This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Year after year, America’s drug overdose crisis is worsening. In the 12-month period ending in June 2021, the most recent period for which there is reliable data, more than 101,000…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. In November, Aspen Words announced the longlist for the fifth annual Aspen Words Literary Prize, a $35,000 award recognizing a work of fiction that addresses a vital social issue. The selected books explore questions…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Americans have an enduring, though contradictory, fondness for local institutions. On the whole, it can be summed up as “it’s bad out there, but it’s fine where I am.” Polls…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. The power of children’s stories resides largely in its audience: in how open young people are to new ideas. Their drive to experiment is familiar to any parent: Children invent…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. With the Build Back Better plan (BBB) currently facing an uncertain future in the Senate, substantial investments in children that would expand on earlier pandemic responses also hang in the balance. The House-passed Build Back…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. For homicide detectives, 2020 brought good news and bad news. On the one hand, police across the nation solved more murders — in absolute numbers — than in any year…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. The American Rescue Plan Act could do more to tackle racial wealth inequality, argues professor Goldburn P. Maynard Jr. While the American Rescue Plan Act provided a major infusion of…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. P-EBT food benefits helped narrow the hunger gap during the pandemic. This school year, some families who relied on the program are now being excluded. When Lisa Brewer decided last July…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Nearly a year after thousands of supporters of former President Trump stunned the nation by violently storming the US Capitol, concern remains about the current state of American politics, says…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. Before the 2020-21 school year, Christa Talbott, a 20-year veteran of New Orleans schools, had never considered leaving the profession she loved this early. But then came a dispiriting spring…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. President Biden’s agenda has a strong focus on climate change. He has constantly reiterated the need to take a whole-of-government approach to address the crisis. In November, Congress passed the Infrastructure…
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators. In the unglamorous pages of local and state law books lies one of the most powerful tools for reducing carbon emissions: building codes. Local governments in Washington state, including Seattle, Tacoma…