Car emissions account for half of the carbon monoxide pollution in the United States, one third of the nitrogen oxide pollution, and 10% of fine particulate matter emissions. Areas of heavy traffic congestion — which see concentrated emissions levels in the ambient air — are of particular concern, as previous research has linked such pollution with negative effects on fetal health.

A wealth of data is released every week in the United States by organizations of all kinds, from federal, state and local agencies to companies, educational institutions and other nonprofits.

Many large federal datasets contain highly granular statistics that can serve as a launching point for local stories — for example, the location of alternative-fuel stations (graphic at left), campus crimes or payments to doctors by pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

The issue: Questions about how to use limited financial resources vex school administrators and local governments across the country. Computer technology is critical to the 21^st century economy. So school administrators increasingly see laptops as a way to ensure all children receive tools for success. As laptops fall in price — Google’s Chromebook, for example, starts at $150 — they are becoming more common in the classroom. But do such programs help students learn?

Police forces across the United States use a variety of techniques to deal with situations that may involve violence. Though the wooden baton was once the only less-lethal weapon available, more advanced technologies such as Taser devices are now employed.

This post was adapted from VerificationJunkie, a site created by Josh Stearns of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. @jcstearns

Trying to stay informed about the flurry of changes and shifts within the news media business is no easy task. From the decline in advertising and shifts in ad tech to new digital-ethical puzzles and social media strategies, there are many emerging topics — and many outlets and voices, both new and old, digging into the latest trends.