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Check the Back Seat! Alerts Remind Drivers About Children

Ellen Byron

July 28, 2018 |

Wall Street Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Nissan and GM plan to make warning systems standard in many of their vehicles that alert drivers there are occupants in the back seat to address the persistent issue of children dying in hot cars. Other new products, apps and education efforts are underway as well to tackle this problem. These potential solutions represent a societal shift that seems to acknowledge this can happen even to the most conscientious parents.

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A coalition of governments is fighting authoritarianism with transparency

Anoush Darabi

July 27, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Georgia, Tbilisi

Making government more transparent is one strategy that countries are using to counteract rising xenophobia and populism. More than 85 national and subnational governments have committed to publishing spending data, protecting whistleblowers, and more as members of the Open Government Partnership.

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'Uber For Poop' Aims To Break Up Senegal's Toilet Cartel

Robert Smith

July 27, 2018 |

NPR |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Senegal, Dakar

In Senegal, emptying your septic taste is expensive business; the two options, hiring someone to shovel it onto the street or paying a high price to the "cartel of 'toilet suckers,'" are not sustainable for residents or public health. To force members of the raw sewage cartel to compete with each other and lower prices, a new call center "auctions" the service by text to individual sellers instead of forcing people to contend with a banded group, and "prices for toilet suckers have come down an average of 7 percent" since the program began.

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Wastewater treatment is a problem in the rural South. Who is working to fix it?

Melissa Brown

July 26, 2018 |

The Montgomery Advertiser |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Haynesville, Alabama

In the South's rural Black Belt, wastewater management is an issue, but local activists, government officials, and civil engineers are working together to create a new type of sanitation system that works for the geography. The approach also includes public information campaigns to educate people about proper maintenance and stop rumors that can prevent that maintenance.

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How 3,000 streetlights turned San Diego into America's smartest city

John R. Quain

July 25, 2018 |

Digital Trends |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Diego, California

A municipality’s ability to collect data and implement small changes can mean cost savings, increased efficiency, and improvements to daily life. By incorporating the ‘internet of things’ into thousands of streetlights, San Diego is able to collect and disseminate data on street usage, parking spots, and traffic optimization.

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The West Coast Electric Highway Enables Zero Emission Road Trips

Erika Lundahl

July 20, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Although electrical cars are not of the majority in the United States, their popularity is steadily increasing. Stretching from Baja California to British Columbia, the West Coast Electrical Highway is providing electric vehicle drivers a means to greater access to charging stations while consequently helping to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

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Seeking the Lost

Katelyn Newman

July 19, 2018 |

U.S. News & World Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles County is offering trackable bracelets in a voluntary program for people with conditions—such as autism and dementia—that can lead to wandering and becoming lost. In this way, people who may have difficulty remembering or communicating information such as a telephone number or home address can be safely found by first responders.

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A View of Tomorrow

Nicole Lewis

July 18, 2018 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

More states eye virtual reality to help inmates, jailed since they were teenagers, adapt to a very different world. Since a Supreme Court decision mandated the release of nearly 2,000 inmates sentenced as juveniles to life without parole, states have grappled with how to prepare them, and Pennsylvania turned to VR. Colorado followed suit and others are interested in the potential, but critics warn much more is needed to help juvenile lifers navigate the world as adults.

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Resistance 101: the video game going to war on malaria

Lucy Lamble

July 18, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: England, Liverpool

Resistance 101 is a game that teaches people about insecticide resistance and educates them about how to choose which insecticides to use in different situations. Educating communities on malaria prevention has proved to be quite effective in controlling rates of malaria contraction.

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Yelp for Cops

Simone Weichselbaum

July 16, 2018 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Police in New York already use algorithms to fight crime and now they have turned to a tech startup that uses algorithms to gauge trust levels towards citizens. The so-called “sentiment meter” is meant to address where police are falling short with the community and it has garnered the interest of police departments in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Grand Rapids, Mich., as well. But some are skeptical of the data methods and what they are actually measuring.

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