Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Doula work is ‘taxing' with little pay. Can Minnesota make it more sustainable?

    In 2013, Minnesota’s Medical Assistance Medicaid program expanded to include access for those who were providing support as doulas, but many barriers faced those who tried to get on the registry. From a registration fee to complicated billing system, the new policy has especially been challenging for individual practitioners or small non-profits to navigate. But despite the limitations, the expansion has still helped some organization's "ability to serve families while compensating doulas for their work."

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  • 43 Cases, No Convictions: Prosecuting the Police Falters in New York

    In the more than five years since New York's governor ordered the attorney general to take charge of investigations and prosecutions when police kill unarmed people, only three police officers have been charged with crimes and none has been convicted. By taking control of such cases away from local prosecutors, officials hoped to instill greater trust in outcomes, because of the close ties local prosecutors have with local police. But the narrow scope of the rule establishing the special prosecutions unit, plus a host of other systemic and legal barriers, have meant that the outcomes have not changed.

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  • The EV tax credit can save you thousands — if you're rich enough

    A tax credit was supposed to incentive Americans to buy electric vehicles, but testimony from car buyers and research has shown that only people who can afford the full purchase are getting access to the benefit. The tax break gives electric car purchasers a credit on their taxes the following year, but only as much as they owe the government. The purchase could end up costing more than buyers expected, which can be a barrier for people who want to switch to electric.

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  • NYC's free pandemic child care program promised to prioritize students with disabilities. Why were so many turned away?

    When the coronavirus pandemic shut down school buildings and led to many people working from home in New York City, a city child care program was launched to give children a place to go while they were learning from home. However, the program failed to accommodate children with disabilities who required the assistance of a paraprofessional. After realizing the gap in care, the city is now working to increase access.

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  • How 5 universities tried to handle COVID-19 on campus

    Universities are breeding grounds for COVID-19. In August and September they had to figure out the best way to test, control, and contain a virus on campus. Across the country universities launched a plethora of methods: weekly testing, staggered testing, training student health ambassadors, and even a community court. This article highlights the endeavors of 5 universities.

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  • Oklahoma County promised to fix its jail more than 10 year ago, but deaths and staffing issues continue

    The U.S. Department of Justice documented dangerous conditions in the Oklahoma County Detention Center that led to a 2009 court settlement requiring the county to staff and fund its jail adequately. But the Justice Department failed to enforce the settlement. Staff shortages and poor conditions persist in the jail, leading to 84 deaths since 2009, seven in the past three months. The county knew it would need voter approval to raise taxes or borrowing to pay for the jail reforms, but it never followed through and was not held to account by the federal overseers.

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  • “Power Companies Get Exactly What They Want”: How Texas Repeatedly Failed to Protect Its Power Grid Against Extreme Weather

    After winter storms and freezing temperatures in 2011 and 2014 caused power plants in Texas to shut down, the state’s energy regulators failed to adapt the state’s electric grid for future extreme weather events. Experts say the state’s deregulated energy market, failure to weatherize facilities, and a lack of action from lawmakers to update the power grid caused millions of customers to lose power during the deadly 2021 winter storm.

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  • The Texas Freeze: Why the Power Grid Failed

    By relying on the market to give energy suppliers' incentives to keep the power going during extreme weather events, a historic cold snap in Texas revealed cracks in the state’s free-market energy system, which left millions powerless during the storm. Critics of the state’s system say “the alphabet soup of Texas energy oversight bodies” led to inaction and there was a lack of preparation from plant owners to ensure that they could continue to operate in extreme heat and cold temperatures.

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  • A College Program for Disadvantaged Teens Could Shake Up Elite Admissions

    About “1,500 (High School) students from 75 of the nation’s poorest schools in 35 cities,” are enrolling in college courses in elite universities like Harvard and Columbia through an initiative started by a nonprofit—and succeeding. The aim of the program is to prepare underprivileged students for the rigors of college education, and give them a confidence boost before they enter college. They complete the same coursework as the college students and get a grade. “All of these schools talk this game, ‘We want diversity, but we can’t find these kids,’ and this proves they can build a pipeline."

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  • ‘Crime-Free' Housing Ordinances, Explained

    Starting in the early 1990s, thousands of American towns and cities passed "crime-free housing" ordinances that purport to reduce crime in rental housing. The laws encourage or require landlords to evict tenants based on calls to police, or the criminal records of tenants or their houseguests. The laws' lack of due process has turned them into a tool promoting segregation and retaliation against people of color. Frequently enacted in places that have begun to diversify racially, they give police too much power to declare certain residences a nuisance. Legal challenges have begun to curb some abuses.

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