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The Cities Trailblazing Transit Service into the Wilderness

Gregory Scruggs

May 25, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Hikers can now catch a ride to their trail of choice thanks to Seattle’s transit system. Bus rides to popular hiking destinations make the great outdoors more accessible for urban populations.

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Formerly Homeless Seattleites Are Moving Into a Building Designed for Tech Workers — Here's Why

Gregory Scruggs

March 25, 2021 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

A “small efficiency dwelling unit” in Seattle has been sold to a nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness. The development was initially meant for renters but rental vacancies caused by the pandemic prompted the owners to sell the building to the nonprofit. Now tenants who earn 30-40 percent of the median income in Seattle will pay 30 percent of their income toward rent.

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Inside the Student-Led Movement to Depolarize College

Gregory Scruggs

September 04, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

BridgeUSA is a student-led organization aiming to find what unites students across college campuses, who may hold opposing views. The organization started in Notre Dame and has spread to the University of California - Berkeley, Oregon State and many others. The model consists of hosting small group discussions on a variety of hot topics like immigration or police brutality and aims to help people find commonalities by engaging in empathic dialogue.

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U.S. town creates local currency to boost coronavirus relief

Gregory Scruggs

July 09, 2020 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Tenino, Washington

Facing the economic strain from the financial fallout caused by the coronavirus crisis, Tenino is printing its own money like it once did in the wake of the Great Depression. The small town in Washington has issued at least $2,500 worth of wooden bills to exclusively be used for small businesses on Main Street. Thirteen residents have applied for the funds and $150 have been spent by residents on necessities as of June. Other small towns across the country have already sent inquiries to the mayor of Tenino, seeking to imitate Tenino's effort.

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In Seattle, Protests Over Racial Equity Turn to Land Ownership

Gregory Scruggs

June 23, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Over 1000 community members gathered to demand officials keep a 2016 promise to give a vacant publicly-owned fire station to the Africatown Community Land Trust. The station is in a historically Black and quickly gentrifying neighborhood and the trust wants to turn it into a resource center to develop the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. As citywide protests for racial equality spread, the city abruptly agreed to turn it over. The group also wants more unused properties turned over to Black community ownership and for the city to develop an anti-gentrification land acquisition fund.

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This Seattle protest zone is police-free. So volunteers are stepping up to provide security.

Gregory Scruggs

June 16, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

In Seattle's police-free street encampment that sprang up during protests over policing abuses, a mostly unarmed group of volunteer "sentinels" has defused a number of potential problems while largely avoiding the use of force. Trained in de-escalation and mediation tactics, the sentinels have used listening techniques to understand people's anger or mental state. Among the incidents they have addressed: fights, attempted vandalism of storefronts, visits from armed people who wanted to confront a supposed leftist threat, and the attempted arson of a police precinct building.

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How to Rebuild a War-torn Middle Eastern City? Start with the Souk

Gregory Scruggs

April 15, 2020 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Syria

A combination of agencies, charities, and business owners have been working toward the goal of rebuilding Syrian cities by focusing on souks, or markets, dating back centuries. Bringing the souks back to life was a relatively easy reconstruction project, free of legal complications, and vital to the communities' return to normalcy. Sticklers for historical accuracy argue that the original medieval architecture of the souks is impossible to recreate, therefore rendering it "totally fake," but those who are more concerned with repatriating refugees and rebuilding war-town Syria disagree.

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Seattle Turns Soda Tax Revenue into Emergency Grocery Vouchers During Pandemic

Gregory Scruggs

March 30, 2020 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

When Seattle passed its tax on sugar-sweetened beverages like soda in 2018, the program met a lot of resistance. But now, amid the coronavirus pandemic, the city is drawing on this tax revenue to provide $800 emergency grocery vouchers to families in need.

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In Seattle, School Is Out, But Lunch Is Still In

Gregory Scruggs

March 23, 2020 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

After Seattle schools closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, school staff quickly mobilized to ensure there would still be a way to distribute free food to students and their families. As the crisis unfolds, the distribution model will likely evolve to best meet the need, organizers explain.

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As Seattle Seeks to Tax Amazon (Again), What Can It Learn From California?

Gregory Scruggs

January 24, 2020 |

Next City |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

In 2018, a per-employee tax levied on Amazon and other Seattle businesses making over $20 million a year was struck down by council members with unfavorable polling. In 2020, that same referendum is being brought back to life with renewed support. This article compares Seattle's past failures to San Francisco's current success in implementing a tax inspired by Seattle's. The processes differ in many areas, and this article considers what would happen if Seattle now followed someone else's lead.

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