Author
Opinion: Recognizing progress and opportunities for our railroads during Rail Safety Week
By Jeff Buddle The writer is president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Maryland. Every three hours in the United States a person or vehicle is hit by a train, and 60% of collisions occur at crossings that are equipped with lights and/or gates. More than 2,100 people across North America are injured or killed […]
Looking for a US ‘climate haven’ away from heat and disaster risks? Good luck finding one
By Julie Arbit, University of Michigan; Brad Bottoms, University of Michigan, and Earl Lewis, University of Michigan Southeast Michigan seemed like the perfect “climate haven.” “My family has owned my home since the ‘60s. … Even when my dad was a kid and lived there, no floods, no floods, no floods, no floods. Until [2021],” […]
Risk of death related to pregnancy and childbirth more than doubled between 1999 and 2019 in the US
By Laura Fleszar, University of Washington; Allison Bryant Mantha, Harvard University; Catherine O. Johnson, University of Washington, and Greg Roth, University of Washington Black women were more likely to die during pregnancy or soon after in every year from 1999 through 2019, compared with Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other […]
Since Stonewall, the fight for equal rights has been rooted in resistance led by Black transwomen
By Deion Scott Hawkins, Emerson College Its unclear who threw the first brick at Stonewall Inn on that night in New York City that arguably launched the gay rights liberation movement. As part of queer lore, Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transwoman at the forefront of gay liberation, or Sylvia Rivera, a Latina transwoman, was […]
Wildfire smoke can harm human health, even when the fire is burning hundreds of miles away
By Christopher T. Migliaccio, University of Montana Smoke from more than 100 wildfires burning across Canada has been rolling into North American cities far from the flames. New York City, Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit each made the list of the most polluted cities in the world at times in May and June 2023 because […]
More people in Ohio not met with equal housing opportunities
By Robert “Bo” Chilton and Stephen Torsell Columbus has seen boom times recently – at least for some. Population in Columbus has exploded in the last two decades – and it’s not expected to stop anytime soon. Given the enormous investments by Intel and other major companies, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission expects about 726,000 […]
How can Congress regulate AI? Erect guardrails, ensure accountability and address monopoly
By Anjana Susarla Takeaways: A new federal agency to regulate AI sounds helpful but could become unduly influenced by the tech industry. Instead, Congress can legislate accountability. Instead of licensing companies to release advanced AI technologies, the government could license auditors and push for companies to set up institutional review boards. The government hasn’t had […]
What Socrates’ wisdom can teach a polarized America
By J. W. Traphagan, The University of Texas at Austin and John J. Kaag, UMass Lowell A common complaint in America today is that politics and even society as a whole are broken. Critics point out endless lists of what should be fixed: the complexity of the tax code, or immigration reform, or the inefficiency […]
Billionaire Harlan Crow bought property from Clarence Thomas, who didn’t disclose the deal.
by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski, ProPublica This story was originally published in ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. In 2014, one of Texas billionaire Harlan Crow’s companies purchased a string of properties on a quiet residential street […]
Clarence Thomas and the billionaire
By Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski, ProPublica This story was originally published in ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. In late June 2019, right after the U.S. Supreme Court released its final opinion of the […]
The true dangers of long trains
By Dan Schwartz and Topher Sanders, ProPublica, with additional reporting by Gabriel Sandoval and Danelle Morton, graphics by Haisam Hussein This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Just before 5 a.m., Harry […]
3 kids, 3 adults killed in shooting at Nashville private elementary school
Story a staff report from States Newsroom’s Tennessee Lookout. Among the victims are three 9-year-old children: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney. The adult victims are Cynthia Peak, 61, Mike Hill, 61, and Katherine Koonce, 60. Police said Peak was a substitute teacher, Hill a custodian and Koonce Covenant’s head of school. The shooter, […]