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Catalyst Life Services provides masks to staff for deaf and hard-of-hearing clients

Tierra Thomas

May 07, 2020 |

Richland Source |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Mansfield, Ohio

Lip-reading is very important for clarification for those who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, but the masks mandated by the coronavirus pandemic hinder that. In response, the nonprofit Catalyst Life Services (which currently serves about 90 deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Richland County) created masks that feature a "window" over the mouth made of clear plastic so that the wearer stays protected and interpretable. So far the nonprofit has made 20 for their community and another 100 for local first responders, but they are looking for more donations and help going forward.

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To Keep the Economy Afloat, the Fed Turns to North Dakota

Oscar Perry Abello

April 29, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Bismarck, South Dakota

The Bank of North Dakota is the only state-owned bank in the country, and their lending program is so effective that the federal government followed suit in the face of the unprecedented coronavirus. North Dakota's program is named The Main Street Lending Program, and it works by allowing local banks to be able to offer more loans to small businesses in their time of need by supplying 95% of the loan. This article explains how it works and lays out, policy by policy, the similarities and differences between North Dakota's approach and the federal government's subsequent approach.

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Language barriers can pose a steep hurdle for Kansas governments to overcome during COVID-19 pandemic

Stan Finger Claudia Yaujar-Amaro Chris Green

April 29, 2020 |

The Kansas Leadership Center Journal (KLC Journal) |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas

Several Kansas state entities translated and distributed information in multiple languages during the COVID-19 pandemic. The El Dorado Public School district provided information in Spanish on their website and on student laptops, iPads, and handouts. In addition to a multilingual hotline, the state’s health department released an accessible micro-website, created by CivicPlus, that translates information into over 100 languages, including sign language, and uses closed captioning for videos. The microsite template was so effective, the company is offering it to other jurisdictions for other scenarios.

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Bankers say PPP loans saved 40,000 jobs in New Hampshire

Patrick O'Grady

April 25, 2020 |

New Hampshire Business Review |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New Hampshire

The Paycheck Protection Program, a program launched by the federal government to help small businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic, has helped the community in New Hampshire save about 40,000 jobs. Although not all small businesses are keen to take the loan because of the strict stipulations that must be met for it to be forgivable, overall, 7,400 loans have been approved so far.

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How a Group of Political Novices Ended Gerrymandering in Michigan

Tom Perkins

April 24, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Michigan

Voters Not Politicians (VPN) is a grassroots initiative that, with the help over 4,000 volunteers who knocked on 125,000 doors and canvassed at public events, collected the 400,000 signatures needed to get an anti-gerrymandering initiative on the statewide ballot. The initiative passed with 61% of the vote in 2018 and requires district boundaries be drawn by average citizens. The group’s founder also started The People, another group to help residents in other states apply VPNs model to stop gerrymandering. So far, residents in Florida, Virginia, and New Hampshire are at various stages of applying the model.

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Long before coronavirus, Philly ran a quarantine center for another deadly contagion

Frank Fitzpatrick

April 18, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

From 1802 until 1895, Philadelphia ran a quarantine center that required all in-bound ships to stop and all on-board to be quarantined until cleared of any possible infectious diseases. Although the center is no longer in use, it provides a unique history lesson for the current coronavirus pandemic of the success that can come by restricting movement to prevent further spread.

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Minneapolis Funding Its Parks With an Eye to Equity

Zoe Sullivan

April 09, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has approved a new scoring system to prioritize parks that are most in need of an investment, from the limited funds available, based on equity measures such as race, income, population density, and crime. This data-driven system is used in conjunction with the park board's judgment of a park's infrastructure and has pinpointed parks which were not typically on the park board's radar for renovation.

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What a Solidarity Economy Looks Like

Paul Katz Leandro Ferreira

April 09, 2020 |

Boston Review |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Maricá

The local government in Maricá, a small municipality in Brazil, is being said to have initiated "the most ambitious city-level response to COVID-19 in Brazil, and one of the most notable in the world." Even before the coronavirus spread, the city worked on the premise of mutual aid, which included a universal basic income and a solidarity economy. In the context of the coronavirus, these proactive policies are now emerging as examples of how a democratized economy can result in a region being better positioned to withstand a public health crisis.

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Lessons From the HIV Epidemic for the COVID-19 Pandemic

Heather Boerner

April 08, 2020 |

Medscape |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Both the successes and failures of the nationwide Ending the HIV Epidemic plan offers lessons for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for rural parts of the United States. One significant lesson is that of addressing health disparities linked to social determinants that prevent community members from accessing affordable or reliable health care. When "structural access to healthcare," was addressed in cities where HIV rates were higher, many saw those rates decrease, especially when the Affordable Care Act led to the expansion of Medicaid.

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Building Trust

Megan Kimble

April 07, 2020 |

Texas Observer |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

The Houston Community Land Trust (CLT) is a nonprofit that sells affordable homes in Houston to help resist gentrification. They keep it affordable by only selling the houses on top of the land and not the land itself. Their goal to build or convert 1,100 homes into the trust over five years, which essentially allows prospective homeowners to turn their land over to the community so that everyone benefits from the purchase. They are already underway on this goal, and this article features many voices of residents who personally benefitted from the CLT.

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