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Minneapolis Funding Its Parks With an Eye to Equity

Zoe Sullivan

April 09, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has approved a new scoring system to prioritize parks that are most in need of an investment, from the limited funds available, based on equity measures such as race, income, population density, and crime. This data-driven system is used in conjunction with the park board's judgment of a park's infrastructure and has pinpointed parks which were not typically on the park board's radar for renovation.

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A New Tactic To Fight Coronavirus: Send The Homeless From Jails To Hotels

Abbie Vansickle

April 06, 2020 |

The Marshall Project |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

California’s governor signed an executive order allocating $50 million to lease hotel rooms for those experiencing homelessness after being released from prison as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. While the hotel business is at a standstill, it provides shelter and the needed self-isolation to one of the most vulnerable populations. So far, 7,000 hotel rooms have been reserved for these individuals.

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The Precisionists pairs people with autism in jobs in which they'll thrive

Jessica Press

April 06, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Wilmington, Delaware

A technology service company based in Wilmington, DE hires neurodiverse employees, people with developmental disabilities, to fulfill roles that they may typically be overlooked for despite their skillsets. TPI avoids the typical hiring practices that include interviews, small talk, or eye contact. Instead, they are tested through complicated LEGO kits, allowing potential employees to shine within their comfort zones. TPI's hiring practices have been so successful that they are in the process of scaling their business to other cities in order to tap into this typically overlooked pool of candidates.

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Save the Words

Lorraine Boissoneault

April 01, 2020 |

The Believer |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Menominee, Wisconsin

Efforts are underway on the Menominee Reservation in northeastern Wisconsin to preserve the at-risk language of Menominee. That looks like conducting school entirely in Menominee, printing Menominee-language books, updating the language with twenty-first-century terms, and poring over old texts and audio transcripts to transfer vocabulary into a database. There are many challenges facing this initiative and many of the workers are volunteers or poorly-compensated, but those doing the work feel a great sense of responsibility and duty to carry on.

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Coronavirus: Groups reopen 805 Undocufund to help undocumented immigrants during pandemic

Erin Rode

March 31, 2020 |

Ventura County Star |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

The collaborators behind a relief fund that is normally used for natural disasters is pivoting its purpose to be redistributed to undocumented immigrants who have been financially impacted by the coronavirus. Although the application is not yet live and will not solve systemic problems such as barriers to receiving unemployment insurance, the program has in the past proven helpful to thousands of families by providing short-term financial stability.

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Coronavirus is generating a surge of interest in voting by mail in the 2020 presidential election. It's not a panacea

Anthony Man

March 29, 2020 |

Tampa Bay Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased interest in and use of alternative voting methods in Florida. Among Democrats in the 2020 primary, where most of the primary action took place, voting by mail was up 33% from 2016 and early voting at regional sites was up 20%, while in-person voting on primary day was down about 25%. Offering voting alternatives is not a panacea, there are some drawbacks including a greater percentage of rejected ballots among certain demographic groups, however it can help ease concerns among voters about voting in person during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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As pandemic spreads, nonprofit is on a mission to clear out Twin Cities jails, one bail bond at a time

Andy Mannix

March 27, 2020 |

Minnesota Star Tribune |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Minnesota Freedom Fund has ramped up its spending to pay bail for people with low-level charges. The COVID-19 threat has added urgency to this increasingly popular response to the cash bail system. With jails and prisons posing a great threat to inmates during a pandemic, there have been increased calls to release non-violent inmates to slow the spread and protect those experiencing incarceration.

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Zoom Shabbat, drive-through confessional: Faith during coronavirus

Harry Bruinius

March 27, 2020 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chelmsford, Massachusetts

Many religious institutions have to come up with creative ways to "congregate" amidst the coronavirus breakout and strict quarantine restrictions around the country. From drive-through confession to virtual Shabbat, congregations find a way to practice their faith, despite questions about the morality of practicing without an in-person community.

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Voting by Mail Would Reduce Coronavirus Transmission but It Has Other Risks

Jessica Huseman

March 24, 2020 |

ProPublica |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

As the COVID19 pandemic continues, officials are looking ahead to the United States’ presidential election in November and considering mail-in ballots. While it is a limited-contact way of voting, it presents massive challenges in terms of scaling. Things like infrastructure, cost, and voter privacy and fraud have to be considered, which is why states are turning to those who have had some success already, like Minnesota and Montana, to learn from.

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Europe eyes smartphone location data to stem virus spread

Frank Bajak

March 24, 2020 |

CityNews |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Some of the governments that have had the most success in getting a handle on the spread of the coronavirus have used individual location data to conduct contact tracing and track the spread of the virus. However, some in Europe and the United States worry these tools violate privacy rights, even in the midst of a public health crisis.

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