In 2022, Evanston, Ill., created the first U.S. reparations program to atone for its history of racial discrimination. Michela Moscufo went there for NBC News to talk with residents about what they are doing with their $25,000 checks.

Outside of big cities, options are limited for running public transit without fossil fuels. H. Jiahong Pan went to Grants Pass, Ore., to report for the Daily Yonder on how new electric buses are working.

Visible homelessness has sparked an identity crisis in Missoula, Mont. Patrick Spauster went there for Bloomberg CityLab to report on the city’s efforts to balance supports for residents with restrictions on camping.

Helping homeowners to replace air conditioners and patch walls cuts their utility bills and reduces greenhouse-gas emissions. Ashli Blow went to Memphis for Tennessee Lookout to report on how weatherization benefits residents and supports local contractors.

Mobile health clinics are a growing option for hard-to-reach populations to get the care they need. Anika Nayak went to Boston to report on how the Mass General Brigham Community Care Van works. Her story ran in the health news site STAT.

Vermont is a national model for mitigating flood risks associated with mobile home communities. Colleen Hagerty went there to see how those policies held up after two-record breaking floods. Her story appeared in Heatmap.

The people who conduct autopsies make critical determinations about what caused a person’s death. Caroline Tracey went to Hidalgo County, Texas, to see why it’s so important to have a trained medical professional doing the work. Her story appeared in The Nation.

A New Orleans nonprofit takes chefs and restaurant workers out on boats to see firsthand how a disappearing shoreline harms the ecosystems where local seafood comes from. Rory Doyle’s photos in The Bitter Southerner magazine showed what they learned.

Sometimes, the cure for a respiratory problem like asthma is forcing a landlord to fix mold or other issues. For this Boston Globe story, Julia Hotz went to Cincinnati to see how a medical program that prescribes legal counsel is paying off for patients.

Rochester, N.Y., is studying the idea of taking over its local electric utility. Colin Kinniburgh of New York Focus went there to report on the debate–and stopped in the town of Massena to find out how that city’s decision to municipalize paid off for residents.

Missoula, Mont., is facing an affordable housing crisis like the city has never seen before. For the 6-part Missoulian series “Nowhere to Go,” David Erickson went to Portland, Ore., to learn what lessons that city’s extensive housing programs can offer Missoula.

A new rail trail in Albuquerque promises to bring new amenities but may squeeze longtime homeowners with higher taxes. Peter Rice of the Downtown Albuquerque News went to Atlanta to report on programs that protect residents along that city’s booming BeltLine.

A lack of clear land titling threatens Black property ownership across the South. David Slade of the Charleston Post and Courier went to Philadelphia to see if the city’s “Tangled Title Fund” offers a model for state and local leaders to consider.