Stories produced in partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network, focused on responses to social problems, and offering insights and exploring limitations of these proposals.
From Foreigner to Family Member
It took Martin Akwa almost three months to make it to the US-Mexico border from his native Cameroon. As part of the English-speaking western minority in Cameroon, Akwa says he had been marginalized for a long time. In retribution for his protests against the French-majority government, he was assaulted and left for dead. His father…
The great experiment
Can resident-owned mobile home parks save manufactured housing communities? The Sans Souci Community is something of a manufactured housing success story, at least so far. In late June, the residents of the nearly-11-acre property off Highway 93 in unincorporated Boulder County purchased the mobile home park from its corporate owners for $3.3 million. Sans Souci…
On the bricks
Efforts to increase commercial affordability in Boulder and beyond take time and planning After reaching capacity at the North Boulder location some time ago, BookCliff Vineyards owner Ulla Merz has searched for a new space elsewhere in Boulder County for years, with little success. “It’s very challenging in Boulder County to find affordable space for…
Analyzing the risk
In Colorado, some say pretrial risk assessments are biased, others say they’re better than nothing Let’s start with a theoretical scenario: Al Capone and Mother Theresa are both arrested and charged with committing murder. Based on that charge, bond is set at $5 million for each of them. Given what we know about them, who…
All hands on deck
What role can tech giants play in affordable housing? Over the last few years technology giants have announced major pledges to affordable housing efforts in the cities where they office. Starting in January 2019, companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and Google all pledged substantial resources to address the housing crisis—$750 million, $1 billion, and $1 billion…
Empowering the survivor voting block
The passing of Supreme Court Justice and women’s equality champion Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in conjunction with National Voter Registration Day, brought a surge of voter registration and requests for mail ballots across the country — a 118% increase over the previous weekend according to the national nonpartisan technology platform vote.org. But for survivors of domestic and sexual…
Can Co-Buying Help Solve The Affordability Crisis?
The growing co-buying trend is allowing some aspiring homeowners to escape the rental market and access the wealth generation of real estate investments. Sitting around a large conference table at an Elevated Title office in South Denver, Ellie Adelman and Jaser Alsharhan are ready to finalize their purchase of a house. It’s the first time…
Is Burying Power Lines Fire-Prevention Magic, or Magical Thinking?
With power lines sparking more wildfires as climate change makes landscapes more flammable and drives a movement to “electrify everything,” a simple solution is gaining acceptance despite the cost. With the West stricken by rising temperatures, deepening drought and blasting winds, often all that’s needed to ignite a fire is a spark. Increasingly, power lines…
Cultivating communities of care
Mutual aid efforts grow in Boulder County and across the country In this world, there are winners and there are losers. It’s survival of the fittest, and only the strongest survive. By this point in our collective history, we’re all pretty familiar with these concepts of social Darwinism, pitting strong against weak, everyone competing for…
When police put use-of-force decisions under a microscope
In Northern Colorado, uses of force by police get examined by a team of investigators from different agencies. It can bring more transparency and objectivity to the process. But just how much do these investigations hold police accountable and increase trust? Judy Domina, left, says she wouldn’t call the police again, even if she faces…
Angela K. Evans 