Month: September 2022

Traffic fatalities have surged since the early days of the pandemic, reversing a persistent decline since the 1970s. Roads in the U.S. are now more dangerous than they’ve been in 20 years.

Vox’s Marin Cogan tells us about the deadliest road in the country, a stretch of US-19 in Pasco County, Fla.

And we speak to Ryan Sharp, director of transportation and planning in Hoboken, N.J. That city has managed to bring traffic deaths to zero for the past four years.

This episode also features reporting from KCUR’s Frank Morris.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

When Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in 2017, she was in the midst of reporting on corruption within the island’s government. After her death, a small team of reporters picked up her work where she left off, determined to find the people behind her assassination.

In this episode, we’ll talk with one of those reporters — Stephen Grey from Reuters — about their investigation, which has uncovered new evidence about the network of people responsible for killing Caruana Galizia.

This episode also features reporting from NPR’s Joanna Kakisiss.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

After decades of scandals over horrible conditions, many states are reimagining prisons and jails and reusing those properties to benefit the community.

After the 2016 election – and Russian hacking attempts targeted at local election offices – hundreds of local governments across the country made changes.

Among them, installing something called an Albert sensor. It’s designed to warn of hacking attempts.

But in Washington State, this cybersecurity tool has become the subject of suspicion on the political right. It’s part of a trend that one voting expert described as “using the language of election integrity to dismantle the infrastructure of election integrity.”

The Northwest News Network’s Austin Jenkins and NPR’s Miles Parks explain what’s happening.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Students in Uvalde, Texas are going back to school for the first time since a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School back in May. But parents and kids are still worried about security in the district — and some families are opting to homeschool instead of going back in-person.

NPR’s Juana Summers spent a week in Uvalde speaking with families about how the community is trying to move forward — and balance education with the need to keep students safe.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

It’s been 17 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, permanently changing life for many people across the country.

Over a thousand were killed, and many more were displaced. The city suffered billions of dollars of damage.

New Orleans has slowly recovered over the years, but for many, the trauma of the natural disaster lingers on.

NPR’s Juana Summers talks with filmmaker Edward Buckles Jr. about his new documentary, ‘Katrina Babies,’ which explores the trauma experienced by families and children from Hurricane Katrina.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.