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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A view of the Detroit skyline in 1929

A view of the Detroit skyline in 1929

Detroit was once home to 18 Black-led hospitals – here’s how to understand their rise and fall

Rashid Faisal, University of Michigan-Dearborn and Anita Moncrease, Wayne State University

Honoring Colorado’s Black History requires taking the time to tell stories that make us think twice

Claire Oberon Garcia, Colorado College

A Black History Month sign depicts Franklin Macon.

A Black History Month sign depicts Franklin Macon.

Supreme Court’s Michigan pipeline case is about Native rights and fossil fuels, not just technical legal procedure

Mike Shriberg, University of Michigan

A two-towered suspension bridge spans a waterway.

A two-towered suspension bridge spans a waterway.

How transparent policies can protect Florida school libraries amid efforts to ban books

Abigail Leigh Phillips, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

School librarian speaking to a student while other students around them read.

School librarian speaking to a student while other students around them read.

Florida’s proposed cuts to AIDS drug program threaten patient care and public health

Jonathan Appelbaum, Florida State University

free HIV testing booth at Pride Festival in Miami

free HIV testing booth at Pride Festival in Miami

Detroit

People pass by a low-rise brick-and-glass building that has a sign reading "Little Caesars Arena"

People pass by a low-rise brick-and-glass building that has a sign reading "Little Caesars Arena"

Has Little Caesars Arena boosted economic activity in Detroit? We looked at hotel and short-term rental industry data to find out

Gidon Jakar, University of Florida

Innovations in asthma care can improve the health of Detroiters living with this chronic disease

Arjun Mohan, University of Michigan

Emergency department sign stands outside of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit

Emergency department sign stands outside of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit

America is falling behind in the global EV race – that’s going to cost the US auto industry

Hengrui Liu, Tufts University and Kelly Sims Gallagher, Tufts University

A bright orange Ram pickup truck at the auto show with other trucks nearby and a banner with trucks overhead.

A bright orange Ram pickup truck at the auto show with other trucks nearby and a banner with trucks overhead.

PFAS are turning up in the Great Lakes, putting fish and water supplies at risk – here’s how they get there

Christy Remucal, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A view of the Lake Superior shoreline, with pine trees on sharp cliffs and wide expanse of blue water.

A view of the Lake Superior shoreline, with pine trees on sharp cliffs and wide expanse of blue water.

Some hard-earned lessons from Detroit on how to protect the safety net for community partners in research

Carrie Leach, Wayne State University

Two people are facing a bright computer screen. On the right is an African American man wearing glasses. On the left is a woman with red hair, and she is pointing at the screen.

Two people are facing a bright computer screen. On the right is an African American man wearing glasses. On the left is a woman with red hair, and she is pointing at the screen.

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Philadelphia

High school student sits at a desk in a classroom with her hands propping up her face.

High school student sits at a desk in a classroom with her hands propping up her face.

3 generations of Black Philadelphia students report persistent anti-Black attitudes in schools

Leana Cabral, Columbia University

Martha Washington’s enslaved maid Ona Judge made a daring escape to freedom – but the National Park Service has erased her story from Philadelphia exhibit

Timothy Welbeck, Temple University

Colorful paper signs that read 'History is real' and 'Learn ALL History' are taped to the exterior of a brick building.

Colorful paper signs that read 'History is real' and 'Learn ALL History' are taped to the exterior of a brick building.

How business students learn to make ethical decisions by studying a soup kitchen in one of America’s toughest neighborhoods

Tim Swift, St. Joseph's University

Large group of people gather outside a building with a religious mural

Large group of people gather outside a building with a religious mural

Philadelphia was once a sweet spot for chocolatiers and other candymakers who made iconic treats for Valentine’s Day and other holidays

Jared Bahir Browsh, University of Colorado Boulder

Old black-and-white photographs of different boxes of chocolate

Old black-and-white photographs of different boxes of chocolate

Philly theaters unite to stage 3 plays by Pulitzer-winning playwright James Ijames

Bess Rowen, Villanova University

A man dressed in dress jacket, jeans and yellow beanie stands on a red carpet with a floral display behind him.

A man dressed in dress jacket, jeans and yellow beanie stands on a red carpet with a floral display behind him.

Read more Philadelphia news

Pittsburgh

Two male medics in uniform help carry a patient on a gurney out of an ambulance.

Two male medics in uniform help carry a patient on a gurney out of an ambulance.

After a 32-hour shift in Pittsburgh, I realized EMTs should be napping on the job

P. Daniel Patterson, University of Pittsburgh

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.

How a 22-year-old George Washington learned how to lead, from a series of mistakes in the Pennsylvania wilderness

Christopher Magra, University of Tennessee

George Washington depicted as a young surveyor.

George Washington depicted as a young surveyor.

New dietary guidelines prioritize ‘real food’ – but low-income pregnant women can’t easily obtain it

Bethany Barone Gibbs, West Virginia University and Alex Crisp, University of Iowa

A pregnant woman in overalls carries a red shopping basket in a grocery store.

A pregnant woman in overalls carries a red shopping basket in a grocery store.

Political polarization in Pittsburgh communities is rooted in economic neglect − not extremism

Ilia Murtazashvili, University of Pittsburgh

Poll worker talking with Pittsburgh firefighter

Poll worker talking with Pittsburgh firefighter

South Florida

Mary's Cafe and Laundry in the 2000s

Mary's Cafe and Laundry in the 2000s

Florida’s immigrant entrepreneurs are creating jobs and prosperity in their communities

Paula de la Cruz-Fernández, University of Florida

Most of the 1 million Venezuelans in the United States arrived within the past decade

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

five people smiling and holding newspapers showing an illustration of Nicolas Maduro behind bars

five people smiling and holding newspapers showing an illustration of Nicolas Maduro behind bars

South Florida’s Brightline has highlighted an old problem – every year for the past decade, 900 pedestrians were killed by trains

Ian Savage, Northwestern University

Brightline train speeds by, with a bicyclist in the foreground.

Brightline train speeds by, with a bicyclist in the foreground.

Miami’s new mayor faces a housing affordability crisis, city charter reform and a shrinking budget

Sean Foreman, Barry University

Eileen Higgins smiles while standing behind a podium that says 'Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins.'

Eileen Higgins smiles while standing behind a podium that says 'Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins.'

Sharks and rays get a major win with new international trade limits for over 70 species

Gareth J. Fraser, University of Florida

People in silhouette line a large tank with fish and a whale shark.

People in silhouette line a large tank with fish and a whale shark.

Read more South Florida news

Colorado

An illustrated house sits next to an illustrated magnifying glass with the words "Radon gas."

An illustrated house sits next to an illustrated magnifying glass with the words "Radon gas."

Colorado has high levels of radon, which can cause lung cancer – here’s how to lower your risk

Jan Lowery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Warming winters are disrupting the hidden world of fungi – the result can shift mountain grasslands to scrub

Stephanie Kivlin, University of Tennessee; Aimee Classen, University of Michigan, and Lara A. Souza, University of Oklahoma

An outdoor view of a lake, snow on trees and mountains in the background

An outdoor view of a lake, snow on trees and mountains in the background

What Olympic athletes see that viewers don’t: Machine-made snow makes ski racing faster and riskier – and it’s everywhere

Keith Musselman, University of Colorado Boulder and Agnes Macy, University of Colorado Boulder

A row of female skiers races down a slope

A row of female skiers races down a slope

Aldi is coming to Colorado, and the disruption could lead to lower food prices

Jack Buffington, University of Denver

A store front with the text " Aldi" is pictured with shoppers and cars in front.

A store front with the text " Aldi" is pictured with shoppers and cars in front.

Colorado has emergency domestic violence shelters in only half its counties, leaving survivors without safe housing options

Kaitlyn M. Sims, University of Denver; Institute for Humane Studies

A woman with her head down faces a man who looks angry.

A woman with her head down faces a man who looks angry.

Read more Colorado news

Most read stories

People walk toward a large building with a sign that says "Empower Field at Mile High."

People walk toward a large building with a sign that says "Empower Field at Mile High."

Broncos say their new stadium will be ‘privately financed,’ but ‘private’ often still means hundreds of millions in public resources

Geoffrey Propheter, University of Colorado Denver

I study rat nests − here’s why rodents make great archivists

Alexandria Mitchem Hansen, Columbia University

Brown rat on the ground outdoors holds red berry-like fruit in its hands

Brown rat on the ground outdoors holds red berry-like fruit in its hands

Colorado ranks among the highest states in the country for flu – an emergency room physician describes why the 2025-26 flu season is hitting hard

Jean Hoffman, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Woman in a blue scrub top coughs in a hospital bed while a person in the background in a doctor's coat rub their hands together.

Woman in a blue scrub top coughs in a hospital bed while a person in the background in a doctor's coat rub their hands together.

What are gas stove manufacturers trying to hide? Warning labels

Alan K. Chen, University of Denver

A woman with a black and white striped shirt looks under a pan on a stove top.

A woman with a black and white striped shirt looks under a pan on a stove top.

Why the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s closure exposes a growing threat to democracy

Victor Pickard, University of Pennsylvania

Exterior of building with sign that says 'Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'

Exterior of building with sign that says 'Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'

Our team

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