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Reimagining New York Jails Without Solitary Confinement

Reuven Blau Rosa Goldensohn

August 19, 2019 |

The City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Solitary confinement was once thought of as one of the only effective punishments for violent prison inmates. As more research surfaces showing the severe damage it does to mental health, the racial bias of those placed in solitary, and its relative ineffectiveness, more cities, like New York City, are exploring alternatives to the practice. In places such as Denver, Chicago, and San Francisco, rather than invoking a punitive approach, city officials are offering positive reinforcement – and seeing positive results.

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Watershed moment: How Chesapeake Bay turned its H2O around

David Karas

August 15, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Annapolis, Maryland

After decades of conservation and cleanup, the 42% of the entire Chesapeake Bay meets water quality standards. The Chesapeake Bay Program organized a regional collaboration between nonprofits, the government, and educational institutions, worked together to protect and clean the Bay, which is home to fishing, tourism, and agriculture. While much progress has been made, the group recognizes the amount of work left if they are to ever see a majority clean watershed.

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Gun owners in New Zealand voluntarily surrender more than 10,000 firearms

Julia Hollingsworth

August 12, 2019 |

CNN |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: New Zealand, Wellington

Since July 2019, New Zealand has held gun buybacks across the country and collected over 10,000 firearms. After a mass shooting at Christchurch mosque, the government rushed through legislation to ban semi-automatic and automatic firearms, offering owners of such weapons cash and a no-questions-asked policy. Such legislation has been implemented in other countries as well, including Australia, who in 1996 collected over 600,000 weapons.

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New Zealand gun buyback: 10,000 firearms returned after Christchurch attack

Eleanor Ainge Roy

August 11, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: New Zealand

A month after a mass shooting at New Zealand’s Christchurch mosque, New Zealand’s government has bought back over 10,000 firearms. The country passed legislation banning automatic and semi-automatic weapons a month after the event, setting aside $150 million New Zealand dollars for the buyback, and offering a no-questions-asked policy for those that do turn them in.

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Sweden's surprising rule for time off

Maddy Savage

August 07, 2019 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Stockholm

In Sweden, employees are allotted up to 6 months in an unpaid leave of absence for the purpose of entrepreneurship. Because of the reported decrease in fear of job loss or financial insecurity, this law has said to increase the potential for entrepreneurs around the country to succeed, as it encourages risk-taking with a built-in safety net.

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'You bring your gun, we ask no questions': The history of gun buybacks in Kansas City and Missouri

Cat Reid

August 05, 2019 |

KSHB-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

As Kansas City tries to decrease violent crime in the area, it looks to a decades-old initiative that may have worked in the past: gun buybacks. Such a response was first tried in 1994, and saw a decline in homicides the following year. While the new mayor looks to try this in the city, they face state legislation prohibiting gun buybacks and pushback from critics who say such responses don’t actually work.

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How a small Colorado town fought the Japanese beetle and won

Tamara Chuang

July 29, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Palisade, Colorado

Eradicating invasive species requires enrolling a community effort. Although quarantines and chemical treatments have not proven effective in preventing the spread of Popilia japonica, or the Japanese beetle, to farms on the US’s Front Range, the Colorado community of Palisade succeeded in eradicating the species through collective action. By combining pest control methods with a community program of reducing water use, Palisade farmers were able to push the beetles out of their farmland over the course of several years in the early 2000s.

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Some cities and towns see tax-break deals as key to economic growth

Matt Pilon Gregory Seay Greg Bordonaro

July 22, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut navigates the complex web of public taxation with the implementation of tax-breaks for developments like affordable housing, daycares, and industrial reinvestment sites. Though tax-breaks are controversial to some -- they can often cast a wide net in the business world -- they have been effective in combating overly inflated property taxes in Hartford and other cities around the country.

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San Francisco Financial Justice Project Enacts Landmark Reforms

Liza Ramrayka

July 17, 2019 |

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

In San Francisco, the first Financial Justice Project is working with the city to eliminate fines and fees that hold back people experiencing poverty and financial instability and also cost the city more than they can recover. So far, the innovative program has made all phone calls from jail free, cleared outstanding holds on driver's licenses for missing a traffic court date, announced the elimination of all library fines, and more - and cities across the country are taking not and exploring similar changes.

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Banning foreign home buyers - the New Zealand experiment

Vivienne Nunis

July 15, 2019 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: New Zealand, Auckland

Housing affordability is a crisis that many countries face. New Zealand addressed the issue in a controversial way: by outright banning foreign ownership. Since it has come into effect, real estate pricing has gone down, and more properties are available for New Zealand residents. Critics argue that the ban coincided with world events like the Chinese government limiting how much money could leave the country into foreign events. They caution against attributing the lower prices to the ban itself and that it is still too early to see its true impact.

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