As voters worried whether a slowed-down U.S. Postal Service could handle a surge of mailed ballots amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Howard Center partnered with USA Today to measure mail performance in real time in critical swing states. They sent packages each week containing GPS units about the size of a fun-size Snickers bar and tracked their journey in both Democratic- and Republican-leaning areas in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. Since the GPS units made the envelopes heavier than a standard ballot, reporters also used ordinary letters sent by certified mail with the bar codes logging each step from a mailbox to a location near an election office.
Maryland
Legacy of slavery, segregation influences debate over removing Confederate statue in Maryland
When residents here describe their town, they describe a paradise. There’s no crime and everyone—black and white—gets along in neighborhoods just a few miles from the banks of the Eastern Shore’s Tred Avon River in Talbot County.
Saltwater Invasion
Around the country, scientists are sounding the alarm about saltwater intrusion. But this investigation found the responses on the ground are sometimes inadequate and may not be sustainable because they run up against economic pressures from development, farming and tourism. Meanwhile, invading saltwater is resculpting the East Coast, threatening drinking water and driving farmers from their land.
Chinese food delivery business adds health, safety supplies to menu
WASHINGTON – Every few weeks, a small caravan of minivans pulls up in front of a building in Northwest Washington owned by the Chinese Embassy and begins loading boxes of supplies that recently arrived from China. The vehicles belong to…
For some, necessary isolation from virus is detrimental to mental, physical health
KENSINGTON, Maryland – Social distancing and staying home have proven essential for flattening the coronavirus curve and minimizing harm from the virus, but research shows that these unprecedented guidelines to match our unprecedented times may negatively impact mental and physical…
In Wicomico County, a couple struggles to stay afloat with underwater mortgage
SALISBURY, Maryland – Each week, John Peters does yard work for neighbors, shuttles friends to doctors’ appointments and works as a janitor at Crossroads Church of God. The jobs bring in extra money used to keep the family afloat while…
A decade after Great Recession, home values in some communities remain underwater
The Great Recession that fueled a mortgage and housing crisis more than a decade ago has faded from memory for most Americans. But not for millions of homeowners – mainly in rural and minority communities – who continue to struggle with depressed home values and underwater mortgages.
NewsBIN Creatives Podcast: Sebrina Phan on Being a Tattoo Artist
CNS NewsBIN Reporter Mimi Luzader talks to tattoo artist Sebrina Phan about her art, becoming a tattoo artist and how her parents reacted when she told them her career plans.
With Record Day postponed to June, stores look to new ways to sell vinyl
Matthew Moffatt, the owner of Smash! Records in Washington, D.C., was looking forward to Record Store Day, the annual April event when music fans descend upon local record stores to purchase limited-release music recorded on vinyl. Music stores, like all…
NewsBIN Creatives Podcast: James Michael on Theater Directing
CNS NewsBIN Reporter Hannah Greenberg talks to theater director and teacher James Michael about teaching, acting and staying safe during the shelter in place.