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Boise Is Tapping Into Free, Sustainable Energy - and Other Cities Could Follow Suit

Shiva Nagaraj

June 03, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boise, Idaho

In the late 1800s a local water company found hot springs in Boise. They decided to build pipes and transport the water to some nearby homes and towns to heat them, creating a geothermal heating system. In the 1980s, the city replicated this model at a larger scale. Water from a naturally hot aquifer flowed through pipes heating 100 large buildings Downtown, equivalent to more than 6 million square feet. Geothermal heating is completely clean, it requires no fossil fuels. Currently, there's only 23 geothermal districts in America. However, one study estimates that by 2050 there could be 17,500.

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For Migrants, A Hopeful Journey Out of Darkness

Anna-Catherine Brigida

June 02, 2021 |

U.S. News & World Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Matamoros, Tamaulipas

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) works with asylum seekers in Matamoros to address mental health issues while they wait for decisions in their U.S. immigration cases. MSF provides one-on-one and group counseling with a therapist trained to address the issues asylum seekers face. To build trust and decrease the stigma surrounding mental health and seeking treatment, MSF holds daily talks in the camp. Since kids show symptoms of trauma differently, MSF created mental health treatment in the form of interactive games and activities. MSF reports positive outcomes for the 3,100 mental health sessions held in 2020.

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Rentenvorbild Schweden? "Alle bekommen eine Art Grundrente"

Stephanie Gargosch

June 02, 2021 |

ZDF |

Broadcast TV Programs |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Sweden

Wenn die "Babyboomer" in Rente gehen, gerät das deutsche Rentensystem ins Wanken. Die Altersarmut könnte dann noch zunehmen. Länder wie Schweden zeigen, welche Lösungen es dafür gibt. Die dortigen "Prämienrente", für die der Staat 2,5 Prozent des Bruttoeinkommens automatisch einzieht und an den Kapitalmärkten anlegt, macht den entscheidenden Unterschied.

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Mobile crisis response program draws national attention but still struggles with funding

Dave Miller Allison Frost

June 02, 2021 |

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

Radio Talk Show |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

The CAHOOTS program's national popularity as a model for diverting crisis calls from the police to unarmed teams of a medic and counselor belies its inability to fully serve its own community because of under-funding. Program director Ebony Morgan talks about the flip side of the program's cost savings for the city: unfairly low pay for its workers, long response times, and an inability to expand. The program's success with the community is built on trust that people in crisis will be helped rather than viewed as a threat. Morgan says the program itself needs to be valued more by city budget managers.

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Both lost jobs. She got paid. He waits. Where they live may be the reason why.

Shannon Lilly

June 01, 2021 |

WTVR-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, South Carolina

Four years before the pandemic caused unemployment compensation claims to spike, South Carolina took advantage of a federal grant to modernize its claims processing systems. That upgrade saved thousands of hours of time once claims rose sharply, which meant that people making legitimate claims got paid relatively quickly. That stands in contrast with the Virginia Employment Commission's huge backlog, which must be run through a decades-old system. The state was finally upgrading its systems when the pandemic put that work on hold, leaving some laid-off people in financial limbo for several months.

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The 40-Year-Old System: How an upgrade could help the VEC solve payment problems

Caroline Coleburn

June 01, 2021 |

WTVR-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, South Carolina

If Virginia taxpayers who lost their jobs in the pandemic want to understand why their unemployment insurance payments lagged for months and why they couldn't get the Virginia Employment Commission on the phone, they could look to South Carolina. In 2017 that state took advantage of a grant to upgrade its computer systems. It was able to process payments much more quickly, needed many fewer call-center staff, and could help South Carolinians take advantage of enhanced pandemic benefits much sooner. Virginia has struggled to upgrade is decades-old systems, which were overwhelmed with calls and claims.

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A ski company built a power plant fueled by methane. It's a success, but can it be replicated?

Annie Gowen

May 28, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Somerset, Colorado

A ski company and oil and gas executive were able to work out a deal to turn the Elk Creek Mine into a power plant that puts out 24 million kilowatt hours a year and prevents hundreds of billions of methane each year from escaping into the atmosphere. The plant hasn’t made a profit yet for its investors and regulatory red tape could make it difficult to implement in other places, but officials say the plant has been successful and could be a way to combat climate change.

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Can Removing Highways Fix America's Cities?

Nadja Popovich Josh Williams Denise Lu

May 27, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rochester, New York

One of the first cities to undo the damage that mid-20th-century urban highways did to neighborhoods has filled in a sunken highway and opened streets to new shops, pedestrians, and bikes. After more than two decades of planning, Rochester got rid of part of the Inner Loop that bisected the east side of its downtown during a phase of highway construction that prized suburban commuters' convenience over city residents' homes. The conversion to a thriving neighborhood will take more than just new streets and buildings, but the project serves as a template for dozens of infrastructure projects nationwide.

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Okemos Public Schools is changing its mascot. Belding already did and says they have no regrets.

Mikayla Temple

May 25, 2021 |

WSYM-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, East Lansing, Michigan

Many parents and community members lobbied the Okemos School Board, which approved a name change for the public school's mascot from one that objectifies and stereotypes Native Americans to one that promotes a positive imagery for students of all races and backgrounds. Belding area schools also approved a name change after parents protested an interim solution that allowed the use of the mascot’s name without imagery as not going far enough. The Native American Heritage Fund provided grants to schools wanting to change their mascots to help mitigate the obstacle of the high costs of rebranding.

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The Clubhouse Room Where Israelis and Palestinians Are Actually Talking

Dahlia Lithwick

May 21, 2021 |

Slate |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Palestine

“Meet Palestinians and Israelis” is an online chat room on the Clubhouse app that encourages honest and vulnerable conversations that aim to humanize one another. Eighteen moderators, mostly young Israelis and Palestinians, ensure that the audio-only conversations don’t relitigate history or compare suffering, but instead share personal stories and ask questions to understand different perspectives. The moderators work in shifts to maintain the discussions and answer questions, with the non-Palestinian and non-Israeli moderators acting as third-party neutrals, settling down conversations when needed.

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