is listening and we will keep fighting for all of you."
