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Benchmarking Racial Inequity in St. Louis

Zoe Sullivan

January 16, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

The collection and analysis of data is a crucial first step in revealing and addressing areas of racial inequality in cities. Using the methodology of a 2015 New York City program designed to study metrics of inequality, the St. Louis Equity Indicators Project has already filled large gaps in data by identifying 72 metrics of inequality in the heavily racially-divided city. Following the recommendations of the Ferguson Commission, the St. Louis’ Equity Indicators provide a baseline by which the city can track efforts to improve racial disparities across issues of health, education, and legal justice.

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Durham County Dismisses Hundreds of Traffic Fines as Part of a License Restoration Effort

Sarah Willets

January 15, 2019 |

INDY Week |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Durham, North Carolina

Durham County relieved hundreds of outstanding traffic fines in an effort to restore suspended driver's licenses. The program, called Durham Expungement and Restoration (DEAR), "identified more than 11,000 people eligible to have outstanding fines dropped" from charges resulting from court absence or inability to pay a traffic ticket.

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The Talent Show for Honest People

Tom Colls

January 15, 2019 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Nepal, Kathmandu

In Kathmandu, Nepal, bureaucrats, and government officials gathered for a special type of talent show, Integrity Idol, which awards honest government workers. From petty bribes to large government contracts, corruption is pervasive in the mountainous country. Instead of naming and shaming, Accountability Lab puts on Integrity Idol competitions around the world for naming and faming, awarding integrity and anti-corruption efforts within government as a way to encourage and reward the behavior.

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Athens' Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Addresses Resident Needs

Kristen Adaway

January 06, 2019 |

Grady Newsource |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Athens, Georgia

In Athens, Georgia, an ombudsman program for long-term care residents at senior and nursing homes is holding institutions accountable and ensuring that residents' complaints are heard. The program comes from a requirement in the amended Older Americans Act and encompasses anything from complaints about food to hygiene to being treated with dignity.

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China gets tough on US recyclables. How one Maine town is fighting back.

Christa Case Bryant

January 03, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Sanford, Maine

When China, the country that processes much of the United State's recyclables, became much more stringent about how much contaminated recycling it would accept, municipalities had to figure out how to avoid the fines that could come with recycling done wrong. In Sanford, Maine, they manages to cut their contamination rate from 15-20% to 0-3% by investing in more serious inspections and helping residents learn what is recyclable and what isn't.

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How a Guatemalan Town Tackled Its Plastic Problem

Lola Mendez

January 03, 2019 |

Atlas Obscura |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Guatemala, San Pedro La Laguna

San Pedro La Laguna, a town in Guatemala, has banned single use plastics including plastic bags and straws after realizing that plastic pollution was ruining the ecosystem of Lake Atitlan and that a new waste facility would be unable to handle the amount of garbage created in the village. To ensure that people follow the new regulation, there are heavy fees - but the town also bought traditionally made biodegradable replacements; the change is being framed as a way to return to traditional, indigenous ways for the communities.

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Standing Rock's Surprising Legacy: A Push for Public Banks

Deonna Anderson

January 02, 2019 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

In a post-Standing Rock economic era, cities like Seattle and Philadelphia look to the Bank of North Dakota as an example of a successful public banking structure. While public banking is a large undertaking for many cities, governments around the country search for options to divest from Wall Street.

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Norway's EV Incentives Have Worked. Now What?

Tracey Lindeman

December 27, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Norway, Oslo

Norway's incentives for buyers of electric vehicles have been incredibly successful: half of all cars sold in the country are now either hybrid or completely electric. However, there is concern that success won't last as those incentives are pulled back and Norway tries to move towards a car-free society.

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California Wildfires Destroy Homes and Lives. Why Do Regulators Encourage Building in Fire Zones?

Christian Britschgi

November 14, 2018 |

Reason |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

In California, Proposition 103 – a decades-old ballot initiative – disincentivizes homeowners affected by wildfires to rebuild in less fire-prone zones. The proposition – which can only be reversed through another ballot initiative – bars insurers from raising their rates based on future risks, meaning people who live in fire zones are not paying a higher rate. Furthermore, because of these regulations and the lack of response to the problem, insurance agencies often err on the side of caution and won’t sell policies at all, leaving some people uninsured entirely.

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Tanzanian Farmers Crack the Code for Fighting Land Grab

Kizito Makoye

November 13, 2018 |

OZY |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Tanzania

Indigenous people in Tanzania are using “legal expertise, political pressure and smart solutions like land mapping to win back plots — and then secure them — from corporations they accuse of using loopholes to grab territory.” While indigenous people live in most of the world’s land, they legally own less than ten percent of it. By mapping their territory and publically registering land, it is much harder for corporations to take control.

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