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Before Flint, Before East Chicago, There Was Smeltertown

DispatchFlint, Indiana, Texas, NewarkLauren Villagran
After a 1970s CDC study showed that the mostly Mexican-American population of this Texas town had dangerously high blood lead levels, its buildings were demolished and its residents were booted.

The Petcoke Problem: Where to Store the Risky Tar Sands Refining By-Product

ExplainerUnited States, Canada, Chicago, Detroit, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Virginia
Petroleum coke, typically stored outdoors in big open piles, can blow right into nearby homes and cause serious health problems. Unsurprisingly, communities are fighting Big Oil to keep this noxious material out of their backyards.

Raising the High-Water Mark

DispatchMidwestClara Chaisson
In the Midwest, “rare” floods are becoming the norm. Here’s why it’s high time we improve our flood risk estimates.

Soft in the Middle

DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier
What’s up with the Midwest’s warm and soggy winter weather?

‘Nowhere to Go but Up’

DispatchMidwestBarry Yeoman
Don’t blame the recent flooding along the Mississippi River on the rain. We created this mess.

Life on the Mississippi, Now

DispatchMissouri, Illinois, MidwestBarry Yeoman
We've spent billions of dollars on dikes, locks, and levees in a vain attempt to subdue what Mark Twain called "that lawless stream." Is it time to let the river have its way?

Save the Sage Grouse, Save the West

NRDC in ActionMontana, WyomingVirginia Sole-Smith
Why our success in saving the greater sage grouse is key to preserving millions of acres of habitat and hundreds of other species across the American West.

The Latin Quarter

ExplainerInternational, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, Colombia, PanamaBrian Palmer
Latin America is key to addressing climate change at the Paris conference. Why doesn’t it get more attention?

Bird Men

DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier
Thanks to falconers, endangered peregrines are flourishing in Midwestern cities.

6 Cities That Are Ready for Climate Change

ExplainerNew York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Portland (Oregon), San AntonioKim Castleberry
By embracing green infrastructure, these urban areas have a solid defense against increased drought or flood.

Remember the Kalamazoo

DispatchMichiganBrian Palmer
Five years ago, a pipeline spilled a million gallons of tar sands crude into a Michigan river—and we’re still cleaning it up.

Spreading Their Wings

DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier
Butterflies bred in a Chicago lab are fluttering their way back to Illinois swamps.

Flexing Their Mussel

DispatchOhio, MidwestSusan Cosier
The bivalves that ate the Great Lakes are fueling toxic algal blooms, too. Can’t we get rid of them already?