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Washington state's COVID-19 vaccine planning fell short on logistics, sowing disorder and mistrust

Evan Bush Mike Reicher

February 14, 2021 |

The Seattle Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

Because Washington state health officials failed to prioritize the planning of basic logistics for disseminating the COVID vaccine, the state quickly fell behind others in vaccinating the most vulnerable and at risk. Realizing that a significant part of the failure stemmed from a reliance on the already overtaxed healthcare sector to deliver the vaccine, the state has since enlisted the National Guard to provide vaccinations at various sites and has seen some improvement.

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American Democracy Is Only 55 Years Old—And Hanging by a Thread

Vann R. Newkirk II

February 11, 2021 |

The Atlantic |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Mississippi

The federal Voting Rights Act required states to ensure access to the polls for Black voters and created federal enforcement mechanisms. The law worked well in the Jim Crow South, but it wasn't built to deal with racial disenfranchisement more broadly. Congress and the courts have stripped important provisions from the bill over time, like those ensuring enforcement. A 2013 Supreme Court ruling dismissed the need for preemptive measures to protect Black voters, which created an opening for states to pass more restrictive voting laws that have created unfair burdens for Black, Latino, and Indigenous voters.

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Hawaii Homeless Program Failed After Prosecutors And Police Wouldn't Play Ball

Christina Jedra

February 11, 2021 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Honolulu, Hawaii

LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) proved itself in Seattle as effective at addressing the underlying problems of people experiencing homelessness, by waiving their criminal charges if they accepted needed services. But the program's two-year test in Honolulu failed to gain traction because only some police bought into it, and the prosecutor's office never did. Instead of using criminal citations as leverage, the program was stripped down to an ordinary outreach effort, and managed to enroll only 50 people, not all of whom were helped. A new prosecutor and the police will make another go of it.

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A handful of Washington schools are rapid testing staff and students for COVID-19. Is it working?

Hannah Furfaro

February 08, 2021 |

The Seattle Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

13 Washington school districts are piloting COVID-19 testing. By doing so, they can catch stop asymptomatic people from spreading the virus, offer testing to families who might not have access, and add a “sense of security for many staff members who are nervous.” Three of the districts participating “have tested more than 4,000 people using nearly 10,000 tests.”

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Plan to beautify 50 vacant lots falls short nearly two years later

Manny Ramos

February 07, 2021 |

Chicago Sun-Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Since June 2019, Chicago's Grounds for Peace pilot project has begun cleaning up vacant, city-owned lots using an approach to urban beautification that has been shown in other cities, and in one Chicago neighborhood, to reduce crime and boost residents' feelings of safety. While the city and its contractors consider the project a success in the making, thus far only two of the original 50 targeted lots show signs of improvement. Project leaders blame funding shortfalls, disruptions due to the pandemic, and difficulties in removing abandoned vehicles.

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Planting Trees Sounds Like A Simple Climate Fix. It's Anything But.

Kyla Mandel

February 05, 2021 |

The Huffington Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, England

As governments and businesses make pledges to cut their carbon emissions, planting tress has become a popular solution to combat the effects of climate change. But tree-planting schemes take time and proper management to actually be effective. Many efforts have failed to take some key factors into consideration, including types of trees, location, and even community-involvement.

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A GOP Governor and BLM Activists Agreed on Restoring Voting Rights to Felons. Will It Last?

Kaila Philo

February 04, 2021 |

Politico |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Iowa

More than 3,000 Iowans voted in the 2020 presidential election thanks to an executive order signed by the Republican governor after a protest campaign by activists to erase Iowa's permanent ban on voting by people with felony records. But that number was just a fraction of those newly eligible to vote, due to limitations in the order and a lackluster effort to inform the public. Iowa has a disproportionately high number of disenfranchised Black citizens who could be helped by a more permanent constitutional fix. That fix has now been stalled by the choice to act by executive order.

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Getting vaccinated is hard. It's even harder without the internet.

Eileen Guo

February 03, 2021 |

MIT Technology Review |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

A focus on infrastructure has been emphasized as the solution to bridging the digital divide, with “billions of dollars going into expanding broadband infrastructure.” Rural communities have historically struggled with broadband infrastructure but many people living in cities are also kept from accessing reliable internet service due to high costs. Affordability, not just infrastructure alone, must be addressed into order to remedy a lack of internet access.

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These States Found the Secret to COVID-19 Vaccination Success

Elaine S. Povich

February 02, 2021 |

Stateline |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alaska

Only a few states in the U.S. have had a successful COVID-19 vaccine rollout, but the ones that did relied on similar tactics: a centralized operation, local collaborations, and an early reliance on the National Guard to set up clinics. Although these strategies weren't without limitations, they have yielded better vaccination rates than those states that took other routes.

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How New York's Vaccine Program Missed Black and Hispanic Residents

The New York Times Editorial Board

February 01, 2021 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York’s vaccination effort has largely left out Black and Latino people due at least in part to the decision to use an online-based system for booking appointments. With the data to back this observation up, the government is actively working to increase vaccination rates within these communities by making changes including setting aside vaccine appointments in 33 high-risk areas.

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