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'You bring your gun, we ask no questions': The history of gun buybacks in Kansas City and Missouri

Cat Reid

August 05, 2019 |

KSHB-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

As Kansas City tries to decrease violent crime in the area, it looks to a decades-old initiative that may have worked in the past: gun buybacks. Such a response was first tried in 1994, and saw a decline in homicides the following year. While the new mayor looks to try this in the city, they face state legislation prohibiting gun buybacks and pushback from critics who say such responses don’t actually work.

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How a small Colorado town fought the Japanese beetle and won

Tamara Chuang

July 29, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Palisade, Colorado

Eradicating invasive species requires enrolling a community effort. Although quarantines and chemical treatments have not proven effective in preventing the spread of Popilia japonica, or the Japanese beetle, to farms on the US’s Front Range, the Colorado community of Palisade succeeded in eradicating the species through collective action. By combining pest control methods with a community program of reducing water use, Palisade farmers were able to push the beetles out of their farmland over the course of several years in the early 2000s.

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Some cities and towns see tax-break deals as key to economic growth

Matt Pilon Gregory Seay Greg Bordonaro

July 22, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut navigates the complex web of public taxation with the implementation of tax-breaks for developments like affordable housing, daycares, and industrial reinvestment sites. Though tax-breaks are controversial to some -- they can often cast a wide net in the business world -- they have been effective in combating overly inflated property taxes in Hartford and other cities around the country.

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San Francisco Financial Justice Project Enacts Landmark Reforms

Liza Ramrayka

July 17, 2019 |

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

In San Francisco, the first Financial Justice Project is working with the city to eliminate fines and fees that hold back people experiencing poverty and financial instability and also cost the city more than they can recover. So far, the innovative program has made all phone calls from jail free, cleared outstanding holds on driver's licenses for missing a traffic court date, announced the elimination of all library fines, and more - and cities across the country are taking not and exploring similar changes.

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Banning foreign home buyers - the New Zealand experiment

Vivienne Nunis

July 15, 2019 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: New Zealand, Auckland

Housing affordability is a crisis that many countries face. New Zealand addressed the issue in a controversial way: by outright banning foreign ownership. Since it has come into effect, real estate pricing has gone down, and more properties are available for New Zealand residents. Critics argue that the ban coincided with world events like the Chinese government limiting how much money could leave the country into foreign events. They caution against attributing the lower prices to the ban itself and that it is still too early to see its true impact.

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Myriad ideas exist to solve Hartford's high property taxes and unequal tax system

Matt Pilon Gregory Seay

July 08, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

The complex issue of structural inequalities in Hartford, Connecticut's tax system has proven difficult to solve. But community members on all sides agree that a collective approach - one that learns from failed town halls and group brainstorms - is the only way to address the city's imbalance of income opportunities. The town's mayor has led several focus groups with local business owners to get local opinions and perspectives, but the town has to keep working to fuse this local ownership with passable legislation.

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Fully fund the state's PILOT program

Matt Pilon

July 08, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

Connecticut's PILOT program was created to partially reimburse cities and towns for state-owned, tax-exempt properties and take some financial burden off smaller towns. The PILOT program, however, is voluntary, making it easier for state legislators to disregard the reimbursement requests in tough financial times. Now, state officials are urged to make the PILOT program mandatory to keep the response working for the small individual towns and cities around Connecticut.

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Alternative revenue sources could bolster city budget, lower mill rate

Matt Pilon Gregory Seay

July 08, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Hartford looks to local governments nearby that have found success in the adoption of creative taxation, from restaurant meal taxes to taxes levied on hotel stays. Massachusetts, which has raised significant funds from these taxes as well as from taxation of recreational cannabis, uses this unrestricted revenue to distribute for local operating budgets.

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What about city spending?

Matt Pilon Greg Bordonaro

July 08, 2019 |

Hartford Business Journal |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut has made significant cuts to city spending in an effort to ensure the revenue they get from taxes goes further. The mayor ensured tight spending by working with local union groups, ceasing new borrowing projects, and cutting the number of unnecessary full-time positions in the city. With the frugal spending, the city has lowered its deficit while not burdening residents with high tax rates.

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What Can We Do About Our Water?

Jennifer Reed

July 01, 2019 |

Gulfshore Life |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sanibel, Florida

On Sanibel Island, Florida, residents know all too well the intensive steps necessary to clean up polluted water. Like many other bodies of water in Florida and across the country, the city has suffered from "nutrition pollution" that has threatened their environment, but comprehensive measures enacted over the past decades - including land use plans that severely restrict development and efforts to educate homeowners on pond management - are helping the area turn around and providing a playbook for other cities.

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