npr--2020-08-09--U.S. Hits 5 Million Coronavirus Cases As Debate Lingers Over The Path Forward

U.S .
Hits 5 Million Coronavirus Cases As Debate Lingers Over The Path Forward The U.S. has hit 5 million confirmed coronavirus cases — just 17 days after crossing the 4 million mark — as lawmakers and states continue to grapple with how to chart a path back to normal as the pandemic continues to rage on .
The grim milestone was reached on Sunday , according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University .
It came after President Trump announced Saturday that he would take executive action to extend coronavirus relief efforts that expired after negotiations with Congress stalled out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a million new cases , many states had been seeing record surges of new infections , including California , Florida and Texas .
An NPR analysis shows that cases in at least 33 states were on the decline last week .
But those figures do not offer a full picture of the crisis .
Two hard-hit states that reported declines saw recent interruptions to testing efforts .
In California , where COVID-19-related deaths stand at more than 10,000 , state health authorities say a technical glitch caused underreporting of test results .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites in multiple counties in preparation for Hurricane Isaias .
In Texas , officials this weekend reported a seven-day average testing positivity rate of nearly 19.5 % — the state 's highest since the pandemic started .
The U.S. continues to have more coronavirus deaths than any other nation .
With more than 162,400 deaths , the U.S. , with about 4 % of the world 's population , accounts for roughly 22 % of the worldwide death toll from COVID-19 .
Brazil , the country with the second-most cases , is currently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 100,000 deaths .
A dire prognostication released last week by researchers at the University of Washington 's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation — one of the leading modelers of the pandemic — projected COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S. roughly doubling to 300,000 by December .
That would make COVID-19 the third-leading cause of death in the country in 2020 .
The researchers behind the model have said that while cases may have peaked in the hardest-hit states , they do n't expect dramatic declines anytime soon .
That 's because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` roller coaster phenomenon , '' meaning when cases go up , individuals wear masks and take precautions , but when cases go down , they ease up , allowing cases to rise again .
It 's a dynamic that has been front of mind for educators and governors across the nation as they weigh options for the coming academic year .
Many states have put plans in place to allow in-person instruction .
States like California and New York have imposed strict circumstances on when schools can allow students in the classroom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andrew Cuomo said schools would not be able to reopen unless they are in a region that 's in Phase 4 reopening and where the 14-day average daily infection rate remains below 5 % .
On Friday , Cuomo said schools across the state had met those benchmarks , allowing them to resume in-person instruction .
Teachers , however , have largely been hesitant to return to the classroom .
An NPR/Ipsos poll released last week found that 82 % of K-12 teachers said they were concerned about returning to the classroom this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to primarily teach online .
But nearly seven months after the U.S. reported its first case of the coronavirus , others appear ready for a break from COVID-19-related restrictions .
In South Dakota , for example , thousands of bikers have arrived from across the nation for the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally .
The state is one of the few in the country without mask requirements or restrictions on public gatherings , worrying public health officials , given that an estimated 250,000 people are expected to attend the rally over the course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Health is not offering coronavirus testing during the rally .
Pien Huang and South Dakota Public Broadcasting 's Lee Strubinger contributed to this report .

U.S. Hits 5 Million Coronavirus Cases As Debate Lingers Over The Path Forward
Enlarge this image toggle caption Wilfredo Lee/AP Wilfredo Lee/AP
Updated at 3:10 p.m. ET
The U.S. has hit 5 million confirmed coronavirus cases — just 17 days after crossing the 4 million mark — as lawmakers and states continue to grapple with how to chart a path back to normal as the pandemic continues to rage on.
The grim milestone was reached on Sunday, according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University. It came after President Trump announced Saturday that he would take executive action to extend coronavirus relief efforts that expired after negotiations with Congress stalled out.
The last time the country surpassed a million new cases, many states had been seeing record surges of new infections, including California, Florida and Texas. An NPR analysis shows that cases in at least 33 states were on the decline last week.
But those figures do not offer a full picture of the crisis.
Two hard-hit states that reported declines saw recent interruptions to testing efforts. In California, where COVID-19-related deaths stand at more than 10,000, state health authorities say a technical glitch caused underreporting of test results. In Florida, state officials closed down testing sites in multiple counties in preparation for Hurricane Isaias.
In Texas, officials this weekend reported a seven-day average testing positivity rate of nearly 19.5% — the state's highest since the pandemic started.
The U.S. continues to have more coronavirus deaths than any other nation. With more than 162,400 deaths, the U.S., with about 4% of the world's population, accounts for roughly 22% of the worldwide death toll from COVID-19. Brazil, the country with the second-most cases, is currently at just over 3 million cases and more than 100,000 deaths.
A dire prognostication released last week by researchers at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation — one of the leading modelers of the pandemic — projected COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S. roughly doubling to 300,000 by December. That would make COVID-19 the third-leading cause of death in the country in 2020.
The researchers behind the model have said that while cases may have peaked in the hardest-hit states, they don't expect dramatic declines anytime soon. That's because of what one researcher described as a "roller coaster phenomenon," meaning when cases go up, individuals wear masks and take precautions, but when cases go down, they ease up, allowing cases to rise again.
It's a dynamic that has been front of mind for educators and governors across the nation as they weigh options for the coming academic year. Many states have put plans in place to allow in-person instruction. States like California and New York have imposed strict circumstances on when schools can allow students in the classroom.
In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said schools would not be able to reopen unless they are in a region that's in Phase 4 reopening and where the 14-day average daily infection rate remains below 5%. On Friday, Cuomo said schools across the state had met those benchmarks, allowing them to resume in-person instruction.
Teachers, however, have largely been hesitant to return to the classroom. An NPR/Ipsos poll released last week found that 82% of K-12 teachers said they were concerned about returning to the classroom this fall, with two-thirds admitting a preference to primarily teach online.
But nearly seven months after the U.S. reported its first case of the coronavirus, others appear ready for a break from COVID-19-related restrictions. In South Dakota, for example, thousands of bikers have arrived from across the nation for the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
The state is one of the few in the country without mask requirements or restrictions on public gatherings, worrying public health officials, given that an estimated 250,000 people are expected to attend the rally over the course of nine days. The state's Department of Health is not offering coronavirus testing during the rally.
Pien Huang and South Dakota Public Broadcasting's Lee Strubinger contributed to this report.


npr--2020-08-08--In Executive Actions, Trump Extends Some Unemployment Benefits, Defers Payroll Taxes

Updated at 10 a.m .
ET Sunday At his Bedminster , N.J. , golf resort on Saturday , President Trump signed four executive actions to provide economic relief amid the coronavirus pandemic .
The actions amount to a stopgap measure , after failing to secure an agreement with Congress .
The three memorandums and one executive order call for extending some enhanced unemployment benefits , taking steps to stop evictions , continuing the suspension of student loan repayments and deferring payroll taxes .
Trump promised that funds would be `` rapidly distributed '' to Americans in need , although it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authority to do certain steps unilaterally , without congressional approval .
In any case , legal challenges are expected , which could delay any disbursement of funds .
In one memorandum , Trump authorized the federal government to pay $ 300 per week for people on unemployment .
States would be asked to pay an additional $ 100 , for a total of $ 400 weekly for unemployed workers .
`` If they do n't , they do n't .
That 's up to them , '' Trump said when asked what happens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available .
`` The states have the money .
It 's sitting there . ''
The previous enhanced unemployment benefits , which added $ 600 a week to standard state unemployment benefits , expired at the end of July .
The text of the memorandum calls for up to $ 44 billion of federal funds for the benefits to come from the Department of Homeland Security 's Disaster Relief Fund .
The White House said states could use funding from the March coronavirus relief package , the CARES Act , to fund their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current number of Americans unemployed , those disaster funds would likely last only a handful of weeks .
In an executive order calling to minimize evictions , Trump directed various federal agencies to make funds available for temporary financial assistance to renters and homeowners facing financial hardship caused by COVID-19 .
`` It 's not their fault that this virus came into our country , '' he said of renters and homeowners .
`` It 's China 's fault . ''
That order also directs the Department of Health and Human Services and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to consider whether measures to temporarily halt residential evictions for failure to pay rent `` are reasonably necessary to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 '' from one state to another .
A federal moratorium on evictions expired on July 24 , allowing landlords to begin issuing 30-day notices to vacate their properties .
It is estimated that the temporary ban on evictions covered more than 12 million renters , preventing them from being pushed out of their homes even if they could n't pay rent .
Trump also extended relief for student @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were cut to zero earlier this year , and students could suspend payments through September .
Trump directed the secretary of education to extend the relief through the end of the year and said an additional extension is likely .
And a fourth action defers payroll tax collection for workers earning less than $ 100,000 a year , beginning Sept. 1 .
`` This will mean bigger paychecks [ for a time ] for working families , as we race to produce a vaccine and eradicate the China virus once and for all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the `` payroll tax holiday '' would last through the end of the year but could be made permanent if he is reelected .
The connection to November 's election was n't subtle .
`` If I 'm victorious on Nov. 3 , I plan to forgive these taxes and make permanent cuts to the payroll tax .
I 'm going to make them all permanent , '' Trump said , then turning to jab congressional Democrats and his opponent , former Vice President Joe Biden .
`` So they will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and taking this away .
But if I win , I may extend and terminate .
In other words , I will extend it beyond the end of the year and terminate the tax .
And so , we 'll see what happens . ''
Both congressional Democrats and Republicans alike opposed this payroll tax proposal when Trump was trying to get them to include it in the coronavirus relief package .
Payroll taxes fund Medicare and Social Security , and this deferral wo n't do anything to help the millions of Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this through the same mechanism that allowed taxpayers to put off filing their taxes until July 15 this year , says Andrew Rudalevige , a professor at Bowdoin College who specializes in presidential executive actions .
`` The Treasury secretary is authorized to delay the deadline for any action required under tax law up to one year , '' said Rudalevige , in the case of a federally declared disaster , and all states are currently operating under one because of the pandemic .
`` So payroll tax payments could under this provision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those taxes are still owed . ''
There are already significant concerns about the long-term solvency of the popular social safety net programs .
Reducing payroll taxes would hasten those problems .
Trump 's actions come after weeks of talks between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill over the next round coronavirus relief .
As of Saturday , they were still far from reaching agreement .
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to Trump 's executive actions on Saturday evening , calling them `` unworkable , weak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement , they called for Republicans to return to negotiations .

In Executive Actions, Trump Extends Some Unemployment Benefits, Defers Payroll Taxes
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 10 a.m. ET Sunday
At his Bedminster, N.J., golf resort on Saturday, President Trump signed four executive actions to provide economic relief amid the coronavirus pandemic. The actions amount to a stopgap measure, after failing to secure an agreement with Congress.
The three memorandums and one executive order call for extending some enhanced unemployment benefits, taking steps to stop evictions, continuing the suspension of student loan repayments and deferring payroll taxes.
Law A Closer Look At Trump's Coronavirus Relief Executive Actions A Closer Look At Trump's Coronavirus Relief Executive Actions Listen · 5:04 5:04
Trump promised that funds would be "rapidly distributed" to Americans in need, although it remains unclear whether the president has the authority to do certain steps unilaterally, without congressional approval. In any case, legal challenges are expected, which could delay any disbursement of funds.
In one memorandum, Trump authorized the federal government to pay $300 per week for people on unemployment. States would be asked to pay an additional $100, for a total of $400 weekly for unemployed workers.
"If they don't, they don't. That's up to them," Trump said when asked what happens if governors don't have the funds available. "The states have the money. It's sitting there."
The previous enhanced unemployment benefits, which added $600 a week to standard state unemployment benefits, expired at the end of July.
The text of the memorandum calls for up to $44 billion of federal funds for the benefits to come from the Department of Homeland Security's Disaster Relief Fund. The White House said states could use funding from the March coronavirus relief package, the CARES Act, to fund their portion of the benefits.
Given the current number of Americans unemployed, those disaster funds would likely last only a handful of weeks.
In an executive order calling to minimize evictions, Trump directed various federal agencies to make funds available for temporary financial assistance to renters and homeowners facing financial hardship caused by COVID-19.
"It's not their fault that this virus came into our country," he said of renters and homeowners. "It's China's fault."
That order also directs the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to consider whether measures to temporarily halt residential evictions for failure to pay rent "are reasonably necessary to prevent the further spread of COVID-19" from one state to another.
A federal moratorium on evictions expired on July 24, allowing landlords to begin issuing 30-day notices to vacate their properties. It is estimated that the temporary ban on evictions covered more than 12 million renters, preventing them from being pushed out of their homes even if they couldn't pay rent.
Trump also extended relief for student loan borrowers. Student loan interest rates were cut to zero earlier this year, and students could suspend payments through September. Trump directed the secretary of education to extend the relief through the end of the year and said an additional extension is likely.
And a fourth action defers payroll tax collection for workers earning less than $100,000 a year, beginning Sept. 1. "This will mean bigger paychecks [for a time] for working families, as we race to produce a vaccine and eradicate the China virus once and for all," Trump told reporters.
Trump said the "payroll tax holiday" would last through the end of the year but could be made permanent if he is reelected. The connection to November's election wasn't subtle.
"If I'm victorious on Nov. 3, I plan to forgive these taxes and make permanent cuts to the payroll tax. I'm going to make them all permanent," Trump said, then turning to jab congressional Democrats and his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden. "So they will have the option of raising everybody's taxes and taking this away. But if I win, I may extend and terminate. In other words, I will extend it beyond the end of the year and terminate the tax. And so, we'll see what happens."
A president cannot forgive taxes without congressional approval.
Both congressional Democrats and Republicans alike opposed this payroll tax proposal when Trump was trying to get them to include it in the coronavirus relief package. Payroll taxes fund Medicare and Social Security, and this deferral won't do anything to help the millions of Americans currently unemployed.
Trump is likely doing this through the same mechanism that allowed taxpayers to put off filing their taxes until July 15 this year, says Andrew Rudalevige, a professor at Bowdoin College who specializes in presidential executive actions.
"The Treasury secretary is authorized to delay the deadline for any action required under tax law up to one year," said Rudalevige, in the case of a federally declared disaster, and all states are currently operating under one because of the pandemic. "So payroll tax payments could under this provision be delayed. But not forgiven — those taxes are still owed."
There are already significant concerns about the long-term solvency of the popular social safety net programs. Reducing payroll taxes would hasten those problems.
Trump's actions come after weeks of talks between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill over the next round coronavirus relief. As of Saturday, they were still far from reaching agreement.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to Trump's executive actions on Saturday evening, calling them "unworkable, weak and narrow policy announcements." In a statement, they called for Republicans to return to negotiations.


npr--2020-08-10--Tracking The Pandemic: Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State?

Tracking The Pandemic : Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State ?
More than 4 million people in the U.S. have tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 160,000 have died .
Though growth in new cases slowed in late spring , by mid-June new cases began to trend upward nationally .
In the graphics below , explore the trend in new cases in your state to see whether cases are rising , falling or staying level .
You can view the data via a heat map ( immediately below ) , a curve chart and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case trends over the last three weeks .
Or to see states ' total cases and deaths on a map , click here .
The following chart displays states ' trends in new daily case counts , total cases , and per capita totals .
To compare state outbreaks , the trend lines for average new daily cases are graphed against each state 's total case count to date .
This highlights a state 's daily growth relative to the overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case counts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As cases slow , the curve levels or bends down .
In New York , site of the country 's largest outbreak , the state 's curve rose sharply before reaching over 170,000 total cases in April .
Since then , new cases have fallen from about 10,000 per day in mid-April to under 800 per day in mid July .
Conversely , Florida peaked around 1,200 new cases per day on average in April , only to surge again to nearly 12,000 per day in mid-July Coronavirus case totals are much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the spring , a large share of U.S. cases were centered around New York City .
As of mid July , other large , populous states such as California , Florida and Texas have reached high totals as well .
Some other states such as Arizona and Louisiana show a heavy burden of infection relative to their population size .
Explore the map below to see totals and per capita figures around the country for both cases and deaths .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state , week over week .
States marked in shades of red are showing growth , those in shades of green , are showing declines .
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources , including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; the World Health Organization ; national , state and local government health departments ; 1point3acres ; and local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies .
This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this page as the JHU team resolves anomalies and updates its feeds .
State-by-state recovery data are unavailable at this time .
There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department 's website .
Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships .
In early June , Michigan health authorities started including probable cases in its totals .
This resulted in a brief spike in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ JHU team was able to reconcile the historical data .
On June 25 , New Jersey included 1,854 previously-unreported probable deaths in its totals , resulting in a spike in the state 's daily death numbers .
This story was originally published on March 16 , 2020 .
Elena Renken was a co-author on that version .
Sean McMinn contributed to and Carmel Wroth edited this story .

Tracking the coronavirus around the U.S.: See how your state is doing
Loading...
Note: This page was last updated on Feb. 1, 2023. It will no longer be updated. For current data on COVID cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Feb. 1, there have been more than 101 million confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. and more than 1 million people have died of COVID-19. In the graphics below, explore the trends in your state.
Loading...
The above charts show average new cases per 100,000 people for each state over the last 12 months.
Note: Actual cases may be substantially higher, since many who test positive with at-home tests don't report their cases.
For additional data about COVID-19 in the U.S, including cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
To show trends, the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state, week over week for the last 28 days. States marked in shades of red have growing outbreaks; those in shades of green, are declining.
Loading...
Methodology
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the World Health Organization; national, state and local government health departments; 1point3acres; and local media reports.
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies. This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this page as the JHU team resolves anomalies and updates its feeds. There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department's website. Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships.
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases, process testing backlogs or update their methodologies. The JHU team maintains a list of such changes.
This story was originally published on March 16, 2020. Elena Renken was a co-author on that version. Sean McMinn and Audrey Carlsen contributed to this story. Carmel Wroth edited this story.


npr--2020-08-10--Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

Coronavirus World Map : Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak Since the new coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan , China , in December , the infectious respiratory disease COVID-19 has spread rapidly within China and to neighboring countries and beyond .
The first confirmed coronavirus cases outside China occurred on Jan. 20 , in Japan , Thailand and South Korea .
On Jan. 21 , the first case in the U.S. was identified in Washington state .
On Jan. 24 , the first two European cases were confirmed in France .
By Feb. 1 , eight European nations had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month later that count had risen to 24 countries with at least 2,200 cases , most of them in Italy .
On March 11 , Italy eclipsed 10,000 cases and the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic — the first since H1N1 in 2009 .
That 's also when China , the original epicenter , began seeing drops in daily counts of new cases .
March also saw exponential spread of the virus throughout the U.S. , with all 50 states reporting cases by March 17 .
This particular virus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the third strain of coronavirus known to frequently cause severe symptoms in humans .
The other two strains cause Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome .
Click here to see the state-by-state breakdown of cases in the United States .
This story was originally published on March 30 , 2020 .

Coronavirus world map: We've now passed the 600 million mark for infections
Editor's note: This page is no longer being updated. The last update was Sept. 5, 2022. For current data about COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world, Johns Hopkins University and Our World in Data are useful resources.
In late January 2020 only a few dozen COVID-19 infections had been identified outside of China. A year later, the world tallied its first 100 million cases. It took the globe just 7 more months to pass the 200 million mark— then another 5 months to hit 300 million, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Now the virus has spread to every corner of the globe and has been blamed for more than 6 million deaths.
The United States, India and Brazil in that order have had the most COVID cases and the three nations collectively account for almost half of all recorded infections so far in the pandemic.
Explore the chart below to find a country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January 2020.
Loading...
Loading...
Explore how the number of coronavirus cases have shifted in different parts of the world over time. The first chart compares each continent to each other, while the next charts highlight the number of cases in select countries by region.
Loading...
Loading...
This story was originally published on March 30, 2020.


npr--2020-08-10--China Speeds Up Drive To Pave Rural Villages, Put Up High-Rises

China Speeds Up Drive To Pave Rural Villages , Put Up High-Rises A farmer from Shandong province along China 's east coast , Liu recalls how during Chinese Lunar New Year in January , he went out for a walk and came home to discover local officials preparing to demolish his home .
When he called the police on the demolishers , they arrested him instead , saying that the police would `` assist the work of the local government . ''
`` To demolish my home , about 100 security officers surrounded and subdued me , and detained me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visit to his village , Liushuanglou , near the city of Heze .
He was released from detention the next day .
Like most of the more than three dozen Shandong residents NPR interviewed , Liu requested only his family name be used because he fears being physically threatened again by the authorities .
After building some of the world 's largest cities , erecting entire districts of gleaming high rises in the span of a few years , China is now kicking plans into high gear to overhaul tens of thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other residents allege that the authorities are coercing them into signing away their older , much larger farm homes , demolishing them by force if necessary and not adequately compensating residents for their homes .
The residents say the new , smaller houses or high-rise apartments they are being moved into are either too far from their fields , too expensive or ill-suited for their needs as farmers .
`` Our leaders have been distanced from us regular people at the bottom .
They do not know our basic needs .
They are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Liu said .
Thousands of villagers in Shandong , meanwhile , have already been rendered effectively homeless since local governments began forcibly clearing away houses last year .
The ongoing mass demolition and consolidation of villages scattered across China has become so common that residents colloquially refer to the initiative as `` pulling '' villages out from the ground , much like one would pull out a rotten tooth or a weed .
China 's ruling Communist Party took power in 1949 with the vision of transforming the country into an agricultural utopia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to its pledge to eliminate poverty by the end of this year .
Officials say lumping far-flung villages together streamlines administrative functions , enabling efficient delivery of services and infrastructure , while allowing villagers to upgrade their housing .
It has also enabled local governments to sell cleared land for commercial use .
But in Shandong province , this overhaul has taken on an extreme form as entire villages are temporarily wiped off the map .
The province still has nearly 50 million of its residents , about half of Shandong 's population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few hundred people each .
The provincial government slated thousands of villages to be demolished and consolidated by the end of this year .
Some residents have been reduced to living in government-provided shacks while they wait for new housing to be built .
Others have built mud and straw huts or use a 2,000 yuan ( $ 285 ) yearly subsidy municipal authorities hand out to rent a temporary home .
`` The government does not care whether you live or die .
They only care about whether you sign an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Wang Caishi , 66 , a resident of Shandong 's Red Boat Village .
She and her husband , who both work as farmers and earn extra income by recycling trash , now live in tents on the edges of their fields as they wait for compensation for their destroyed house .
The Communist Party says it has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty , many of whom have moved into cities .
Bringing those gains to the 600 million residents of China 's countryside has proved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traction is to relocate villagers into denser communities , reducing the fragmentation of agricultural plots that has stymied commercial farming and rural development .
`` Rural consolidation has been going on kind of rapidly in many parts of China for at least a decade , '' said Alexander Day , an associate professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles who studies Chinese rural policy .
`` The intent is to pull these people out of very small villages and put them into these new , concentrated communities .
It also allows for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early 2000s , provinces also rolled out plans to revamp village infrastructure , social services and agricultural technology .
Sanitation improved in many villages .
New roads were built .
Average incomes rose .
Rural policies initially aimed to upgrade roads and farming techniques .
But they quickly morphed into all-out campaigns to relocate villagers .
`` In practice and implementation , it 's all become about housing , '' said Kristen Looney , an associate professor at Georgetown University who researches Asian rural development .
In 2008 , the municipal government of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans to squeeze 8,000 nearby villages that fall under its administration into 1,000 larger communities .
When Dezhou quickly ran out of funds to front the cost of building new housing , it dropped the project partway through ; about 10 % of villages were demolished and their occupants rehoused .
The coastal province of Zhejiang has won plaudits for merging more than 27,000 small villages beginning in 2003 .
Looney said the emphasis on new housing reflects China 's drive to diversify its manufacturing exports-reliant economy to include more consumer activity .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending .
And once people move into homes , they have to buy durable goods to fill those homes and they become these new kinds of consumers , '' she said .
In the process of transplanting villages en masse , local governments also accrue a valuable resource : the land underneath those villages .
By moving villagers from sprawling farmhouses into smaller apartments in multistory buildings , local governments can consolidate land and sell it at a high margin to commercial property developers .
The profits also incentivize land grabs from villagers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a contentious issue in China and probably the number one source of state-society conflict in the country , '' Looney said .
This year , the Shandong city of Liaocheng wants to merge 6,260 villages into 1,000 larger communities .
The vacated land relinquished by rural residents , will in turn be contracted for third-party commercial use , such as agritourism and pig farming .
Qingdao , a major port city in Shandong that sits by the Yellow Sea , also announced in January that more than 500 surrounding villages will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major revenue source for nearly all Chinese local governments .
Cash-strapped and often heavily indebted from construction projects , local governments reached a record volume of land sales last year as China 's economic growth began to slow .
But by `` fantasizing about the riches '' that land development brings , He Xuefeng , an expert on rural China who teaches at Wuhan University , wrote last month , lower-level government officials `` can not help but scheme about how to take rural land from villagers , thus bringing about an unnecessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents . ''
Among corn fields at the edge of city of Heze , Hongchuancun or Red Boat Village sits on about 5,000 acres to be razed this year to make way for concrete apartment complexes .
Hundreds of homes have already been torn down .
In late June , area residents thought they had been spared when the provincial government forbade demolition without consent , following heavy criticism .
But the destruction has accelerated , according to more than two dozen villagers who spoke to NPR .
Barely a week after demolition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only paved road and tore down several more homes .
The bulldozers also toppled electricity poles , leaving residents with no power and Internet , and blocked incoming traffic with a pile of rubble .
Dozens of residents told NPR they believe this was retribution for 80 % of them refusing to move last year .
`` All the houses here are torn down without our permission , '' resident Li Aihua told NPR .
`` If you do not agree , they use all sorts of methods to coerce you . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50s , said village officials cut the water lines to her house last October after she refused to let them demolish her home , now riddled with cracks in the outer walls from nearby construction .
In March , someone broke into her house and smashed all her furniture .
Another resident described how unidentified assailants broke the locks on her home this February .
A fruit vendor surnamed Wang said a week after refusing to sign an agreement to move , health inspectors suddenly visited his store to see if he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they formed a neighborhood watch group due to the number of mysterious assaults in Red Boat .
`` Should be decided by the people '' Red Boat Village officials denied wrongdoing and claimed people were voluntarily moving out of their old residences .
`` We do not demolish homes if people do not agree .
Nearly everyone signed papers last year agreeing to be consolidated , '' said Gu Xianfeng , a village party cadre .
When reached for comment , the Shandong provincial government said the process behind village merging `` should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but acknowledged the policy had raised some concerns .
`` Shandong is currently looking back at the construction of beautiful and hospitable villages , so as to further increase public satisfaction and happiness . ''
Three Heze City-adjacent villages said some of them agreed last year to put down an initial deposit for new houses that they were told would cost no more than 30,000 yuan ( $ 4,300 ) after selling their original residence .
But then the price inched upwards .
The new government-built apartments will now cost 80,000-100,000 yuan ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ villagers would receive .
Residents said compensation for their demolished homes averaged to no more than one half of what they said their original homes had cost to build .
County and village officials defended the price differential to NPR , saying the new houses were being sold at a break-even cost to cover construction materials and labor .
About 40 of Red Boat Village 's residents now live in rows of corrugated tin shacks — housing provided by the state to those whose homes are now gone .
Several residents had built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ edge of their fields after their brick houses were torn down this spring .
`` I can not afford to buy a new apartment , even if it is built , so I can only live in such a [ mud ] house , '' said one woman , who declined to give her name .
`` If the government knows I am criticizing them , they might take away this house too . ''

In Rural China, Villagers Say They're Forced From Farm Homes To High-Rises
Enlarge this image toggle caption Amy Cheng/NPR Amy Cheng/NPR
A farmer from Shandong province along China's east coast, Liu recalls how during Chinese Lunar New Year in January, he went out for a walk and came home to discover local officials preparing to demolish his home.
When he called the police on the demolishers, they arrested him instead, saying that the police would "assist the work of the local government."
"To demolish my home, about 100 security officers surrounded and subdued me, and detained me," Liu said on a recent visit to his village, Liushuanglou, near the city of Heze. He was released from detention the next day.
Like most of the more than three dozen Shandong residents NPR interviewed, Liu requested only his family name be used because he fears being physically threatened again by the authorities.
After building some of the world's largest cities, erecting entire districts of gleaming high rises in the span of a few years, China is now kicking plans into high gear to overhaul tens of thousands of its rural villages.
But Liu and other residents allege that the authorities are coercing them into signing away their older, much larger farm homes, demolishing them by force if necessary and not adequately compensating residents for their homes. The residents say the new, smaller houses or high-rise apartments they are being moved into are either too far from their fields, too expensive or ill-suited for their needs as farmers.
"Our leaders have been distanced from us regular people at the bottom. They do not know our basic needs. They are completely cut off from us," Liu said.
Thousands of villagers in Shandong, meanwhile, have already been rendered effectively homeless since local governments began forcibly clearing away houses last year.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Amy Cheng/NPR Amy Cheng/NPR
The ongoing mass demolition and consolidation of villages scattered across China has become so common that residents colloquially refer to the initiative as "pulling" villages out from the ground, much like one would pull out a rotten tooth or a weed.
China's ruling Communist Party took power in 1949 with the vision of transforming the country into an agricultural utopia. It sees rural development as key to its pledge to eliminate poverty by the end of this year.
Officials say lumping far-flung villages together streamlines administrative functions, enabling efficient delivery of services and infrastructure, while allowing villagers to upgrade their housing. It has also enabled local governments to sell cleared land for commercial use.
But in Shandong province, this overhaul has taken on an extreme form as entire villages are temporarily wiped off the map. The province still has nearly 50 million of its residents, about half of Shandong's population, living in villages that house only a few hundred people each.
The provincial government slated thousands of villages to be demolished and consolidated by the end of this year.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Amy Cheng/NPR Amy Cheng/NPR
Some residents have been reduced to living in government-provided shacks while they wait for new housing to be built. Others have built mud and straw huts or use a 2,000 yuan ($285) yearly subsidy municipal authorities hand out to rent a temporary home.
"The government does not care whether you live or die. They only care about whether you sign an agreement to let them demolish your home," said Wang Caishi, 66, a resident of Shandong's Red Boat Village.
She and her husband, who both work as farmers and earn extra income by recycling trash, now live in tents on the edges of their fields as they wait for compensation for their destroyed house.
Demolished with good intentions
The Communist Party says it has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, many of whom have moved into cities. Bringing those gains to the 600 million residents of China's countryside has proved difficult.
One idea that has gained traction is to relocate villagers into denser communities, reducing the fragmentation of agricultural plots that has stymied commercial farming and rural development.
"Rural consolidation has been going on kind of rapidly in many parts of China for at least a decade," said Alexander Day, an associate professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles who studies Chinese rural policy. "The intent is to pull these people out of very small villages and put them into these new, concentrated communities. It also allows for the development of land."
In the early 2000s, provinces also rolled out plans to revamp village infrastructure, social services and agricultural technology. Sanitation improved in many villages. New roads were built. Average incomes rose.
Rural policies initially aimed to upgrade roads and farming techniques. But they quickly morphed into all-out campaigns to relocate villagers.
"In practice and implementation, it's all become about housing," said Kristen Looney, an associate professor at Georgetown University who researches Asian rural development.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Amy Cheng/NPR Amy Cheng/NPR
In 2008, the municipal government of Dezhou, another Shandong city, announced plans to squeeze 8,000 nearby villages that fall under its administration into 1,000 larger communities. When Dezhou quickly ran out of funds to front the cost of building new housing, it dropped the project partway through; about 10% of villages were demolished and their occupants rehoused.
The coastal province of Zhejiang has won plaudits for merging more than 27,000 small villages beginning in 2003.
Looney said the emphasis on new housing reflects China's drive to diversify its manufacturing exports-reliant economy to include more consumer activity.
"The construction of houses themselves generates spending. And once people move into homes, they have to buy durable goods to fill those homes and they become these new kinds of consumers," she said.
In the process of transplanting villages en masse, local governments also accrue a valuable resource: the land underneath those villages.
By moving villagers from sprawling farmhouses into smaller apartments in multistory buildings, local governments can consolidate land and sell it at a high margin to commercial property developers. The profits also incentivize land grabs from villagers. "That is why land is such a contentious issue in China and probably the number one source of state-society conflict in the country," Looney said.
This year, the Shandong city of Liaocheng wants to merge 6,260 villages into 1,000 larger communities. The vacated land relinquished by rural residents, will in turn be contracted for third-party commercial use, such as agritourism and pig farming. Qingdao, a major port city in Shandong that sits by the Yellow Sea, also announced in January that more than 500 surrounding villages will be taken down.
Selling land is a major revenue source for nearly all Chinese local governments. Cash-strapped and often heavily indebted from construction projects, local governments reached a record volume of land sales last year as China's economic growth began to slow.
But by "fantasizing about the riches" that land development brings, He Xuefeng, an expert on rural China who teaches at Wuhan University, wrote last month, lower-level government officials "cannot help but scheme about how to take rural land from villagers, thus bringing about an unnecessary ordeal to both the countryside and its residents."
"Torn down without permission"
Among corn fields at the edge of city of Heze, Hongchuancun or Red Boat Village sits on about 5,000 acres to be razed this year to make way for concrete apartment complexes. Hundreds of homes have already been torn down.
In late June, area residents thought they had been spared when the provincial government forbade demolition without consent, following heavy criticism.
But the destruction has accelerated, according to more than two dozen villagers who spoke to NPR.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Amy Cheng/NPR Amy Cheng/NPR
Barely a week after demolition ban, bulldozers suddenly ripped up the only paved road and tore down several more homes. The bulldozers also toppled electricity poles, leaving residents with no power and Internet, and blocked incoming traffic with a pile of rubble. Dozens of residents told NPR they believe this was retribution for 80% of them refusing to move last year.
"All the houses here are torn down without our permission," resident Li Aihua told NPR. "If you do not agree, they use all sorts of methods to coerce you."
Li, who is in her late 50s, said village officials cut the water lines to her house last October after she refused to let them demolish her home, now riddled with cracks in the outer walls from nearby construction. In March, someone broke into her house and smashed all her furniture.
Another resident described how unidentified assailants broke the locks on her home this February. A fruit vendor surnamed Wang said a week after refusing to sign an agreement to move, health inspectors suddenly visited his store to see if he had been selling expired goods. Villagers say they formed a neighborhood watch group due to the number of mysterious assaults in Red Boat.
"Should be decided by the people"
Red Boat Village officials denied wrongdoing and claimed people were voluntarily moving out of their old residences. "We do not demolish homes if people do not agree. Nearly everyone signed papers last year agreeing to be consolidated," said Gu Xianfeng, a village party cadre.
When reached for comment, the Shandong provincial government said the process behind village merging "should be decided by the people," but acknowledged the policy had raised some concerns. "Shandong is currently looking back at the construction of beautiful and hospitable villages, so as to further increase public satisfaction and happiness."
Three Heze City-adjacent villages said some of them agreed last year to put down an initial deposit for new houses that they were told would cost no more than 30,000 yuan ($4,300) after selling their original residence.
But then the price inched upwards. The new government-built apartments will now cost 80,000-100,000 yuan ($11,400-14,300) more than the compensation villagers would receive. Residents said compensation for their demolished homes averaged to no more than one half of what they said their original homes had cost to build.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Amy Cheng/NPR Amy Cheng/NPR
County and village officials defended the price differential to NPR, saying the new houses were being sold at a break-even cost to cover construction materials and labor.
About 40 of Red Boat Village's residents now live in rows of corrugated tin shacks — housing provided by the state to those whose homes are now gone. Several residents had built rudimentary mud and straw huts on the edge of their fields after their brick houses were torn down this spring.
"I cannot afford to buy a new apartment, even if it is built, so I can only live in such a [mud] house," said one woman, who declined to give her name. "If the government knows I am criticizing them, they might take away this house too."
Amy Cheng contributed research.


npr--2020-08-10--Youngstown, Ohio, Lost Its Only Paper. A 'Zombie' News Site Wants To Fill The Void

Youngstown , Ohio , Lost Its Only Paper .
A 'Zombie ' News Site Wants To Fill The Void If you told Brian Dzenis three years ago he would be loading postal semis for work , he would have laughed in your face .
A former sports reporter at the now-defunct Youngstown Vindicator , affectionately known as the Vindy , Dzenis , 31 , has spent the time after his layoff as a second-shift loader for FedEx , and an expediter for the United States Postal Service .
Instead of covering D-1 varsity at Chaney High , Dzenis now wakes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a facility in Warrendale , Penn .
He makes roughly $ 5,000 more a year than he did during his three years at the Vindy , and Dzenis says he has no concrete plans to return to journalism .
`` It 's not like I 'm totally a shell of my former self , '' Dzenis says .
`` Still , I do n't know that the things I do at the postal service will give me the same kind of satisfaction as I had as a journalist . ''
His internal crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many ways , the predicament that has befallen American journalism as a whole .
As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the downfall of the newspaper industry — scattering veteran local reporters with it — so does the urgency for those in the industry to find the proper digital stand-in .
And also , how to fund it .
According to the Pew Research Center , nearly 34,000 newspaper jobs were lost between 2004 and 2018 ( a third of all papers have seen layoffs since 2017 ) , with smaller , local papers assuming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the future of local community reporting seems grim .
The closure of the Vindy last August after a 150-year run rendered Youngstown the largest city in America without a print daily , and produced a horde of jobless journalists .
Dzenis joined a league of 140 fellow news workers —44 of them editorial staff — adversely affected by the stark decline in the fortunes of print media .
And it left Youngstown , a city of nearly 70,000 residents , bursting with questions : Are we a news desert ?
Where do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going to keep political forces in check ?
Many industry professionals and print holdouts alike hope the answers to those questions lie with Mahoning Matters , a new website that has ambitions to fill some of the vacuum left by the closing of Youngstown 's beloved media staple .
Made up of a tiny life raft of Vindy veterans , Mahoning Matters may be an example par excellence of the nearing future of digital as print replacement .
With its cost-saving distribution — being online only — the Youngstown-based publication not only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hones a type of revenue model that pairs well with its for-the-reader philosophy .
That is to say : quench locals ' thirst for good watchdog journalism using Silicon Valley seed money , all while fine-tuning a donation-and-ad finance model .
The goal : to make sure it 's self-sustainable by 2021 .
With their two full-time beat reporters , one editor , an ad rep and a general manager , Mahoning has its limitations by size .
As editor of the operation , Mark Sweetwood navigates a balancing act now familiar to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operation pandemic-helpful while , as Mahoning 's mission reads , shining a spotlight on the Valley 's `` long-standing bouts with political and business corruption . ''
`` I did n't want to throw our reporting ranks out to the middle of the pandemic , '' he says .
`` But the question was always , 'How much can we ignore [ with COVID-19 ] , and still very much be a part of it ? '
'' The costs of these closures are borne not just by the now jobless journalists , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After the 2007 closure of the Cincinnati Post , the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis found that local corruption swelled in its wake .
`` Fewer candidates ran for municipal office , '' a 2009 report stated .
`` Incumbents became more likely to win reelection , and voter turnout and campaign spending fell . ''
Despite the Cincinatti Enquirer stepping in , the Post 's absence still reverberated , the Bureau found , `` three years after they closed . ''
In Youngstown , a swath of publications , new and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's territory , but the question of how a scattered team of journalists can keep corruption in check is not just an inquiry for the civic-minded .
`` Every time you lose a reporter , you lose three , four , five of those issues being covered .
And if they leave ?
Those issues , they go uncovered , '' says Graig Graziosi , 33 , a former beat reporter for the Vindy now freelancing in Washington , D.C. Mandy Jenkins was in a board meeting in New Orleans , discussing digital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closing broke .
She had just landed a job at The Compass Experiment , a digital media lab funded by McClatchy and Google , bent on finding a sustainable model for local news .
A native Ohioan , Jenkins was floored .
`` My phone was blowing up , '' she says .
`` Tons of my friends in the Youngstown area were like , 'Have you heard about this ?
You should look into it ! '
'' As a 15-year digital media veteran , Jenkins knew the sensation well .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coast start-ups — TBD in Washington , D.C. and Digital First Media — in less than two years .
She became a media-world realist , and founded a website promoting `` zombie journalism , '' a cultural approach she urges journalists to embrace after vacating `` dead '' publications .
Assuming the general manager role at Compass , Jenkins sensed last June that Youngstown would be a potential first host city ( of three ) for such an experiment .
In July , she began phoning distressed Vindy reporters , gauging their interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site , eventually named Mahoning Matters .
Most were hesitant .
They had plans to migrate to the Tribune Chronicle , a longtime Vindy competitor based in nearby Warren , Ohio , to bolster its new `` Vindicator '' section ( adopting the Vindy 's subscription list and its website ) .
Others , like Dzenis and Graziosi , skipped town .
Some went to the Youngstown Business Journal 's newly-expanded entertainment section .
Those who had n't moved on or moved away were skeptical .
After all , Compass ' initial budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a spending cap , and would eventually be reliant on a self-sustaining revenue system .
On top of that , Jenkins would only have the start-up dollars to wrangle a team of five — three of them reporters — to cover what before had been covered by a team of 40 .
`` I was very candid , '' Jenkins says , recalling the interviews .
`` This is a three-year project .
It could end at that point , and it could be done . ''
In the wake of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Youngstown for months of feedback with her first official team , including Sweetwood , who was formerly a Vindy managing editor , and reporters Justin Dennis and Jess Hardin .
At community forums , Jenkins bore immediate backlash from Vindicator hold-outs .
They were painted as `` coastal elites , '' `` outsiders . ''
They were from California , not true Youngstowners .
What did they know about the city 's history ?
A month before launch , McClatchy hosted a listening session at the public library .
What they heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` They wanted to know where their money was being spent , '' Jenkins says .
`` They wanted watchdog reporting .
They wanted us to go beyond the basics of crime . ''
It was January 16 , when an internal investigation by the city of Canfield — a town 14 miles southwest of Youngstown — announced that police chief Chuck Colucci had engaged in an `` inappropriate personal relationship '' with a subordinate .
In many a reporter 's eye , the story reeked of scandal : Colucci was married @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a year to handle human resource duties for the department .
The city did not uncover criminal wrongdoing by Colucci or any violation of its sexual harassment policies , but investigators said the episode `` may have a damaging [ effect or bring ] the public image , integrity or reputation of the Canfield Police Department into discredit or disgrace . ''
But the original report had one major flaw : it did n't cite Colucci by name .
`` We immediately started pushing back , '' Sweetwood says .
After the initial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up with a Freedom of Information Act request .
`` We said , 'We want more information , ' '' Sweetwood says .
`` And they 're like , 'Back off !
Other media is playing ball , so why ca n't you ? '
'' A week later , Sweetwood got an anonymous tip from a dedicated Mahoning reader .
He was overjoyed .
Sweetwood says that despite threats from officials , he was determined in his decision to run the Colucci exposé .
He even had a preparatory hours-long conversation with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a follow-up explanatory editorial positioning the exposé as a centerpiece for Mahoning 's anti-corruption creed .
`` When the name was reported to me , I was like , 'See ?
This is why we have our tone , '' Sweetwood says .
`` If we exist for any reason , we exist for this . ''
Existing as a five-person crew watchdog team still ca n't seem to match the behemoth of the Vindicator of years past .
Hardin and Dennis often work eight to 10 hour days , juggling three or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a pandemic , Sweetwood says , when physical city records are not accessible , when reporters ' lives are at risk , when calls for obituaries are ramped up as Mahoning County jumps to fourth in state COVID fatalities .
It 's why Sweetwood created a `` Keeping The Faith '' column , a weekly spiritual boost to combat pandemic-era despair .
`` It 's , 'What do people need right now ?
What do readers expect ? '
'' Sweetwood says .
`` More than ever we need to start setting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other than the push to solidify self-sustained funding , it seems Sweetwood may have found a workable blueprint for digital media 's blurry future : balance necessary school updates , traffic alerts and sports columns with ceaseless , in-depth investigations of code-violating restaurants , allegations of harassment in the fire department or city-wide stormwater neglect .
`` The impulse after the Vindicator closed was that all the media organizations here would just get bigger , '' Hardin , 27 , says .
`` I always told people that it 's going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 36 , adds .
`` No one 's really going to know for a while . ''
`` Everyone 's going to have to pick lanes , '' Sweetwood , 60 , says .
`` You see where the audience is naturally gravitating .
You look at the revenue in our market .
I think it 'll take years before it shakes out completely . ''
Even after McClatchy declared bankruptcy in February — citing over $ 700 million in unpaid debts — and the nearby Cleveland Plain Dealer laid off its entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promising to trudge on despite the repeated slings and arrows of the industry .
`` I have no faith that any one model is going to be the solution , '' Jenkins says .
`` There is n't such a thing as a 'safe job ' in journalism these days .
But we 're doing what we can to make it safer . ''
Mark Oprea is a journalist from Cleveland .
He 's written for OZY , the Pacific Standard , Narratively and Cleveland Magazine .

Youngstown, Ohio, Lost Its Only Paper. A 'Zombie' News Site Wants To Fill The Void
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeff Swensen for The Washington Post via Getty Images Jeff Swensen for The Washington Post via Getty Images
If you told Brian Dzenis three years ago he would be loading postal semis for work, he would have laughed in your face. A former sports reporter at the now-defunct Youngstown Vindicator, affectionately known as the Vindy, Dzenis, 31, has spent the time after his layoff as a second-shift loader for FedEx, and an expediter for the United States Postal Service.
Instead of covering D-1 varsity at Chaney High, Dzenis now wakes at 6 a.m. to process packages at a facility in Warrendale, Penn. He makes roughly $5,000 more a year than he did during his three years at the Vindy, and Dzenis says he has no concrete plans to return to journalism.
"It's not like I'm totally a shell of my former self," Dzenis says. "Still, I don't know that the things I do at the postal service will give me the same kind of satisfaction as I had as a journalist."
His internal crisis about his journalism future mirrors, in many ways, the predicament that has befallen American journalism as a whole. As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the downfall of the newspaper industry — scattering veteran local reporters with it — so does the urgency for those in the industry to find the proper digital stand-in. And also, how to fund it.
According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 34,000 newspaper jobs were lost between 2004 and 2018 (a third of all papers have seen layoffs since 2017), with smaller, local papers assuming the mightiest blow. Against that backdrop, the future of local community reporting seems grim.
The closure of the Vindy last August after a 150-year run rendered Youngstown the largest city in America without a seven-day-a-week print daily, and produced a horde of jobless journalists. Dzenis joined a league of 140 fellow news workers —44 of them editorial staff — adversely affected by the stark decline in the fortunes of print media.
And it left Youngstown, a city of nearly 70,000 residents, bursting with questions: Are we a news desert? Where do we source our daily info? Who is going to keep political forces in check?
Many industry professionals and print holdouts alike hope the answers to those questions lie with Mahoning Matters, a new website that has ambitions to fill some of the vacuum left by the closing of Youngstown's beloved media staple.
Made up of a tiny life raft of Vindy veterans, Mahoning Matters may be an example par excellence of the nearing future of digital as print replacement. With its cost-saving distribution — being online only — the Youngstown-based publication not only flexes hard its investigative bent, but hones a type of revenue model that pairs well with its for-the-reader philosophy. That is to say: quench locals' thirst for good watchdog journalism using Silicon Valley seed money, all while fine-tuning a donation-and-ad finance model. The goal: to make sure it's self-sustainable by 2021.
With their two full-time beat reporters, one editor, an ad rep and a general manager, Mahoning has its limitations by size. As editor of the operation, Mark Sweetwood navigates a balancing act now familiar to most Youngstown journalists: keeping a news operation pandemic-helpful while, as Mahoning's mission reads, shining a spotlight on the Valley's "long-standing bouts with political and business corruption."
"I didn't want to throw our reporting ranks out to the middle of the pandemic," he says. "But the question was always, 'How much can we ignore [with COVID-19], and still very much be a part of it?'"
The costs of these closures are borne not just by the now jobless journalists, but for their uncovered communities as well. After the 2007 closure of the Cincinnati Post, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis found that local corruption swelled in its wake.
"Fewer candidates ran for municipal office," a 2009 report stated. "Incumbents became more likely to win reelection, and voter turnout and campaign spending fell." Despite the Cincinnati Enquirer stepping in, the Post's absence still reverberated, the Bureau found, "three years after they closed."
In Youngstown, a swath of publications, new and old, have taken over the Vindicator's territory, but the question of how a scattered team of journalists can keep corruption in check is not just an inquiry for the civic-minded.
"Every time you lose a reporter, you lose three, four, five of those issues being covered. And if they leave? Those issues, they go uncovered," says Graig Graziosi, 33, a former beat reporter for the Vindy now freelancing in Washington, D.C.
"They wanted watchdog reporting"
Mandy Jenkins was in a board meeting in New Orleans, discussing digital media, when news of the Vindy closing broke. She had just landed a job at The Compass Experiment, a digital media lab funded by McClatchy and Google, bent on finding a sustainable model for local news.
A native Ohioan, Jenkins was floored. "My phone was blowing up," she says. "Tons of my friends in the Youngstown area were like, 'Have you heard about this? You should look into it!'"
As a 15-year digital media veteran, Jenkins knew the sensation well. She had been laid off from two East Coast start-ups — TBD in Washington, D.C. and Digital First Media — in less than two years. She became a media-world realist, and founded a website promoting "zombie journalism," a cultural approach she urges journalists to embrace after vacating "dead" publications.
Assuming the general manager role at Compass, Jenkins sensed last June that Youngstown would be a potential first host city (of three) for such an experiment. In July, she began phoning distressed Vindy reporters, gauging their interest in an editorial role at a new site, eventually named Mahoning Matters.
Most were hesitant. They had plans to migrate to the Tribune Chronicle, a longtime Vindy competitor based in nearby Warren, Ohio, to bolster its new "Vindicator" section (adopting the Vindy's subscription list and its website). Others, like Dzenis and Graziosi, skipped town. Some went to the Youngstown Business Journal's newly-expanded entertainment section.
Those who hadn't moved on or moved away were skeptical. After all, Compass' initial budget of $500,000 in Google seed money had a spending cap, and would eventually be reliant on a self-sustaining revenue system. On top of that, Jenkins would only have the start-up dollars to wrangle a team of five — three of them reporters — to cover what before had been covered by a team of 40.
"I was very candid," Jenkins says, recalling the interviews. "This is a three-year project. It could end at that point, and it could be done."
In the wake of the "old" Vindicator, Jenkins flew to Youngstown for months of feedback with her first official team, including Sweetwood, who was formerly a Vindy managing editor, and reporters Justin Dennis and Jess Hardin.
At community forums, Jenkins bore immediate backlash from Vindicator hold-outs. They were painted as "coastal elites," "outsiders." They were from California, not true Youngstowners. What did they know about the city's history?
A month before launch, McClatchy hosted a listening session at the public library. What they heard — past the resistance — was reassuring.
"They wanted to know where their money was being spent," Jenkins says. "They wanted watchdog reporting. They wanted us to go beyond the basics of crime."
An early investigation
It was January 16, when an internal investigation by the city of Canfield — a town 14 miles southwest of Youngstown — announced that police chief Chuck Colucci had engaged in an "inappropriate personal relationship" with a subordinate.
In many a reporter's eye, the story reeked of scandal: Colucci was married and was being paid $26,000 extra a year to handle human resource duties for the department. The city did not uncover criminal wrongdoing by Colucci or any violation of its sexual harassment policies, but investigators said the episode "may have a damaging [effect or bring] the public image, integrity or reputation of the Canfield Police Department into discredit or disgrace."
But the original report had one major flaw: it didn't cite Colucci by name.
"We immediately started pushing back," Sweetwood says. After the initial report was released, Mahoning Matters followed up with a Freedom of Information Act request.
"We said, 'We want more information,'" Sweetwood says. "And they're like, 'Back off! Other media is playing ball, so why can't you?'"
A week later, Sweetwood got an anonymous tip from a dedicated Mahoning reader. He was overjoyed. Sweetwood says that despite threats from officials, he was determined in his decision to run the Colucci exposé. He even had a preparatory hours-long conversation with Canfield Mayor Richard Duffett, and wrote a follow-up explanatory editorial positioning the exposé as a centerpiece for Mahoning's anti-corruption creed.
"When the name was reported to me, I was like, 'See? This is why we have our tone," Sweetwood says. "If we exist for any reason, we exist for this."
A safer, sustainable future
Existing as a five-person crew watchdog team still can't seem to match the behemoth of the Vindicator of years past. Hardin and Dennis often work eight to 10 hour days, juggling three or four beats. Such pressure is doubled during a pandemic, Sweetwood says, when physical city records are not accessible, when reporters' lives are at risk, when calls for obituaries are ramped up as Mahoning County jumps to fourth in state COVID fatalities. It's why Sweetwood created a "Keeping The Faith" column, a weekly spiritual boost to combat pandemic-era despair.
"It's, 'What do people need right now? What do readers expect?'" Sweetwood says. "More than ever we need to start setting the bar higher and higher."
Other than the push to solidify self-sustained funding, it seems Sweetwood may have found a workable blueprint for digital media's blurry future: balance necessary school updates, traffic alerts and sports columns with ceaseless, in-depth investigations of code-violating restaurants, allegations of harassment in the fire department or city-wide stormwater neglect.
"The impulse after the Vindicator closed was that all the media organizations here would just get bigger," Hardin, 27, says.
"I always told people that it's going to be the Wild West," Dennis, 36, adds. "No one's really going to know for a while."
"Everyone's going to have to pick lanes," Sweetwood, 60, says. "You see where the audience is naturally gravitating. You look at the revenue in our market. I think it'll take years before it shakes out completely."
Even after McClatchy declared bankruptcy in February — citing over $700 million in unpaid debts — and the nearby Cleveland Plain Dealer laid off its entire unionized staff, the Mahoning crew is promising to trudge on despite the repeated slings and arrows of the industry.
"I have no faith that any one model is going to be the solution," Jenkins says. "There isn't such a thing as a 'safe job' in journalism these days. But we're doing what we can to make it safer."
Mark Oprea is a journalist from Cleveland. He's written for OZY, the Pacific Standard, Narratively and Cleveland Magazine.


npr--2020-08-10--Border Patrol Faulted For Favoring Steel And Concrete Wall Over High-Tech Solutions

Border Patrol Faulted For Favoring Steel And Concrete Wall Over High-Tech Solutions Trump 's massive border wall gets all the buzz .
But U.S. Customs and Border Protection is quietly testing a new generation of free-standing surveillance towers , on the Arizona border , that could revolutionize border security .
The telescoping towers are equipped with infrared and daytime cameras , along with laser range-finders and illuminators that can zoom in on a target miles away for a close-up .
They 're mounted in the bed of a Ford F-150 pickup , so they 're completely mobile and can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agent if an object moving north is a cow or a single migrant or a family .
`` The camera sees something , it 's going to alert and send that information to an agent in the field .
So my iPhone will have an app on it and that information will come directly to me , '' said Kelly Good , deputy executive director of CBP 's Program Management Office Directorate .
He 's in charge of technology acquisition for the Border Patrol .
At the Border Security Expo in San Antonio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ awareness '' tech was the hottest gear .
With Trump 's border wall now approaching $ 25 million a mile , Good said the mobile towers cost the government less than $ 1 million each .
Last month , the Inspector General 's Office of the Homeland Security Department released a report critical of the Border Patrol 's single-minded fixation on a wall as the answer to border security '' CBP 's inability to effectively guide this large-scale effort poses significant risk of exponentially increasing costs , '' the report said .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insisted on a wall , even though the agency 's own internal analysis identified domain awareness technology and boots-on-the-ground as smarter solutions in certain border regions .
`` We now are in a time where we can build this virtual border wall technology .
We have that already .
I mean , you got the autonomous surveillance towers , '' said Rep. Henry Cuellar , a Texas democrat from a border district where CBP proposes to build 121 miles of barriers .
`` But there 's political pressure from the White House .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wall .
Get me miles . '
`` Last week , three landowners in the Laredo area filed legal documents in federal court to try and stop the Justice Department from condemning their riverside property for wall construction .
One of their main arguments is the Inspector General 's report .
`` Ten years ago everybody was using Blackberries , but now everyone 's using the latest iPhone , '' said Carlos Flores , an attorney representing property owners .
`` And so the technology for securing the Southern border has grown dramatically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can use today that is probably more cost effective than this antiquated border wall . ''
CBP counters that the agency needs both—the wall and the mobile towers , because eyes in the sky can detect illegal crossers but they ca n't stop them .
`` So if you have just technology , they can still come right through there .
All they have to do is get across , get onto that highway , load up in a car , and they 're gone , '' said CBP 's Kelly Good .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ you time to slow it down . ''
To the criticism that CBP did not consider cheaper , alternate methods to control the border , the agency responded that it was following an executive order from the president to immediately construct a physical barrier .
CBP has created a flashy webpage for daily updates on border wall construction .
The current count is 265 miles of border wall system built — both new construction and replacement of outdated , dilapidated barriers .
Trump brags often about the wall as one of his greatest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half years .
But the future of the southwest border barrier is in serious jeopardy if Trump does n't win a second term .
`` There will not be another foot of wall constructed in my administration , '' Joe Biden told a convention of Hispanic and Black journalists last week .
The presumptive Democratic nominee agrees that a 30-foot-tall structure is not the only answer .
`` I 'm going to make sure that we have border protection , '' he continued , `` but it 's going to be based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do it . ''
While Trump 's Border Patrol says it must have a physical barrier , the agency may rediscover a virtual wall under a Democratic White House .

Border Patrol Faulted For Favoring Steel And Concrete Wall Over High-Tech Solutions
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Burnett/NPR John Burnett/NPR
Trump's massive border wall gets all the buzz.
But U.S. Customs and Border Protection is quietly testing a new generation of free-standing surveillance towers on the Arizona border that could revolutionize border security. The telescoping towers are equipped with infrared and daytime cameras, along with laser range-finders and illuminators that can zoom in on a target miles away for a close-up. They're mounted in the bed of a Ford F-150 pickup, so they're completely mobile and can be operated remotely.
They can tell an agent if an object moving north is a cow or a single migrant or a family.
"The camera sees something, it's going to alert and send that information to an agent in the field. So my iPhone will have an app on it and that information will come directly to me," said Kelly Good, deputy executive director of CBP's Program Management Office Directorate. He's in charge of technology acquisition for the Border Patrol.
At the Border Security Expo in San Antonio, held last March, "domain awareness" tech was the hottest gear. With Trump's border wall now approaching $25 million a mile, Good said the mobile towers cost the government less than $1 million each.
Last month, the Inspector General's Office of the Homeland Security Department released a report critical of the Border Patrol's single-minded fixation on a wall as the answer to border security.
"CBP's inability to effectively guide this large-scale effort poses significant risk of exponentially increasing costs," the report said. In fact, the audit said Border Patrol insisted on a wall, even though the agency's own internal analysis identified domain awareness technology and boots on the ground as smarter solutions in certain border regions.
"We now are in a time where we can build this virtual border wall technology. We have that already. I mean, you got the autonomous surveillance towers," said Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat from a border district where CBP proposes to build 121 miles of barriers. "But there's political pressure from the White House. They're saying, 'Build me the wall. Get me miles.' "
Last week, three landowners in the Laredo area filed legal documents in federal court to try to stop the Justice Department from condemning their riverside property for wall construction. One of their main arguments is the inspector general's report.
"Ten years ago everybody was using BlackBerrys, but now everyone's using the latest iPhone," said Carlos Flores, an attorney representing property owners. "And so the technology for securing the Southern border has grown dramatically so that we have technology that we can use today that is probably more cost effective than this antiquated border wall."
CBP counters that the agency needs both the wall and the mobile towers because eyes in the sky can detect illegal crossers but they can't stop them.
"So if you have just technology, they can still come right through there. All they have to do is get across, get onto that highway, load up in a car, and they're gone," said CBP's Kelly Good. "The wall or barrier is giving you time to slow it down."
To the criticism that CBP did not consider cheaper, alternate methods to control the border, the agency responded that it was following an executive order from the president to immediately construct a physical barrier.
CBP has created a flashy webpage for daily updates on border wall construction. The current count is 265 miles of border wall system built — both new construction and replacement of outdated, dilapidated barriers. Trump brags often about the wall as one of his greatest accomplishments in the past 3 1/2 years.
But the future of the southwest border barrier is in serious jeopardy if Trump doesn't win a second term.
"There will not be another foot of wall constructed in my administration," Joe Biden told a convention of Hispanic and Black journalists last week. The presumptive Democratic nominee agrees that a 30-foot-tall structure is not the only answer. "I'm going to make sure that we have border protection," he continued, "but it's going to be based on making sure that we use high-tech capacity to do it."
While Trump's Border Patrol says it must have a physical barrier, the agency may rediscover a virtual wall under a Democratic White House.


npr--2020-08-10--Save The Whales. Save The Tigers. Save The Tapeworms?

Save The Whales .
Save The Tigers .
Save The Tapeworms ?
They 're wiggly and slimy and live inside the flesh of other animals .
Now , scientists are making a new case for why they should be saved .
Parasites play crucial roles in ecosystems around the world , making up around 40 % of animal species .
As wildlife faces the growing threats of climate change and habitat loss , scientists warn that parasites are equally vulnerable .
That 's why a team of scientists has released a `` global parasite conservation plan . ''
`` Parasites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' says Chelsea Wood , assistant professor at the University of Washington 's School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences .
`` Most people do n't really like thinking about them , but the fact is they 're really important in ecosystems . ''
In both scientific research and conservation efforts , parasites have n't always gotten much love .
Potentially millions of species are still unknown to scientists , who estimate that only around 10 % of parasites have been formally identified .
`` We know nothing about them , '' says Skylar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at North Carolina State University .
`` We do n't even know their names , and we definitely do n't know what they 're doing within ecosystems . ''
Even known parasites present scientific mysteries , like how some use mind control to change how their hosts behave .
Nematomorpha , also known as hairworms , can do that to crickets .
`` When they 're in the cricket , they manipulate the cricket 's behavior , making the cricket jump into water , basically committing cricket suicide , '' says Hopkins .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ long hairworm bursts out of the cricket to complete its life cycle .
( Here 's a video of that .
Let 's just say : You 've been warned . )
Other parasites can tip the balance of food webs , helping keep some animals from becoming too abundant .
In some California ponds , one species of flatworm , Ribeiroia ondatrae , begins as an egg inside a bird .
From there ( after exiting the bird 's back end ) , it goes into a snail and then into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cycle , it needs to get back inside a bird .
So the flatworm causes growth deformities in the limbs of frogs , making it easier for birds to catch and eat them .
That worm depends on three different animals throughout its life , but some species can depend on even four or five .
`` How does something so complicated evolve ? ''
asks Wood .
`` When you see how common it is across the parasite tree of life , you just have a lot of appreciation for the hurdles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to complete one turn of the life cycle . ''
Wood and her colleagues found that as bird biodiversity declines , some parasite species also decline as a result .
`` We think that about 1 in every 10 parasite species might be threatened with extinction in the next 50 years just from losing their habitat , '' says Colin Carlson , assistant professor and biologist at Georgetown University .
`` But when we account for that they might also lose their hosts , it pushes it closer to about 1 in every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That 's an extinction rate that 's almost unthinkable at broad scales , '' Carslon says .
Even though a host animal may be considered endangered , its parasites rarely are .
Only a handful of parasite species are designated as endangered under the U.S .
Endangered Species Act or the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
The parasite conservation plan recommends using those lists to protect the parasites that also depend on those endangered species .
`` That 's not done right now , '' says Hopkins .
`` But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really easy way , potentially , to get a lot of mileage for parasite conservation without necessarily devoting a ton of resources to parasite conservation . ''
To be clear , the plan does n't recommend protecting human parasites or those of domesticated animals .
But for millions of others , it calls for new research , outreach and ensuring that parasites are included in conservation and restoration plans .
`` Conservation often talks about this metaphor : If you pull the nails out of the side of an airplane one by one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the plane ca n't fly ? ''
says Carlson .
`` And we 're looking at that with parasites now .
If we see the total collapse of parasitic ecosystems , we have no idea what that 's going to do . ''
Still , in terms of public support , parasites may have a long way to go .
`` It is the wolves and the grizzlies and the polar bears — mostly the mammals — that really get people 's attention , '' says Jacob Malcom , director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wildlife .
Still , Malcom says parasites deserve that attention too .
Focusing on charismatic species can have the added benefit of protecting parasites and other animals at the same time .
Preserving habitat for one central animal means it acts as an `` umbrella species , '' simultaneously protecting an ecosystem for other organisms .
So , what are the chances that Defenders of Wildlife launches a `` save the leeches '' campaign ?
`` It 's pretty close to zero , '' Malcom says .

Save The Whales. Save The Tigers. Save The Tapeworms?
Enlarge this image toggle caption Chelsea Wood Chelsea Wood
They're wiggly and slimy and live inside the flesh of other animals. Now, scientists are making a new case for why they should be saved.
Parasites play crucial roles in ecosystems around the world, making up around 40% of animal species. As wildlife faces the growing threats of climate change and habitat loss, scientists warn that parasites are equally vulnerable.
That's why a team of scientists has released a "global parasite conservation plan."
"Parasites have a major public relations problem," says Chelsea Wood, assistant professor at the University of Washington's School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. "Most people don't really like thinking about them, but the fact is they're really important in ecosystems."
In both scientific research and conservation efforts, parasites haven't always gotten much love. Potentially millions of species are still unknown to scientists, who estimate that only around 10% of parasites have been formally identified.
"We know nothing about them," says Skylar Hopkins, assistant professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University. "We don't even know their names, and we definitely don't know what they're doing within ecosystems."
Even known parasites present scientific mysteries, like how some use mind control to change how their hosts behave. Nematomorpha, also known as hairworms, can do that to crickets.
"When they're in the cricket, they manipulate the cricket's behavior, making the cricket jump into water, basically committing cricket suicide," says Hopkins.
Once in the water, the shockingly long hairworm bursts out of the cricket to complete its life cycle. (Here's a video of that. Let's just say: You've been warned.)
Other parasites can tip the balance of food webs, helping keep some animals from becoming too abundant.
In some California ponds, one species of flatworm, Ribeiroia ondatrae, begins as an egg inside a bird. From there (after exiting the bird's back end), it goes into a snail and then into a frog. But to finish its life cycle, it needs to get back inside a bird. So the flatworm causes growth deformities in the limbs of frogs, making it easier for birds to catch and eat them.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Skylar Hopkins Skylar Hopkins
That worm depends on three different animals throughout its life, but some species can depend on even four or five.
"How does something so complicated evolve?" asks Wood. "When you see how common it is across the parasite tree of life, you just have a lot of appreciation for the hurdles these organisms have to jump over just to complete one turn of the life cycle."
Wood and her colleagues found that as bird biodiversity declines, some parasite species also decline as a result.
"We think that about 1 in every 10 parasite species might be threatened with extinction in the next 50 years just from losing their habitat," says Colin Carlson, assistant professor and biologist at Georgetown University. "But when we account for that they might also lose their hosts, it pushes it closer to about 1 in every 3 species of parasite."
"That's an extinction rate that's almost unthinkable at broad scales," Carslon says.
Even though a host animal may be considered endangered, its parasites rarely are. Only a handful of parasite species are designated as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act or the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The parasite conservation plan recommends using those lists to protect the parasites that also depend on those endangered species.
"That's not done right now," says Hopkins. "But it would be a really great way, really easy way, potentially, to get a lot of mileage for parasite conservation without necessarily devoting a ton of resources to parasite conservation."
To be clear, the plan doesn't recommend protecting human parasites or those of domesticated animals. But for millions of others, it calls for new research, outreach and ensuring that parasites are included in conservation and restoration plans.
"Conservation often talks about this metaphor: If you pull the nails out of the side of an airplane one by one, how many can you take out before the plane can't fly?" says Carlson. "And we're looking at that with parasites now. If we see the total collapse of parasitic ecosystems, we have no idea what that's going to do."
Still, in terms of public support, parasites may have a long way to go.
"It is the wolves and the grizzlies and the polar bears — mostly the mammals — that really get people's attention," says Jacob Malcom, director of the Center for Conservation Innovation at Defenders of Wildlife.
Still, Malcom says parasites deserve that attention too. Focusing on charismatic species can have the added benefit of protecting parasites and other animals at the same time. Preserving habitat for one central animal means it acts as an "umbrella species," simultaneously protecting an ecosystem for other organisms.
So, what are the chances that Defenders of Wildlife launches a "save the leeches" campaign?
"It's pretty close to zero," Malcom says.