A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
Yesterday marked one year on the dot since we first published our series When It Rains, exploring the impacts of increasing extreme rainfall in the Mississippi River basin, and the ways communities, farmers and residents are trying to adapt.
We’re thrilled to announce that this project is a 2023 winner in the short-form writing category of the international Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards.
When It Rains was a true team effort, spanning eight states, more than a dozen local newsrooms and at least 30 reporters, editors, advisors, photographers, producers and student journalists (many more than could fit in our submission title!).
We began reporting this series in the wake of deadly and historic floods in Kentucky and beyond in summer 2022. Editorial director Tegan Wendland worked with Climate Central on data analysis that found parts of the basin are now seeing up to 8 more inches of rain a year than they did 50 years ago. Our team explored the costs and benefits of solutions to this massive change, from managed retreat to just making room for our rivers.
The series reached millions of Americans through dozens of news outlets of all shapes and sizes across the country, including with a national version on NPR. This was our first major all-team project, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have it recognized by our peers. Thanks to the judges, and to you, our readers, for being part of our work.
Yours,
Annie Ropeik
Ag & Water Desk Assistant Director
Our latest stories
Low water on the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois on Sept. 18, 2023. Aerial support provided by LightHawk. Credit: Nick Rohlman, The Gazette
Towns built by the descendants of people once enslaved in the area’s sugarcane fields hope their history might earn this stretch of riverfront new protection from industrial growth.
By Delaney Dryfoos, The Lens | Sept. 26, 2023
On Whitney Plantation, the Big House is one of the best preserved Creole plantation houses standing on the River Road, near the “Cancer Alley” area of St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. Credit: La’Shance Perry, The Lens
More headlines from our team
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Composting food waste can reduce climate impacts and save municipalities money, but odors and pests are raising concerns about scaling up operations in some Midwest cities. Eva Tesfaye of Harvest Public Media has that story.
Cover crops and no-till farming aren't just good for the soil — they also make farmers more money, according to a new study, also covered by Eva Tesfaye.
