Thank you to everyone who attended the @ire.org AccessFest panel on how to deliver nuanced, high-impact stories on homelessness with reporters @steflugli.bsky.social @marisakendall.bsky.social @willjames.bsky.social @mjlyle.bsky.social.

In a hearing this morning, the state said it couldn't answer questions about whether it would try to execute her again:

Keri Blakinger@keribla.bsky.social · 3w ago

I’ve covered death row cases for nearly a decade and witnessed several executions. What happened to Christa Pike wasn’t an anomaly. It could happen anywhere. With another execution planned for this week in Texas, let me explain why. THREAD 🧵

Thanks to the Law Center for sharing my feature on what homeless Wichitans go through when they go through a camp sweep. Read (or listen!) at the link.

National Homelessness Law Center@homelesslaw.bsky.social · 4w ago

“When you’re living outside and you get moved, it can temporarily stop some progress towards housing because now maybe you don’t know where you’re going to sleep tonight, so your focus shifts back to figuring out how you’re going to meet your basic needs." buff.ly/NFLqQNT

Myself and other members of the @homelessbeatrc.bsky.social are hosting a panel on delivering nuanced, high-impact stories on homelessness, this Friday, 2:30-3:30 EST. We'd love to see you! Come through! @ire.org schedules.ire.org/accessfest-2...

AccessFest 2026 schedule | October 8-10, 2026

Welcome to the AccessFest 2026 schedule! Browse sessions and speakers.

schedules.ire.org

As Wichita speeds up homeless encampment removals, The Journal examined what happens to people's belongings. A records request found only 10 documented instances of property being stored out of 934 work orders -- a devastating loss for many. ✍️ @steflugli.bsky.social 🎨 @eedegroot.bsky.social

‘It doesn’t help us’: Homeless Wichitans on what is lost after a camp sweep

The city is required to keep certain property and provide a way for its retrieval. Yet over the course of over 900 encampment removals since January 2025, officials have only 10 instances of saving pe...

klcjournal.com

Hey media folk: Have questions about covering homelessness? We’ve got a new guide to help you navigate the avalanche of information, competing perspectives and political narratives surrounding the topic. Check it out: shorturl.at/JDQet

Please avoid all salads, including word.

sashaying back into the professionally online lifestyle after a year and half running, screaming in the other direction

ICE has killed another person, this time by depriving him of life-sustaining medication for a known medical condition. Jesus Manuel Arenas-Silva was detained on Thursday. He was dead by Monday. Per @detentionwatchnetwork.org:

He died at Irwin, the detention center made notorious by allegations of unwanted gynecological procedures, and that Biden had shut down. Trump reopened it. Now it’s the site of yet another death in ICE detention following claims of medical neglect.

Marisa Kabas@marisakabas.bsky.social · 4mo ago

ICE has killed another person, this time by depriving him of life-sustaining medication for a known medical condition. Jesus Manuel Arenas-Silva was detained on Thursday. He was dead by Monday. Per @detentionwatchnetwork.org:

*taps microphone* is this thing on

Statement from @postguild.bsky.social on the firing of Karen Attiah:

Some personal news: I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Thread incoming. substack.com/@karenattiah...

The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced.

I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job.

substack.com

Signal Ohio workers across the state walked off the job for two hours! We're still demanding that our CEO & board members recognize us as one bargaining unit. @newsguild.org Show your support by sending an email to them here: actionnetwork.org/letters/one-... 📸: Reporters in Akron & Cleveland

Scoop! Kansas housing programs lost $2.3 million in federal funds, forcing some providers to close programs, eliminate jobs or work at a financial loss. Read more about how these cuts hurt vulnerable Kansans and those serving them: klcjournal.com/doge-federal...

Vulnerable Kansans already struggled to find housing. Federal funding cuts will make it even harder.

When a Kansas state agency was told to cut $2.3 million in housing programs, some closed their doors while others found temporary life rafts.

klcjournal.com

For the last several months, I've been digging through endless scientific literature on what happens when pregnant mothers are exposed to plastic chemicals in their food, water, and everyday household products. The result is this story. I hope you'll take the time to read. wapo.st/4g3ZoFc

The health risks from plastics almost nobody knows about

Researchers have linked phthalates, chemicals found in plastics, to premature birth, infertility and ADHD.

wapo.st

Scoop! Kansas housing programs lost $2.3 million in federal funds, forcing some providers to close programs, eliminate jobs or work at a financial loss. Read more about how these cuts hurt vulnerable Kansans and those serving them: klcjournal.com/doge-federal...

Vulnerable Kansans already struggled to find housing. Federal funding cuts will make it even harder.

When a Kansas state agency was told to cut $2.3 million in housing programs, some closed their doors while others found temporary life rafts.

klcjournal.com

The National Weather Service will hire as many as 450 people after Elon Musk's DOGE gutted the agency, leaving it dangerously understaffed.

After Dangerous Understaffing Due To DOGE, National Weather Service Hiring 450 People

Meteorologists and climate scientists have warned of consequences with fewer workers in crucial positions.

huffpost.com

Second Light, Wichita’s emerging homeless shelter, is a haven from the elements and a place where you know when you’ll have your next meal. The residents are grateful for that. But they wait for more.

Second Light, Wichita’s emerging homeless shelter, faces steep challenges—building a campus while housing residents, uncertain funding, little state support, and earning trust from homeless Wichitans. ✍️ @steflugli.bsky.social 📸 Jeff Tuttle

‘We cannot fail’: Wichita’s emerging homeless shelter is finding its footing

The former winter shelter transitioned to a privately-run operation on April 1. Operators are optimistic about its future while shelter residents express frustrations.

klcjournal.com

oh ok

If you are involved in trying to make nonprofit news sustainable, I wrote and reported this story for you! So much news that deserves our attention right now, but I hope you'll spend some time with my Houston Landing retrospective for @niemanlab.org (1/3) www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/what...

What went wrong at the Houston Landing?

“We tried to be too much, too fast, for too many people.”

niemanlab.org

So Kristi Noem now requires that any FEMA contracts over $100K get her personal signoff. She didn't authorize search and rescue teams in Texas for more than 72 hours. www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/p...

In Texas flood response, FEMA slowed by Noem’s cost controls | CNN Politics

As monstrous floodwaters surged across central Texas late last week, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency leapt into action, preparing to deploy critical search and rescue teams and li...

cnn.com

Musk may have left Washington, but DOGE is continuing its assault on the federal government unabated. More incredible reporting from the all stars of DOGE reporting @telliotter.bsky.social and @makenakelly.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/next-s...

This Is DOGE 2.0

Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency is continuing its wholesale assault on federal agencies—even without Musk in government.

wired.com

"Shortly after 10 a.m., Orozco Forero texted her family member: 'They are going to deport us' 'Nicolle what happened? Nicolle answer me,' they texted back. 'What do I do?'" An important yet heartbreaking read. 19thnews.org/2025/07/chil...

After a child care worker is detained by ICE, a community is left reeling

Nicolle Orozco Forero is one of the thousands of immigrant women who provide child care for American children, and one of the few who cares for children with disabilities. Now she and her seriously il...

19thnews.org

More than 1,000 U.S. counties — one out of three in the nation — do not have the equivalent of even one full-time local journalist. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/new-...

New report maps a “severe” shortage of local journalists in the U.S.

The report from Rebuild Local News and Muck Rack finds that more than 1,000 counties — one out of three in the nation — do not have the equivalent of even one full-time local journalist.

niemanlab.org

my desk neighbor asked if I got a bad phone call because she heard me "muttering" at my desk ... I was not-silently mouthing along to the Wicked soundtrack

NEW: Adults fighting kids for clean water, despondent toddlers and a child with swollen feet denied a medical exam - these first-hand accounts from immigrant families are offering a glimpse at conditions in TX detention centers. according to court filing. apnews.com/article/migr...

New insight into Texas family detention reveals adults fighting kids for clean water

A new court filing in an ongoing legal dispute with the federal government reveals the psychological and physical trauma endured by children and families held at Texas family detention centers.

apnews.com

I know a lot of people just don't really know much about foreign cities, but please imagine how it would go if someone told all of NYC to evacuate "immediately," and then add two million more people to that scenario

The Associated Press@apnews.com · last yr.

President Trump urges all of Tehran to evacuate "immediately" in new social media post as he says Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.

"Tear gas is banned in international warfare, but it is classified as a 'riot control agent' that law enforcement can use for crowd control."

ProPublica@propublica.org · last yr.

Tear gas can cause long-term health consequences by making people more susceptible to contracting respiratory illnesses, including COVID. The chemical agent can also hurt people inside their homes if it seeps into residential neighborhoods. What you need to know (published 2020):