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Seattle Public Utilities' waste-pumping program has cut sewage spills from homeless people's RVs in half
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/seattle-public-utilities-waste-pumping-program-has-cut-sewage-spills-from-homeless-peoples-rvs-in-half
Scott Greenstone
The Seattle Times
28 November 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
To help those experiencing homelessness, Seattle Public Utilities workers travel around the city knocking on RV doors and asking occupants if they need their sewage tank pumped. Some RVs are broken down and occupants can’t get to a public dump site to dispose of their waste, so wastewater spills have increased over the years. However, since the pilot program was introduced in 2020, the spills from RVs have been cut in half.
Once derided as ‘shacks,' these huts now may be our best answer for a homelessness emergency
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/once-derided-as-shacks-these-huts-now-may-be-our-best-answer-for-a-homelessness-emergency
Danny Westneat
The Seattle Times
27 November 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Tiny homes are providing shelter, warmth, and security for people experiencing homelessness in Seattle. The insulated homes measure 96 square feet and offer a relatively affordable alternative to tent encampments which leave inhabitants exposed to the elements and often draw the anger of neighbors. Tiny homes in Seattle have led to higher rates of permanent rehousing.
Indian Women Turn to Ancient Grains to Feed Their Families and Their Futures
https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2020/11/26/india-women-farming-millet
Anne Pinto-Rodrigues
Yes! Magazine
26 November 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In the face of climate change, the nonprofit SABALA is working with nearly 2,000 women farmers in India to participate in millet farming, which can also strengthen community food security and empower women. Using traditional farming techniques, farmers can cultivate 15 to 20 of the climate-resistant crops on a 1-acre plot. Due to the success with millet farming, nearly 300 of the women came together to start a cooperative to process surplus millets and sell the grain to the local community.
In Rwanda, Learning Whether a ‘Smart Park' Can Help Both Wildlife and Tourism
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/rwanda-national-park
Amy Yee
Atlas Obscura
24 November 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Rwanda’s Akagera National Park, once a conservation failure, has been revitalized with fences, patrols, and new technology to become a successful wildlife park. The government partnered with conservation group African Parks to manage the national park, which has led to an increase tourists, patrols, and even lions and black rhinos. Akagera also became the world first “Smart Park” after it installed a telecommunications network called LoRaWAN to securely track, monitor, and communicate between rangers, vehicles, equipment, and animals.
The Small Goat Breed That's a Star of Urban Farms
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/nigerian-dwarf-goats
Chris Malloy
Atlas Obscura
24 November 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Nigerian Dwarf goats can be a viable livestock option for people who want to engage in urban farming. Cities across the United States — like Phoenix, Austin, Pittsburgh, and San Diego — are making it easier to keep goats, which can provide financial boons for urban farmers through cheesemaking and even enhance the farm’s ecosystem by using its manure as fertilizer.
An ancient people with a modern climate plan
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2020/11/24/native-americans-climate-change-swinomish
Jim Morrison
Jovelle Tamayo
The Washington Post
24 November 2020
Multi-Media / 1500-3000 Words
The Swinomish tribe in Washington state is combining traditional knowledge and science to combat the effects of climate change and improve the health of its land, water, and people. In recent years, their salmon harvest has diminished due to warming waters, but they’ve instituted salmon recovery efforts by restoring tidelands and channels and planting trees along stream beds to cool the waters. Their focus on ecosystem and community health could be a model for other Indigenous tribes looking to create their own climate plans.
Can an Algorithm Prevent Suicide?
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/health/artificial-intelligence-veterans-suicide.html
Benedict Carey
The New York Times
23 November 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Veterans Affairs' Reach Vet program uses an algorithm weighing 61 factors to flag veterans deemed at highest risk of suicide. While its results have not been shown to affect the suicide rate, it has more than doubled high-risk veterans' uses of V.A. services and been associated with a lower overall mortality rate. Built on an analysis of thousands of previous suicides in the V.A.'s system, Reach Vet assesses scores of facts from medical records, including some that are not obvious to humans trying to spot problems. Doctors then intervene and ensure the veteran has a suicide safety plan in place.
Connecticut's Halfhearted Battle: Response To Lead Poisoning Epidemic Lacks Urgency
http://c-hit.org/2020/11/23/connecticuts-halfhearted-battle-response-to-lead-poisoning-epidemic-lacks-urgency
Jenifer Frank
Connecticut Health Investigative Team
23 November 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Cities throughout Connecticut have long struggled to enact a successful response to the statewide lead-poisoning problem, but the town of Bridgeport stands out as a model for how to get results by taking proactive action. Unlike other cities where investigations aren't triggered unless a child tests positive for lead poisoning, officials in Bridgeport focus on regularly conducting building inspections and utilizing Connecticut’s Uniform Relocation Assistance Act.
Two School Districts Had Different Mask Policies. Only One Had a Teacher on a Ventilator.
https://www.propublica.org/article/two-school-districts-had-different-mask-policies-only-one-had-a-teacher-on-a-ventilator
Annie Waldman
Heather Vogell
ProPublica
23 November 2020
Text / Over 3000 Words
Two schools in two different cities in Georgia have provided a case study for the efficacy of wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In one case where masks were optional and only half of the school opted to wear one, the school was overcome by a coronavirus outbreak; while in the other city where masks were mandatory, the school saw significantly fewer cases of the disease.
Soccer star leads an awakening on child hunger in Britain
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2020/1123/Soccer-star-leads-an-awakening-on-child-hunger-in-Britain
Shafi Musaddique
Christian Science Monitor
23 November 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
The pandemic has highlighted the issue of child poverty in England leading to public indignation and the reversal of a government policy that sought to end free meals for children during summer vacation. Professional soccer player Marcus Rashford brought attention to child hunger across the United Kingdom. When the government was slow to provide food, businesses filled the need by sending meals to families facing food insecurity.
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