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To Solve 3 Cold Cases, This Small County Got a DNA Crash Course

Virginia Hughes

May 03, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kentland, Indiana

Genetic genealogy's use in criminal cases has gone mainstream. As the cases of three murder victims in Indiana illustrate, the science of DNA evidence combined with genealogical research and detective work is rapidly ramping up, from a hobby to a curiosity and now to a major commercial and criminal-justice opportunity. Hundreds of missing persons have been identified from decades-old remains, or murder suspects identified from old biological evidence in cold cases. By creating a family tree of the victim or suspect, investigators can zero in on an identity more quickly and inexpensively than ever.

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This community garden in Southeast Washington grows far more than food

Noah Robertson

May 03, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

As a way to bring the community together and promote healing in Southeast Washington, D.C., residents created a garden known as Project Eden. Their garden has grown to a plot of land that grows roots, legumes, fruits, and greens with a greenhouse and aquaponics system that has fed thousands of people. The founders view the garden as a way to strengthen food security and encourage resiliency for an area where people have witnessed violent acts.

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How rechargeable tricycles are saving pregnant mothers and newborns in rural Zimbabwe

Farai Shawn Matiashe

May 03, 2021 |

Nigeria Health Watch |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Wedza

Mobility for Africa provides electric tricycles, called Hambas, to take pregnant women to and from health appointments. Mobility is critical to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and the three-wheel tricycles are easy to drive on rural roads. They run on a lithium battery that can be charged in about six hours using renewable energy and a single charge gets about three trips. The transportation allows women who live far from clinics and cannot afford transportation be able to access medical care. About 50 Hambas currently take women to and from doctor appointments during pregnancy until after delivery.

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‘The fight has to change': Why Ferguson activists ditched police reform

Rebecca Rivas

May 03, 2021 |

Missouri Independent |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

Decades of advocacy for more effective civilian oversight of police-misconduct investigations in St. Louis finally resulted in a new oversight board created in the wake of the death of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson. But that board has been rendered a "total failure" because the police found ways to keep steering investigations to their secret, internal investigative office and preventing prosecutors from working independently on investigations. A new mayor and a sympathetic prosecuting attorney promise to fix the structural flaws that have let the police continue to investigate themselves.

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¡Adelante fuerte!

Katherine Stanley Obando

May 02, 2021 |

El Colectivo 506 |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica

En áreas rurales de Costa Rica que dependían en el turismo para subsistir, muchos empresarios y otras entidades han encontrado nuevas formas de mantenerse a pie a pesar de la pandemia. Algunas de esas formas incluyen métodos de trueque entre comunidades, que les permiten intercambiar servicios, materiales, comida y más a cambio de otras cosas que necesiten. En otros casos, las organizaciones de turismo adaptaron la manera de emplear a sus guías para incorporar servicios de patrullaje y conservación ecológica para proteger la flora y fauna de las comunidades.

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After a century of dispossession, Black farmers are fighting to get back to the land

Tom Philpott

May 01, 2021 |

Mother Jones |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

In the U.S., a movement of Black farmers is trying to reclaim their legacy as agrarians. Only 1.7 percent of farms were run by Black farmers according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture. Black farmers are forming collectives, creating land trusts, creating conferences.

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Outreach officers treat homelessness as a symptom, not a crime

Stephanie Casanova

May 01, 2021 |

Arizona Daily Star |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

Tucson Police Department's Homeless Outreach Team operates on the premise that even though many want to see police excluded from any role in dealing with homelessness, residents still call 911 and demand a police response. So the team, working with the city's homeless services counselors, can usually turn such contacts into an offer of help. Its officers are trained more and have more time than patrol officers to talk to people and determine their needs. Tucson's unhoused population surged in 2020, and police helped hundreds get housed or get other services without resorting to arrests and jail.

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Au bord du fleuve Congo : la maladie du sommeil en voie d'éradication

Aurélie Kieffer

April 30, 2021 |

France Culture |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Le Congo-Kinshasa est le pays le plus touché par la maladie du sommeil : chaque année, plusieurs centaines de personnes sont piquées par la mouche tsé-tsé. Faute de traitement, ces malades sont voués à la mort, mais de récents progrès ont permis des avancées thérapeutiques majeures. Mais au Congo, l’action de la DNDI (initiative pour des médicaments contre les maladies négligées) est en passe de l'éradiquer.

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‘What difference would that make?'

Kiran Misra

April 30, 2021 |

The Chicago Reader |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

A participatory budgeting pilot in ten Chicago Public Schools empowers students to influence change by deciding how small grants, typically $1,000 to $2,000, should be spent for school improvement. Students brainstorm ideas, construct persuasive proposals, and vote on which to implement, providing valuable lessons in civic participation. The proposals revealed student needs that staff hadn’t previously considered. Ultimately, grants supported gender-neutral bathrooms, locker room shower curtains, a peer mentoring program, and spaces for students to reflect and decompress when feeling overwhelmed.

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American cities have long struggled to reform their police – but isolated success stories suggest community and officer buy-in might be key

Thaddeus L. Johnson, Natasha N. Johnson

April 30, 2021 |

The Conversation |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cincinnati, Ohio

One police-reform program that outperformed and outlasted most cities' attempts was Cincinnati's "collaborative agreement," an unusual team effort focused on community involvement at every step. Sparked by a controversial police shooting of an unarmed Black man, the program went beyond federal government and court oversight to include other key stakeholders in the community and police unions. Changed policies on use of force, crime prevention, and police accountability led to lower crime, improved police-community relations, fewer injuries, and fewer racially biased traffic stops.

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