A Tale of Two Leaks: Fixed in California, Ignored in Alabama

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/16032016/mercaptans-eight-mile

Neela Banerjee

Inside Climate News

17 March 2016

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Eight years after a mercaptan spill in Eight Mile, Alabama, its mostly black and working class residents still suffer from respiratory issues, rashes and headaches.

Grow for Vets

http://journalism.uoregon.edu/static/j469-spring2016/OR-Magazine_Cannabis-Veterans-PTSD.pdf

Haley Rivet

OR Magazine

1 April 2016

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Veterans using prescription drugs to treat PTSD are now turning to cannabis as an alternative treatment, as it can often cause fewer side effects. Grow for Vets is an organization that helps veterans obtain marijuana free of charge.

After the floods: York and Nijmegen - a tale of two cities

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35472936

Allan Urry

BBC

9 February 2016

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After record-breaking rainfall and flooding, the city of York was at a loss for relief and reconstruction ideas. They turned to the Dutch city of Nijmegen, which had experienced similar flooding and found a solution in building a relief channel.

New Phoenix team tackles recidivism of those with mental illness

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2015/01/27/new-team-tackles-recidivism-mentally/22386237

Megan Cassidy

The Arizona Republic

27 January 2015

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Assertive community treatment teams working through outreach-centered programs in Maricopa County have become an industry standard for treating those with persistent and severe mental illnesses who have recently been incarcerated. They provide a long-term approach, aiming to halt a cycle of incarceration and hospitalization by focusing on underlying issues such as what caused the police interaction and incarceration.

Helping the Lame Walk, Without a Miracle

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/helping-the-lame-walk-without-a-miracle

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

23 June 2011

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The Jaipur Limb organization based in India has developed prostheses at low cost, and services are free for the poor. The organization’s efforts have recently spread to other countries with impoverished people. Jaipur Limb reaches patients through branch clinics, traveling workshops, and limb camps in cities around the world.

Preparing for Disaster by Betting Against It

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/preparing-for-disaster-by-betting-against-it

Georgia Levenson Keohane

The New York Times

12 February 2014

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In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, necessity has bred an interesting kind of financial invention for the New York MTA: the world’s first “catastrophe” bond - a reinsurance for the insurer - designed to protect public transportation infrastructure, specifically against storm surge. These bonds privatize risk for public gain, creating a kind of tool that may protect economic development against all kinds of natural and man-made disasters around the world.

In Bangladesh, More Shelter From the Storms

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/in-bangladesh-more-shelter-from-the-storms

Amy Yee

The New York Times

24 July 2013

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In a country of limited resources — and perhaps for that very reason — preparing for natural disasters is top of the agenda in Bangladesh. Various grassroots, collaborative programs have been put in place over the years to help address many facets of the calamities caused by cyclones, from improved emergency shelters to long-term support for those who lose their livelihoods in the storms.

Scrooges of the World, Begone!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/25/opinion/nicholas-kristof-scrooges-of-the-world-begone.html?_r=0

Nicholas Kristof

The New York Times

24 December 2014

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Haiti suffered tremendous losses after the 2010 earthquake, exacerbating the devastation in an already impoverished country. In 2015, agriculture in Haiti is a growing business backed by the United States’ Feed the Future Initiative. Nourishment and health of mothers and babies has also improved with the encouragement of breastfeeding and sweet potatoes.

Chipping away at mental health crisis

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/local/2016/02/11/chipping-away-mental-health-crisis/80200696

Keegan Kyle

The Post Crescent

17 March 2016

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The state of Wisconsin has a teen suicide rate three-times greater than the national average. Lawmakers have scrambled to address and provide greater access to mental health services in the state by offering temporary housing shelters, treatment programs, and new police training. The initiative is expanding to three cities and health officials see progress because of a decrease in hospitalizations.

The City That Unpoisoned Its Pipes

https://nextcity.org/features/view/flint-lansing-michigan-replaced-lead-water-pipes

Anna Clark

Next City

8 August 2016

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The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, has left the city in dire straits without funds or political will to replace its lead pipes. Less than fifty-miles away, the city of Lansing has managed to replace almost all of its pipes, even during the Great Recession. Between Flint and Lansing, divergent approaches to management of utilities, funds, and citizen health provide extraordinary lessons about what worked and what caused the failures.