Local

Home Local
Why So Many People Have Moved to Florida – and into Harm’s Way
Post

Why So Many People Have Moved to Florida – and into Harm’s Way

Hurricane Ian barreled ashore with winds of up to 150 mph (240 kph) on Florida’s southwest coast on Sept. 28, 2022. The storm’s powerful winds and torrential rains reduced entire communities to rubble, killing more than 120 people, including many who drowned in floodwaters resulting from the nearly 18-foot (5.5-meter) storm surge. Bridges connecting Sanibel,...

Slavery Is on the Ballot for Voters in 5 U.S. States
Post

Slavery Is on the Ballot for Voters in 5 U.S. States

More than 150 years after slaves were freed in the U.S., voters in five states will soon decide whether to close loopholes that led to the proliferation of a different form of slavery — forced labor by people convicted of certain crimes. None of the proposals would force immediate changes inside the states’ prisons, though...

New Survey: 91% of Parents Say Their Family Is Less Stressed When They Eat Together
Post

New Survey: 91% of Parents Say Their Family Is Less Stressed When They Eat Together

Survey Highlights: 91% of parents notice their family is less stressed when they share family meals together. 65% of surveyed adults say they are at least somewhat stressed, and more than a quarter (27%) are very or extremely stressed. 84% of adults wish they could share a meal together more often. Overall, respondents reported eating...

Black Prosecutors Are More Punitive Toward Black and Latinx Defendants Than Toward Similarly Situated White Defendants
Post

Black Prosecutors Are More Punitive Toward Black and Latinx Defendants Than Toward Similarly Situated White Defendants

Prosecutors exert considerable power in the criminal justice system, and while defendants are predominantly Black and Latinx, prosecutors are overwhelmingly White. Despite calls for addressing racial disparities in this field, we know little about whether recruiting minority prosecutors would yield more equitable outcomes for defendants. A new study analyzed data from a large prosecutorial office...

The Business Case for Reducing Gun Violence
Post

The Business Case for Reducing Gun Violence

While gun violence in the United States continues to claim lives at an alarming rate, it is also taking a quiet toll on the U.S. economy, according to new research by Zirui Song, associate professor of health care policy in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School and associate professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. In...

Past and Present Racism Linked to Excess Nonfatal Shootings in Baltimore’s Most Disadvantaged Neighborhoods
Post

Past and Present Racism Linked to Excess Nonfatal Shootings in Baltimore’s Most Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health links historic redlining, coupled with ongoing segregation by race and income, to 38 percent of the nonfatal shooting rate in Baltimore city’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods between 2015 to 2019. For their analysis, the researchers looked at two examples of structural...

As Countries Ranging from Indonesia to Mexico Aim to Attract Digital Nomads, Locals Say ‘Not So Fast’
Post

As Countries Ranging from Indonesia to Mexico Aim to Attract Digital Nomads, Locals Say ‘Not So Fast’

Should your community welcome digital nomads – individuals who work remotely, allowing them freedom to bounce from country to country? Our research has found that workers are eager to embrace the flexibility of not being tied to an office. And after experiencing economic losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cities and countries are concocting ways...

Study Reveals Pipeline from Public Housing to Prison in New York City
Post

Study Reveals Pipeline from Public Housing to Prison in New York City

Against the backdrop of the United States registering the highest incarceration rates in the world, scholars at the Columbia University Center for Justice, The CUNY Graduate Center and Washington University in St. Louis have identified a distinct pipeline leading from public housing developments to prison. In a pathbreaking study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy...

False Beliefs About Prevalence of Crime Could Influence Jury Decisions, New Study Shows
Post

False Beliefs About Prevalence of Crime Could Influence Jury Decisions, New Study Shows

Some juror decisions are influenced by perceptions of the prevalence of crimes which can be incorrect or biased, a new study shows. The research shows people hold diverse views about how often legally relevant events including sexual assaults and false allegations of sexual assaults take place, and these views differ based on gender and political...