State takeover is the assumption of control of a school district or municipality by the state as the result of fiscal insolvency and/or lack of academic achievement. Takeover eliminates the control and ability of local communities to appoint democratically elected and locally responsible officials in favor of a state-appointed emergency manager. The job of the … Continue reading The Empire Strikes Back: State Takeover and its Effect on Communities
Category: environment
Wolf hunting has become a hot topic in recent years. Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are all going through this controversy together and at different rates. Legislation began after wolves nearly disappeared from the region in the 1970s, which is when the Endangered Species Act was introduced to protect and rehabilitate the populations. However, wolf hunting … Continue reading Endangering the Ecosystem and Lying Lawmakers
In 2014, harmful algal blooms (HAB) made national headlines for toxifying the western Lake Erie basin and temporarily poisoning the drinking water of 400,000 Ohio residents. Despite efforts by the state of Michigan to curb significant blooms, HABs world-wide continue to steadily increase, relative to yearly rainfall. Algae is not innately toxic; it typically acts … Continue reading Toxic Algae: An Underestimated Threat to the Environment
Access to public land is - or should be - a right, but two recent decisions made by the Trump administration threaten to make public land more inaccessible than ever. The Trump administration’s budget plans to cut $296.6 million from the National Park Service in 2018, and the National Park Service will “more than double … Continue reading National Parks Should Be Accessible to All
Coral reefs exhibit some of the most vibrant and varied colors of any ecosystem on Earth, but in 2016, large parts of the Great Barrier Reef turned stark white in the deadliest bleaching event in recorded history. Coral bleaching occurs when polyps, the colorful parts of the coral that help feed the organism, die. When … Continue reading Coral Bleaching: Global Warming, Ocean edition
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