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How Texas' Harris County went from ‘capital of capital punishment' to zero executions

Henry Gass

December 27, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

In 2017, Harris County, TX saw a year where no one was sentenced to death and no one was executed. The county, nicknamed as the capital of capital punishment, is seeing a shift in the support of the death penalty. While studies haven’t shown a definitive answer, it has been linked to new, reform-focused DAs, the introduction of life sentences without parole, and Supreme Court decisions that likely diminished the use of capital punishment.

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Rana Plaza

Tulip Mazumdar

December 26, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Bangladesh, Savar Upazila, Dhaka District

As large cracks appeared in the walls of Rana Plaza, workers’ safety concerns were ignored until the building collapsed, killing 1,134 and injuring many more. New regulations and organizations are improving worker safety in Bangladesh, but factories are picking up the bill more than retailers and customers. This puts increased production pressure on workers, who also cite low wages and gender disparities in leadership positions as continuing problems.

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In Harvey's wake, Dutch have much to teach Houston

Tony Freemantle

December 22, 2017 |

Houston Chronicle |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Netherlands

Moving away from brute force and impermeable dams, projects that focus on spatial planning and long-term investment in dynamic infrastructure projects prove more resilient to flooding and natural disasters. In the Netherlands, the Room for the River project is one part of the country’s comprehensive approach toward protecting its citizens from the threat of floods. Instead of relying on private flood insurance, citizens in the Netherland’s pay higher taxes, which help to fund water management projects.

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Philly's Gang Violence Strategy Doesn't Work. Here's Why.

Maura Ewing

December 21, 2017 |

The Appeal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The "Focused Deterrence" approach to lowering gang violence was hailed as a success in Philly when shootings went down, but is that the whole story? The strategy is also receiving some notable critiques, including the claim that the social services and employment opportunities it claims to provide have been less than forthcoming.

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What Vancouver, B.C., can teach us about housing

Gregory Scruggs

December 19, 2017 |

Crosscut |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

As Seattle's real estate prices continue to rise, the city looks to Vancouver, BC's attempted solutions as a way to tackle affordable housing. While many responses in Vancouver need adjustment and correction, the city's multi-tiered response to skyrocketing housing prices encourage using a comprehensive approach to the issues in the housing market.

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Rethinking Rikers

Michael Schwirtz Neeti Upadhye Michael Kirby Smith Kaitlyn Mullin

December 16, 2017 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

In the ongoing challenge to reform New York’s Rikers Island prison complex, many have turned to Chicago’s Cook County jail as a model. While Rikers has made some reforms – including group therapy for those with mental health concerns and doing away with solitary confinement for inmates under 22 – there is more that they can do to follow in Chicago's footsteps. There, they have introduced the use of real-time data collection to map violence, made mental health care a key component of their services, and trained guards in verbal de-escalation.

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Opioid Crisis Forces Physicians To Focus On Alternative Pain Treatments

Katja Ridderbusch

December 15, 2017 |

WABE |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Opioid abuse claimed over 53 000 American lives in 2016, and has been a cause for concern. Now doctors are looking to alternatives to opioids, both medication and non-medication options, that can be decided based on thorough assessments and discussing the consequences of opioids with patients.

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Officials patched and prayed while pressure built on Houston's dams

Mihir Zaveri

December 15, 2017 |

Houston Chronicle |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

Following Hurricane Harvey, Houston officials are taking steps to better prepare the city for flooding. Two damns, Addicks and Barker, have long been in need of repairs to increase their capacity and resilience, and after decades of putting it off – and thousands of homes flooded – the city is hoping to invest in one of the large-scale remedies that have been recommended in the past.

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How training bystanders can stop rape and sexual violence on campus

Edward Siddons

December 14, 2017 |

Apolitical |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Kentucky

As cases of sexual violence on college campuses gain greater attention, one program aims to learn from past failures in order to train bystanders to act in the face of this violence. Green Dot, originally piloted at the University of Kentucky, implements a two-stage process to teach students and faculty exactly how to implement "distraction, delegation, and direct intervention" if they see something suspicious.

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Harvey overwhelmed some levee systems. Future storms could do worse.

Emily Foxhall

December 14, 2017 |

Houston Chronicle |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey left many Houston residents questioning the efficacy of one of the city’s only protections, the Levee Improvement Districts (LID), responsible for providing flood protection. In neighborhoods prone to flooding, there has been much debate about the actual protection the current levees provide, leading many to call for solutions like the expansion of the LIDs through elections (rather than appointees) or raising the levees.

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