Local news and analysis from The Conversation

Highlighting emerging research and expert analysis on issues important to five communities in the U.S. Funded by the Knight Foundation and R.K. Mellon Foundation.

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A young person in a black shirt with their hands behind their back wearing handcuffs.

A young person in a black shirt with their hands behind their back wearing handcuffs.

Pittsburgh spends millions on juvenile detention – research points to cheaper, more effective alternatives

Jeffrey Shook, University of Pittsburgh

Magic mushroom-infused products appear in Colorado gas stations – what public health officials want consumers to know

David Kroll, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

A close-up shot of backlit mushrooms surrounded by humidity.

A close-up shot of backlit mushrooms surrounded by humidity.

Controversy over Reese’s ingredients reveals standard food industry practices most consumers never notice

Jonathan Deutsch, Drexel University

Three chocolate peanut butter cup candies in a row on white background

Three chocolate peanut butter cup candies in a row on white background

How the Emerald Isle shaped the Steel City – Pittsburgh’s rich Irish history

Paula Kane, University of Pittsburgh

Girl with green, white and orange painted on her face to resemble the Irish flag.

Girl with green, white and orange painted on her face to resemble the Irish flag.

Nearly 1 in 3 missing children in the US are Black, driving Pennsylvania and other states to propose ‘Ebony Alerts’ to ensure equal protection and public safety

Itay Ravid, Villanova University

Back of girl with long ponytail as she sits looking out of a window

Back of girl with long ponytail as she sits looking out of a window

Detroit

A man sleeps at a bus station in Detroit.

A man sleeps at a bus station in Detroit.

Housing First helps people find permanent homes in Detroit − but HUD plans to divert funds to short-term solutions

Deyanira Nevárez Martínez, Michigan State University

Detroit was once home to 18 Black-led hospitals – here’s how to understand their rise and fall

Rashid Faisal, University of Michigan-Dearborn and Anita Moncrease, Wayne State University

A view of the Detroit skyline in 1929

A view of the Detroit skyline in 1929

Supreme Court’s Michigan pipeline case is about Native rights and fossil fuels, not just technical legal procedure

Mike Shriberg, University of Michigan

A two-towered suspension bridge spans a waterway.

A two-towered suspension bridge spans a waterway.

Has Little Caesars Arena boosted economic activity in Detroit? We looked at hotel and short-term rental industry data to find out

Gidon Jakar, University of Florida

People pass by a low-rise brick-and-glass building that has a sign reading "Little Caesars Arena"

People pass by a low-rise brick-and-glass building that has a sign reading "Little Caesars Arena"

Innovations in asthma care can improve the health of Detroiters living with this chronic disease

Arjun Mohan, University of Michigan

Emergency department sign stands outside of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit

Emergency department sign stands outside of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit

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Philadelphia

Two men speak in a medical setting

Two men speak in a medical setting

Higher buprenorphine doses help patients stay in opioid use disorder treatment, new study finds

Rachel French, University of Pennsylvania

Abandoned Pennsylvania mines and waste-heat recycling could make the state’s massive new data centers far more sustainable

Wangda Zuo, Penn State

Aerial view of industrial area

Aerial view of industrial area

Nearly a third of Pennsylvania gamblers are at risk of problem gambling − but few seek treatment

Gillian Russell, Penn State and Glenn Sterner, University of Kentucky

Young adult male wearing sweatshirt and headphones sits in front of computer screen with playing cards on display

Young adult male wearing sweatshirt and headphones sits in front of computer screen with playing cards on display

Formerly incarcerated Black men say they’re ‘doing OK’ while trying to cope with depression and PTSD

Helena Addison, Yale University

Black man in turtleneck sits with hands folded talking to Black woman who holds clipboard and pen

Black man in turtleneck sits with hands folded talking to Black woman who holds clipboard and pen

AI’s growing appetite for power is putting Pennsylvania’s aging electricity grid to the test

Shixiang (Woody) Zhu, Carnegie Mellon University

Smoke puffs out of a power plant with an American flag in the foreground of the photo.

Smoke puffs out of a power plant with an American flag in the foreground of the photo.

Read more Philadelphia news

Pittsburgh

Black woman wearing a medical mask holds sign that reads, "ICE Out Of Pennsylvania."

Black woman wearing a medical mask holds sign that reads, "ICE Out Of Pennsylvania."

ICE buys $87M warehouse in Pennsylvania − can local officials block a detention facility?

Aaron Walayat, University of Dayton

Trauma patients recover faster when medical teams know each other well, new study finds

Linda Argote, Carnegie Mellon University and Jeremy M. Kahn, University of Pittsburgh

Two female trauma team members and one male assess a patient in a hospital room.

Two female trauma team members and one male assess a patient in a hospital room.

Pittsburgh nurses are fighting for better staffing ratios — and the research backs them up

Anna Mayo, Carnegie Mellon University

A group of nurses in black scrubs hold signs that read 'Elevating women's and family health for our region.'

A group of nurses in black scrubs hold signs that read 'Elevating women's and family health for our region.'

After a 32-hour shift in Pittsburgh, I realized EMTs should be napping on the job

P. Daniel Patterson, University of Pittsburgh

Two male medics in uniform help carry a patient on a gurney out of an ambulance.

Two male medics in uniform help carry a patient on a gurney out of an ambulance.

AI’s growing appetite for power is putting Pennsylvania’s aging electricity grid to the test

Shixiang (Woody) Zhu, Carnegie Mellon University

Smoke puffs out of a power plant with an American flag in the foreground of the photo.

Smoke puffs out of a power plant with an American flag in the foreground of the photo.

South Florida

Sign reading Welcome to Florida, The Sunshine State

Sign reading Welcome to Florida, The Sunshine State

This Sunshine Week, Florida reflects an alarming national trend of blocking the public’s access to information

David Cuillier, University of Florida

Mobile clinics offer a practical way to improve health care access in maternity care deserts

Adetola F. Louis-Jacques, University of Florida; Arielle Ayotte, University of Florida, and Michelle Nall, University of Florida

Bus repurposed as a mobile clinic

Bus repurposed as a mobile clinic

Florida’s proposed cuts to AIDS drug program threaten patient care and public health

Jonathan Appelbaum, Florida State University

free HIV testing booth at Pride Festival in Miami

free HIV testing booth at Pride Festival in Miami

How transparent policies can protect Florida school libraries amid efforts to ban books

Abigail Leigh Phillips, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

School librarian speaking to a student while other students around them read.

School librarian speaking to a student while other students around them read.

Florida’s immigrant entrepreneurs are creating jobs and prosperity in their communities

Paula de la Cruz-Fernández, University of Florida

Mary's Cafe and Laundry in the 2000s

Mary's Cafe and Laundry in the 2000s

Read more South Florida news

Colorado

Children play on a see-saw on a sunny day at a park.

Children play on a see-saw on a sunny day at a park.

Federal benefits cuts are looming – here’s how Colorado is trying to protect families with children

Stephen Roll, Washington University in St. Louis; Jenn Finders, Colorado State University, and Leah Hamilton, Appalachian State University

Why do mountaintops stay snowy?

Allie Mazurek, Colorado State University

A father and his young daughters walk through a field of wildflowers with a snow-covered mountain ahead.

A father and his young daughters walk through a field of wildflowers with a snow-covered mountain ahead.

How Denver’s Northeast Park Hill community reduced youth violence by 75%

Beverly Kingston, University of Colorado Boulder

Young women walk toward a sunlit neighborhood street.

Young women walk toward a sunlit neighborhood street.

Fewer new moms are dying in Colorado – naloxone might be one reason why

Kaylin Klie, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

A woman in a blue dress holds a swaddled baby in a hospital room.

A woman in a blue dress holds a swaddled baby in a hospital room.

Making sense of a chaotic planet: How understanding weather and climate risks depends on supercomputers like NCAR’s

Antonios Mamalakis, University of Virginia

The NCAR-Wyoming supercomputer center

The NCAR-Wyoming supercomputer center

Read more Colorado news

Most read stories

Three chocolate peanut butter cup candies in a row on white background

Three chocolate peanut butter cup candies in a row on white background

Controversy over Reese’s ingredients reveals standard food industry practices most consumers never notice

Jonathan Deutsch, Drexel University

How a 22-year-old George Washington learned how to lead, from a series of mistakes in the Pennsylvania wilderness

Christopher Magra, University of Tennessee

George Washington depicted as a young surveyor.

George Washington depicted as a young surveyor.

Broncos say their new stadium will be ‘privately financed,’ but ‘private’ often still means hundreds of millions in public resources

Geoffrey Propheter, University of Colorado Denver

People walk toward a large building with a sign that says "Empower Field at Mile High."

People walk toward a large building with a sign that says "Empower Field at Mile High."

I study rat nests − here’s why rodents make great archivists

Alexandria Mitchem Hansen, Columbia University

Brown rat on the ground outdoors holds red berry-like fruit in its hands

Brown rat on the ground outdoors holds red berry-like fruit in its hands

Colorado ranks among the highest states in the country for flu – an emergency room physician describes why the 2025-26 flu season is hitting hard

Jean Hoffman, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Woman in a blue scrub top coughs in a hospital bed while a person in the background in a doctor's coat rub their hands together.

Woman in a blue scrub top coughs in a hospital bed while a person in the background in a doctor's coat rub their hands together.

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