Ann Givens spotlights a California crime lab, which can process gun casings into a national ballistics database 15 times faster than the other 20 crime labs in the area. New leadership streamlined their internal process and set up handy drop-boxes so law enforcement can drop off shell casings without hassle. That means leads get to law enforcement faster and help police stop criminals before they strike again. Fantastic reporting with clearcut takeaways for others to replicate the model.

From Durango Herald “Creating Connections” Series

This six-part series, with written stories by Mary Shinn and audio stories by Sarah Flower, was developed in response to a county-wide increase in suicides over the last five years. The stories are all solutions-focused (SJN supported the series with a grant), and cover responses in play already: introducing behavioral health care screenings at a local clinic, and a national model called the Zero Suicide Initiative. Take note of the “What You’re Thinking” engagement boxes throughout, where readers can submit their reactions directly through the story page.

Anisa Sabiri’s photoessay provides a great example of how to do solutions photojournalism. The natural photos of daily life, complemented by rich captions, illuminate how the Living With Dignity project in Tajikistan provides counseling and skills training for families to reduce violence against women. The two regions that participated saw significant declines in rates of violence, depression and suicide. Additionally, women’s earnings and savings increased because the program helped them start small money-making ventures. The photoessay pairs with this article by Liz Ford.

Honduras had the worst homicide rate in the world in 2012 but since then it has “brought its murder rates down more than any other nation in the world.” In under 800 words, Deborah Bonello goes through a comprehensive list of initiatives that contributed to this, from replacing one main prison with two new maximum-security jails that limit gangs’ communication to the outside world, to police reform which brought dismissals of thousands of officers, and a new curriculum focused on human rights and community policing. Excellent inclusion of caveats at the end as well: the problem is still persistent, and observers caution the changes may not be sustainable.

“Nosara Firefighters Manage to Respond to 260 Emergencies This Year With Their Cell Phones” (Voz de Guanacaste)

Noelia Esquivel covers this remarkable story: In Costa Rica, a group of volunteer firefighters use their own cell phones to stay updated on emergencies until they are integrated into the country’s 9–1–1 system. With donated equipment and gear, on a shoestring budget, they are filling a big gap in emergency services. More residents are now accustomed to calling them directly to report fires and other emergencies. This year they have responded to over 250 emergency calls.

Kelli Rogers reports from Bangladesh, “one of the most disaster-prone

countries in the world,” which has become a leader in disaster preparedness through its strategy of training thousands to give early warnings on cyclones and other disasters. This approach has saved thousands of lives and has become a model for other countries. Now the country is training Rohingya refugees living in Bangladeshi camps after fleeing persecution in Myanmar to do similar work, as they face threats of widespread damage due to cyclones.

A solutions journalism story about journalism! Shan Wang covers German news site Zeit Online, which helped 600 pairs of people with opposing political views meet to discuss the issues in person. The “My Country Talks” initiative was so well-reviewed that Zeit Online is now partnering with a dozen other German media organizations to grow the project, as well as a variety of groups outside the country.

Reporter Erica Evans and photojournalist Spenser Heaps traveled from Utah to Oslo for this SJN-supported project, the first story in a series. Faced with poor winter air quality and smog, the Norwegian capital instituted a set of policy measures that have resulted in dramatic improvement. Many of these policies center around transportation — including incentivizing the production and purchase of electric cars, reducing the number of cars in the city, and creating car-free zones. Lots of take-home lessons for Utah, which is dealing with a health crisis created by air pollution.

Spawned from the Times’ success with Education Lab, the Project Homeless vertical was born in October 2017, and is starting its second year. One story by Vianna Davila looks at how San Francisco is following through on a controversial, aggressive plan to move people experiencing homelessness from encampments and tents, responding to complaints that the city’s growing number of homeless people are a detriment to tourism and property values. Seattle, a city experiencing a similar problem, is considering the same approach because encampments have gone down by 50%, but critics say it is a compassionless approach that moves the problem rather than solving it. Great coverage of a flawed solution.

Fantastic short radio piece by Anne Hillman at Alaska Public Media’s award-winning Solutions Desk. In Alaska, the Community Health Aide Program is helping to connect people in remote, rural parts of Alaska to medical care. The program, started decades ago in collaboration with the Indian Health Service, local government, and congress, has helped to keep people healthy despite high expectations and turn-over. Even in under five minutes, Hillman makes time to point out the limitations of the approach.

This one wins best title of the year. Christabel Ligami reports on the not-so-simple issue of getting more people — particularly men — to visit healthcare facilities. A clever solution has taken shape in Turkana county in Kenya: offering crucial care for livestock, which are many people’s livelihood, as a bonus service for showing up to receive a medical check-up. In a single visit to a Kimormor, a family can vaccinate their children, as well as their cows. Other services include birth control consultation, and even ID registration.

A hyperlocal series, “Postcards from Bozeman’s Future,” examines how the economy of Bozeman will grow. It looks to other cities that have already gone through booms, starting with Bend, Oregon, in the first story in the series (a great example of “tale-of-two-cities” sojo). Lewis Kendall examines Alaska’s model of municipality-controlled sales tax in this later piece. In the capital city of Juneau, sales tax revenue covers about half of the city’s annual budget with more than 17 percent coming from the pockets of tourists. This system could make sense for Montana as well.