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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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'

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

Michael Helbing, Penn State

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.

Pepper pot stew was survival food for the poor and a path to freedom for Black women in early Philadelphia

Carolyn Zola, California State University, East Bay

Painting of Black woman ladling out soup as white customers surround her and eat it

Painting of Black woman ladling out soup as white customers surround her and eat it

Haiti at the World Cup is more than an underdog tale – it is the story of global migration

Laurent Dubois, University of Virginia

Two men one with a motorcycle stand in front of a poster of soccer players.

Two men one with a motorcycle stand in front of a poster of soccer players.

Home insurance and the unraveling of Florida communities

Zac Taylor, Delft University of Technology

Florida neighborhood with the street completely underwater

Florida neighborhood with the street completely underwater

Detroit

A Black man wearing a police uniform stands behind podium.

A Black man wearing a police uniform stands behind podium.

Detroit is spending millions on gunshot detection tech – is it an effective tool in the fight against violent crime?

Tian An Wong, University of Michigan-Dearborn and Divya Ramjee, Rochester Institute of Technology

Detroit’s high property taxes are driving a housing affordability crisis – how can city leaders bring down costs?

Amanda Nothaft, University of Michigan

A young Black woman stands behind podium with an American flag behind her

A young Black woman stands behind podium with an American flag behind her

Detroit’s water affordability crisis is tied to the uneven distribution of stormwater management costs – a fraught history explains why

Nicole Van Lier, Loyola Marymount University

Man stands next to broken water main.

Man stands next to broken water main.

Motown’s Black women songwriters and producers were the invisible architects behind the pop music juggernaut

Margena A. Christian, University of Illinois Chicago

Woman stands in front of podium

Woman stands in front of podium

Heavy rain on snow is testing aging dams across Michigan and Wisconsin – this is the future in a warming world

Richard B. (Ricky) Rood, University of Michigan

A city worker in reflective clothes stands knee-deep in a flooded street.

A city worker in reflective clothes stands knee-deep in a flooded street.

Read more Detroit news

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Philadelphia

Man in yellow shirt holds blue bin on head with stacks of plastic cups

Man in yellow shirt holds blue bin on head with stacks of plastic cups

Philadelphia’s 2026 sports calendar is packed – but fans are being priced out

Jared Bahir Browsh, University of Colorado Boulder

Philadelphia plans to close 17 neighborhood public schools – here’s what went wrong when it shuttered 30 schools in 2013

Julia McWilliams, University of Pennsylvania

Aerial view of large rectangular building surrounded by residential area with skyscrapers in background

Aerial view of large rectangular building surrounded by residential area with skyscrapers in background

We analyzed paper money printed by Ben Franklin to uncover his anti‑counterfeiting techniques and materials innovations

Khachatur Manukyan, University of Notre Dame

An illustration of Ben Franklin overlaid on vintage illustrations.

An illustration of Ben Franklin overlaid on vintage illustrations.

How community groups, activists and local media turned Camden, New Jersey, into a model of police reform

John A. Shjarback, Rowan University

Cars drive down a street of city with skyscrapers in distant background

Cars drive down a street of city with skyscrapers in distant background

Would a $1 rideshare fee affect wealthier or working-class Philadelphians more? 2 Chicago studies offer some perspective

Parth Vaishnav, University of Michigan and Miki Tsuchiya, University of Michigan

Woman in baseball cap holds phone while looking across large intersection

Woman in baseball cap holds phone while looking across large intersection

Read more Philadelphia news

Pittsburgh

People walking along a river on a sunny day with a city view in the background.

People walking along a river on a sunny day with a city view in the background.

Most Pittsburgh-area communities are losing residents – here’s why that might be OK

Christopher Briem, University of Pittsburgh

What Pennsylvania’s AI chatbot lawsuit teaches us about the psychology behind medical trust

Gretchen Chapman, Carnegie Mellon University

A man in glasses and a navy blue suit stands behind a microphone.

A man in glasses and a navy blue suit stands behind a microphone.

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.

Battleground state with few combatants – why Pennsylvania’s primaries lack competition

Kristin Kanthak, University of Pittsburgh

Three large white partitions read 'I Voted!' with voters behind it.

Three large white partitions read 'I Voted!' with voters behind it.

Why Pennsylvania’s low-income residents are feeling the squeeze as gas prices rise

Hannah Wiseman, Penn State

A close-up of gas prices on a gas pump.

A close-up of gas prices on a gas pump.

Read more Pittsburgh news

South Florida

Sign at a stadium reads 'Full Capacity 88,966'

Sign at a stadium reads 'Full Capacity 88,966'

Inflation and immigration fears threaten to dampen Miami’s economic benefits from the World Cup

Hunter Kim, College of Charleston and John Nauright, Louisiana State University

Trump administration pledges $100M in aid for Cuba, but only if Catholic or other faith-based groups distribute it

Dulce Suarez, Florida International University

A group of people eat a communal meal served by a nun.

A group of people eat a communal meal served by a nun.

Cuba needs a long-term solution to its energy crisis

Luisa Blanco, Pepperdine University; Institute for Humane Studies and Isabella Elias, Pepperdine University

2 small lights show on a darkened Havana street

2 small lights show on a darkened Havana street

A newly rediscovered moth species in Florida may already be at risk

Ryan St Laurent, University of Colorado Boulder

Pinkish, fuzzy moth

Pinkish, fuzzy moth

AI-generated fantasies of US intervention reveal how desperation has narrowed Cuba’s political horizons

Michael J. Bustamante, University of Miami

cartoon on the left and AI image on the right showing Americans as Cuba's liberators

cartoon on the left and AI image on the right showing Americans as Cuba's liberators

Read more South Florida news

Colorado

A woman in a white blouse holds a red credit card and looks at a cellphone in her other hand.

A woman in a white blouse holds a red credit card and looks at a cellphone in her other hand.

Coloradans are getting squeezed by credit cards while trying to navigate high costs

Ali Besharat, University of Denver

Colorado voted to end forced prison labor in 2018 – so why are incarcerated people in the state still working for less than $2 an hour?

Julia Bowling, City University of New York

Hands reach through the bars of a cell.

Hands reach through the bars of a cell.

From the San Luis Valley to Vail, Latino labor powers every sector of Colorado’s economy

Ernesto Sagás, Colorado State University

People bend over in a field to harvest parsley under a gray sky.

People bend over in a field to harvest parsley under a gray sky.

A fungal disease, along with climate change, threatens Colorado’s prized peaches

Jane Stewart, Colorado State University and David Sterle, Colorado State University

A person holding a basket of peaches is surrounded by lush, green peach trees.

A person holding a basket of peaches is surrounded by lush, green peach trees.

Fire is transforming the US West’s public lands – research shows overlooked cost to recreation

Kyle Manley, University of Colorado Boulder

A man with an axe and a hard hat walks in front of bright orange red blazing fire.

A man with an axe and a hard hat walks in front of bright orange red blazing fire.

Read more Colorado news

Data centers and energy costs

Aerial view of industrial area

Aerial view of industrial area

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

Wangda Zuo, Penn State

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.

5 ways data centers endanger their local communities and the country as a whole

Neha Gour, George Mason University; Ed Maibach, George Mason University, and Luis Ortiz, George Mason University

Large commercial or industrial buildings sit in rows near homes that line residential roads.

Large commercial or industrial buildings sit in rows near homes that line residential roads.

Why your electricity bill is so high and what Pennsylvania is doing about it

Hannah Wiseman, Penn State and Seth Blumsack, Penn State

A juxtaposition of energy infrastructure and residential buildings under a moody sky

A juxtaposition of energy infrastructure and residential buildings under a moody sky

Our team

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