Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • What Vermont and Its History Might Teach the Nation About Handling the Coronavirus

    Vermont has seen very few cases of COVID-19 compared to its neighboring states after implementing early preparedness protocols. While part of the success could be due to the small and homogeneous population of the state, the credit also goes to the governor ceding communications to health care officials and local media suspending comments on coronavirus-related pieces to mitigate the spread of misinformation.

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  • Kentucky town hires social workers instead of more officers - and the results are surprising

    Alexandria, Kentucky's 17-officer police department avoided the expense of hiring more police officers by adding two social workers to assist police in responding to the types of calls that can often turn into repeat calls to 911. By working with people in domestic disturbances, mental health crises, or with substance abuse issues, the social workers connect families to services immediately, rather than awaiting a referral from the police after the crisis has passed. Repeat calls to 911 are down and the city saves up to $50,000 for each position where a social worker substitutes for a police hire.

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  • Need a physical exam? How about registering to vote while you're at it? Milwaukee clinics join program to boost voting

    The VotER initiative registers voters while they wait at 75 hospitals and community health centers across the country. The founders feel that voting will help their patients because there are social and political issues that impact health. VotER has hospital posters and doctor badges with QR codes that take patients to a voter registration portal. There are also iPad kiosks in waiting rooms for patients to register, and some clinics send out text messages with voter information and election reminders. The team has registered 800 new voters and helped about 280 people request absentee ballots.

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  • They Stopped Suspending Licenses ... And Fine Collections Went Up

    When San Francisco courts stopped suspending drivers' licenses for failure to pay fees and fines, revenues actually increased. The reform, aimed at avoiding trapping poor people in endless cycles of debt and incarceration, was paired with affordable payment plans and alternatives to cash fines and fees as ways to hold people accountable for traffic violations. The rest of California, and eventually six other states and the District of Columbia, followed suit. The reforms have countered a trend that turned a traffic safety measure into a revenue generator for governments, on the backs of the poor.

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  • Technology Works Behind the Scenes to Keep US Mail-in Voting Secure

    With many more people are voting by mail in the 2020 presidential election, technology is helping to make sure ballots are counted and that voters are informed. Although the system is not perfect, it does allow for voters to follow the progress of their ballot to see if there may have been a problem at some point during the process.

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  • Could carbon-removal tech make travel more sustainable?

    Climeworks, a Swiss start-up, is using technology to suck carbon out of the air and turning it into stone, essentially cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere permanently. Their plant in Iceland is able to turn 50 tonnes of carbon to stone per year. While that amount of carbon won’t solve the climate crisis, they are expanding their work to other countries and are launching a personal carbon removal subscription service as a way for the travel industry to help offset the carbon that they emit each year.

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  • Through PIF^2's social impact mobile game platform, users are playing it forward for charity

    The startup PIF^2 is a “social impact mobile game platform” that partners with charities to raise money through ad revenue and in-game purchases. It hosts “game-a-thons” that target a younger demographic who can generate money for a charity by downloading and playing a game. The “game-a-thons” usually last about a week, after which charities receive a check from PIF^2 for up to 50% of the revenue that was generated. The game apps are currently created by independent developers, but the startup hopes to create its own games so that it can donate even more of the revenue proceeds to charity.

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  • How Colleges Are Supporting Students Leaving Abusive Relationships

    Some college campuses in California are finding solutions to help keep survivors of domestic violence in school. In 2015, The University of California initiated Campus Assault Resources and Education across all its campuses, where students are able to access resources like emotional support, legal reporting processes, and medical resources. California State University, Northridge has a dedicated team of advocates who help survivors explore options while being able to stay on track to graduate.

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  • How #HireBlack Is Helping 10,000 Black Women Get Trained, Hired, And Promoted

    A social media post transformed into an initiative to help companies in their search for Black talent. #HireBlack provides a community space where Black women can receive help with their job search, resumes, salary negotiations, and networking while tapping into the recent corporate effort of hiring and retaining Black talent. Over 150 Black women have received coaching and over 1,000 women have been provided with resume help. The objective is to help 10,000 Black women reach their professional goals.

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  • As Prisons Cancel Visitation, The Phone Line Becomes A Life Line

    To alleviate the isolating effects of COVID-19 restrictions in prisons barring outside visitors, some prisons have encouraged phone and video contact with family by waiving the fees normally charged for such services. In Utah, the first 10 calls per week are free. Federal prisons have waived the charges entirely. Maintaining healthy family relationships has been shown to relieve prisoners' loneliness and anxiety, which equates to better behavior. And it reduces future lawbreaking by strengthening bonds that help in finding housing and jobs once the prisoners are released.

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