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How Fines and Fees Reform Became a Priority for Cities Across the Country

Route Fifty

Emma Coleman

HUB MEMBER

6 February 2020

Durham, North Carolina, United States

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1500-3000 Words

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From North Carolina to California, states and cities are taking a new approach to fines and fees – people are having their charges dismissed, warrants for minor offenses cleared, and many municipalities are actually s...

Adult Onset Hunters: A New Type Of Sportsman Could Be The Key To Funding Conservation

KBSX

Heath Druzin

25 November 2019

Boise, Idaho, United States

Radio

3-5 Minutes

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In the United States, many conservation efforts are funded by hunters through the 1937 Pittman-Robertson Act and the Duck Stamp. Over the years, there has been a decline in hunting, but organizations like Backcountry ...

Limits could rein in runaway legislative sessions

WRAL-TV

Laura Leslie

18 November 2019

Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

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Under 800 Words

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As North Carolina wrapped up its second-longest legislative session in its history, the government looked to other states for a possible solution. In states like George and Tennessee, which have sessions 40 and 30 day...

Charlotte could allow townhomes, duplexes, triplexes in traditional single-family neighborhoods

WCNC-TV

Nathan Morabito

8 November 2019

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Broadcast TV News

3-5 Minutes

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Charlotte, North Carolina looks to other major cities - like Grand Rapids, Michigan - for examples of success in multi-home zoning changes. To address the lack of affordable housing in Charlotte, some city officials a...

The Timber Architecture Revolution Has Arrived in Norway. (Almost.)

CityLab

Tracey Lindeman

4 November 2019

Brumunddal, Norway

Multi-Media

800-1500 Words

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Norway is leading the world in low-carbon structural wood development; now, the country is working to bring factories into the country to turn the trees into usable lumber within the nation's borders. The city of Brum...

This Conservative City Built a $132 Million Park Using One Weird Trick

CityLab

Zach Mortice

11 October 2019

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

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1500-3000 Words

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After falling behind in urban planning and innovation in the 1990s and early 2000s, Oklahoma City created a limited-time sales tax called MAPS to pay for capital projects, like the new Scissortail Park. The tax consis...

Fill, Build and Flood: Dangerous Development in Flood-Prone Areas

U.S. News & World Report

Laurie Mazur

HUB MEMBER

8 October 2019

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Multi-Media

800-1500 Words

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To combat excessive flooding in low-plain areas, cities like Charlotte are passing critical legislation that regulates fill-and-build development, a type of construction that leads to more intense flooding in vulnerab...

Erie Hit ‘Rock Bottom.' The Former Factory Hub Thinks It Has a Way Out.

Wall Street Journal

Ruth Simon

Kris Maher

7 October 2019

Erie, Pennsylvania, United States

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1500-3000 Words

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Erie, Pennsylvania, uses creative financial incentives for companies and businesses that invest capital gains in low-income areas of the city in order to pull itself out of economic hardship caused by the decrease in ...

How Penn State Is Cutting Greenhouse Emissions In Half — And Saving Money

NPR

Dan Charles

4 October 2019

State College, Pennsylvania, United States

Multi-Media

5-15 Minutes

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Enrolling administrators and financial planners in sustainable projects takes proving that investments pay for themselves. With the help of pressure from students and faculty, Penn State Universities administrators ha...

Mongolian nomads create shared funds and financial security

Devex

Sarah Trent

Khaliun Bayartsogt

HUB MEMBER

2 October 2019

Arvaikheer, Mongolia

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1500-3000 Words

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Herders in Mongolia have resorted to cooperative shared funds to keep their pastures afloat, a sign of a slow tilt towards greater collaboration and trust in the area. The shared funds act as a way for herders to borr...

How one small Wisconsin hospital was saved amid a statewide rural health crisis

Wisconsin Watch

Parker Schorr

30 September 2019

Neillsville, Wisconsin, United States

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Over 3000 Words

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Rural hospitals often face a host of problems, especially when it comes to financial troubles; however, a small hospital in Wisconsin has been able to remain open by embracing a merger with a larger health care facili...

There's Hope for Local Journalism

The Atlantic

James Fallows

18 September 2019

Provincetown, Massachusetts, United States

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1500-3000 Words

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The retention of local ownership provides a more viable business model for small newspapers. In Provincetown, Massachusetts, the Provincetown Independent eschews the profit-maximizing, private-equity business model in...

Ideas from Oklahoma can help NC plan for future of increased flooding

WRAL-TV

Richard Adkins

17 September 2019

Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

Broadcast TV News

3-5 Minutes

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Eastern North Carolina -- an area increasingly affected by flooding from hurricanes -- looks to Tulsa for long-term, financially sustainable solutions to routine flooding. Tulsa's comprehensive approach includes regul...

Building a better helmet

The Outlook

Nate Mann

29 August 2019

Seattle, Washington, United States

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800-1500 Words

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In an effort to create more effective helmets, developers and consumers have come up against both cost and technological concerns. Building helmets that protect against concussions is challenging, and those that have ...

Springfield could be a template for Bridgeport

Republican American

Ethan Fry

Amanda Cuda

26 August 2019

Springfield, Massachusetts, United States

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800-1500 Words

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Springfield, Massachusetts leaned into urban renewal and public-private partnerships to keep their local economy alive amid the manufacturing downfall. Now, Bridgeport - a town of similar size and economic fate - look...

Atlanta refused to give up on homelessness. It's working.

The Christian Science Monitor

Alex P. Kellogg

23 August 2019

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

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800-1500 Words

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Atlanta has seen a decline in rates of people experiencing homelessness from 2008-2018, a trend that is particularly meaningful as other cities contend with stubbornly high numbers. Part of the solution? A new source ...

In wealthy Silicon Valley, a $500 million plan to save threatened farmland

Reuters

Johnny Magdaleno

HUB MEMBER

8 August 2019

San Martin, California, United States

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800-1500 Words

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In Santa Clara County, California, the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation program is funding an effort to prevent development and bolster agriculture on local farmland. The County, home to Silicon Valley, pur...

As News Deserts Encroach, One City Looks At A New Way To Fund Local Journalism

Wyoming Public Media

Rae Ellen Bichell

HUB MEMBER

5 August 2019

Longmont, Colorado, United States

Multi-Media

1500-3000 Words

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A local community member in Longmont, Colorado looks to creative public financing in order to keep the news media alive in his town. Looking to libraries as a successful model of special improvement districts, which a...

These Brilliant Nets Don't Just Glow in the Dark — They're Saving Sea Turtles' Lives

NationSwell

Monica Humphries

HUB MEMBER

2 August 2019

Hickam Field, Hawaii, United States

Text

Under 800 Words

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Fishermen are attaching LED lights to the gillnets they use to trap fish to ward off unintended captures like turtles, dolphins, and sea lions. The lights warn the wildlife that something is there so they don’t get ca...

Some cities and towns see tax-break deals as key to economic growth

Hartford Business Journal

Matt Pilon

Gregory Seay

Greg Bordonaro

22 July 2019

Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Text

1500-3000 Words

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Hartford, Connecticut navigates the complex web of public taxation with the implementation of tax-breaks for developments like affordable housing, daycares, and industrial reinvestment sites. Though tax-breaks are con...

Three Big Lessons From One Small Town

The Atlantic

James Fallows

18 July 2019

Danville, Virginia, United States

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1500-3000 Words

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The town of Danville, Virginia survived the downfall of the mill industry by using creative financing and investing in solid economic infrastructure that will remain sustainable into the future. The town has invested ...

Home on the range? Private buyers restore U.S. grassland to cowboy consternation

place

Gregory Scruggs

HUB MEMBER

18 July 2019

Bozeman, Montana, United States

Multi-Media

800-1500 Words

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The American Prairie Reserve (APR)has diverged from government funding and instead created a free-market system to preserve prairie land across Northeastern Montana. Some ranchers in the state oppose the allowance of ...

I've seen the future and it's Norwich: the energy-saving, social housing revolution

The Guardian

Oliver Wainwright

16 July 2019

Norwich, United Kingdom

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800-1500 Words

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A neighborhood of 100 homes in Norwich offers a solution to the affordable housing crisis through no-frills public housing. The homes, part of a social housing project funded by the Norwich City Council, meet modern e...

Inside the Ambitious Campaign to Drive Homicides in Chicago Below 400

The Trace

Brian Freskos

11 July 2019

Chicago, Illinois, United States

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Over 3000 Words

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In Chicago, community organizations, public officials, and private funders have come together behind a campaign called “<399” – with the goal of bringing homicides to under 400. This collaboration has taken on a compr...

Detroit Bail Project aims to disrupt the process of cash bail and incarceration

Model D

Nina Misuraca Ignaczak

9 July 2019

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Text

800-1500 Words

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The Bail Project is posting bond for men and women who cannot afford to pay and haven’t been convicted of a crime. Based in Detroit, the nonprofit has locations across the country and uses a revolving fund to bail out...

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Photos Credits

Photos are licensed under Attribution Non Commercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:

Fondriest Environmental, David De Wit / Community Eye Health, Linda Steil / Herald Post, John Amis / UGA College of Ag & Environmental Sciences – OCCS, Andy B, Peter Garnhum, Thomas Hawk, 7ty9, Isriya Paireepairit, David Berger, UnLtd The Foundation For Social Entrepreneurs, Michael Dunne, Burak Kebapci, and Forrest Berkshire / U.S. Army Cadet Command public affairs

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Ra'ed Qutena, 段 文慶, Fabio Campo, City Clock Magazine, Justin Norman, scarlatti2004, Gary Simmons, Kathryn McCallum, and Nearsoft Inc

Photos are licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:

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Photo Credit: Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images

Photo Credit: Sonia Narang