The Salt Lake Tribune
27 April 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
Utah, United States
To contain coronavirus, Utah has enabled contact tracing that utilizes state employees to make phone calls to those who have potentially been exposed to the virus but many they call do not speak English. To address the language barrier, members from the Utah National Guard’s 300th Military Intelligence Brigade – who serve on the linguistic unit – are volunteering to provide translations.
http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-08-26/aleppo-cell-phones-are-helping-some-desperate-syrians-find-clean-water
Joyce Hackel
Public Radio International (PRI)
26 August 2015
Radio / 5-15 Minutes
In war zones, people have a difficult time finding clean water and safe areas to inhabit. Social media, smart phones, and technology applications are aiding in people’s survival. In Aleppo, Syria, the International Committee of the Red Cross posted a map on Facebook to show alternative sources of clean drinking water that reached approximately 140,000 people.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/can-training-programs-help-community-relations/492074
Kia Gregory
The Atlantic
20 July 2015
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Lawyers and activists are educating residents in cities across the country on encounters with law enforcement. Know Your Rights training programs have been held by lawyers and community activists in neighborhoods in urban cities nationwide, designed to help residents understand the limits of police authority.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-police-use-data-science-to-prevent-deadly-encounters
Larry Greenemeier
Scientific American
22 July 2015
Text / 800-1500 Words
Several high-profile cases of law enforcement officers using deadly force against civilians within the past year have politicians, police and researchers looking for ways to prevent such incidents. As part of Obama's Police Data Initiative, researchers and police are studying 'predictive analytics' to improve existing officer early warning systems.
http://www.passblue.com/2017/07/07/at-the-un-a-new-treaty-banning-nuclear-weapons-is-adopted-by-122-nations
Maria Luisa Gambale
PassBlue
7 July 2017
Text / 1500-3000 Words
On July 7, 122 United Nations member countries approved a new treaty prohibiting and eliminating nuclear weapons. The legally binding agreement emphasizes humanitarian concerns, including the disproportionate impact of weapons testing and deployment on indigenous people as well as on women, young children, and reproductive systems. All nine states holding nuclear weapons boycotted negotiations.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/us/armed-teachers-guns-schools.html
Erica Green
Manny Fernandez
The New York Times
1 March 2018
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Amidst a backdrop of growing conversation around gun control and reform, especially as it pertains to school shooting incidents, President Trump suggests the solution is arming teachers. Some schools, however, have already done this to varying degrees of success and acceptance.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/why-your-favorite-bench-might-be-there-to-thwart-a-terrorist-attack/2018/08/27/28a863fc-9b49-11e8-b60b-1c897f17e185_story.html?noredirect=on
Katherine Shaver
The Washington Post
27 August 2018
Text / 800-1500 Words
How do you make a public space inviting so people will gather, but also safe from the growing danger of attackers using vehicles to ram large numbers of people? Many cities have responded to such attacks with concrete bollards and other barriers. But designers and architects are increasingly innovating other options that protect people via planters, fountains, trees, bike racks, steps and traffic calming designs to stop or slow down vehicles.
http://www.govtech.com/public-safety/Next-Generation-Emergency-Alerts-Whats-Working-Where.html
David Raths
Government Technology (GovTech)
1 February 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
As natural disasters become more prevalent - and more destructive - government at all levels is doing more to ensure that emergency alerts can reach everyone with mobile phones in the event of an evacuation or safety alerts. Solutions include state-wide systems, where counties collaborate with each other, as opposed to the old system where many counties were on their own, as well as layered systems to ensure a more accurate list of people to contact.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/01/19/680827371/these-scouts-are-prepared-for-dirty-dishes-and-keeping-the-peace
Simon Allison
NPR
19 January 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The Central African Republic is rife with political problems including the lack of a health system, proving problematic for a country where Ebola runs a constant risk. Despite the challenges, the Catholic Scouts Association has stepped up to create and implement programs that aim to "promote vaccination, check out rumors about Ebola, carry messages between rival military factions and more."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/dicks-sporting-goods-overhauled-its-gun-policies-after-parkland-the-ceo-didnt-stop-there/2019/05/31/9faa6a08-7d8f-11e9-a5b3-34f3edf1351e_story.html?noredirect=on
Rachel Siegel
The Washington Post
31 May 2018
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In a response to the 2018 Parkland, Fla. shooting that killed 17 people, Dick's Sporting Goods removed guns from several locations around the country and carried on conversations with Congress about tighter gun laws. The sporting goods company, which sold a shotgun to the Parkland shooter before the shooting occurred, has taken a comprehensive approach in looking at the school shooting crisis around the country by reducing gun sales and working with legislators on firearm legislation.
https://psmag.com/environment/preventing-fatal-clashes-between-humans-and-elephants
Vasudevan Sridharan
Pacific Standard
7 March 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Elephant-human interaction has too often led to conflict or danger in India. New research supports a forest authority’s early-warning system to send text, phone, and visual alerts when elephants are nearby. The integrated system has reduced fatalities to almost zero.
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