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How police forces in western Canada are working to speed up ballistic imaging to solve gun crimes quicker
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-police-forces-across-canada-expand-ballistics-imaging-efforts-driven
Marsha McLeod
The Globe and Mail
27 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
As Canada sees an increase in gun violence, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), are increasing their capacity to do ballistic imaging – an analysis that is able to potentially connect multiple crimes. Across the country, individual police agencies are developing their own way of conducting this analysis or working with the RCMP, who has access to an integrated network of crime information, to expedite the process.
As Covid-19 tears through Navajo Nation, young people step up to protect their elders
https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/26/navajo-nation-covid-19-youth-response-elders-health
Mona Gable
STAT
26 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Across Navajo Nation, young people are coming together to protect their elders through grassroots efforts and campaigns. They’ve created online campaigns, like Protect the Sacred and #NavajoStrong to help provide accurate information, collect donations, deliver medical supplies, and recruit medical professionals. They’ve come together on-the-ground, creating the Northern Dine Covid-19 Relief Effort to get clearing products, fresh food, and other supplies to households on the reservation.
Arkansas Moms Turn to Food Pantry Boxes to Distribute Safe Gun Storage Tips
https://www.thetrace.org/2020/05/arkansas-moms-turn-to-food-pantry-boxes-to-distribute-tips-about-storing-guns-safely
Ann Givens
The Trace
26 May 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
After a 14-year-old girl in Jonesboro, Ark., accidentally shot and killed a friend, local activists distributed hundreds of safety fliers promoting safe gun storage strategies that have been proven to save lives. Nationwide, children's deaths and injuries from accidental gunshots have increased substantially. Stay-at-home orders have idled children at home at a time when millions of Americans have become new gun owners. So the activists took safety instructions from the gun-safety group Moms Demand Action and placed them in free-food distribution boxes going to local homes.
4 Ways COVID-19 Has Exposed Gaps in the US Social Safety Net
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/4-ways-covid-19-has-exposed-gaps-in-the-us-social-safety-net
Paul Shafer
Next City
26 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
As individuals across the United States face economic insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a light shed on how disconnected and ineffective our safety nets are. From delays in stimulus financial aid to inequities within our healthcare system to unsustainable housing, the pandemic has illuminated the ways our systems, designed to help people, are actually failing.
How Centre County Correctional Facility has adjusted amid the coronavirus pandemic
https://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/coronavirus/article_f0b4387e-9e1e-11ea-9792-2b79d6bb7cdf.html
Christina Baker
The Daily Collegian
25 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Centre County, Pa., jail officials limited the spread of coronavirus inside its facility with extensive testing of all incarcerated people and staff, isolating those with the virus, barring visitors, and working with a coalition of court and law enforcement agencies to reduce the jail population. The jail, near State College, Pa., took action early with educational sessions and a rigorous cleaning regimen. Re-entry programs stepped up efforts to find housing for those released from the jail, although job prospects for them are bleak.
As the coronavirus pandemic strains supplies, Native Americans fight food insecurity
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/coronavirus-pandemic-strains-supplies-native-americans-fight-food-insecurity-n1213116
Erik Ortiz
NBC News
24 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
As a response to the way in which the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted food supply chains, especially in remote parts of the Navajo Nation, the new “Seeds and Sheep” program is mailing seeds to families so they can grow food for themselves and their community. The nonprofit running the program, Utah Diné Bikéyah, has connected with over 300 families so far. It is part of a larger trend of Native efforts to provide agricultural education, teach people to grow culturally relevant food, and reduce food insecurity.
How Orange County's Visual Arts World is Coping with the Coronavirus
https://voiceofoc.org/2020/05/how-orange-countys-visual-arts-world-is-coping-with-the-coronavirus
Richard Chang
Voice of OC
22 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Some arts organizations in Orange County, CA have found creative ways to deal with Covid-19 closures by bringing their collections online, creating digital programming, and reaching out to new audiences. For example, the Muckenthaler Cultural Center hands out weekly art kits to kids and seniors and reports donation support from an entirely new group of donors. Others have taken the opportunity to create new content and bring their collections online to engage with those stuck at home of all ages. Not all have been able to withstand the Covid-related closures and many art galleries have closed down for good.
The Pandemic Has Changed Addiction Treatment, Some Hope For Good
https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2020/05/21/coronavirus-addiction-treatment-changes
Deborah Becker
WBUR
21 May 2020
Radio / 5-15 Minutes
When the pandemic hit, substance abuse centers had to quickly adapt and determine how they would stay in touch with patients who may be more likely than ever to use. Around-the-clock phone lines, telehealth, and take-home drugs to treat addiction without the requirement of daily check-ins have changed the treatment landscape and, pending impact data, could be instated permanently once the pandemic is over. "We've basically started to treat substance use disorder like other diseases and normalize it somewhat," the director of Boston Medical Center's addiction treatment program said.
COVID-19 dining out: Restaurants take to the streets to create socially distanced dining rooms as nation reopens
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/05/21/coronavirus-reopening-restaurants-outdoor-dining-streets-sidewalks-parking-lots/5217156002
Jessica Guynn
USA Today
21 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
As the U.S attempts to reopen., restaurant owners from California to Florida are expanding their restaurants into nearby outdoor space, including sidewalks and parking lots. In doing so, they are able to offer patrons a safer dining environment, as there is more room to keep tables further apart and follow social distancing precautions, and it also helps restaurants earn more revenue than if they were limited to indoor space. Some city governments are streamlining the process, including Brookhaven, Georgia, which made it free to access short-term permits for outdoor dining.
Amid COVID-19, SNAP Rolls Out Online Ordering
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/amid-covid-19-snap-rolls-out-online-ordering
Cinnamon Janzer
Next City
21 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
More than a dozen states are participating in a SNAP program, allowing people experiencing economic hardship to purchase food online from retailers. While only certain online retailers allow for food stamp purchases and SNAP users can’t pay for delivery fees with their benefits, more states are piloting the program, which could prove useful for people quarantining from the novel coronavirus.
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