An overview of “stories of need” with links to news articles, editorials, press releases and blog posts from around the area, the nation and the world:
Front-Page
- COLOMBIA: The Colombian government and FARC rebels began formal peace talks earlier this month.
- UNITED STATES: Hurricane Sandy struck the east coast of the United States yesterday, causing extensive shutdowns, flooding,blackouts, transportation failures and property damage. The storm caused at least 30 deaths in the United States and 65 in the Caribbean.
- VIETNAM: A tropical storm killed at least 30 people in northern Vietnam.
- MYANMAR: Ethnic violence in the west of this Asian nation led to the deaths of more than 100 people.
- SYRIA: Continued violence marred the recent temporary ceasefire during the Eid al-Adha holiday.
- MEXICO: In a backdrop to the ongoing drug war between mafia and the Mexican government, local officials and communities are fighting a wave of common crime.
Fighting the Good Fight
- MIAMI (Florida): A blighted apartment complex was recently torn down to make way for a four-story affordable housing complex.
- BOULDER (Colorado): A Boulder Police Department detective received the 2012 Beth Haynes Memorial Award for his work with victims of domestic violence.
- BRAZIL: Aspiring musicians are finding hope in the middle of a slum.
- UNITED KINGDOM: A British research firm is using crowdsourcing to help cure cancer by inviting web users to identify cancer cells online.
- INDIA: New technology has enabled sustainable practices for 150,000 farmers.
- ISRAEL: A bicycle made partially from cardboard could help change transportation habits around the world.
- NIWOT (Colorado): Thanks to a generous donation and ongoing fundraising campaign, Community Food Share (CFS) plans to move to a significantly larger facility in the nearby Colorado Tech Center. CFS is the Feeding America food bank for Boulder and Broomfield counties. It serves more than 50 local food banks.
Major Troublespots
- UNITED STATES: Since just before Hurricane Sandy’s landfall, New Jersey and New York City have been declared major disaster areas. A power outage forced one hospital in New York to evacuate more than 200 patients, including critically ill newborns. Having exposed vulnerabilities in the U.S. power grid, the storm is now moving north.
- CARIBBEAN: Food security remains an issue in Haiti, which was also hit by Hurricane Sandy. The storm left 18,000 Haitians homeless.
- BAHRAIN: The government of this tiny Persian Gulf nation and U.S. ally recently banned political protests in a crackdown against dissent.
- MALI: Is this former democracy a new breeding ground for terrorists?
- UNITED STATES: Statistics released by the federal government and compiled by ProPublica show more than 200,000“deficiencies” in U.S. nursing homes have been identified by government inspectors.
- NIGERIA: A look at lynching in this West African nation.
Reflections & Reviews
- NEW MEXICO IN DEPTH: Introducing a non-profit news organization aimed encouraging investigative journalism in New Mexico.
- WEALTHY DECLINE: A joint study done by Bank of America and Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy found that the average gift to charity by wealthy donors has declined by 7 percent from the average gift in 2009.
- ROLE MODELS WE CAN TRUST?: First Joe Paterno and Penn State football. Now Lance Armstrong.
- HUNGER IN IOWA: Why are more kids in Iowa going hungry?
- ANOTHER FACE OF POVERTY: A commentary on rural poverty in the United States.
- MUST SEE:
- “It’s a Girl“: This hard-hitting documentary raises awareness of “gendercide.”
Published in August on EverydayEpics.com
- Community Services Café — Representatives from local service agencies and faith communities gathered for Broomfield’s first-ever CCDA-based café.
- Q&A With Greeley Pastor — Nathan Soule-Hill told real-life stories related to the immigration debate.
- The Line Premiere — About 30 people gathered in Broomfield at a premiere of the documentary The Line.
- Safety net for the safety net — A commentary on the work of the Inner City Health Center in Denver, Colo.
- On disagreement — A commentary on consensus and disagreement in light of the upcoming November elections.
Coming Up
- Commentary: More reflections on “The Sweep Gospel.”
- Stories: A look at economic poverty in the midst of one of the world’s richest communities.
Share your thoughts about this month’s review of “need in the news” or offer additional links below.
