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Maryland Stands Up Online Grants Application in Just 8 Hours

Andrew Westrope

September 02, 2020 |

Government Technology |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Maryland

The Maryland Department of Information Technology adapted an existing system to quickly distribute small-business grants and loans due to Covid-19. The Maryland OneStop platform, a single site for state licenses, permits, and certifications, was built with an agile approach decoupling front-end user experience from the back-end where the program does the work, which allowed quick front end modifications to launch the loan and grants online when coronavirus hit. The system processed 18,000 applications in the first 3 days and 56,000 within a month. The success was preceded by many years of planning and work.

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How to Meet New People, Even at a Distance

Julia Hotz

August 29, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Coronavirus-related loneliness increased demand for groups that help people make personal connections and new friends, even if at a distance. A New York MeetUp, “I wanted to do that … just not alone”, has seen attendance at socially distanced activities increase. “Living Room Conversations,” an online platform where volunteers host discussions on timely topics, saw 1,000 new members since March and a 62% increase in page views. The groups encourage vulnerability and connection, but are not meant to replace professional mental-health counseling for those who are struggling with loneliness and other traumas.

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‘Digital Detroit' Works to Bridge Digital Divide for Small and Micro Businesses

Kristi Eaton

August 25, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

The city of Detroit is offering business services to entrepreneurs who want to bring their business online in the aftermath of the pandemic. Digital Detroit is the name of the program offering content creation and website development completely free of charge for a variety of businesses. Over 100 businesses were selected for the five-week program, helping the entrepreneurs to move their services online, creating, and launching websites as well as establishing social media presence, all of which has gone a long way in increasing sales and profits.

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Youngstown, Ohio, Lost Its Only Paper. A 'Zombie' News Site Wants To Fill The Void

Mark Oprea

August 10, 2020 |

NPR |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Youngstown, Ohio

Mahoning Matters formed as a news site with laid-off veterans of the Youngstown Vindicator, filling part of a void in local accountability journalism in what is now the largest U.S. city without a seven-day print newspaper. Its funder, The Compass Experiment, set the startup on a three-year trajectory toward self-sustainability, an experiment that has yet to play out. Meantime, Compass successfully recruited a tiny band of Vindicator alumni, whose first stories have included unmasking the public official whose sexual misconduct compromised the management of a local police department.

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How a quarantine matchmaking project for Muslims found itself navigating anti-Blackness

Aysha Khan

August 10, 2020 |

Religion News Service |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Covid-19 has closed the places young Muslims go to meet potential spouses so two Muslim women created Eye Meets Soul, a virtual matchmaking service for US Muslim millennials where pairs first chat online without seeing each other. Initially, 10 potential couples led to 3 matches, with one continuing to thrive. However racial biases quickly surfaced, with many participants unwilling to date outside of their ethnic background. Muslims of African heritage report this as a common occurrence with Muslim dating services. Moving forward the co-founders will prescreen people for openness to all racial backgrounds.

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COVID-19: NC rural mental health outreach gets creative

Liora Engel-Smith

August 07, 2020 |

North Carolina Health News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Asheville, North Carolina

Mental health agencies in North Carolina have partnered with a mobile phone carrier to provide data-enabled smartphones to individuals who lack access to technology during the pandemic. Because this doesn't provide a solution to all, however, mental health experts are also meeting with patients outside in social distanced settings.

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The co-ops that electrified Depression-era farms are now building rural internet

Nicolás Rivero

August 05, 2020 |

Quartz |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

Co-ops that have historically brought electricity and telephone services to rural America are now providing internet service. Broadband companies don't make a profit when covering a large area with limited households per mile so co-ops have filled the need under the "Smart Grid" program funded by the USDA. Thousands of households have been connected to fiber-optic internet as a result.

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How Reedsburg Got Broadband

Kate Archer Kent

August 05, 2020 |

Wisconsin Public Radio |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Reedsburg, Wisconsin

Along with electricity, water, and phone, the Reedsburg Utility Commission provides internet access in rural Wisconsin. The fiber network was built almost two decades ago and provides affordable internet access at high speeds. The project started for internal needs and grew to accommodate the school and then eventually the whole region. Current municipal legislation inhibits the type of private-public partnerships that allowed Reedsburg Utility to once build what is now considered an essential service.

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Beirut explosion: Lebanese open their homes to strangers displaced by blast

Olivia Cuthbert

August 05, 2020 |

The National |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Lebanon, Beirut

Within hours of a massive explosion that left 300,000 people homeless, residents in and around Beirut opened their doors to house those impacted by the destruction. Thawramap, which normally identifies locations of peaceful protests, posted a map online showing where housing was available in private homes, hotels, and shelters. Six hours after the explosion 42 locations were available on the map to accommodate thousands, with more offers on social media using the hashtag #ourhomesareopen. Despite intense political polarization that often divides people in Lebanon, residents are displaying great solidarity.

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In Migrant Worker Camps, Wifi Is a Basic Utility

Judy Bankman

July 08, 2020 |

The Daily Yonder |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Wasco County, Oregon

To expand wifi access during the coronavirus pandemic for those who work in the agricultural community and in migrant farmworker camps, the City of The Dalles partnered and collaborated with Google and other community businesses to purchase hot spots and Chromebooks for farmworkers to use. The hot spots don't work in all areas of the county, but in the orchards with cell service where they have been installed, they have been helping to provide access to telemedicine and educational services.

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