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Minnesota Freedom Fund Bails Out Those Who Can't Afford It

Bonita Gooch Jazzlyn Johnson

August 20, 2020 |

The Community Voice |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Minnesota Freedom Fund spent its first four years as a modestly funded nonprofit that used donations to bail people out of jail, as a means of countering a cash bail system that critics see as unfair to people living in poverty and people of color. From 2016 to early 2020, it had a budget of $100,000 per year and bailed out 563 people. Protests against Minneapolis police misconduct produced a windfall of $30 million in donations. The fund has excess funds, beyond what's needed to bail out protesters, and faces some criticism that it has freed people accused of violence.

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Solar Power Is Booming. But It's Putting Desert Wilderness At Risk.

Kyla Mandel

August 20, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Solar development can reduce or significantly alter local biodiversity, and this should be considered when planning sustainability projects in the desert, argues a new study. Scientists measured the impact of a solar plant built in California and found that while some grasses and native shrubs grew back, cacti and yucca didn’t fare well. They recommend building solar projects on places that have already been developed or have low environmental impact. Groups like the Nature Conservancy are using that advice to pilot a project demonstrating that old mine sites in Nevada can be used for clean energy.

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Behind the masks: Meet the people who keep Gauteng's field hospital going

Joan van Dyk James Oatway

August 20, 2020 |

Bhekisisa |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa, Gauteng

A color-coded system is being adopted at hospitals throughout South Africa after seeing success in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The system uses red, yellow, and green color-coding to warn health care officials about their likelihood of coming into contact with someone who could expose them to the coronavirus. The tactic is just one of several new measures that have been implemented to keep frontline workers safe.

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Is It Finally Time For Year Round School

Darcy Sprague

August 19, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

Long summer vacations are a tradition in the United States, but some school districts are challenging the long-standing notion of summer break by using a different model—year-round school. School districts around the U.S. are considering adopting the model in the near future to combat the "COVID slide." School districts in Texas are finding that a year-round school calendar has helped students with former summer food insecurity and provides students who may be falling behind, a chance to catch up without a multiple-month summer interruption to their education.

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A secret hidden in centuries-old mud reveals a new way to save polluted rivers

Paul Voosen

August 18, 2020 |

Science Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Scientists have transformed a stream in Pennsylvania into a marshy waterway because of a restoration project that removed 22,000 tons of legacy sediment built up by colonial-era farming and logging. After removing meters of mud from the banks of Big Spring Run, native vegetation returned, which resulted in the storage of organic carbon tripling in the restored area and the amount of key pollutants in the stream sharply dropping. Similar restoration projects are being tried in other mid-Atlantic states.

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700 residents, one COVID-19 case: How a senior living community keeps its distance from the virus

Chris Horne

August 17, 2020 |

WAVY-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Virginia Beach, Virginia

A residential senior center prevented the spread of Covid-19, with just 1 of over 700 residents contracting the virus. In addition to social distancing, hand washing, and outdoor visiting areas, the facility's residents wear colored wristbands, green for those staying on campus and red for those who want to leave. Those who leave cannot use the common areas, gym, or dining area for 10 days after returning, and then are tested for Covid-19 before reintegrating. There are some tensions between the two groups, but federal and state infectious disease experts have called the facility a model for best practices.

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The Lobstermen of the Eastern Yucatán

Agostino Petroni Sandali Handagama

August 17, 2020 |

Nexus Media News |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Maria Elena Bay

A collective of fishers have adopted sustainable fishing practices to catch spiny lobsters in Maria Elena Bay in Mexico, while also protecting the species. To keep future lobster populations healthy, fishers will measure the tails of their catch and if it’s too small, they will toss them back to sea. Because of their efforts, lobster numbers have risen over the years, though they haven’t reached the levels seen in the 1980s.

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This Denver Group is Keeping Immigrants' Restaurant Dreams Alive

Jake Bullinger

August 14, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Comal Heritage Food Incubator trains immigrant and refugee women to start their own businesses in the food industry. Comal offers coaching, financial support, and connections to social services. It also pays trainees, which has been vital to endure the food industry shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. The group also ensures members have food, rent assistance, school supplies, or diapers for their children. They partner with the Denver Metro Emergency Food Network, delivering about 290,000 meals since the pandemic began. The model is working in other cities, including Seattle and San Francisco.

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Why most top Foreign Office posts are held by women

The Economist

August 13, 2020 |

The Economist |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

More women are serving in top positions of the United Kingdom’s diplomatic corps with a female ambassador to the United States for the first time since the position was created in 1791. Women now hold about a third of Britain’s ambassadorships and the increase can be traced to several changes, including a public pledge to increase women in leadership positions. A reliable pipeline of women to fill the top spots was also nurtured, with nearly 60% of new foreign service employees now female. Grouping interviews forces management to see the big picture and diplomatic life has become more flexible for families.

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Here's a look at the security precautions in Colorado's mail-in ballot system

Rachel Lorenz

August 13, 2020 |

Colorado Politics |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Colorado has fine-tuned an effective mail-in ballot protocol for statewide elections and has one of the highest voter turnouts. Ballots are stored in tamperproof locked rooms that are continuously monitored and voters’ signatures are compared by bipartisan election judges to signatures in a state database. An audit of election results is also conducted to ensure the accuracy of the results. Officials in other states are reaching out to learn more about Colorado’s system, which is well-suited to keeping voters safe during a pandemic, but a lot goes into the system’s success and it takes time to implement.

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