Local news and analysis from The Conversation

Highlighting emerging research and expert analysis on issues important to five communities in the U.S. Funded by the Knight Foundation and R.K. Mellon Foundation.

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The wooden frame of a housing unit with cutouts for windows stands behind purple and yellow flowers. A man with an orange shirt and a hard hat climbs up one of the wooden beams inside the frame.

The wooden frame of a housing unit with cutouts for windows stands behind purple and yellow flowers. A man with an orange shirt and a hard hat climbs up one of the wooden beams inside the frame.

Congress just passed a housing law that rewards states for reform — here’s why Colorado has a head start

Solomon Greene, University of Denver

Michigan’s local election officials are confident in voting integrity ahead of November’s midterm election

Stephanie Leiser, University of Michigan

Female voter fills out ballot

Female voter fills out ballot

Michigan progressive Abdul El-Sayed won a combative Democratic nomination for US Senate – he’ll face new attacks this fall

Michael Traugott, University of Michigan

Man speaks to a crowd

Man speaks to a crowd

How state constitutions became the battleground for American rights and liberties – on both the left and right

Quinn Yeargain, Michigan State University

Red and blue characters on a map outline of the U.S. with the U.S. flag.

Red and blue characters on a map outline of the U.S. with the U.S. flag.

A Colorado jail hasn’t allowed in-person visits in nearly 20 years – here’s what research says about visitation’s effects

Jillian Turanovic, University of Colorado Boulder and Melinda Tasca, University of Texas at El Paso

Two hands clasp another hand, with bars separating the two individuals.

Two hands clasp another hand, with bars separating the two individuals.

Detroit

Exterior of Target store and parking lot with cars

Exterior of Target store and parking lot with cars

Detroit has a shortage of national retailers. What can officials do to attract more chains to the city?

Keion Harris, University of Michigan and Stephanie Leiser, University of Michigan

Detroit wants to elevate youth voices in leadership – that means giving them real power

Krista Mehari, Michigan State University

View of downtown Detroit

View of downtown Detroit

The rise of Yemeni coffeehouses in Dearborn and beyond

Sally Howell, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Man prepares coffee

Man prepares coffee

Data center fights pit social values, democracy and capitalism against each other

Lauren Mullenbach, University of Michigan

A view of open grassland with a barn and a sign reading 'No data center.'

A view of open grassland with a barn and a sign reading 'No data center.'

Most Americans support conservation – here’s how the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative got politicians from both parties on board too

Mike Shriberg, University of Michigan

A silhouetted figure walks along a body of water with a Ferris wheel visible in the distance.

A silhouetted figure walks along a body of water with a Ferris wheel visible in the distance.

Read more Detroit news

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Philadelphia

View of mixed-use urban area

View of mixed-use urban area

Philadelphia’s failing air quality hits hardest in neighborhoods near industry and highways, where asthma rates soar

Qian He, Rowan University; Mahbubur Meenar, Rowan University, and Sean Olcese, Rowan University

Should you drink Philly’s tap water?

Christine Kirchhoff, Penn State

Mother and young boy stand by sink as boy drinks bottle of water

Mother and young boy stand by sink as boy drinks bottle of water

Nearly 100 years ago, Philadelphia’s Inez Patterson integrated pools and encouraged other Black girls to swim too

Samantha Adams, University of Michigan

Black and white photo of dozens of Black children in a large swimming pool

Black and white photo of dozens of Black children in a large swimming pool

Philadelphia’s criminal justice fines and fees fall hardest on poorest neighborhoods

Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University; C. Clare Strange; Nathan Link, Rutgers University, and Brian Lawton, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

A blighted urban block with colorful rowhomes on a sunny day

A blighted urban block with colorful rowhomes on a sunny day

I’m a Philly neonatologist, and every time I discharge a baby from the NICU, I worry about the air they’ll breathe at home

Tim Nelin, University of Pennsylvania

Leg and foot of tiny diapered infant lying in an incubator

Leg and foot of tiny diapered infant lying in an incubator

Read more Philadelphia news

Pittsburgh

A blue sign above boxes of fruit reads "EBT accepted here."

A blue sign above boxes of fruit reads "EBT accepted here."

How new SNAP restrictions could hit Greater Pittsburgh’s food access and economy

Amelia B. Finaret, Allegheny College

What a western Pennsylvania ’90s-style Pizza Hut reveals about nostalgia

Jeff Galak, Carnegie Mellon University

A vintage photo of a group of teenagers sits around a table in a Pizza Hut restaurant.

A vintage photo of a group of teenagers sits around a table in a Pizza Hut restaurant.

Severe storms battered Pittsburgh twice as often as usual this spring – a meteorologist explains why

Christopher Davis, UMass Amherst

Lightning in the sky above a city at night.

Lightning in the sky above a city at night.

Pennsylvania roads are being coated in radioactive wastewater − here’s why

William Burgos, Penn State and Nathaniel Warner, Penn State

A tanker truck spraying something on a highway road.

A tanker truck spraying something on a highway road.

What Allegheny County’s new court-ordered mental health treatment program can and can’t do

Erica Maloney, Chatham University

A group of people sit in chairs in a circle in a large room with windows.

A group of people sit in chairs in a circle in a large room with windows.

Read more Pittsburgh news

South Florida

real estate tax bill

real estate tax bill

Florida’s proposed property tax amendment will require trade-offs – and some residents could end up with higher costs

Abigail Hall, University of Tampa

Fewer cheap flights, more international suitcases – South Florida’s tourism outlook for 2027

Michael Cheng, Florida International University

World Cup fans in Miami Beach

World Cup fans in Miami Beach

Cuba’s future remains in limbo while Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy offers no clear path forward

Juan Carlos Albarran, Miami University

parade of people holding a sign that says 'Tumba El Bloqueo'

parade of people holding a sign that says 'Tumba El Bloqueo'

Earthquakes in Venezuela expose a severely under-resourced and unprepared healthcare system

Hermes Florez, Medical University of South Carolina and Zeina Hannoush, University of Miami

People digging through the remnants of a collapsed building

People digging through the remnants of a collapsed building

Florida’s proposed property tax cuts rely on a population boom that has slowed dramatically

Matt Brooks, Florida State University and Karin Brewster, Florida State University

an older couple unloading boxes out of a moving truck

an older couple unloading boxes out of a moving truck

Read more South Florida news

Colorado

A sign that says Welcome Sundance Film Festival is posted on a classic theater in downtown Boulder, characterized by a pale yellow wall decorated with colorful geometric designs

A sign that says Welcome Sundance Film Festival is posted on a classic theater in downtown Boulder, characterized by a pale yellow wall decorated with colorful geometric designs

Boulder is opening homes to Sundance visitors through a new license – who stands to benefit?

Tim Komarek, Colorado State University

Not all Coloradans want to share their cities with Canada geese and their poop – a wildlife manager shares the control methods that work

Mark Vrtiska, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

A flock of birds flies in the sky, with the snow-capped mountains visible behind them.

A flock of birds flies in the sky, with the snow-capped mountains visible behind them.

Rain on wildfire burn scars can trigger dangerous flooding and mudflows – a geologist explains how

Jen Pierce, Boise State University

Large burned trees have been carried by debris flows after wildfire, leaving a tangle of debris, mud and ash.

Large burned trees have been carried by debris flows after wildfire, leaving a tangle of debris, mud and ash.

Wildfires can generate tornadoes, lightning and other extreme weather, sometimes miles from the flames

Yunyao Li, University of Texas at Arlington

A fire truck near flames and a fire whirl looking like a small tornado.

A fire truck near flames and a fire whirl looking like a small tornado.

Affordable housing often costs more to build than market-rate housing – Colorado is closing the gap

Solomon Greene, University of Denver

Tan panels with open cut-outs for windows create the frame for a housing structure, while wood planks are on the ground at the structure's base.

Tan panels with open cut-outs for windows create the frame for a housing structure, while wood planks are on the ground at the structure's base.

Read more Colorado news

Data centers and energy costs

A view of open grassland with a barn and a sign reading 'No data center.'

A view of open grassland with a barn and a sign reading 'No data center.'

Data center fights pit social values, democracy and capitalism against each other

Lauren Mullenbach, University of Michigan

How Pennsylvania towns are protecting themselves from the noise, heat and utility costs of massive data centers

Michael Helbing, Penn State

Man stands on front porch above yellow sign that says 'No Data Centers'

Man stands on front porch above yellow sign that says 'No Data Centers'

Abandoned Pennsylvania mines and waste-heat recycling could make the state’s massive new data centers far more sustainable

Wangda Zuo, Penn State

Aerial view of industrial area

Aerial view of industrial area

Data centers don’t have to be a burden on local communities – and can even support them by generating power and repurposing waste heat

Gregor Henze, University of Colorado Boulder and Sean Shaheen, University of Colorado Boulder

An aerial view shows a large building in the foreground with homes and businesses nearby, and skyscrapers in the distance.

An aerial view shows a large building in the foreground with homes and businesses nearby, and skyscrapers in the distance.

AI’s growing appetite for power is putting Pennsylvania’s aging electricity grid to the test

Shixiang (Woody) Zhu, Carnegie Mellon University

Smoke puffs out of a power plant with an American flag in the foreground of the photo.

Smoke puffs out of a power plant with an American flag in the foreground of the photo.

Maternal health

A woman sits in a hallway while an infant plays in the room beyond her.

A woman sits in a hallway while an infant plays in the room beyond her.

Nearly 20% of new moms have anxiety or depression, but a promising psychedelic treatment is on the horizon

Camille Hoffman, University of Colorado Anschutz

How Colorado hospitals are caring for pregnant patients with substance use disorders by overcoming stigma

Karli Swenson, University of Colorado Anschutz

A pregnant woman sits in a hospital gown and chats with a man in scrubs.

A pregnant woman sits in a hospital gown and chats with a man in scrubs.

Nearly half of maternal deaths in Pennsylvania occur more than 6 weeks after giving birth

Yenupini Joyce Adams, University of Notre Dame

A Black mother kisses her newborn on its head.

A Black mother kisses her newborn on its head.

Mobile clinics offer a practical way to improve health care access in maternity care deserts

Adetola F. Louis-Jacques, University of Florida; Arielle Ayotte, University of Florida, and Michelle Nall, University of Florida

Bus repurposed as a mobile clinic

Bus repurposed as a mobile clinic

Fewer new moms are dying in Colorado – naloxone might be one reason why

Kaylin Klie, University of Colorado Anschutz

A woman in a blue dress holds a swaddled baby in a hospital room.

A woman in a blue dress holds a swaddled baby in a hospital room.

Our team

Headshots for Beth Daley, Priyanka Sharma-Sindhar, Emily Costello, Kate Kilpatrick, Eleanore Catolico, Claire Cleveland, Eleanore Catolico and Katie Flood.

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