About Melanie
Melanie Saltzman reports, shoots and produces stories for PBS NewsHour Weekend on a wide range of issues including public health, the environment and international affairs. In 2017 she produced two stories for NewsHour’s “America Addicted” series on the opioid epidemic, traveled to the Marshall Islands to report on climate change, and went to Kenya and Tanzania to focus on solutions-based reporting. Melanie holds a BA from New York University and an MA in Journalism from Northwestern University, where she was a McCormick National Security Fellow. In 2010, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in Berlin, Germany.
Melanie’s Recent Stories
Nation Nov 23
How Minneapolis became the first to end single-family zoningTo help address a housing shortage, Minneapolis became the first large American city to end single-family zoning, the rules that restrict certain neighborhoods to single-family homes. Now, buildings with up to three units can be built on any residential lot.
Segment Nov 16
How a new grain could help combat climate changeScientists in Minnesota and Kansas are developing a grain called Kernza, which, unlike most of our food crops, is a perennial plant with a whole host of environmental benefits. While it’s still far from hitting the market widely, food producers…
Science Nov 16
Birchwood Cafe’s pancake recipe with Kernza, a greener grainDuring a recent visit to the Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis, chef and author Beth Dooley showed PBS NewsHour Weekend how to cook Kernza pancakes. The cafe, a local institution known for its commitment to local and sustainable ingredients, was one…
Nation Oct 12
Can sustainable farming save Iowa’s precious soil and water?Iowa is a powerhouse producer of corn and soybeans. But all the industrial farming has come at a cost to the environment. Today, there's a growing number of farmers adopting more sustainable practices in a bid to save Iowa's precious…
Nation Oct 06
A playground for everyone, no matter your age or abilityWhen Olenka Villarreal couldn’t find a playground for her daughter, who was born with disabilities, she launched an effort to build one. The Magical Bridge Playground in Palo Alto, California, is touted as the most accessible playground in the country.
Arts Sep 29
Why music has such profound effects on the brainWhy does music give us chills, motivate us to work out and make us feel connected to one another? Neuroscientist and opera singer Indre Viskontas explains the power of music and its effects on our brains in her new book,…
Nation Aug 31
Americans waste up to 40 percent of the food they produceIf food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases behind China and the United States. NewsHour Weekend's Megan Thompson sat down with Elizabeth Balkan, director of food waste for the Natural Resources Defense Council,…
World Aug 31
Is France’s groundbreaking food-waste law working?A third of the world's food goes to waste, but France is attempting to do something about it. Since 2016, large grocery stores in the country have been banned from throwing away unsold food that could be given away. NewsHour…
Nation Aug 04
El Paso shooting is domestic terrorism, investigators sayInvestigators of the El Paso mass shooting, which left 20 people dead and wounded at least 26 others, are treating the massacre as a case of domestic terrorism and will file capital murder charges against the suspect, now in custody.
Nation Aug 04
A deadly massacre in under one minuteLess than 13 hours after the massacre in El Paso, Texas, a gunman killed nine people, including his own sister, in downtown Dayton. Police said the carnage lasted less than a minute before they arrived on the scene and killed…
