Politics Nov 16 NewsHour Connect: Supercommittee Fast-Tracks New Farm Bill Every five years Congress passes a bundle of legislation related to food and agriculture, the last of which was passed in 2008. The bill allocates hundreds of billions of dollars for everything from crop subsidies and forest protection to… By Saskia de Melker
Science Nov 14 NewsHour Connect: World’s Largest Dam Removal Set to Restore Ecosystem The world's biggest dam removal project -- and the second-largest environmental restoration project in U.S. history -- is in progress on the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. The Elwha Dam and the Glines Canyon Dam… By Saskia de Melker
Politics Oct 28 ‘The Informant’ Tracks Latest on Calif. Prison Overcrowding, Occupy Oakland The Informant blog, a product of KALW Radio in San Francisco, tracks the latest news and developments in cops, courts and communities in the Bay Area. We checked in with lead reporter Rina Palta on Friday afternoon to hear… By Saskia de Melker
Arts Oct 18 Frontline’s ‘Lost in Detention’ Examines Immigration Policy Enforcement // A year-long investigation by Frontline and the American University Investigative Reporting Workshop examines the current U.S. immigration enforcement system and stories of hidden abuse in detention centers. The Obama administration has deported or detained more immigrants than… By Saskia de Melker
Oct 17 California ‘Dream Act’ Offers Undocumented Students Path to Higher Education By Saskia de Melker // On October 8 California governor Jerry Brown signed Bill AB131 into law, enabling undocumented students who meet state residency requirements to have access to state public funds for higher education. It is the second half of legislation known as… Continue reading
Oct 17 Around the Nation: The Occupy Movement By Saskia de Melker What began as the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York has now spread to cities across the United States. Here's a roundup of the latest public media coverage of the weekend protests around the nation: At the movement's original… Continue reading
Oct 11 ‘Women, War and Peace’ Challenges Notions of Conflict By Saskia de Melker // A new series from WNET challenges the notion that war and peace are domains dominated by men. In each of the five hour-long episodes, 'Women, War, and Peace' highlights a different area of the world where women are… Continue reading
Sep 01 Irene’s Impact in Vermont: ‘This Was a Very Sad Place’ By Saskia de Melker New Hampshire Public Radio reporter Elaine Grant reports from the neighboring Vermont towns of White River Junction and Hartford on how residents and businesses are faring in the wake of Hurricane Irene's massive flood damage. Read more: For… Continue reading
Jul 28 NewsHour Connect: Heat Wave Imperils Midwest Agriculture By Justin Scuiletti // Temperatures have been rising in the Midwest this summer -- and with them, food prices may also be heading upward. As heat waves have been blanketing much of the nation in temperatures over 100 degrees, agriculture has been… Continue reading