By Talisa Trevino, Jared Kofsky, Maia Rosenfeld, Mark Nichols |ABC News
In Chicago and Houston, nearly half of white students attend private schools. ByTalisa Treviño, Jared Kofsky, Maia Rosenfeld , and Mark NicholsIn the Mississippi Delta, farms, wildlife refuges and churches dot the landscape alongside the Magnolia State's country highways. In some ways, the region looks on the surface in 2024 as it did in 1954.
By Maia Rosenfeld, Jared Kofsky, Steve Osunsami | ABC News
Three top DOT officials saw flood damage at the center of a civil rights probe. ByMaia Rosenfeld , Jared Kofsky, and Steve OsunsamiAn unlikely visitor made his way through rural Alabama last Wednesday to visit the community of Shiloh, a place usually far from the public eye.
By Jared Kofsky, Maia Rosenfeld, Jaclyn Lee | ABC News
Thousands of volunteers across the country spent a night in January canvassing their communities to look for people who may be experiencing homelessness, as part of the government's annual Point-in-Time count. The count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and its results can be used alongside other factors to determine funding. But those estimates have often not been accurate, some experts told ABC News.
By Jared Kofsky, Maia Rosenfeld | ABC News
The meeting follows an ABC News investigation into environmental justice issues. ByJared Kofsky and Maia Rosenfeld Senior U.S. transportation officials met with Black Alabama residents this week over claims that a highway widening project near their homes caused repeated flooding, but those residents say that more action is still needed at the federal level.
By Jared Kofsky, Maia Rosenfeld, Steve Osunsami | ABC News
(SHILOH, Ala.) — In a small Alabama community, residents claim state officials have dodged accountability for what they call environmental racism.
By Jared Kofsky, Maia Rosenfeld, Steve Osunsami | ABC News
(SHILOH, Ala.) — Deep in rural southeastern Alabama, nestled in the nook of a highway just outside Elba, sits a tiny, close-knit community known locally as Shiloh. After generations of vibrant family life, the residents of this historically Black neighborhood fear it may not survive beyond them. They point to a highway widening project they claim was designed poorly, draining flood water down to their properties and jeopardizing their families’ legacies of homeownership.
By Maggie Green, Maia Rosenfeld, Frank Esposito | KTRK-TV (Houston, TX)
ByMaggie Green, Maia Rosenfeld, and Frank EspositoWednesday, February 14, 2024 8:12PMRoses are red, violets are blue,We have a Valentine's Day data roundup for you. A summer's day doesn't break the bank as much. Whether you're buying your sweet candy, jewelry, flowers or a romantic night at a hotel, the cost of nearly every classic Valentine's gift is higher than it was before the pandemic. Food breaks the bank the most, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By Maia Rosenfeld, Trish Hartman | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
About a quarter of New Jersey homes are in Wildland Urban Interface, where human development meets wildland and fires can thrive. ByMaia Rosenfeld and Trish HartmanFriday, December 1, 2023 10:48PMMANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (WPVI) -- When Pastor Joe Serratelli saw a photo of his church surrounded by flames in April, he couldn't believe his eyes.
By Maia Rosenfeld, Trish Hartman | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
Flood water tore through Berks County this July, destroying dozens of homes in the span of a few hours. Heavy rains overflowed a creek and washed away a hill, creating mudslides and a clear path for water to rush into nearby homes. "The water just started flowing through the house and the basement, it swept our vehicles away," said Muhlenberg Township resident Amy Beck. "We lost both of our cars. Part of our deck was ripped off and we had to run upstairs and call 911.
By Maia Rosenfeld, Maggie Green | ABC Owned TV Stations
Like San Angelo, Kansas City and Phoenix, other municipalities in the South, Southwest and Midwest will see the most days with heat indexes at or above 100 degrees in 30 years. New England and other northern states will see more extreme heat days than they do today, but the temperatures won't change as dramatically.
By Maia Rosenfeld, Maggie Green | ABC Owned TV Stations
As cities prepare for the effects of extreme heat as a result of climate change, experts recommend focusing on greener cities and paying greater attention to vulnerable populations. While there is no one-size-fits all approach to mitigating extreme heat, even slight adjustments to building infrastructure could reduce cooling costs, and better messaging could result in fewer heat-related deaths.
By Tim Didion, Lindsey Feingold, Maggie Green, Maia Rosenfeld | KGO-TV (San Francisco, CA)
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- While climate change affects all of us, new projections are highlighting the increasing stress on workers who do their jobs outdoors - and several Bay Area counties are going to be especially vulnerable in the coming decades. WEATHERING TOMORROW: See the impact of climate change where you liveThe ABC7 data journalism team analyzed data from the First Street Foundation, a nonprofit science and research group that studies climate risk data.
By Maia Rosenfeld, Trish Hartman | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
Today, Philadelphia sees 14 dangerously hot days each year on average. In 30 years, that count will grow to 25 days annually.
By Jared Kofsky, Maia Rosenfeld | ABC News
When Brenell Whitfield joined a San Diego subsidized housing waitlist, she was a single mother with two young children. Twelve years later, she's a mother of four, desperate to find places for her family to live day by day. Over the last decade, Whitfield says she and her family have been homeless on and off. At times they've slept in a car or a tent, just miles from some of California's wealthiest neighborhoods.
By Jared Kofsky, Maia Rosenfeld | ABC News
In Platte County, Missouri, the signs of growth are on almost every corner, with new apartment buildings and shopping centers becoming a common sight. Yet signs for affordable housing remain few and far between. “There’s still this perception that Platte County is a rich community and that there’s no poverty in Platte County, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Becky Poitras of the Metro Lutheran Ministry.
By TaRhonda Thomas, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington-metro area, people wait an average of 3.4 years for public housing.
By TaRhonda Thomas, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
In Philadelphia, 9% of homes sold in majority-Black neighborhoods and 14.4% in majority-Latino neighborhoods were under-appraised.
By Chad Pradelli, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
The shooting of Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald blocks from school property has brought the issue of campus safety to the forefront. But Temple isn't the only school dealing with crime around campus.
By Katie Katro, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
The Philadelphia five-county area had 1,246 cases of Lyme disease in 2021, 500 more than it had 30 years earlier.
By Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- We are getting an in-depth look at just how much the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our local students and it is a deficit that experts say will linger for years. The 6abc Data Journalism Team analyzed learning loss across all the local districts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, based on test scores. Students in Camden, New Jersey lost a year and a half grade level in math. That's among the 30 worst declines in all U.S. school districts.
By Nydia Han, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
As temperatures fall and energy prices rise, millions of Americans are struggling to afford heating their homes. More than one in five households in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area have been unable to pay their energy bills in full at least once in the last year, according to a 6abc analysis of Census Bureau survey data.
By TaRhonda Thomas, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
For many high school students, sports provide a much-needed outlet, teach lifelong skills and open doors to future opportunities. Next week marks 50 years since Title IX helped level the playing field for female athletes nationwide, expanding their access to these benefits. But in many local high schools, girls -- and particularly girls of color -- still face barriers to equality.
By Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
By TaRhonda Thomas, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
After Sunday's South Street shooting added urgency to Philadelphia's gun violence crisis, the city continues to search for solutions. Group Violence Intervention (GVI) is one evidence-based approach. The program reduces gun violence by working within social networks to deter groups from shooting. It identifies individuals and groups who are involved in violent activity and targets them for social services to help break the cycle of violence, as well as increased consequences if they do pull the trigger.
By Chad Pradelli, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
By Maggie Green, Maia Rosenfeld, Frank Esposito, Jonathan Fagg | WABC-TV (New York, NY)
On May 24, 19 children and two adults were killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The shooting comes a little more than a week after another mass shooting at a New York state grocery store, and is the latest in a long history of violence in the U.S. and at American schools.
By Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
The leak of a draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case legalizing abortion nationwide could mean the future of abortion rights could be decided by your representatives in the United States Congress and Senate. The Supreme Court confirmed the leaked draft, first published by Politico, was an authentic document but said Tuesday "it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case."
By Eleanor Klibanoff, Carrie Cochran, Karen Rodriguez, Maia Rosenfeld | WFPL-FM (Louisville, KY)
When hundreds of people took to the streets in Louisville, Ky. in May 2020, they were protesting the police killing of Breonna Taylor — and a police department they felt unfairly targeted and mistreated Black residents. The protests stretched for months and helped launch a national reckoning about race, policing and public safety in America. This wasn’t supposed to happen in Louisville.
By Eleanor Klibanoff, Carrie Cochran, Karen Rodriguez, Maia Rosenfeld | Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting
When hundreds of people took to the streets in Louisville, Ky. in May 2020, they were protesting the police killing of Breonna Taylor — and a police department they felt unfairly targeted and mistreated Black residents. The protests stretched for months and helped launch a national reckoning about race, policing and public safety in America. This wasn’t supposed to happen in Louisville.
By Eleanor Klibanoff, Carrie Cochran, Karen Rodriguez, Maia Rosenfeld | Newsy
Newsy and KyCIR investigate how Louisville went from a national leader for police reform to the face of a national movement protesting police. Louisville, Kentucky, the city now known for the police killing of Breonna Taylor, once made ambitious promises to transform its police department and mend its relationship with the Black community. Just five years prior, Louisville considered itself a model city for police reform.
By John Kelly, Mark Nichols, Grace Manthey, Jonathan Fagg, Maia Rosenfeld | ABC News
Karla Rodriguez moved her family from El Salvador to Los Angeles five months ago to give her kids a better education and a better life. Her 8-year-old son has autism. Someone at his new school recommended she reach out to a nonprofit health advocacy group, Community Health Councils, to help with his special care.
By Nydia Han, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
On ninety-year-old Lula Williams' street in the Waterfront South neighborhood of Camden, toxins fill the air and dust churned out by nearby factories gathers on cars and porches. Nobody dares to open their windows or spend too much time outside. "Most days you can hardly breathe," Williams said. "It's a dumping ground." Her neighbors agreed, sharing stories of foul odors and soot-covered steps.
By Nydia Han, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
Cecilia Vizuete of Upper Darby is expecting her third child in November, but she hasn't been able to get the health care she's needed throughout her pregnancy. "It worries me a lot," Vizuete said. Vizuete, who came to the United States two years ago to escape violence in Ecuador, is among more than 15 percent of Latino residents across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area who do not have health insurance. Just 3.5 percent of white residents are uninsured.
By TaRhonda Thomas, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
In March, Ebony Gardner finally bought her childhood home in West Philadelphia. "It was a traumatic experience," Gardner said of the mortgage application process, during which her loan terms suddenly worsened. "I felt like I was the only one going through it." But after talking to family and friends, Gardner realized she was not alone.
By TaRhonda Thomas, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
Four-year-old twin boys Drayden and Draydarian are two "little balls of energy," according to their mother, Alexis Malone. They love cars, dinosaurs, playing and learning. But when the boys started a new school in Wilmington, they were immediately designated "a problem," Malone said. In their first few days of school, Malone heard staff call her sons "troublemakers" and got phone calls from their teacher claiming they were acting out.
By TaRhonda Thomas, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
The Driving Equality bill will bar officers from pulling over drivers for minor traffic violations, such as a broken taillight or expired registration -- offenses that are often used as a pretext for making traffic stops and even searching vehicles. These "pretextual" stops are used disproportionately against Black and Latino drivers, resulting in excessive fees and distrust in police, experts say.
By TaRhonda Thomas, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
"If you don't have access to wealth, and oftentimes people get that through homeownership, you're not able to tap into your equity, you may not be able to send a child to college," said Angela McIver, Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Housing Rights Center in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
By Sarah Bloomquist, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
Across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area, white students are almost three times as likely to enroll in Advanced Placement classes as their Black and Latino classmates, according to a 6abc analysis of school-reported data. "Colleges favor students who have AP courses," said Lorena Germán, Director of Pedagogy for EduColor, a national organization advocating for educational equity. "You can actually get college course credit for AP courses.”
By Chad Pradelli, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area is one of the most racially segregated metros in the country. More than half of the tri-state area's neighborhoods are extremely segregated, with over 80% white residents or over 80% non-white residents, according to an ABC Owned Television Stations analysis of 2019 U.S. Census Bureau data. Put another way, more than half of residents would have to move to another neighborhood to fully integrate the metro area.
By Chad Pradelli, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
The Action News investigation found the Philadelphia metro right about in the middle of the top 100 metro areas when it comes to police diversity. The tri-state area ties for rank #50 in underrepresentation of police officers of color.
By TaRhonda Thomas, Maia Rosenfeld | WPVI-TV (Philadelphia, PA)
As gun violence explodes across Philadelphia, women — and particularly Black women -- make up a growing share of the victims. These record numbers of female victims represent about 11.7% of all Philadelphia shooting victims in 2021 — up from 10.3% last year.
By Mark Greenblatt, Maia Rosenfeld, Zach Cusson
newsy.com — The delayed National Guard deployment at the Capitol stood in contrast to a June deployment in response to Black Lives Matter protests. The violent assault on the Capitol, along with the response to the extremists, stood in stark contrast to images from other recent protests in Washington.
By Rosie Cima, Mark Fahey, Maia Rosenfeld, Riin Aljas
newsy.com — A Newsy analysis found that this election's polls were more inaccurate than polls have been in previous years. A lot has changed since the 2016 election, but one thing is sounding very familiar: Pollsters are under fire for election predictions that didn't turn out to be true. Florida was one of the biggest upsets of the 2020 election.
newsy.com — Without easy access to testing, officials in many rural counties don't know who’s infected and may be spreading the virus. As COVID has moved into rural areas, access to testing has not always followed. Rains County in east Texas is one of many communities across the country facing this challenge. Getting a COVID test there still means taking a long drive.
By Eleanor Klibanoff, Carrie Cochran, Karen Rodriguez, Maia Rosenfeld
wfpl.org — It was Isaac Jackson’s parents who called the police who shot and killed him. The 42-year-old, known to everyone as Uncle Isaac, is remembered as a funny, charming guy who loved to sing in the church choir and got a music scholarship to college. But a car accident several years ago led to seizures, his siblings say, which led to mental health issues and a string of arrests. The night of April 25, 2018, Isaac showed up at his parents house, on drugs, acting erratically.
By Eleanor Klibanoff, Carrie Cochran, Karen Rodriguez, Maia Rosenfeld
newsy.com — Newsy/Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting probe finds Louisville officials don't keep families of those shot and killed by police informed. It was Isaac Jackson’s parents who called the police who shot and killed him. The 42-year-old, known to everyone as Uncle Isaac, is remembered as a funny, charming guy who loved to sing in the church choir and got a music scholarship to college.
By Eleanor Klibanoff, Carrie Cochran, Karen Rodriguez, Maia Rosenfeld
newsy.com — A Newsy-KYCIR investigation found that Louisville Metro Police repeatedly reported using a tool to flag officer misconduct, but never implemented it. As part of its historic, $12 million settlement with the family of Breonna Taylor, Louisville has agreed to implement several major police reforms, including creating an early warning system to identify officer behavioral trends to prevent misconduct. This is not the first time the city has made such a promise.
By Sasha Ingber, and Maia Rosenfeld
newsy.com — and Maia RosenfeldAugust 13, 2020President Donald Trump wants to block funding for the U.S. Postal Service to curtail mail-in voting before the election. "They need that money in order to make the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots," President Donald Trump told Fox News. The president wants to block funding for the U.S. Postal Service to curtail mail-in voting.
By Kayla Guo, Maia Rosenfeld, Emily Teng
browndailyherald.com — Bilal Ismail Ahmed / Herald All University courses will be canceled starting Monday and will resume online following a two-week break in response to the increasing risk posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
browndailyherald.com — All three Brown students who were tested for COVID-19 earlier this week tested negative, according to a community-wide email sent Wednesday morning from Division of Campus Life officials.
By Maia Rosenfeld, Emilija Sagaityte
browndailyherald.com — In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, the Office of Research Integrity and the University Library have organized a series of events featuring data use in research across disciplines as part of worldwide Love Data Week, which runs from Feb. 10 through 14. While the inception of international Love Data Week dates back to 2016, this is the first year that the University is participating.
browndailyherald.com — Around six o’clock Tuesday evening, a student found a swastika scribbled in pen on the wall of his dormitory, Hegeman Hall Tower C. His friend covered the graffiti with a yellow paper star, and the students called the Department of Public Safety to report the incident. “It was striking,” said Jack Waters ’21, who discovered the graffiti when he was walking down the stairs in Hegeman.
browndailyherald.com — Courtesy of Emma Vecchione On the corner of Wickenden and Hope streets, Aqua-Life Aquarium was torn down this past Saturday. The space will be replaced with a residential and retail building, including 14 one-bedroom apartments and one two-bedroom apartment. The former Aqua-Life Aquarium building was a bright spot of blue on the corner of Wickenden and Hope streets, its walls decorated with an underwater scene.
browndailyherald.com — Today marks one month since Gov. Gina Raimondo and the Rhode Island Department of Health banned the sale of flavored vaping products in the state in an effort to address growing public health concerns around vaping, particularly among youth.
browndailyherald.com — Courtesy of Steve Ahlquist Panelists discussed the importance of youth running and working on political campaigns in order to advocate for their political views. As the leaves turn and the 2020 election season looms, progressive groups in Rhode Island are focused on mobilizing a massive voting bloc with notoriously low turnout: young people.
browndailyherald.com — In a sweeping effort to improve access to nutrition among its students, the Providence Public School District is offering free breakfast and lunch to students at all grade levels, with no eligibility requirements. Providence elementary schools first eliminated eligibility requirements for free breakfast and lunch in 2017, but as of September, this program has been expanded to all middle and high schools across the district.
browndailyherald.com — Courtesy of Jef Nickerson The Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s proposal involves decentralizing Kennedy Plaza and creating four transit hubs. The proposal also involves building a tunnel underneath Washington Street. A new plan that proposes a complete transformation of the Kennedy Plaza transit hub has sparked controversy among Providence community members.
browndailyherald.com — Maia Rosenfeld / Herald Yesterday, five Brown students spoke about their involvement with 2020 presidential campaigns for the high-stakes upcoming election. As the 2020 presidential race heats up and young people prepare for a high-stakes election, University students are talking about how to best leave their mark. In a panel Monday evening, five students drew on their own experiences to break down the different ways Brown undergrads can play a role in shaping political dialogue.
browndailyherald.com — Arayla Baketbaike / Herald Since over 1000 people participated in Providence’s climate strike two weeks ago, local organizers said they have seen more students mobilize for climate justice. But some organizers expressed fear that students on campus might be too complacent and insulated to organize consistently for the future.
browndailyherald.com — Courtesy of Gabriel Civita Ramirez The local protest was organized by several climate action groups, including Climate Action Rhode Island and Sunrise Rhode Island. An estimated 1,000 people took to the streets of downtown Providence Friday to strike for political action on climate change. The youth-led protest was part of an international strike to demand climate justice.
injusticewatch.org — Brothers Philip and Nathan Barnett (left) spent years in prison in what Philip Barnett's lawyer now calls "a textbook case" of a wrongful conviction. Brian Dement (right) remains in prison, convicted of murder, despite DNA evidence that undermines confidence in his guilt. Barnett brothers' photo courtesy of the Innocence Project and Kyle Jenkins. Dement photo from the West Virginia Department of Corrections.
By Maia Rosenfeld, CNS Maryland
cnsmaryland.org — CHICAGO — The two grown brothers stood in tears together in the hallway of Chicago’s George Leighton Criminal Courthouse in February 2004, moments before their murder retrial was set to begin. Juan and Henry Johnson had spent 11 years locked up together in brutal Illinois penitentiaries, convicted of stomping a man named Ricardo Fernandez to death for which they were each sentenced to 30 years in prison.
browndailyherald.com — Henry Dawson / Herald Tiverton and Lincoln are the only cities in Rhode Island that voted to legalize sports betting, but the newly launched app allows people to bet on sports across the state once they have signed up in person. Rhode Island residents and visitors can now place bets on sporting events from the comfort of their own homes, thanks to a new mobile application launched Sept. 4 by the Rhode Island Lottery.
browndailyherald.com — Anita Sheih / Herald Forty-one burglaries were reported to the Providence Police in District Nine, which includes parts of College Hill, from the first week of June to the first week of September. That number is not abnormally high compared to the numbers of burglaries reported in this district in the past five years. tudents living near campus this summer had an extra reason to sweat after a series of robberies swept through College Hill.
By Tyrone Lomax, Maia Rosenfeld
injusticewatch.org — The number of defendants sentenced to prison or jail has dropped by one-fifth during State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s second year in office, according to a report released today by three organizations supporting local criminal justice reform. The report, based on public data available on the Cook County State’s Attorney’s webpage, shows that the number of defendants sentenced to be incarcerated dropped from 12,262 in 2017 to fewer than 10,000 last year.
By Maia Rosenfeld, Talia Soglin
injusticewatch.org — The appointment of the Cook County sheriff’s chief policy advisor to the bench court has sparked complaints from pastors, attorneys and activists who question the choice of a white candidate to fill a vacancy in a Cook County subcircuit that includes portions of Chicago’s West Side with significant minority populations.
browndailyherald.com — Maia Rosenfeld / Herald Katya Stambler ’21 talked with panelists about the importance of preparing for roles and their experiences working with famous co-stars. Working with the biggest names in Hollywood has made young actors Logan Lerman, Danielle Macdonald and Callum Woodhouse realize that their famous co-stars are human, too.
browndailyherald.com — The implications of President Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy have reached Rhode Island, where the Central Falls Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility is in the midst of a legal battle over its several-weeks-long detainment of 133 asylum seekers. The facility’s decision to hold immigrant detainees has sparked public outcry, and last Friday, the Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation voted to suspend its contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
browndailyherald.com — It is well known that lead violations can cost kids their health, but it turns out in Providence, they can also cost property owners a pretty penny. On Thursday morning, Chief Justice of Providence Housing Court William Rampone issued a fine of $44,050 and an additional $50 per day to the owner of a property on Atwells Street for noncompliance with Rhode Island lead legislation.
browndailyherald.com — In a new deck of playing cards that aims to solve Rhode Island’s cold cases, the four traditional suits have a new twist — each card features red text with the words “UNSOLVED HOMICIDE.” Launched by local detectives and available for purchase, each card features bolded red text above a photo of a victim, their name and a description of their case.
browndailyherald.com — Gov. Gina Raimondo reached a deal last Friday to extend the state’s contract with consulting firm and private contractor Deloitte to maintain oversight of RI Bridges, Rhode Island’s recently updated public-benefits computer system, previously known as the United Health Infrastructure Project. This deal comes after months of negotiations with Deloitte, following technical issues with RI Bridges since its launch in 2016.
browndailyherald.com — Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System test results from November 2018 show that Rhode Island school districts lag far behind their Massachusetts neighbors. The standardized test was implemented in Spring 2017 for public school students in grades three through eight. Rhode Island students scored consistently lower than their peers in Massachusetts; the average gap between the states’ scores was 17 percent in English and 20 percent in math, according to The Providence Journal.
browndailyherald.com — Leon Jiang / Herald Panelists discussed how big data can both solidify and overcome social inequalities at a panel hosted by the University’s Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America and the Data Science Initiative yesterday. The oft-touted power of big data is a double-edged sword, with the potential to both uphold and dismantle entrenched systemic inequalities, according to panelists at yesterday’s “Algorithmic Justice: Race, Bias and Big Data” event.
browndailyherald.com — Anyone in Rhode Island experiencing a police, fire or medical emergency can now contact 911 not only through voice calls but also via text messages thanks to a new service launched Feb. 5 by the R.I. Department of Public Safety. Text-to-911 can be a life-saving service in situations where a phone call is not an option, said Gregory Scungio, acting director of the Rhode Island E-9-1-1 Uniform Emergency Telephone System.
browndailyherald.com — The “Counselors Not Cops” campaign, launched by local Providence organizations in December, seeks to remove law enforcement officers from Providence Public Schools and replace them with additional guidance counselors. Providence Student Union, the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence, and University student group Thoughts, Prayers, Action began the campaign as part of a national movement started by Dignity in Schools, a coalition that seeks to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.
browndailyherald.com — Today marks the 35th day of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history and the second missed paycheck for Coast Guard workers in Rhode Island, who are required to show up to work despite their lack of compensation. The Coast Guard has approximately 332 active duty and reserve personnel in Rhode Island, according to Petty Officer Andrew Barresi. While some civilian employees are furloughed during the government shutdown, active duty and reserve members are not.
browndailyherald.com — From the very beginning of Craig Macneill’s film “Lizzie,” viewers are right behind the fierce female protagonist, played by Chloë Sevigny. We watch her walk into the impending murder scene, we hear a scream, then see her stepmother’s corpse on the ground next to the infamous date: August 4, 1892. In 1892, the real Lizzie Borden was tried for — and acquitted of — her father and stepmother’s axe murders in Fall River, Massachusetts.
browndailyherald.com — Last spring, Brown/RISD Hillel welcomed a new student group that strives to foster community among Jewish students of color. Hillelin’ with Melanin — created by Tessa Palisoc ’20 and Nicole Spring ’20.5 — is a social group that celebrates the students’ intersectional identities and increases their visibility on campus. “It’s hard when there’s very little visibility for Jews of color to find a space,” Palisoc said.
browndailyherald.com — Critically acclaimed writer Sarah +Galvin turned her Thursday evening performance at McCormack Family Theater into a half-poetry reading, half-stand-up comedy show, pausing between every few pieces to ask a volunteer from the audience to share a joke.