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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A mother and daughter hike through a desert landscape.

Separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine could decrease access for Colorado parents

Jennifer Reich, University of Colorado Denver

At an old steel site in Pittsburgh, bacteria evolved to survive – and eat – industrial pollution

Catherine Armbruster, Carnegie Mellon University

Wildfire strategy doesn’t need a winner – with 3 camps fighting for dominance, the system can’t keep up with the risk

Tony Cheng, Colorado State University and Matt Thompson, Colorado State University

A firefighter stands at the edge of a fire set to clear away brush.

How libraries in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and other Pennsylvania communities evolved from subscription clubs to vital public institutions

Bernadette A. Lear, Penn State

Woman in black coat pulls book from shelf in library

Federal stimulus money bought new technology for Philly students, but many schools lost track of where items went

Suzanne McLeod, Binghamton University, State University of New York and Kathryn Blackman, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Two lower elementary school students work on laptops

Detroit

I’m a pediatrician in Michigan who created Rx Kids, one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty programs – here’s what I’ve learned about how medical schools can improve community health

Mona Hanna, Michigan State University

Plans to improve Michigan’s K-12 schools depend on how the state funds public education

Jason Burns, Michigan State University and Madeline Mavrogordato, Michigan State University

Michigan’s local election officials are confident in voting integrity ahead of November’s midterm election

Stephanie Leiser, University of Michigan

Michigan progressive Abdul El-Sayed won a combative Democratic nomination for US Senate – he’ll face new attacks this fall

Michael Traugott, University of Michigan

How state constitutions became the battleground for American rights and liberties – on both the left and right

Quinn Yeargain, Michigan State University

Red and blue characters on a map outline of the U.S. with the U.S. flag.

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Philadelphia

‘Fountain’ might make you laugh or scowl but asks important questions – a Philly art historian explains why Marcel Duchamp’s iconic 1917 sculpture still provokes

Matthew Palczynski, Temple University

Philadelphia’s failing air quality hits hardest in neighborhoods near industry and highways, where asthma rates soar

Qian He, Rowan University; Mahbubur Meenar, Rowan University, and Sean Olcese, Rowan University

Should you drink Philly’s tap water?

Christine Kirchhoff, Penn State

Mother and young boy stand by sink as boy drinks bottle of water

Nearly 100 years ago, Philadelphia’s Inez Patterson integrated pools and encouraged other Black girls to swim too

Samantha Adams, University of Michigan

Black and white photo of dozens of Black children in a large swimming pool

Philadelphia’s criminal justice fines and fees fall hardest on poorest neighborhoods

Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University; C. Clare Strange; Nathan Link, Rutgers University, and Brian Lawton, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

A blighted urban block with colorful rowhomes on a sunny day

Pittsburgh

A graphic image shows people sleeping in bunk beds, in a blue-lit room.

We paid college students about $5 a night to sleep at least 7 hours – and their grades quickly improved

Osea Giuntella, University of Pittsburgh; Sally Sadoff, University of California, San Diego, and Silvia Saccardo, Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh’s kindergartners fall below the measles safety threshold, testing the city’s vaccine legacy

Rebecca Smullin Dawson, Allegheny College

A clipboard holds an info sheet titled 'Measles.'

16% of Pennsylvania teens have considered suicide – but everyday connection may help

Xue Zhang, Penn State and Jonathan Wright, Penn State

A group of teenagers sit around a table outside.

Just because the bill is low doesn’t mean energy is affordable

Destenie Nock, Carnegie Mellon University

A person wrapped in a blanket sits next to a radiator, with her hand on the heating element.

How new SNAP restrictions could hit Greater Pittsburgh’s food access and economy

Amelia B. Finaret, Allegheny College

A blue sign above boxes of fruit reads "EBT accepted here."

South Florida

Dengue-carrying mosquitoes expand their reach into new territories – including Florida

Andrés Henao, University of Colorado Anschutz

Mosquitoes are picky eaters – we studied 3 common South Florida species to learn why they like some people more than others

Kaylee Marrero, Florida International University and Matthew DeGennaro, Florida International University

person's arm inside a plastic box with mosquitoes flying toward it

Florida lost 450,000 ACA enrollees in 2026 as premiums rose an average of 37% nationally, new data shows

Robert Applebaum, Miami University

woman standing at a microphone in front of a sign that reads, Affordable Care Act premiums will rise more than 75%

Florida’s proposed property tax amendment will require trade-offs – and some residents could end up with higher costs

Abigail Hall, University of Tampa

Fewer cheap flights, more international suitcases – South Florida’s tourism outlook for 2027

Michael Cheng, Florida International University

Colorado

Students sit on stone benches in an outdoor auditorium holding books and electronic tablets.

In Colorado and elsewhere, sexual assault peaks on campuses at the beginning of the school year – here’s what students should know

Kaitlyn M. Sims, University of Denver; Institute for Humane Studies

Syringe litter did not increase after a needle exchange ban was overturned in Pueblo, Colorado, but health services suffered

Pranav Padmanabhan, University of Colorado Anschutz; Katherine LeMasters, University of Colorado Boulder, and Paul Christine, University of Colorado Anschutz

Used needles with orange caps lie in the dirt.

Colorado is facing a housing shortage - building more duplexes and townhomes could be part of the solution

Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, University of Denver and Susan D. Daggett, University of Denver

A car appears blurry as it speeds by a housing complex made up of attached, tan units.

Many youth athletes quietly struggle with eating disorders – Colorado mandates new training that could turn things around

Erin Harrop, University of Denver

A group of young football players with blue jerseys and their coach stand in a circle and place their hands on top of one another in the middle.

Congress just passed a housing law that rewards states for reform — here’s why Colorado has a head start

Solomon Greene, University of Denver

The wooden frame of a housing unit with cutouts for windows stands behind purple and yellow flowers. A man with an orange shirt and a hard hat climbs up one of the wooden beams inside the frame.

Data centers and energy costs

A view of open grassland with a barn and a sign reading 'No data center.'

Data center fights pit social values, democracy and capitalism against each other

Lauren Mullenbach, University of Michigan

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

Michael Helbing, Penn State

Man stands on front porch above yellow sign that says 'No Data Centers'

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.

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.

Maternal health

A woman sits in a hallway while an infant plays in the room beyond her.

Nearly 20% of new moms have anxiety or depression, but a promising psychedelic treatment is on the horizon

Camille Hoffman, University of Colorado Anschutz

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.

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.

Mobile clinics offer a practical way to improve health care access in maternity care deserts

Adetola F. Louis-Jacques, University of Florida; Arielle Ayotte, University of Florida, and Michelle Nall, University of Florida

Fewer new moms are dying in Colorado – naloxone might be one reason why

Kaylin Klie, University of Colorado Anschutz

A woman in a blue dress holds a swaddled baby in a hospital room.

Our team

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

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